Christ the King, Year C, 23.11.2025

2 Samuel 5:1-3 / Colossians 1:11-20 / Luke 23:35-43  

The need for attention is a need of every person. 

Every person needs attention for various reasons. 

Basically, we will call for attention because of some need. 

For example, when we are in a restaurant and we are ready to order our food, we will call for the attention of the waiter. 

For babies, when they are in need, whether they are hungry or the diapers need to be changed, they will cry out for attention. 

Even a seemingly ordinary action like pressing the bell in the bus, calls for the attention of the bus captain to let him know that we need to alight at the next bus stop. 

So, everyone calls out for attention because of a need. 

Children will try to get the attention of their parents by doing something or saying something because they need to know that their parents care for them. 

Workers will try to get the attention of their boss or superiors by being impressive in every possible way for job security and stability.

And in the competition for love, boy will try to impress the girl and get her attention, or it can also be the other way around. 

Whatever it is, the reality is that as human beings, we need the attention from others. 

We need attention to impress others and to prove ourselves. 

On the higher and noble levels of life, we call for attention to direct others to safety or away from danger, or to make an important announcement. 

Today, as we celebrate the feast of Christ the King, the gospel passage brings us back to the scene of the crucifixion. 

We may wonder, why is it that on such a grand and joyous feast, the gospel passage is about pain, suffering and death. 

The gospel passage states that fact. 

But not all facts tell the truth. 

The people stood there, but they were looking at Jesus as if they were watching a spectacle, and no response were required from them. 

The leaders jeered at Jesus saying, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the Christ of God.”

The soldiers also mocked Jesus as they said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” 

And above Jesus there was an inscription: This is the King of the Jews. 

Even one of the condemned criminals hanging there abused Jesus saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself, and us as well.” 

Those were the facts at the scene of the crucifixion. 

But the irony is that those facts point to the truth, a rather mysterious truth. 

Because, all that was said by the leaders, by the soldiers, by that condemned criminal, all that pointed to the truth. 

And that truth was stated silently but profoundly in that inscription: This is the King of the Jews. 

And the King of the Jews didn’t need to prove Himself, or call for the people’s attention to acknowledge Him as the king.

By the fact that Jesus was on the Cross, He was already above the rest and they were looking up at Him. 

At the foot of the Cross, there was so much noise – the noise of jeering, insulting and mocking. 

All were trying to call attention to themselves by trying to put down Jesus.

There was so much of jeering and mocking, but only one person was praying. 

And his prayer is simply this: Jesus, remember Me when you come into your Kingdom.” 

And that simple and humble prayer brought out the divine promise of salvation. 

Although nailed to the Cross, Jesus made this divine promise: Indeed, I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise. 

That is the promise of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. 

It is the promise made to that repentant criminal, and it is a promise made to all of us who believe in Jesus as our Lord and our King. 

That promise is renewed whenever we pray the prayer that is on the prayer card, which is also our parish prayer. 

That promise is renewed when we write our prayers and petitions in the petition forms, as we put our trust in Jesus, our Lord and our King. 

As we call out to Jesus, He turns His attention to each of us, and He says: Indeed, I promise you, today you will be with Me, because I love you, and I want you to be with Me forever. 

That is the promise of Jesus to us, and let us believe in that promise. 

Because it is the truth and the promise is made by Jesus Christ, our Lord and our King.    

33rd Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 22-11-2025

1 Maccabees 6:1-13 / Luke 20:27-40  

We have heard of this word "retribution". We may even have used it before when we see someone getting his dues for the evil he had done.

In casual terms, we would say: What goes around, come around.

That seemed to be the case in the 1st reading.

King Antiochus fell into deep depression and melancholy when everything around him fell apart.

Then he remembered the wrong he had done to the Jews and he was convinced that that was why misfortune had overwhelmed him.

But that was not his greatest tragedy. What was really tragic for him was that in his heyday he had what he wanted and he never thought of a beyond, an afterlife.

He had enjoyed life, and now he was afraid of death. Because he does not know what awaits for him beyond death.

Our central belief is in the resurrection and in eternal life. It is not just a religious precept or a profound concept.

Because justice cries out for the resurrection and for eternal life.

For all the injustice and the victory of evil over good that we see happening in this world, our answer cannot be just in retribution.

We believe that God does not abandon or forget the poor, the suffering, the oppressed, and those that injustice and evil have hammered down.

