19th Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 09.08.2026

1 Kings -19:9, 11-13 / Romans 9:1-5 / Matthew 14:22-33  

Today we celebrate National Day and our country's 61 years of independence.

The most obvious expression of this patriotic celebration is to put up the national flag.

As for our Church, we have put up 15 flags.

(That shows how Singaporean and how patriotic we are.)

So this evening at the National Day Parade, we will sing the national anthem and other National Day songs.

There will also be fireworks and other celebrations.

Yes, we want to celebrate nationhood and unity.

But we also know of the underlying stress, worry, and anxiety.

The cost of living is high, and some even say that Singapore is the most expensive city in Asia.

The students in school are stressed out by the exams and expectations to do well.

So, Singapore may be a rich country, but we also have worries and anxieties.

Because Singapore is like a small boat in the oceans of the world.

And whenever there is a storm somewhere, the small Singapore boat will rock and roll, literally.

In the gospel, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead while He would send the crowds away.

After sending the crowds away, Jesus went up into the hills by Himself to pray.

By then, the boat was far out on the lake and battling with a heavy sea.

So, the boat was rocking and rolling, and the disciples were also terrified and fearing for their lives.

Then, in the fourth watch of the night, which is the darkest hour that is just before dawn, Jesus went to the disciples walking on the water. 

In the Bible, to walk on the waves and to command the storms are acts attributed to God alone. 

So, in the darkest time of the night and in the chaos of the storm, Jesus comes to be with His disciples. 

But in that terrified state of fright, the disciples thought that they were seeing a ghost. 

So, in the darkness and in the chaos, it will be difficult to see where God is and what He is doing. 

And in that terror and fear, human imagination will be wild and dark. 

And so, instead of seeing God in something, people will see ghosts in everything. 

And in the darkness and chaos, in that terror and fright, human character and weakness will be revealed. 

Peter wanted to walk towards Jesus on the water, maybe because he was impulsive, but it could also be that he was selfish. 

In such a situation, each one will be for himself, and each one will want to save himself first. 

But out of an impulsive and selfish act came a lesson on emergency prayer. 

As he sank into the water, Peter cried out, "Lord, save me!" 

It was a short prayer, but it was enough for Jesus to stretch out His hand at once to Peter. 

As we think about the gospel passage, we also may think about how it is connected to our country as we celebrate National Day. 

Our country is like a small boat that can be easily tossed and turned by the storms of the world. 

As the Church in Singapore, it is our duty and our mission to pray for the stability of the country and for the government. 

It is our duty and our mission to pray for the well-being and the welfare of our fellow citizens. 

And God has given us the power of emergency prayer for our country when we are in danger. 

Yes, we cry out, "Lord, save us, save our country," when our country is going through darkness and chaos. 

We also cry out, "Lord, save me," when we are terrified, when we are tossed and turned by the waves, by the worries and by the anxieties of life. 

In the darkness and in the turmoil of life, let us listen for that sound of the gentle breeze in the first reading. 

Then, like Elijah, let us go forth to help our brothers and sisters to see God in everything and to see God in everyone.

18th Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 0-8-08-2026

Habakkuk 1:12 - 2:4 / Matthew 17:14-20  

One famous proverb is this: Patience is a virtue.

And so indeed it is. With patience, we will be able to stay calm, and not get angry during difficult and challenging times.

But to be patient is essentially to wait.

To wait for the person to come; to wait for the person to finish speaking; to wait for the situation to change.

And when it comes to faith, it means to wait for God to reveal His ways to us.

In the first reading, the Lord God answered the prophet Habakkuk’s prayer with this:

“Write the vision down, inscribe it on tablets to be easily read, since this vision is for its own time only. Eager for its own fulfilment, it does not deceive. If it comes slowly, wait, for come it will, without fail.”

So waiting in patience is an essential aspect of having faith.

In the gospel, the disciples were not able to cast out a boy who was possessed by a devil.

Jesus cast it out immediately, and so the disciples came privately to Jesus to ask why they were unable to cast it out.

As Jesus pointed out, it was essentially a faith issue, and the disciples need to let their faith grow and deepen before they can do the work of God.

Our faith is also like a mustard seed.

Let us have the patience to wait for our faith to grow and deepen before doing what God wants of us.

18th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 07-08-2026

Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7 / Matthew 16:24-28  

To want to become a Christian is a serious life-changing decision.

So all the requirements of being a Christian disciple must be made clear.

And a careful consideration is needed before making the decision.

In the gospel, Jesus says to His disciples, “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Why is Jesus saying this to His disciples when they were already following Him?

It could be that when those disciples initially followed Jesus, they were impressed by His teachings and the miracles that He worked.

Now that they had been following Him around, Jesus wants them to re-consider their intentions and motives in following Him.

Because they would be faced with a contradiction, if they had not faced it yet.

Because Jesus says, “For anyone who want to save his life will lose it, but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Essentially, that is the cost of discipleship if they want to continue being the disciples of Jesus.

The human tendency is to ask “What is there for me to gain from it?” before making a decision or commitment.

But Jesus is asking, “What then will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?”

Jesus is also asking us those difficult questions, especially since we already call ourselves Christians.

But, we already have put our hands on the cross and there is no turning back.

Let us remember that whatever we give up or sacrifice for Jesus in this life can never be compared to the eternal glory that Jesus promised those who are faithful to Him.

