21st Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 23.08.2026

Isaiah 22:19-23 / Romans 11:33-35 / Matthew 16:13-20  

There are many reasons why people come to church.

For some, it is a place for social interaction as there are friends in church.

For some, it is because they are in a ministry and so they come to church to serve.

For some, it is a religious obligation to be observed.

And for others, it is a religious ritual or habit.

But with the COVID pandemic in 2020, that brought about drastic changes.

One of the most glaring was the drop in church attendance, meaning that people stopped coming to church.

At the height of it, the drop in attendance was between 30 to 40%.

But for those of us who are still coming to church week after week, there is a deeper reason.

We come to church because we have experienced the trials and tribulations of life.

We have tried to save ourselves with our abilities and resources, but we have failed.

And when we are down to nothing, we turn to God as our last resort, and then there came up something.

The long and short of it is that in our nothingness, we experience God in His goodness.

So it can be said that we have experienced who God is.

In the Gospel, Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do people say I am?"

And then He also asked them, "Who do you say I am?"

Jesus asked them that question when they came to the region of Caesarea Philippi.

The significance of the region of Caesarea Philippi is that it was heavily saturated with idolatry with shrines dedicated to the Greek gods Pan and Zeus, as well as a marble temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus. 

There was also a deep cave spring which was viewed as a literal gateway to the underworld, or nicknamed the “Gates of Hell”. 

So, standing in the midst of the physical stronghold of idol worship and imperial power, there were two divine revelations. 

The first revelation was to Peter, and he declared Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God. 

The second revelation was from Jesus, when He said to Peter, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it." 

In short, Jesus declared that His church and His kingdom will overcome the powers of death and darkness and evil. 

And there is also another revelation with regards to the name Peter. 

The name Peter in Greek is “Petros”, which means a single stone or a pebble or a small detached rock. 

So, it is contrary to what we would have imagined to be a huge, immovable rock. 

Jesus built His church and kingdom on that small stone or pebble to tell us the mysterious power of God.

That God can build His church and kingdom on the lowly, the little, and the humble. 

So, the strength and power is from God and not from man. 

And that is what we have experienced from God in church. 

In our weakness and frailty, God raises up the lowly from the dust heap. 

So, it is in the lowly, the little, and the humble that God reveals His glory and power. 

And it is in our weakness and failures that God gives us strength. 

As Jesus declared, the gates of the underworld and the powers of darkness can never hold out against God's church and His kingdom. 

Yes, God protects us from evil, but we also need to be aware and beware.

Because the most dangerous enemy is not out there, but from within. 

We can become the tools of the devil when we give in to sin and cause division from within.

By our pride and ego, our resentment and anger, our jealousy and envy, our unforgiveness and urge for revenge, we bring darkness and division into the church. 

But let us remember what binds us and unites us as church. 

Jesus binds us together and unites us with His love so that we too can bind ourselves with one another. 

And let us also cast aside what is not pleasing to God. 

With humility and charity, we will receive the blessings from God to be a church that is a sign of salvation to the world. 

Queenship of the BVM, Saturday, 22-08-2026

Isaiah 9:1-6 / Lk 1:26-38     

Eight days ago, the Church celebrated the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into heaven.

In the course of these eight days, the Church meditates deeper on the mystery of the Assumption, and on the Octave of the Assumption (8 days later) the Church concludes the reflection with the  celebration of the Queenship of Mary.

In short, it could be said that God assumed Mary into heaven to share the victory of Christ and to reign with Him in glory as Queen of Heaven.

So the proclamation and celebration of Mary's queenship in essence points to the Kingship of Christ.

In celebrating the queenship of Mary, we are also reminded that we are the Chosen people of God and we are also His royal children.

So as God's Chosen and royal people, all that we do and say must be geared towards giving glory to God.

Mary showed us how to do that in the gospel when she responded to God's call by accepting God's will.

In doing so, Mary gave us the concrete example of obedience in the form of servanthood.

We are not just the Chosen and royal people of God. We are also the Chosen and royal servants of Christ the King.

With Mary as our queen, let us offer ourselves in service to the Church, so that in all that we do and say, God will be glorified and exalted.

20th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 21-08-2026

Ezekiel 37:1-4 / Matthew 22:34-40  

Whatever we may want to think or say about this world, it is still a beautiful world.

We live in this world and we would like to live happily and peacefully in this world.

Yet, we can't deny that there are many contradictions that make us wonder if this beautiful world is coming to an end.

There are wars, violence and bloodshed. There are wicked people who are bent on committing evil as if it is their right.

We see injustice and oppression, with scammers cheating the seniors out of their life savings.

At times, we see this world like the image given in the first reading, a valley of dry bones with no life.

But the Lord God told Ezekiel to prophesy over those bones by saying: Dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord. The Lord says this to these bones: I am now going to make the breath enter you, and you will live.

And eventually the breath entered them, and they came to life, with sinews, flesh and skin, and they stood up on their feet, a great and immense army.

With the Lord’s breath of life and love, the bones came alive and became a people, a sign that God will restore His people again.

