1st Week of Lent, Friday, 27-02-2026

Ezekiel 18:21-28 / Matthew 5:20-26   

The changes in life are almost like how the weather changes.

Bright sunshine can turn into a thunderstorm in just half an hour.

And the ups and downs of life have also made us respond and react differently.

When we are up and about, and all seems bright and shiny, we will have happy thoughts and nice things to say.

But when we are down and out, and all seems dark and gloomy, then our thoughts will be dark and our words will be sharp.

Those dark and gloomy moments make us frustrated and when things go wrong, we will look for someone to blame.

It is then that sharp and cutting words come out of our mouths, and we will even use abusive words and disparage others.

In the gospel, Jesus teaches us even using words like “Fool” and “Renegade” are so abusive that the punishment is hell fire.

Words reveal the state of our minds and hearts.

When we find ourselves swearing and using abusive words on others in our minds, then we also know what is in our hearts.

Let us ask Jesus to heal our hearts of anger and resentment, and to grant us peace.

With the peace of the Lord in our hearts, may we also have loving thoughts of others and also speak words of peace.

1st Week of Lent, Thursday, 26-02-2026

Esther 4:17 / Matthew 7:7-12  

 

Prayers are said in Church, and as usual, we say the prayers in a sober and solemn way.

But not all prayers are said in Church.

Some of the most fervent and desperate prayers are said in hospitals.

To be warded in hospital would mean that the illness or sickness required specialized treatment.

And the patient would be desperately praying for a cure and relief from pain.

But it is not expected that desperate prayers be heard in palaces.

In the 1st reading, queen Esther was facing a mortal peril which had overtaken her.

But she took refuge with the Lord and she besought the Lord God with fervent prayers from the depths of her heart.

And it was the final sentence of her prayers that expressed the depth of her prayer:

“come to my help, for I am alone and have no one but you Lord”.

Yes, our prayers are most fervent and desperate when we have only God for our help.

In the gospel, Jesus said this: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

Let us always ask the Lord first, so that we will search at the right places and the right door will be opened for us.

And may prayer be our first option and our last option when we are in a desperate situation.

1st Week of Lent, Wednesday, 25-02-2026

Jonah 3:1-10 / Luke 11:29-32    

When something unexpected happens, we may think of it as an exceptional occurrence.

More so when it cannot be explained logically or reasonably, we may just keep it aside and continue to ponder on it.

Although it may not be able to be understood logically or reasonably, but if it is wonderful and heart-warming, then we will attribute it to the workings of God.

Yes, when God works wonders, we will know that it is not the work or the abilities or the efforts of man, but it is from the hand of God.

In the 1st reading, the conversion of the Ninevites was unexpected and beyond human reasoning.

What is even more astounding is that from the king right down to the animals, all did penance and fasting for their sins.

Certainly it was not because of Jonah, because Jonah himself was skeptical that the Ninevites would repent.

In fact, he had secretly wished for them to be punished because of the horrors they did to God’s people.

But the conversion of the Ninevites was so amazing that it can be none other than the work of God.

Only God can change hearts and minds.

During this time of Lent, let us have the hope that those who commit wicked and evil deeds will repent, and we must pray for them.

We also pray for ourselves that God will open our minds and hearts to see the wonders that He will show us so that we will know that our God is merciful and compassionate.

1st Week of Lent, Tuesday, 24-02-2026

Isaiah 55:10-11 / Matthew 6:7-15   

The world usually puts its focus on quantity and size.

So the bigger the better. The more, the merrier. The higher, the happier.

So, in the end, the measurement is in numbers, percentages and profits.

Those will indicate the effectiveness, efficiency and productivity of the work done.

But in the gospel, Jesus tells His disciples not to babble in their prayer and think that by using many words, they will make themselves heard.

He then taught them the prayer of the “Our Father”, a prayer that is short and simple enough even for children to recite it.

But that prayer is not just about being short and simple.

It has to be prayed with humility and charity.

We need to be humble to pray that simple prayer and not to impress others by saying many other prayers.

Prayer should also make us charitable and compassionate, and to forgive others their failings, just as we ask God for forgiveness.

Jesus taught us that prayer to help us come closer to God and to be like God in His love for us.

And just as God loves us, may we too love others, and may we keep praying that we grow deeper and stronger with God’s love.

1st Week of Lent, Monday, 23-02-2026

Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 / Matthew 31-46   

The general purpose of religion is about the search for peace and happiness in life.

And if there is a belief in the afterlife, then by living a good life on earth, there will be reward in the afterlife.

But if one lives a life of wickedness and evil on earth, then there will be punishment in the afterlife.

As Christians, we too have these basic beliefs.

And the 1st reading, as well as the gospel parable, tells us how to live a good life here on earth.

In the 1st reading, the Lord spoke through Moses as He tells us not to steal nor deal deceitfully or fraudulently with others.

Besides that we are not to exploit or rob others, or curse others.