The Transfiguration of the Lord, Thursday, 06-08-2026

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 / 2 Peter 1:16-19 / Matthew 17:1-9     

There is a story of a young man who somehow thinks he is a worm, and he would hide under the bed whenever he sees a chicken. (Because chicken eats worms).

So one day, he was hiding under the bed because he saw a chicken roaming around.

His best friend decided to help him overcome his problem by going under the bed and there he told him to repeat after him, “I am a man, not a worm.”

After a few repetitions, his best friend urged him to come out and prove himself a man.

So he came out and walked around confidently. Until he saw a chicken. Then he immediately hid under the bed again.

Hid best friend went under the bed and asked him, “Why didn't you believe you are a man, and not a worm?”

The young man replied，“ I believe I am a man, not a worm, but does the chicken believe that?!?”

Jesus believed that He is the Beloved Son of the Father. Even in His most painful and despairing moments He believed that.

The disciples also kind of believed that Jesus was the Son of God.

However when the trials and persecutions came along, they ran and "hid under the bed". But later on, they truly believed.

The feast of the Transfiguration, reminds us who Jesus is, and also reminds us of who we are.

May we slowly come out of our fears and weaknesses and sinfulness, and show others what we really believe in.

18th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 05-08-2026

Jeremiah 31:1-7 / Matthew 15:21-28  

To empathize is to have the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. 

It means putting ourselves in someone else's shoes and seeing things from their point of view.

Empathy would lead to compassion which is a deep feeling of sadness or pity for another person's pain.

It means noticing someone who is hurting and taking action to support them.

In the gospel, a Canaanite woman came up to Jesus and pleaded, “Sir, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.”

Surprisingly, Jesus answered her not a word. 

Even His disciples pleaded with Jesus to give her what she wanted, but that was because she was shouting after them, and causing unnecessary attention.

Even though Jesus said that He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel, the woman knelt at His feet and pleaded, “Lord, help me.”

And when Jesus said that it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs, the woman retorted by saying that the house-dogs can still eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.

It may seem rather surprising that Jesus was making it so difficult for that poor woman who had a genuine need.

But it seems that Jesus is making her to be an example of persistent and persevering faith because in the end He affirmed her of her great faith and granted her request.

Even though she was a Canaanite woman and an outsider, yet she displayed her great faith in Jesus.

So, for us who believe and have faith, we should be even more persistent and persevering.

It will be by our faith, especially in times of despair and desperation that we bear witness to God’s everlasting love for us.

18th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 04-08-2026 (memorial of St. John Vianney)

Jeremiah 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22 / Matthew 15:1-2, 10-14 (Gospel for Year A)

If we were to look at some of the pictures of St John Vianney, we might come to think that as far as looks are concerned, he cannot make it.

But not just looks, as far as intellectual capacity and ability is concerned, St John Vianney also could not quite make it.

But he was eventually ordained as a priest, but initially on the condition that he did not preach at Mass or even teach catechism, for fear that he would end up teaching something heretical.

But how did a priest like St John Vianney eventually be proclaimed by the Church as the Patron Saint for Priests?

Firstly, it was in the confessional that he received the grace of spiritual insight and helped people in repentance and conversion.

Very often, St John Vianney spent as long as 17 hours everyday in the confessional, helping people see their sinfulness and experiencing the mercy and forgiveness of God.

Later when he was allowed to preach, he spoke in simplicity about the love of God, and he also spoke with passion.

He worked himself tirelessly to serve the people by bringing them closer to God, besides having to face temptations from the devil, and also persecutions from members of the clergy and others.

Indeed, St John Vianney was a model of dedication, of holiness, of prayer and of faithfulness.

As we celebrate this feast, let us pray for our priests that they too will remain dedicated to God, faithful to God, and strive for holiness and be models of prayer to us.

When priests serve the Lord like St John Vianney did, then the Church would indeed be a priestly and holy people.

Nothing spectacular or dramatic about him but all done in simplicity and humility. Yet St. John Vianney is the Patron Saint and model for all priests, because he was a sign and an instrument of the healing and saving mission of Jesus.

Jesus came to heal and save and to look for the lost. Let us pray for our priests that they will follow the example of St. John Vianney and be a sign and instrument of the healing and saving mission of Jesus.

18th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 03-08-2026

Jeremiah 28:1-17 / Matthew 14:22-36 (gospel for Year A)

The ability to imagine is really quite amazing.

It goes beyond the confines of logic to something abstract, but still could be possible.

When imagination runs wild, then it is like wild horses running everywhere.

But when the imagination looks at the reality, then imagination can become a possibility.

In the first reading, the prophet Hananiah imagined the liberation of Judah from the power of Babylon.

He even broke the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and declared that in two years’ time, Judah would be freed from the yoke of Babylon.

The prophet Hananiah let his imagination run wild and did not listen to the prophet Jeremiah about the warnings of the prophets of the past.

In the end, the prophet Hananiah and Judah ended up in tragedy.

In the gospel, in the midst of a heavy sea and in fear, the imagination of the disciples in the boat ran wild as they thought that Jesus was a ghost.

Even Peter imagined that he could walk on water.

Yes, imagination can lead to creativity, but let us also imagine with faith and also by listening to the Word of God.

Then, led by the Spirit of God, our imagination will help us see the possibilities that God is showing us.