12th Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 21.06.2026

Jeremiah 20:10-13 / Romans 5:12-15 / Matthew 10:26-33 

There is a saying that a picture tells a thousand words.

But the world, with the advancement of technology, has moved to more than just pictures. 

By pictures, it may mean just depictions of drawings and paintings.

But with photographs, that have high resolution and vibrant colours, lesser words are needed, compared with drawings and paintings. 

And when it comes to videos, then there is no need for words, because videos usually come with the audio, and so the words are already there. 

So, with videos, we can see moving images and we can hear the sounds and conversations. 

And videos have become a daily part of our lives, so much so that we don't pay much attention to the video cameras anymore. 

In the vehicles, there are dash cams, security personnel wear jackets with body cams, streets and buildings have CCTV cameras. 

Even at home, there are cameras that record and monitor the activity inside as well as outside of the home. 

So, at any one time, we may wonder if we are unknowingly being videoed, and also, who is it that is watching us. 

So, as much as video cameras are for security, they also provide a means for others to scrutinize us. 

In the Gospel, Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: 

Do not be afraid, for everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. 

What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight. What you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops. 

In other words, Jesus is telling us not to be afraid because God is watching over us. 

Yes, God sees, God hears, God knows, and God will act. 

In the first reading, God sees the danger that the prophet Jeremiah was in, and He heard the prayer of Jeremiah too. 

Jeremiah was surrounded with terror on every side.

But he placed his trust in the Lord, who will deliver him from his enemies,

Jeremiah then says this of the Lord: 

But You, Lord of hosts, You who prove with justice, who scrutinize the loins and the heart, let me see the vengeance that You will take on them, for I have committed my cause to You. 

Jeremiah believes that God sees, God hears, God knows, and God will act.

And with Jeremiah, we too believe that God also watches over us. 

God watches over us because He loves us and He wants to protect us from danger and harm. 

God watches over the good, so that they can continue to believe in the goodness of life. 

And God looks at the bad and the wicked, and He, the Lord of hosts, the Lord of the heavenly armies, will also stop the bad and the wicked from causing more terror and evil. 

So, God watches over us, and we should be consoled and comforted by that. 

And with that, we don't have to worry about who is watching us. 

And when we walk and live under the watchful eyes of God, there is nothing to hide and there is nothing to fear. 

But there is a video camera in our minds that records the moments of our lives when we walk in the light and when we hide in the dark. 

For the moments, when our lives were in the light, we give thanks to God for His love and blessings. 

But there are moments when we are covered by the darkness of sin, covered by anger, resentment, bitterness, jealousy, lust, and other immoral desires. 

We want to hide these moments. 

But we must bring these moments to the Lord in prayer. 

We let the Lord see and hear, we let the Lord know what we want to hide or even what we want to forget. 

But the Lord of love will shine His light into those dark moments of our lives. 

God wants us to hide no more, and to fear no more, and to sin no more, because He comes to heal and save us. 

So that like the prophet Jeremiah, we can say:

Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for He has delivered the soul of the needy from the hands of sin and evil.

11th Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 20-06-2026

2 Chronicles 24:17-25 / Matthew 6:24-34

When someone tells us that what we are doing is good, we will certainly feel happy about it.

But when someone tells us what is good for us, we may not feel that happy.

Because what is good for us may not be what we like to hear.

We would rather listen to someone who praises us and says good things about us, even though what they say may not be true.

In the first reading, when king Joash ascended to the throne, the court officials of Judah came and paid respects to him, and he turned to them for advice.

They could have praised the king and found favour with him.

But when Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, spoke up about the sin of the king and the people, they went against him.

Zechariah was stoned to death in the court of the Temple of the Lord.

Both, king Joash and Zechariah, made their choice and they had to accept the eventual consequence.

In the gospel, Jesus told His disciples that they cannot be the slave of two masters – they cannot be the slave both of God and of money.

With money, we will get praises and we will be pleased.

But when we listen to God, we will understand the truth of life and that love is what will make us truly happy,

11th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 19-06-2026

2 Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20 / Matthew 6:19-23

In life, we have possessions and belongings.

When we look at what we have, some thoughts may come to our minds.

There are some things that we yearn to get our hands on.

But after we had gotten it, the excitement lasts a while and now it is left around or forgotten in the storeroom.

