15th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 14-07-2026

Isaiah 7:1-9 / Matthew 11:20-24  

It is easier to believe in things we can see and know, rather than to believe in what cannot be seen and difficult to believe.

What our senses can perceive, we are able to make an assessment and judgement.

But if our senses cannot perceive, then our knowledge is limited and uncertain.

In the first reading, the two kings of Aram and Israel joined forces to lay siege on Jerusalem.

When the news reached Jerusalem, the heart of the king and the hearts of the people shuddered as the trees shudder in front of the wind.

They shuddered because of the imminent danger at the gates, and if the walls of the city are breached, it will be a tragedy and a disaster.

But the hearts of the king and the people shuddered because their hearts had swayed away from the Lord.

Still, the Lord did not abandon His people to the enemy and sent the prophet Isaiah to calm the heart of king Ahaz and not to fear.

The Lord will protect Jerusalem. But the Lord also gave this warning:

“If you do not stand by me, you will not stand at all”.

In the gospel, Jesus also warned the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum.

Those town are now in ruins because they rather believed in their power and wealth than in the message of repentance.

Let us heed the message of repentance and stand by the Lord.

When we stand by the Lord with faith, He will protect us and fight our battles for us.

15th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 13-07-20267

Isaiah 1:10-17 / Matthew 10:34 - 11:1    

It can be said that one of the most profound expressions of our faith is in the worship.

When we are gathered in the Eucharist, we worship God and offer prayer for ourselves, for the Church and for the world.

The worship, or the liturgy, is a formalized set of rituals to help us to encounter the presence of God and to come into communion with Him.

While there are rules and guidelines for the liturgy, it is kept simple and dignified for everyone to follow and understand.

But in the first reading, the people’s sacrifice was frowned upon by the Lord.

In the Lord’s words, He said, “I am sick of the holocausts of rams and the fat of calves. The blood of bulls and goats revolts me.”

The Lord detested the sacrifices because the people’s worship was not an expression of their faith.

Their worship became like a ritual festival with solemnity, and at the same time they were committing wickedness, injustice and oppression.

So the Lord turned away and did not listen to their multiple prayers, unless they repented.

May we not treat our worship and liturgy as a sort of ritual festivity with empty solemnity.

May our worship be a true expression of our faith done with humility and simplicity.

Then the Lord our God will listen our prayers and grant us His blessings.

15th Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 11.07.2026

Isaiah 55:10-11 / Romans 8:18-23 / Matthew 13:1-23 

The present age can be called, among other things, the age of robots. 

And with each passing age, the features have become more and more fascinating and amazing. 

At present, we are already used to devices and appliances with robot technology. 

So, there is the robo-cleaner, the robo-vacuum, the robo-car, etc. 

It brings back memories of those sci-fi movies of the 80s like “RoboCop” and the Terminator movies, like “The Rise of the Machines”. 

That was like nearly 40 years ago, and it seemed like fiction and rather futuristic. 

Well, that fiction has become a fact, and that future has arrived. 

And the age of robots is already giving way to the age of humanoid robots. 

Because with the rise of artificial intelligence, the robots are not just getting intelligent, they are becoming more and more human. 

So, there are humanoid robots that can walk, run, carry loads, do housework, and even perform surgery. 

And then there are humanoid robots that can do sports like boxing and martial arts. 

So, maybe in the near future, the World Cup football games may feature 22 humanoid robot players. 

So, it seems that machines are taking over the tasks of mankind. 

If that is going to be the case, then what is left for the human race? 

In the gospel, Jesus told the parable of the Sower and the seeds. 

It is a parable that has an obvious meaning. 

But when His disciples asked Jesus why does He speak in parables, Jesus quoted from the prophet Isaiah: 

"You will listen and listen again and not understand, see and see again but not perceive. 

For the heart of this nation has grown coarse, their ears are dull of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, for fear they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and be converted and healed by me." 

That quote from the prophet Isaiah is what the Lord God said about His people. 

That also makes us think about the parable that Jesus told us in the Gospel. 

What may have caught our initial attention are the seeds that fell on rich soil and bore a harvest of 100 or 60 or 30. 

But what about the other seeds? We may think, "Well, too bad, they have to be written off." 

But why did the Sower carelessly sow the seeds in places that seem to have no chance of germinating? No chance at all actually. 

The parable of the sower and the seeds makes us listen and listen again, see and see again. 

The parable makes us wonder and ponder about the reality of life and the reality of our humanity. 

As much as the seeds of the Word of God must take root in our hearts and bear fruits in our lives, that is not the only focus. 

Because if results are the only focus, then it is about productivity, efficiency, and proficiency.

In that aspect, robots and humanoid robots assisted by AI can do a much, much better job. 