God's justice will prevail. It will prevail and for eternity. That will certainly happen in the resurrection and in eternal life.

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Friday, 21-11-2025

Zechariah 2:14-17 / Matthew 12:46-50  

The feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is an event that is not recorded in the gospels.

But it is found in an extra-biblical source called the Infancy Narrative of James.

According to that text, Mary's parents, Joachim and Anne had been childless, but then they received a heavenly message that they would have a child.

In thanksgiving, they brought the child Mary to the Temple to consecrate her to the Lord.

It was believed that Mary remained in the Temple to be formed and prepared for her role as the Mother of God.

The focus of this feast is to show that even in her childhood Mary was completely dedicated to God. It is from this account that arose the feast of Mary's Presentation.

A further reflection on this feast would also make us think about the environment at home and the formation that we are giving our children and our family members.

The Christian home is to be a sanctuary of prayer where the members can grow in holiness and in the ways of the Lord.

When our will is nothing less than to do the will of God, then together with Mary, we will present our lives as an offering that is pleasing to God.

33rd Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 20-11-2025

1 Maccabees 2:15-29 / Luke 19:41-44   

When faced with a threat or a danger, there are usually two options to consider.

It is either we fight or we take flight.

Both options require courage and wisdom.

In the 1st reading, Mattathias and his family were faced with a difficult situation.

They were told that if they renounced their faith and obeyed the king’s commissioners, they would be rewarded.

Mattathias declared that he and his family will remain faithful to the covenant of his ancestors.

He also fought and killed the king’s commissioners who were sent to enforce the king’s orders.

He had the courage to fight for his faith, but he also had the wisdom to take flight and escape into the hills.

Those who had the courage and wisdom also followed him, leaving all their possessions behind in the town.

In the gospel, Jesus warned of an impending mortal danger.

For those who heeded the signs and recognized their opportunity when God offered it, they would have saved themselves.

May we too have the wisdom to heed the signs from God and recognize the opportunity when God offered it.

May we also have the courage to leave the unnecessary behind and walk towards salvation.

33rd Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 19-11-2025

2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31 / Luke 19:11-28  

There is a word for someone who has lost his or her spouse, and that is widow or widower.

There is a word for someone who has lost his or her parents, and that is orphan.

But for a parent to lose their child or children, there is no word for it.

There is no word for it because the pain of losing a child or children is beyond words.

In the 1st reading, the mother of seven sons saw all her sons died in one day.

Their deaths were also horrible and gruesome; they were tortured to death.

The mother was the last to die, after her sons.

Still, the pain and grief of seeing her sons go before her cannot be described or put into words.

But there is a word that would make us feel for that mother and her sons, and that world is “humanness”.

In our humanness, we are able to feel, to love, to understand, to be kind and gentle, to be reliable and responsible.

The parable in the gospel makes us think about our life and our response to God’s love for us.

Jesus came to show us how to be truly human and how to respond to God’s love.

May we remember that we are made in God’s image and to be truly human is our calling.

33rd Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 18-11-2025

2 Maccabees 6:18-31 / Luke 19:1-10   

As we grow with age, we also will have more life experiences.

And from the experiences of life, we also gain some wisdom about life.

But it is when we learn from our experiences of life that we may also become wiser.

in the 1st reading, the 90-year-old Eleazar found himself in a difficult situation.

As a teacher of the law, he was made to eat something forbidden, so that the rest of the people will give in since Eleazar had done so.

Eleazar could have followed the suggestion of pretending to eat the forbidden food so as to save his life.

But his years of life experiences has taught him that honour and integrity cannot be traded away easily for some temporary gain.

So he rather die with honour than live on with shame. 

He lost his life, but he gained the respect of the people.

In the gospel, the moment of reckoning for Zacchaeus came when Jesus looked up and called him down because He wants to stay at his house.

All his years of life’s experiences had made Zacchaeus wise enough to embrace salvation.

May we too continue to reflect on life’s experiences in our prayer.

May we see in those experiences the hand of Jesus leading us in wisdom and salvation.

33rd Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 17-11-2025

1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-64 / Luke 18:35-43   

By and large, we would prefer to live ordinary and quiet lives.

Never mind if life is rather routine and mundane.

We would rather be in a nice quiet place and live our lives peacefully.

We don’t see ourselves as leading any radical change, nor be the voice of the minority or majority.

But at times, we may have to shout in order to be heard.