Besides that, there are also other laws that essentially direct us to live good and upright lives.

Those are basic and fundamental for us as human beings.

Similarly, in the gospel parable, Jesus teaches us to respect the dignity of those in need and to help them to have their basic needs in life.

We adhere to these not because they are laws or commandments that we must obey.

It is in these basic and fundamental laws and commandments that we strive for holiness.

The Lord our God tells us to be holy, just as He is holy.

It is because we want to be holy that we live by God’s laws and commandments.

It is in living holy lives that we will have peace and happiness here on earth, as well peace and happiness with God forever in heaven.

1st Sunday of Lent, Year A, 22.02.2026

Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7 / Romans 5:12-19 / Matthew 4:1-11  

Over the festive period of the last few days, we may have done the annual visitation of our elders and relatives. 

Of course, we will be able to collect “ang pows” from them, but that will also come at a price. 

Because we will have to bear with those usual questions, or interrogation, like:

Which school are you in? 

When are you getting married? 

How many children do you have?

Other than bearing with that, the next best thing to do will be to stay at home and watch movies on TV. 

There are Chinese New Year movies, blockbuster movies and those cute animated movies like “Kung Fu Panda” and “Finding Nemo”. 

Animated movies are not just computer-generated graphics and drawings and images. 

Animated movies have human voices behind the characters. 

And those voices often belong to movie stars and celebrities. 

It is only when we read the movie credits at the end that we will know the face of the voice behind the character.

Otherwise, it can be difficult to guess the face behind the voice. 

Similarly with songs. We may not know the face of the singer until we see the picture of the singer. 

And quite often, our imagination of the face behind the voice is quite different from the reality. 

The gospel begins with this line: Then Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 

Jesus came to save us from our sins, and to free us from the snares of the devil. 

He wants to face the devil and whatever the devil is going to use as temptations. 

The devil did not disguise himself or hide behind any of his operatives. 

It was a face-to-face confrontation. 

It was unlike the 1st reading, when the devil disguised himself as a snake to tempt Eve. 

Eve, as well as Adam, may not have seen through the devil’s disguise. 

They saw the snake and they heard the voice, but they may not have seen the face of the devil, or realised that it was him. 

And they fell into the temptation. They wanted to believe that they can be like God. 

So, the core of the temptation is about pride. 

The pride of men is to think that they are God, or want to be like God. 

In the confrontation with the devil and his temptations, Jesus turned to Scripture, and with humility, He overcame the devil. 

The devil could not tempt Jesus, but he knows he can tempt Adam and Eve, and he knows he can also tempt us. 

The devil also knows what our main weakness is, and that is our pride. 

And so, the devil will tempt us through using the voices of other people. 

Instead of asking us to turn stones into bread, we might hear people comment about why our children didn't go to an elite school, and we feel our pride hurt.

Or we may hear snide remarks about our state of life and our profession and feel belittled.

So, it is the game of pride. 

Or we may hear voices questioning our faith and luring us into an argument, then we lose our self-control and fall into the trap.

Again, it is the game of pride. 

But Ephesians chapter 6:10-13 tells us this:

“Grow strong in the Lord, with the strength of His power.

Put God's armour on so as to be able to resist the devil's tactics."

For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the Sovereignties and the Powers who originate the darkness in this world, the spiritual army of evil in the heavens.

That is why you must rely on God's armour, or you will not be able to put up any resistance when the worst happens, or have enough resources to hold your ground.”

At the core of the temptations of the devil is the question of pride. 

For the devil it is a game of pride and he makes use of other humans to lure us to play by his rules, which means that we will lose. 

But when we put on God’s armour of humility, we will be able to see that the devil makes use of people who are often our human adversaries or enemies, and we will be able to discern their voices.

For this season of Lent, let us embark on almsgiving, fasting and prayer so that we will learn humility, and be protected by God. 

May the Lenten disciplines of almsgiving, fasting and prayer also lead us to forgive those who have hurt us and done us wrong. 

Let us follow Jesus in His prayer on the Cross: Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.

Saturday after Ash Wednesday, 21-02-2026

Isaiah 58:9-14 / Luke 5:27-32  

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace" is a famous, oft-quoted phrase frequently attributed to Jimi Hendrix (1942 – 1970).

The same notion can also be applied to other areas of life.

With love, we can move from selfishness to selflessness,.

With love, we can move from sinfulness to holiness.

With love, we will be able to listen to the voice of the Lord and do what He wants of us.

In the gospel, Levi was a tax-collector sitting at the customs house.

Jesus called him, and Levi left everything to follow Jesus.

It was rather surprising and amazing that Levi got up and followed Jesus just like that, and there could be many reasons for it.

But it can be quite certain that there was already a stirring in Levi’s heart and when he heard the call of Jesus, that stirring just cannot be ignored.

Jesus came to save and to call sinners.

When sinners repent and even become saints, then that is the power of love.