22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 05-09-2026

1 Corinthians 4:6-15 / Luke 6:1-5 

A maxim is a written set of principles or rules of conduct.

In the 1st reading, St. Paul stated a simple principle or rule and that is "Keep to what is written".

Most probably he was referring to the Scriptures and to the written set of teachings that were handed to the Christian community at Corinth.

He made recourse to that maxim because the Christians at Corinth were beginning to interpret the teachings to their own convenience and advantage.

What was too demanding and affected them personally they would give leeway for themselves and go with the broadest possible options.

St. Paul wanted to bring them to their senses and to help them see the truth and the reality of their spiritual deterioration.

Yet in the gospel, it was the Pharisees who were harping on keeping to the Law of the Sabbath.

But their intention was to reinforce and propagate their religious fundamentalist ideas.

But it is not a question of rigidity or laxity when it comes to religious teachings.

Jesus came to teach us the Truth so that we will have freedom when we keep to His teachings.

In Jesus, we have the Truth who will lead us to the Way of Life.

Let that be our spiritual maxim.

22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 04-09-2026

1 Cor 4:1-5 / Luke 5:33-39    

Our actions are carried out with intentions.

Our actions are visible and others can have opinions and even make judgements about it.

But our intentions are not visible to others and only we ourselves know the motives of our intentions.

We may be seen as doing a noble act or a charitable deed, but our real intentions may have vested self-interests.

In the first reading, St. Paul reminds us that people must think of us as Christ’s servants, stewards entrusted with the mysteries of God.

So what is expected of us as stewards is that we should be found worthy of what is entrusted to us by God.

It means that what we do must be done with pure intentions and what we say must be the truth.

But temptations are always lurking around and in our weakness our intentions can be flawed with hidden ulterior motives.

The first reading also tells us that God will light up all that is hidden in the dark and reveal the secret intentions of our hearts.

When we let the light of God scatter the darkness of our hearts, then we will be the clean new cloak and the new wine in the gospel parables.

And with the light of God in us, then others will know what are the intentions of our words and deeds.

22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 03-09-2026

1 Cor 3:18-23 / Luke 5:1-11

Between professionals and amateurs, it is obvious who will do a better job.

Professionals are paid to do the job, they are trained, they have the knowledge, the skills and the tools.

On the other hand, amateurs may have some knowledge and skills, but they do things as a hobby and not as a professional job.

In the gospel, Simon Peter and his companions were fisherman, and they make a living out of it.

But on that occasion, they worked hard all night and caught nothing.

Jesus was preaching to the crowds, and then He got into Simon Peter’s boat and continued to preach from there.

When He had finished, Jesus told Simon Peter to put out into deep water for a catch.

Peter may know that Jesus was not a fisherman, and he could have ignored what Jesus said, but for whatever reason, he decided to do as Jesus says.

That miraculous catch of fish made Peter realise that there are some things that are beyond his understanding or his expertise, and he was humbled by it.

And he also came to see that Jesus has more to reveal to him, and so he decided to follow Jesus.

As the first reading tells us, there is nothing to boast about in anything human, be it knowledge, or wisdom, or expertise, or professionalism.

When we realise how limited, or even foolish, human knowledge or wisdom can be, then let us be humble and follow the ways of God.

With humility and trust, God will show us how wonderful and fruitful it can be in following His ways.

22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 02-09-2026

1 Cor 3:1-9 / Luke 4:38-44

A place has a purpose. It determines the activity to do done there.

So if we go to school, it is to study and learn about the subjects taught there.

If we go to the office, it is to do the work that is required of us.

And when we go to church, it is to pray and to grow spiritually as disciples of Jesus.

But in the first reading, St. Paul pointed out to the Corinthians that despite being Christians, they were still unspiritual.

It was obvious from all the jealousy and wrangling and behaving like ordinary people.

He reminded them that they are God’s building and they should behave like Christians.

In the gospel, Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law by rebuking the fever.

And after sunset, Jesus also healed the sick and cast out devils.

So if we come to church and we are still behaving like the people of the world, then we are as unspiritual as the Christians in Corinth.

And it may be that we too have a “fever” and other types of sickness that we need to bring to Jesus for healing.

Let us follow Jesus to that lonely place and pray for healing, so that in the house of God and when we go into the world, we will truly be Christians, sharing with others the love of Jesus.

22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 01-09-2026

1 Cor 2:10-16 / Luke 4:31-37     

Whenever something happens in the world, there will be numerous opinions and comments coming forth.

From wars to disasters, from scientific developments to technological advances, from social trends to sports, there will be many people saying many things.

So, experts and academicians, politicians and ordinary persons, all will have something to say about whatever is happening.

There is whole array of reasoning and philosophies, such that we are often left wondering what is right and true.

In the first reading, St. Paul says that we have received the Spirit that comes from God to teach us to understand the gifts that He has given us.