Like how that blind man in the gospel called and shouted for Jesus.

The people around him scolded him and told him to keep quiet.

But that blind man shouted all the louder until Jesus stopped and asked the people to bring the blind man over to Him.

The 1st reading told of a dreadful wrath that came upon the people of Israel.

The voice of faith and prayer was suppressed by the threat of death.

As for us, we may not need to shout out our prayers in order for God to hear us.

God will listen to the prayers of the poor, the simple and the humble.

So, whether we softly offer up our prayer, or say it aloud, let us trust that the Lord our God will listen and answer to our prayer whenever we are in need.

33rd Sunday, OT, Year C, 16.11.2025

Malachi 3:19-20 / 2 Thess 3:7-12 / Luke 21:5-19

In almost every kind of sport, strength and stamina are required. 

Strength and stamina can only be achieved in one way, and that is by pushing the body, and the mind, when tiredness and fatigue set in. 

Strength and stamina cannot be developed if we were to stop the moment we feel tired. 

Of course, we need to stop when we feel exhausted, otherwise we might injure the body. 

So, strength and stamina can be built and developed progressively and gradually. 

In a way, it is like boiling water. The fire isn’t turned off just when the water is getting warm. 

The fire is kept burning as the water gets warmer and warmer until the water reaches boiling point. 

So it is with strength and stamina. We keep going when we are tired in order to increase strength and stamina, but at the same time being careful not to over-exert. 

But all this requires time, because nothing happens quickly or instantly. 

In fact, nature teaches us that growth and development requires time. 

And nature also teaches us that growth and development comes about through challenges and difficulties. 

Listening to the gospel passage can be rather challenging, difficult and even disturbing. 

At first, Jesus predicted the destruction of the Temple, which was the most holy place for the People of God. 

Then, He talks about the chaos of war and calamities. 

And then, He talks about violence and persecution, but He also assures His protection to those who are faithful to Him. 

And finally, Jesus urges us to have endurance so as to overcome the turmoil and tribulation. 

But what Jesus said about the destruction of the Temple will leave a graphic image in our minds: Not a single stone will be left on another; everything will be destroyed. 

The Temple was like a fortified city with high and thick walls. To breach a fortified city, the walls must first be broken through and then the destruction will begin. 

The walls of the Temple brings to mind the tale of two walls. 

The first is the walls of Jericho, the first city that blocked the Israelites when they entered into the Promised Land. 

The fortified walls of Jericho were high and mighty, almost impossible to breach and break-through. 

The Israelites turned to God for help, and they were told to march around the city for seven days. 

Then on the seventh day, they were to blow trumpets and horns and God will make the way. 

As much as it sounded nothing like a battle plan, the people obeyed. 

And on the 7th day when the trumpets and horns were sounded, the mighty walls of Jericho simply crumbled and the city of Jericho was taken. 

So, it can be said that the walls of Jericho fell by faith and not by force. 

Marching on in faith and prayer requires endurance, but that will bring about the awesome power of God.

That is the first of the tale of the two walls.

The second is the Western Wall, or the Wailing Wall, which is a surviving remnant of the Temple of Jerusalem, that was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD.

A Jewish legend has it that when the Temple was being built, the work was divided among different sectors of the population. 

The building of the Western Wall fell to the poor, and they worked hard to construct it, as they could not afford to hire labourers to do their work for them.

When the enemy destroyed the Temple, the angels descended from on high and spread their wings over the Wall, because God said: "This Wall, the work of the poor, shall never be destroyed."

The tale of these two walls tells us this. In the case of the walls of Jericho, it was by the simple act of faith and not by might of force that brought down the walls of Jericho. 

As for the Western Wall, or Wailing Wall, it can be said that the simple and humble prayer of the poor will endure. 

In life, there will be chaos, but with faith in God, out of chaos will come forth creation. 

In life, there will be tribulation, but every tribulation has a revelation. 

That revelation for us is that endurance will prevail over the chaos and turmoil. 

The walls of pride and might will be broken down. 

But the simple and humble prayer of those who endure in their faith in God will go up to heaven and bring forth God’s salvation.

32nd Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 15-11-2025

Wisdom 18:14-16; 19:6-9 / Luke 18:1-8  

In life, we will face disappointments and failures.

Disappointments and failures dishearten us and make us want to give us our goals and objectives.

But if we can see the purpose and meaning of our goals and objectives, we would push on.