Some things were pleasant surprises, and though it may not mean that much to us initially, yet we have kept it close to us and we admit that it has become precious to us.

So it can be said that what belongs to us will come to us.

On the other hand, what does not belong to us will never be ours.

In the first reading, the wicked Athaliah seize control and took power by killing all those of royal stock.

But ill-gotten gains will never last and the final price to pay for it was death.

In the gospel, Jesus said to His disciples: Do not store up treasure for yourselves on earth, but to store up treasures for yourselves in heaven.

Whatever we need, God will give to us. It is not a belonging but a blessing from God.

And the greatest blessing is when we know we need only Jesus.

We belong to Him and it is with this blessing that we will be happy on earth and eternally happy in heaven.

11th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 18-06-2026

Ecclesiasticus 48:1-15 / Matthew 6:7-15  

What often disturbs our peace of mind are resentment and bitterness.

When our minds are disturbed, so too will be our hearts.

And the resentment and bitterness are often about other people.

Those people annoy us, irritate us, upset us, and so we react against them.

We may not express our resentment and bitterness openly against them.

But in our minds and our hearts, the fire of resentment and bitterness rages against them.

And that fire also burns up our energy and our love.

Even in prayer, we may not find the peace that we long for.

In the gospel, after Jesus taught His disciples about the prayer of the Our Father, He also added the teaching about forgiveness.

If we don’t forgive, then we can’t expect to be forgiven either.

If we don’t forgive, the resentment and bitterness in us grow deeper and destroys us.

Let us turn to Jesus in prayer, asking for forgiveness and healing for ourselves, as well as forgiveness and healing for others.

11th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 17-06-2026

2 Kings 2:1, 6-14 / Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18   

Generally speaking, extroverts are comfortable with people around them.

They may even like it when attention is drawn to them.

On the other hand, introverts may tend to avoid crowds and prefer a quieter company, or just a companion.

But an extrovert may not be all out to gain attention.

And an introvert may yearn for attention in some other ways.

But whether we think of ourselves as an extrovert or introvert, there is an aspect in our lives that we need to be aware of.

And that is this – what will we do when there are people watching us.

And what will we do when we think that no one is watching us.

Whether there are people watching us or not, we also need to know this.

And that is, God is looking at us.

God is looking at us not to catch us for doing something wrong.

God is looking at us because He loves us, and He wants us to look at Him in return.

When we look at God, then we will know what He wants of us, and we will also do what is pleasing to Him.

When we look at God with love, then He will also bless us with His love.

11th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 16-06-2026

1 Kings 21:17-29 / Matthew 5:43-48

There are many times when we wonder if horrible and wicked deeds can ever be forgiven.

Because to forgive the offender already requires so much of the letting go of the revenge.

Furthermore, if the offender is not remorseful or repentant of his evil and wicked deeds, then does he even need to be forgiven?

For all the evil and wicked deeds that king Ahab and his wife Jezebel committed, it would be very difficult to forgive them.

It would have to be an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.

But just because king Ahab showed some repentance, God was ready to forgive him.

God’s mercy and forgiveness is as difficult to understand as to why some people commit evil and wicked deeds.

But God’s mercy and forgiveness will be necessary to overcome evil and wickedness.

The teaching of Jesus about loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us is also difficult to understand.

But when we start practising it, then we will know the power of God’s mercy and forgiveness over evil and wickedness.

11th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 15-06-2026

1 Kings 21:1-16 / Matthew 5:38-42

Fire is a good servant, but a bad master.

Power is also a good servant, but also a bad master.

And when power becomes the master and uses fire as its servant, the result will be disastrous. 

In the first reading, king Ahab sulked and was gloomy when Naboth refused to give him the vineyard to be a vegetable garden.

Then his wife Jezebel came along and came to know about the matter.

She came up with a plot and then had Naboth put to death.

It was like power and fire becoming masters and causing death and disaster.

Yet the death of the innocent Naboth meant nothing at all to king Ahab, Jezebel and the elders and nobles of the town.

If we can take the law into our own hands, then we will see justice done to those evil people.

But again, let us remember that justice and vengeance belong to the Lord.

As Jesus said in the gospel “offer the wicked man no resistance”.

Let us not become that kind of power and fire that will burn and destroy and even create a bigger fire and destruction.

The way of the Lord is peace and gentleness.

That is the greatest power. 

May we understand that so that we will be able to forgive those who have done wrong to us.