In the gospel, Jesus was asked which is the greatest commandment of the Law.

He replied with the commandment of love, to love God and to love neighbour.

When we love God and love neighbour, God will give us that breath of life and love to bring into the world that is cluttered with dry bones.

With God’s breath of life and love in us, we will also be God’s workers who will bring hope that will bring beauty into our world.

20th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 20-08-2026

Ezekiel 36:23-28 / Matthew 22:1-14  

New things always give us a sense of excitement and make us want to discover more about it.

So it may be a new car, or a new device or gadget, a new job or a new location.

But the newness will slowly wear off and the excitement becomes casual, and the feeling becomes routine and ordinary.

And such can happen in the spiritual life too.

The people of God had become too casual in their relationship with God.

They even profaned God’s name by their unfaithfulness and sinfulness.

This led to their enemies conquering them, and subsequently the enemies also profaned God’s name.

And when God had enough of it, He decided to display the holiness of His great name again to His people and also to their enemies.

God forgave His people and cleansed them and made them a new people again, so that they will keep the laws and sincerely respect the observances.

So with a new heart and a new spirit, they will again be God’s people who will display God’s holiness to the other nations.

In the gospel parable, the king gave a feast for his son’s wedding and he called those who were invited.

But those who were invited were indifferent to the invitation and went about doing their ordinary business.

The first reading and the gospel parable remind us that routine can be the death of reverence.

Let us not be indifferent to who God is and take His love for us too casually.

Let us always remember that God is holy and He has called us to be holy.

20th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 19-08-2026

Ezekiel 34:1-11 / Matthew 20:1-16  

It is a fact that religion brings about comfort and confidence for those who seek God and want to walk in the ways of God.

People find comfort in God who protects and provides for them.

And to know that God loves them will give them the confidence and the hope to journey on in life despite the difficulties and struggles.

So, religious leaders have a great responsibility to show God’s love and care for the people.

They are like shepherds looking after the flock that belongs to God.

But in the first reading, the shepherds of Israel have neglected the flock that was entrusted to them.

And not only that, they have ruled the people cruelly and violently, and the people were scattered, strayed and lost.

So trouble will be coming for the shepherds of Israel, and God will send the true Shepherd to look after His people.

In the gospel parable, the landowner went around looking for workers for his vineyard.

Even at the last hour, he hired workers that were overlooked and were going to be left rejected and dejected.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who came to look for the lost, the rejected and the dejected.

He came to save us and to give us hope.

May those whom Jesus appointed as shepherds of His flock be faithful to their calling.

And may we, the sheep of God’s flock always listen to the voice of Jesus, our Good Shepherd.

20th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 18-08-2026

Ezekiel 28:1-10 / Matthew 19:23-30  

If we had all our savings drawn out in cash, would our pockets be able to contain it all?

Or, let’s say that our cash are to be filled in bags, how many bags would that be, and would we be able to carry it around?

When we think about it, then the rather absurd image that Jesus gave in the gospel may give us something to think about.

Jesus says that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven.

Already, for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle is impossible.

It would neither be possible for a man to pass through the eye of a needle.

But if we were to imagine a rich man carrying all his wealth in whatever bags he could carry, he wouldn’t be able to enter any door.

In the first reading, the ruler of Tyre falls because his financial success and sharp intellect lead him to think that he was invincible, and he even thinks he is a god.

It was his pride in his piles of gold and silver that dragged him down to the pit and to die a violent death surrounded by the seas.

So while wealth and riches are not evil by themselves, the attachment to them can lead pride and clutter the heart.

As disciples of Jesus, we are called to enter by the narrow gate.

It would only be possible to do so when we only carry the love of God and the love for others in our hearts.

20th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 17-08-2026

Ezekiel 24:15-24 / Matthew 19:16-22   

As we journey along in life, there is one thing that keeps happening.

We may notice it, but we may also not think too much about it.

That one thing that keeps happening is none other than change.

Some changes are for the better, but there are also other changes that makes us wonder.

In the first reading, God prepared Ezekiel for a drastic change in his life.

God is going to deprive Ezekiel the delight of his eyes, and it can be presumed that it is his wife.

But he is not to lament, or weep, or mourn for the dead and even not to cry. He is just to groan in silence.

God is going to use Ezekiel as a sign for the people, in that the Temple, the delight of their eyes, will be destroyed.

The people thought that they were safe and secure as long as the Temple, the dwelling place of God, is standing firm.

So as long as the Temple is standing, then God is with them, and they thought that God would not let His Temple be destroyed.

But all that is going to change, and the false hopes of the people will be shattered.

In the gospel, the rich young man was proud of his religious piety, and yet he knows that he does not have possession of eternal life.

Jesus told him that if he wanted to have eternal life, then he would have to give up the delight of his eyes, which is his wealth.

That change was too much for him and he went away sad.

As we experience changes in our life, let us also remember that every change is a step closer to God.

May we accept changes with hopeful hearts, and our hope will be fulfilled in the reward of eternal life.