In the gospel, Jesus told a parable about an unjust judge and a persistent widow.

The unjust judge had neither fear of God nor respect for men.

The widow wanted justice against her enemy and she kept pestering that judge to give her justice and her rights.

In the end, the judge relented from the widow’s persistence and gave her what she wanted.

Yes, persistence will prevail over reluctance and indifference.

So, we must persist in our faith and persevere in the face of disappointments and failures.

But the parable also tells us something about the nature of God.

God persist in His love for us because He wants to save us.

We are weak and feeble and when we think that God does not answer our prayers, we may be reluctant to keep praying and become indifferent in our faith.

But God will keep prompting us and nudging us and keep calling out to us.

May we see the signs that God is showing us, may we listen to His promptings.

When we keep our hearts open to God, we will receive God’s answer to our prayers and receive His blessings.

32nd Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 14-11-2025

Wisdom 13:1-9 / Luke 17:26-37  

The purpose of religion is not to prove the existence of God.

The primary purpose of religion is to state that there is a God, and religion helps believers to come to know God.

In Christianity, we come to believe in God because it was God who revealed Himself to us.

We believe that God created everything, and through creation, God continues to reveal His presence among us.

So, we know God from what He has revealed to us, and also that all creation points to the existence and the presence of God.

The 1st reading tells us that human beings can be so attracted to the beauty and wonders of this world that they make creatures and creation into gods that they worship.

As for us Christians, there is a weakness and a failing to be aware of.

We can be so caught up with the busyness of life and the things of this world that we can forget about God.

We can even neglect our duty to God and forget about prayer and be numbed to His promptings in our life.

As Jesus says in the gospel, during Noah’s day and during Lot’s day, people were so caught up with the things of life that they didn’t see what God is showing them or hear what God is saying to them.

May we always remember the teachings of our faith and be faithful in prayer.

Let us read the Bible so that we will hear the voice of the Lord God and be able to see what He is showing us.

32nd Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 13-11-2025

Wisdom 7:22 - 8:1 / Luke 17:20-25 

We have our expectations in life.

We try to manage our expectations so that we will not be faced with too many disappointments.

But we will wish that we can know something about the future so that we can be prepared for what will happen.

So we will plan for the future and then wait to see how life will turn out.

But our faith will tell us that the present and the future lie in the hands of God.

In the gospel, the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God will come about.

For the Pharisee, and the people in general, the kingdom of God means freedom from oppression and independence as a nation.

But what Jesus told them is beyond their expectations.

Jesus told them that the kingdom of God is already here among them, but they need to be wise enough to recognize it.

As for Jesus, He knows that He must suffer grievously in order to bring the kingdom of God to fulfilment.

As for us, let us ask God to grant us the Wisdom who will lead us to truth and love.

Where is there is truth and love, there the kingdom of God will be.

When we live our lives in truth and love, there will be peace and joy in our lives.

32nd Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 12-11-2025

Wisdom 6:1-11 / Luke 17:11-19 

Illnesses and diseases are the realities of human life.

They do not respect personages or titles or status.

We do not deny that some of the illnesses or diseases are of our own doing.

Unhealthy lifestyles like excessive eating and unhealthy habits can contribute to the rise of illness and diseases.

In the biblical times, illness and disease were thought of as punishments from God, and there are also traces of such thinking in our modern times.

When the ten lepers approached Jesus, they saw Him as someone sent by God and that He can heal their leprosy.

When Jesus saw them and heard their pleas, He told them to go and show themselves to the priests.

So if those ten lepers had the thinking that the leprosy is a punishment from God, then Jesus is also telling them that God has forgiven them and God will heal their disease.

And indeed as they went on their way, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

But only one, the foreigner, a Samaritan, came back to Jesus to give thanks.

And even Jesus wondered why only one came back to give thanks.

That reminds us that when we are afflicted with illness and disease, we turn desperately to God for help and healing.

But with a thankful and grateful heart, we will also know how much God loves us and cares for us.

May our faith in God lead us to always give thanks to God, for in thanking God, we will also be filled with the saving love of God.

32nd Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 11-11-2025

Wisdom 2:23 - 3:9 / Luke 17:7-10  

Human beings have the tendency to be ambitious.

They desire to be better than the rest and to even rise above the rest.

In other words, human beings want to be masters instead of being servants.

They want to be served and not to serve.

But when God created man, God made him in the image of His own image.

God even entrusted man to be the master of all creation.

