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.

All Saints, 01.11.2025

Apocalypse 7:2-4, 9-14 / 1 John 3:1-3 / Matthew 5:1-12

One of our core beliefs is that there is a heaven, and we should want to go there. 

There is also a hell, but we certainly don’t want to consider that as an eternal option. 

So, whether it is heaven or hell, the reality is that it is about an eternity. 

As Christians, we not only believe that there is heaven, but we also want to be there for eternity. 

God promised heaven to be eternal reward for those who are faithful to Him. 

So then, what is life on earth all about? 

Life on earth can be said to be a preparation for the life in heaven. 

So, when we live a good life, a life that is pleasing to God, then the promise of heaven will be fulfilled for us. 

But we know that it is so difficult to live a good life on earth. 

Because we face anxieties and worries, we face challenges and difficulties, we face struggles and troubles. 

Yes, life is difficult and so we look for ways and means to be comfortable and happy. 

We desire for life to be smooth and easy. 

And here is where the devil comes in. 

The devil tempts us to desire for wealth so that we can enjoy the luxuries of life. 

We are tempted with power, to be on top of others, so that others will be at our service. 

We are tempted to have the most of life here on earth, and we slowly forget about heaven. 

All that seems to be the temptations that Jesus Himself faced. 

Jesus overcame the temptations of the devil and He makes us think about the promise of heaven. 

Jesus came to make us think about life and who we really are. 

Jesus makes us think about dying to sin, to carry the cross and to remember the promise of God’s blessings. 

In the gospel, Jesus teaches us about the true blessings in life. 

He tells us that it is a blessing to trust in the providence of God, especially when we are poor. 

He tells us that to be truly human is to be gentle, to be merciful, to be righteous and to be pure in heart. 

He tells us that we will be blessed when we are at peace with God and with others. 

And when we follow Jesus and walk the way of the cross and enter by the narrow door, God will bless us. 

The Saints did that and God blessed them with the eternal reward of heaven. 

Let us also ask the Saints to pray for us, that we keep our hearts focused on heaven and on the promises of God. 

When we do what God wants of us and live the life that Jesus is teaching us, our reward will be great in heaven. 

That is what we believe in, that is also our hope, as we celebrate the feast of All Saints.