But the parable reminds us of some people who are like the seeds that fell on the edge of the path and eaten up by birds. 

They exist, but they are forgotten. It is like “out of sight, out of mind”. 

And then there are some people, who are like the seeds that fell on patches of rock and among thorns. 

They dry up, they wither, they are choked by the demands of life to be economically productive and to produce a harvest. 

Theirs is the silent cry for help to those who can produce a harvest in life. 

Some need financial aid, some need respect and dignity, some just need to see the goodness of humanity. 

But all need the seeds of God's love to be sown again in their hearts so that they can have hope for the future. 

The hope of the future is not in robots or humanoids. 

The hope of the future is in us, human beings made in the image of God. 

Yes, human beings who will listen and understand, see and perceive what God is revealing to us. 

14th Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 11-07-2026

Isaiah 6:1-8 / Matthew 10:24-33 

There is this quote from St. John Vianney: Here is a rule for everyday life – do not do anything which you cannot offer to God.

It is a rule that is clear and simple enough to follow.

But it is also a rule that is difficult to keep.

To do something that is pleasing to God requires a strong faith and love for God.

But when we do something that is wrong and not pleasing to God, certainly we want to hide it.

We can hide it from others, but we certainly cannot hide it from God.

As Jesus said in the gospel : For everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear.

So, sooner or later, everything we do, whether in the light or in the dark, will be made known.

Since God sees everything we do, then let us always live in the light and do what is loving.

Let us do what always gives glory to God and we will also inherit a blessing.

14th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 10-07-2026

Hosea 14:1-10 / Matthew 10:16-23  

It is understandable that there are people who don’t like us, even though we may or may not have done anything against them.

And when their dislike turns to hatred and even want to harm us, surely we will take precautions and think of how to defend ourselves.

Certainly, we would want to avoid them at least so as to avoid any confrontation or conflict.

But in the gospel, Jesus said to the Twelve, “Remember, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves, so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves.”

And to think that Jesus is also saying that to us would make us shudder with fear.

To be among wolves is like asking for a painful death.

And yet, Jesus tells us to be cunning as serpents and to be as harmless as doves.

To be as cunning as serpents is to be wise enough and not to retaliate with eye for eye and tooth for tooth.

To be wise is to have recourse to the protection and the strength of the Lord.

As the first reading tells us, the ways of the Lord are straight and virtuous men walk in them, but sinners will stumble.

So the wicked and the evil may want to harm and hurt us, but they will stumble.

Because when we walk in the ways of love and forgiveness, then God will fight our battles for us.

God had promised that He will protect us. 

Let us put our trust in the Lord and we will see the marvellous power of His love for us.

14th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 09-07-2026

Hosea 11:1-4, 8-9 / Matthew 10:7-15  

Human beings are social beings, and this means that in life, we enter into human relationships with one another.

But human relationships are quite complex as it involves emotions as well as expectations.

In a parent-child relationship, parents are expected to care and provide for their children, and children are expected to obey and respect their parents.

In the other interpersonal relationships, there are also expectations that can be spelt out and understood by all parties.

But relationships are not lived out based on logical and rational principles.

Because in relationships there are also emotions, and when expectations in a relationship are not met, then there can be anger, frustration and resentment.

So as much as relationships can be built with love and understanding, relationships can also break down with misunderstanding and even with betrayal.

In the first reading, the Lord God recalls how He loved His people and brought them out of slavery.

But it seems that the more He loved them, the more they turned away from Him.

That is beyond all human understanding, and with the breakdown of the relationship, God can easily punish His people and reject and discard them away.

And here comes something that is beyond our human understanding and expectation when God said this:

“I will not give reign to my fierce anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again, for I am God not man. I am the Holy One in your midst and have no wish to destroy.”

So, God’s ways are not man’s ways, and God’s thoughts are not man’s thoughts.

When we remember this, and act in the ways of God and think of His love and mercy, then we will build loving relationships with God and with others.

14th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 08-07-2026

Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12 / Matthew 10:1-7  

To be prosperous and wealthy can be seen as a blessing from God.

To have received such blessings, one must always give thanks to God and be faithful to Him.

But prosperity and wealth can also be a distraction in that one can become complacent and begin to take blessings for granted.

And it would be tragic that in receiving all the good things of life, God is forgotten.

In the first reading, we heard that Israel was blessed by God and became a luxuriant vine yielding plenty.

But the more the fruit increased, the more divided was Israel’s heart.

Because sin was always lurking around the heart to distract it and make it unfaithful to God.

In the gospel, Jesus summoned His disciples and sent them out with authority and power to cast out unclean spirits and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness.

Sin and evil are always present to make us forget about God and to be unfaithful to Him.

Let us pray for God’s protection and also for His blessings to be humble and to walk faithfully in His ways.