Yet, as the 1st reading tells us, it was the devil’s envy that brought about the fall of man.

In the gospel, Jesus reminds us that we are merely servants and we have a duty to fulfil.

But beyond that, we are also called to serve, just as our Master Jesus came to serve and not to be served.

May our service to others express the love of God for them.

And by our service, may we also discover our dignity in Jesus, that we too serve just as Jesus our Master came to serve.

32nd Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 10-11-2025

Wisdom 1:1-7 / Luke 17:1-6 

When there is an obstacle in our path, there can be two possible options.

One is to find a way around the obstacle, if there is a way around it.

But the obstacle can be turned into an opportunity of learning to overcome the obstacle.

But an obstacle often poses a challenge to our abilities to overcome it.

More so if the obstacle is a difficult person and our patience and tolerance are tested to the limits.

In the gospel, Jesus gave an example of a person who does something wrong to us.

Jesus teaches us to forgive and keep forgiving, but we will wonder if any good can come out of that.

Here is where faith comes in. Jesus says that if our faith were the size of a mustard seed, we would be able to even uproot mulberry trees.

The 1st reading tells us to have the Spirit of wisdom when faced with people who are obstacles in our path.

Wisdom teaches us to pray with faith and trust in the ways of the Lord.

With the Spirit of wisdom, with faith and with prayer, obstacles will be turned into opportunities of learning the ways of the Lord.

Dedication of Lateran Basilica, 09.11.2025

Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 / 1 Cor 3:9-11, 16-17 / John 2:13-22

Today, the Church celebrates the dedication of the Lateran Basilica. 

Officially it is called the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, and it is dedicated to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist. 

It is the cathedral of the diocese of Rome, and so it is the official Church of the Pope, who is the Bishop of Rome. 

Built in the year 324AD, it is the oldest church in the West, and it is considered the mother and the head of all the churches of Rome and of the world. 

In celebrating the dedication, we also celebrate the deep spiritual aspects of our faith. 

We celebrate unity, that we belong to the One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. 

We believe that through the Church, God is offering the world the gift of forgiveness and salvation. 

We also profess that the Church is human and divine. 

We are the living members of the Church, the Body of Christ, and Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church. 

In the gospel, Jesus drove out all those merchants and money changers and said: Take all these out of here and stop turning my Father's house into a market. 

When the people challenged Him to justify what He did, Jesus said: Destroy this sanctuary and in three days I will raise it up. 

The people didn’t understand that Jesus was referring to the sanctuary that is His Body. 

So, the Church, the living Body of Christ, is holy, and the Church building is also holy.

The Church is the House of God, and a House of prayer. 

So, the building is sacred and it stands on holy ground. 

In this sacred building, worship is offered, prayer is heard and answered, and God’s love flows like the healing waters described in the 1st reading. 

The Church, the House of God, is like the Temple described in the 1st reading, where the waters of God’s healing love flow into the hearts of all believers. 

It is the waters of God’s love that brings about life, that brings about healing and forgiveness, that makes us bear fruits of love for others and for the glory of God. 

The celebration of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica also reminds us that we all have a spiritual home. 

So, the Church is the House of God, as well as our spiritual home, and we have come home to be with God. 

So, if Pope Leo XIV is asked where is his spiritual home, he will say that it is the Lateran Basilica. 

And if we were asked where is our spiritual home, we will say that it is the Church of Christ the King. 

Yes, here we are at home with our King and our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Here at home, we receive blessings from Jesus, we receive forgiveness for our sins, we are healed and strengthened with Holy Communion. 

Here at home, in the House of God, we offer worship and prayer, and we believe that our prayers will be heard and answered. 

And we go forth from the House of God with the mission of calling others to come back home. 

No matter how far they have gone, no matter what they have done wrong, no matter how angry or disappointed they are with the Church, God is calling them to come back home and to talk to God. 

And we are to be the voice of God to call them home. 

The feast of Christ the King will be in two weeks’ time. 

Before that, there will be a triduum, the three days of prayer in preparation for the feast day. 

Let us take some prayer cards and petition forms and ask others to come to the triduum to offer up their prayers to God. 

Everyone, whether young or old, everyone has a need, everyone has a prayer, and everyone needs to come home and to know that their prayers are heard. 

Let these prayer cards and petition forms be like God’s invitation. 

Regardless of how near or how far we are from God, let us come home to the House of God.