We have become spiritual persons who are able to judge what is good, what is right and what is true.

In the gospel, Jesus taught in the synagogue and He made a deep impression because He spoke with authority.

And right there in the synagogue, there was a man who was possessed by a devil and it caused a commotion because it knew who Jesus is.

But Jesus silenced it and cast it out of the man.

We have heard many voices from the world, and as we come to Church we may even echo those worldly and unspiritual voices.

Let us be aware of the worldly and unspiritual voices of resentment, pessimism, discouragement that are coming out from us.

Let us ask Jesus to silence those voices and cast them out of us.

Then we can speak the truth with love, and do what is right and just.

22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 31-08-2026

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 / Luke 4:16-30        (2026)

One of the primary tasks of the priest is to preach the Word of God. Preaching the homily at Mass is his duty and he is obligated to prepare for it.

Yet the task of preaching is indeed challenging because the people of God thirst for the Word to be made flesh in their lives. They yearn to experience scriptural teachings translating in their everyday life.

So priests and preachers will understand what St. Paul meant when he said: I came among you in great fear and trembling in the speeches and sermons that I gave.

But  he also quickly added that none of his preaching belonged to philosophy.

Rather it is a demonstration of the power of the Spirit.

It was with the power of the Spirit that Jesus went back to Nazareth, and at the synagogue, He read the passage from the prophet Isaiah.

And the people were astonished by the gracious words that came from His lips.

But it is so easy to let human thinking as well as criticism come into the way of the Word of God.

As we could see it from the gospel, the people started to make a judgment about Him and subsequently rejected Him.

Human beings may be endowed with knowledge and intelligence, but we must also remember that God's ways are not man's ways.

May our minds and hearts be opened to God's revelation as He speaks to us through His Word.

May our faith be not dependent on human philosophy but on the power of God.

22nd Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 30.08.2026

Jeremiah 20:7-9 / Romans 12:1-2 / Matthew 16:21-27  

We are quite familiar with the story of the race between the hare and the tortoise.

The hare was always making fun of the tortoise for being so slow and even mocked him by saying that the tortoise will never get anywhere.

The tortoise retorted by saying that he can get anywhere sooner or later, and even challenged the hare to a race.

The hare was much amused that the tortoise is challenging him to a race, and for the fun of it, he accepted.

On the day of the race, from the word “Go!”, the hare was off to a flying start and soon was out of sight.

Halfway through, the hare spotted a vegetable garden, and since he was way ahead and rather hungry, he decided to have a meal and a nap.

The hare slept so soundly that the tortoise caught up and continued towards the finish line.

When the hare woke up, he saw that the tortoise was reaching the finish line.

The hare ran as fast as he could, but it was the tortoise who crossed the finish line first and won the race.

The moral of the story is that slow and steady will win the race.

Other lessons are that persistence matters, and arrogance and bragging will result in failure. 

But let's say, if we had not heard of the story before, we will certainly think that the hare will win.

Because human logic and reasoning will tell us to be on the side of the top dog instead of the underdog.

In the Gospel, Jesus began to make it clear to His disciples that He was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer grievously at the hands of the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes. 

He will be put to death, but will be raised up on the third day. 

While the disciples were trying to understand what Jesus was saying, Peter decided to do something. 

He took Jesus aside and started to remonstrate with Him and said, "Heaven preserve you, Lord! This must not happen to you." 

But Jesus turned round and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God's way but man's." 

We may be just as startled and even just as shocked as Peter was when Jesus said that. 

Jesus is not calling Peter “Satan”. Jesus is pointing out that what Peter suggested is not God's way but Satan's way. 

Satan's way is to tempt us to reject the cross and suffering, and to preserve one's life by being selfish and self-centred. 

As Jesus would ask His disciples, "What then will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?" 

Or as in the story of the hare and the tortoise, do we think that we can win the race of life with our confidence, our resources, and our abilities? 

Or would we choose the way of the tortoise, to be slow and steady, to persevere with faith, and to walk in the humble ways of God. 

We have God-given talents and gifts, but we must know what we really want in life and which way to go. 

That calls to mind Saint Thomas Aquinas, who was brilliantly gifted in writing. 

His greatest work was the Summa Theologica, or the Summary of Theology. 

One day, he had a vision while praying. A voice from the crucifix asked what he wanted as a reward for his many writings about God. 

Saint Thomas Aquinas replied, "Only You, Lord, only You." 

Saint Thomas Aquinas knew even if he has gained the whole world but does not have Jesus in his life, then he is ruined. 

There is nothing that he can exchange for his life. Jesus was all he wanted and all he needed. 

Let us be like the tortoise, to be slow and steady in our faith so that we will know the way towards God. 

Like Saint Thomas Aquinas, let us know that Jesus is all we want and all we need.