Let us come home and receive love, forgiveness, healing, and to let God make His home in our hearts.

31st Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 08-11-2025

Romans 16:3-9, 16, 22-27 / Luke 16:9-15  

The reality of death happens everyday. Not one day has passed where there are no obituaries in the newspapers.

Yet, because it happens so frequently, we have become immune to it, we are not that affected by it anymore, unless it happens to our close ones.

As it is, most of us believe that we will see tomorrow, that we won't die so soon.

There is a poster in the office of a hospice and it reads like this : We are not here to add days to our life, but life to our days.

Indeed, it is so true. Our days are limited and we should really live out those days fully.

Not just enjoying life, but to discover in this life, what eternity is all about, and to discover in this life what really has eternal value.

In the secular sense, it may be seen as a choice of value. But in the spiritual sense, it is about the choice of masters.

So the question from today's gospel is this : Who is the master in charge of my life?

If money is my master, then I will be dishonest, I will cheat, i will lie, I scheme and do anything and everything just to have money for my security. But of course in doing so, I might still exist but I am spiritually dead.

On the other hand, when I choose Jesus to be my Master, then I also will choose to be loving, to be forgiving, to be compassionate, to be honest.

Life for me might be difficult and I might seem to be like a loser, but I will be at peace with God and with the people around me.

So life essentially is a series of choices.

Life is not lost by dying.

Life is lost, minute by minute

day by day

in all those unloving, uncaring and unforgiving ways.

31st Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 07-11-2025

Romans 15:14-21 / Luke 16:1-8  

We cannot deny that one of the top priorities in life is our security.

By security, it means material and financial security, which is expressed in a comfortable home and a healthy bank account.

It also means emotional and physiological, and that is expressed in being at peace with others and having a stable reward job.

But life has its bumps and we get shaken up here and there, and sink into the darkness of the potholes of life.

We begin to lose our sense of security and we may even resort to whatever means to stay afloat.

That dishonest steward in the gospel parable resorted to dishonest means to ensure his security.

We will also be tempted to do the same when our security is threatened.

But we need to remember that what we have and made us feel secure is given to us by the Lord.

When we get shaken and trip over the bumps and potholes of life, we must turn back to the Lord Jesus.

It is only in Jesus that we will be safe and secure.

Jesus is also the light who will lead us out of the darkness of fear so that we can live as children of the light.

31st Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 06-11-2025

Romans 14:7-12 / Luke 18:1-10  

In life, we see and hear a lot of things about situations and about persons.

Some of the things that we see and hear may be factual or they may be just opinions and interpretations.

Even if what we see and hear are factual, it does not mean that it is the truth.

Because not all facts tell the truth.

In the gospel, the Pharisees and the scribes saw the tax collectors and sinners seeking the company of Jesus to hear what He had to say.

What the Pharisees and scribes saw was a fact, and their interpretation was that Jesus welcomes sinners and even eats with them.

That interpretation formed their conclusion that Jesus was also a sinner, just like those tax collectors and sinners.

And here is where Jesus connected the fact to the truth, and that is the tax collectors and sinners were seeking repentance and conversion.

They came to Jesus to look for hope in order to change their lives.

The 1st reading also teaches us that we should never pass judgement on another or treat him with contempt.

Because we may know all the facts, but we may not know what is the truth of the facts.

The fundamental truth of our faith is that Jesus is our Saviour.

Let us ask Him for forgiveness and healing and we will come to know the truth of life.

31st Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 05-11-2025

Romans 13:8-10 / Luke 14:25-33  

A young plant asked a big tree: How did you grow to become so tall and strong.

The big tree gave just a one-word answer: Storms.

When we were young, we were brought up in a loving environment.

We experienced love and we had an idealistic view about a world of loving people.

And then the storms of life came.

It was people who brought about those storms in our lives.

We encountered people who were unloving, unkind and unforgiving.

The storms of life shook our understanding of love and tested our roots of love.

But there were also loving people who came along our way and they helped us to believe in love.

We also came to know Jesus who showed us God’s love and taught us to love our neighbour as ourselves.

The 1st reading also tells us that love is the answer to every one of the commandments of God.

So, if we really want to follow Jesus, we must believe in love and walk the way of love.

There will still be storms, but with Jesus, those storms will make us strong.

And we will also tell others that love is the answer to every storm in life.

31st Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 04-11-2025

Romans 12:5-16 / Luke 14:15-24  

To always tell the truth is difficult, because there are many factors to consider.

To always live the truth is also difficult, because we cannot say that our motives and purposes are always noble.

Whether in words or in deeds, we are always tempted with motives or interests that are self-centred or for self-gain.

It is like those who were invited for the banquet in the gospel parable, they made up excuses for not going.

But excuses being excuses, they are not the truth.

In the 1st reading, St. Paul says this: Do not let your love be a pretence, but sincerely prefer good to evil.

St. Paul also teaches us this: Bless those who persecute you. Never curse them, bless them. Rejoice with those who rejoice and be sad with those in sorrow. Treat everyone with equal kindness. Never be condescending but make real friends with the poor.

The truth of life is that when we are honest and sincere in our words and actions, God will bless us.

And when others are not honest and sincere to us, or when they do wicked things to us, let us pray for them.

Let us ask God to bless them, and we will inherit a blessing for ourselves.

31st Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 03-11-2025

Romans 11:29-36 / Luke 14:12-14   

Human beings have a nature which is generally call the human nature.

When we think about our human nature, we will think about how our lives have been and what we have been doing.

Because human nature is generally understood as the general psychological characteristics, feelings, and behavioural traits of humankind.

So, we will come to see that at times we can be kind, gentle, compassionate and generous.

But at other times, we can be proud, conceited, selfish, stingy and other behaviours and actions that are embarrassing.

When God created us, He created us in love and with love.

Our human nature is to reflect the divine nature of God.

When sin came in and our human nature was wounded and hence our human nature became prone to sin.

Jesus came to save us and to restore our human nature with love so that we can reflect the divine nature of God.

As the 1st reading tells us: God never takes back His gifts or revokes His choice.

So, as much as our wounded human nature makes us inclined to be selfish and to do things with a vested or ulterior motive, God's healing love prompts us to be generous and to help the poor and needy.

Let us be open to the love of God which will heal our wounded human nature.

Then we will be truly human and reflect the goodness of God in our lives.

All Souls 02.11.2025

Isaiah 25:6-9 / Romans 5:5-11 / John 7:11-17

There are two important days in our life. 

One is, of course, our birthday, the day that we came into this world. 

That day appears in all our personal documents, and we also celebrate that day in various ways. 

The other day that is important is the day that we leave this world. 

For all of us here, we do not know when that day will be. 

And because we don’t know when that day will be, it leaves us rather curious and also anxious. 

Today we remember and we also pray for the faithful departed. 

We also remember especially our departed loved ones, and we pray that they will rest in peace. 

When we visit them at the cemetery or in the columbium, we see the date of their birth, as well as the date that they left this world. 

Between those two dates, they were with us, and they have left fond and warm memories in our hearts. 

We remember what they said to us, what they did for us, how they have loved us, and how they have helped us become better persons. 

Yes, on this day, we remember our departed loved ones and we pray for them. 

And on this day, our faith also leads us to think about the other world. 

Those who have died have left us and left this world. 

They have passed on from this world to the next world, or, to the other world. 

For them, life is changed, not ended. 

For them, life is changed and changed forever because they have gone back to the Lord. 

And God has prepared for them an eternal home so that they can rest eternally in His presence. 

The 1st reading gives this image of a mountain where the Lord has prepared a banquet of rich food. 

The departed have gone up to that mountain of the Lord, where He will wipe away the tears from every cheek. 

So, we believe that the departed have gone back home to be with God forever. 

It is with this belief that we remember our departed loved ones with love. 

Our faith and our hope tells us that God has prepared a place for each of us in our eternal home. 

So, although we do not know when will be the day that we will have to leave this world, let us not be too curious or be too anxious about it. 

When that day comes for us to leave this world, let us believe that we will pass on from this world to the next world, where God is waiting for us. 

As for the departed, we remember them and we also miss them, and we will also grieve as we mourn for them. 

The deeper the relationship we had with them, the deeper will be the grief and with tears. 

But the Lord Jesus will console us just as He consoled the widow who lost her son. 

The departed will not come back to life in this world. 

But the goodness of their lives will continue in our lives as we remember them. 

And our hope is that we will meet them again in the homeland in heaven.

In that heavenly homeland, we will see the God in whom we hoped for salvation. 

Yes, we will be reunited with our departed loved ones, and we will exalt and rejoice in God who saves us. 

That is our faith, that is our hope, as we remember and pray for the departed on this All Souls Day.