17th Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 26.07.2026

1 Kings 3:5, 7-12 / Romans 8:28-30 / Matthew 13:44-52

To go shopping can be a relaxing experience.

It is a form of retail therapy from the stress of life.

To do that, we would usually go to the shopping centres or shopping malls where it is more comfortable and more organized.

We will take our time to walk around and do window shopping.

Along the way, there may be something that will catch our attention and we might consider buying it.

But we don't usually have much time for casual window shopping.

Often, it is shopping with a purpose and with a limited time, and we may already have a shopping list in our minds or in our hands.

But that does not mean that we will always get whatever we want.

On a good shopping day, we will be able to find what we are looking for.

So, we will be able to get our favourite drinks, our favourite snacks, and maybe even get it at a discounted price.

But there are days when we can go from shop to shop and whatever we want is not available or out of stock.

We get this frustrated feeling that we have wasted our time and energy.

Even with online shopping, we may not get what we want and have to settle for a substitute or an alternative.

So, shopping can be relaxing and even enjoyable, but it can also be tiring and frustrating when we cannot get what we are looking for. 

In the Gospel, Jesus told two parables that give an idea of what the Kingdom of God is like. 

One is about a treasure hidden in a field which someone has found. 

He hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns, and buys the field. 

Another is about a merchant looking for fine pearls. 

When he finds one of great value, he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it. 

So, it can be said that for those two characters in the parables, it was a good shopping experience of finding what they are looking for. 

But as with every parable, there is also a spiritual dimension, as well as a mystery that reveals who God is. 

The parables did not say how that person found the treasure in the field. 

And neither does it say how the merchant found that pearl of great value. 

Here is where we go back to the first reading and recall the dialogue between God and king Solomon. 

The Lord God asked king Solomon what he wanted, and king Solomon asked for this. 

King Solomon knew that he was young and unskilled in leadership, and he had to govern God's people. 

So, king Solomon asked for this: He asked for a heart of understanding. 

He asked for a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil. 

In other words, king Solomon asked God to grant him wisdom. 

It is a wisdom that understands the ways of God and to discern the revelations of God. 

It is wisdom that enables a person to pray and discern before getting into action. 

And it is with wisdom that we can understand the meaning of the parables. 

It is through the revelation of God that the man found the treasure hidden in the field. 

It is through discernment that the merchant found the pearl of great value. 

It is with the Spirit of wisdom that we will understand what God is revealing to us and how to walk in His ways. 

And this Spirit of wisdom will show us how God is speaking to us. 

God speaks to us in many ways and especially through nature. 

And one example is the trees. The trees don't talk, but they tell us this. 

Their roots teach us what holding on looks like, and their leaves teach us how to let go. 

May the Spirit of wisdom help us to let go of the things of earth and hold on to God above. 

When we hold on to God alone, then we already have what we are looking and longing for. 

St. James, Apostle, Saturday, 25-07-2026

2 Cor 4:7-15 / Matthew 20:20-28

There is a popular pilgrimage in Europe that is known as the Compostela.

It is a traditional pilgrimage to the grave of St. James and it is known as the "Way of St. James".

According to legend, the remains of St. James are held in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (Spain), and St. James is also the patron saint of Spain.

And according to the local tradition, St. James went as far as Spain to preach the gospel, and there he had a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary and then he returned to Judea where shortly after he was beheaded by King Herod Agrippa in the start of the persecution of the Church.

Hence he was the first of the apostles to be martyred and the first of the apostles to offer his life in witnessing to Christ.

Yes, St. James drank the cup that his Master drank and like his Master, he also offered his life as a ransom for many.

This feast of St. James also reminds us that our life is a pilgrimage on earth in a journey towards our eternal home in heaven.

In this pilgrimage we understand what St. Paul said in the 1st reading - We are only earthenware jars that hold the treasures of God.

Like St. James, let us pour out our life in service of God and others, so that, as the 1st reading puts it - the more grace is multiplied among people, the more thanksgiving there will be to the glory of God.

16th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 25-07-2026

No matter have far we have gone for the day, we will still return back home.

Home is where we came from, and home is where we will return to.

And if we go too far from home, we will lose our roots and may even forget how to go back home.

In the first reading, the Lord said this to His people, “Come back, disloyal children, for I alone am your Master.”

It is quite difficult to comprehend the love of God for His people.

They were stiff-neck hard-headed people who doesn’t seem to be grateful for the wonderful things the Lord has done for them.

It even seems like the more God loved them, the further they turned away from Him.

And the Lord God even promised to give His people shepherds after His own heart and they will teach the people knowledge and discretion.

But the strange tendency of people is that as much as they know what is the right path, they seem to be attracted by the road of desires and pleasures.

In the gospel, Jesus explained about the parable of the sower.

The seeds fell on the edge of the path, on patches of rock, among thorns and also on fertile soil.

If we are the seeds, we ought to fall on the fertile soil, which is like our home.

But like the people of God, we too may give in to distractions and temptations and wander far off.

Let us heed the call of God in the first reading and come back to God.

It is only in the rich soil of God’s home that we will bear good and abundant fruit.

16th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 23-07-2026

Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13 / Matthew 13:10-17    

We have eyes to look and ears to hear.

So we may look at many things but we may not pay much attention to everything.

We may hear a lot of sounds and voices, but we may not pay attention to all of them.

We have this ability to select what we want to see and what we want to listen to.

But we also may see what we need to see but remain indifferent to it, and listen to what we need to listen to, but we can also disregard it.

In the first reading, the Lord God tells of how much He loved His people but they turned away from Him.

The priests see the signs of God’s presence but paid no attention to it. 

Those who are to uphold the Law have no knowledge of God. 

The shepherds rebelled against God, and the prophets prophesied in the name of idols.

The people have committed a double crime by abandoning the Lord God and worshipped idols that have no power in them.

And yet the people refused to see it, and they refused to listen to the voice of God.

In the gospel, Jesus said that anyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough.

But from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

We are given the gift of faith. May our faith lead us to see what God is showing us and to listen to what God is saying to us.

With obedience and humility, God will reveal to us what we need to know.

St. Mary Magdalene, Apostle of the Apostles, Wednesday, 22-07-2026

Songs 3:1-4 or 2 Cor 5:14-17 / John 20:1-2, 11-18    

Mary Magdalene's appearance in the gospels was rather sudden, and her name may mean that she was from the town of Magdala (thought to have been on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee).

According to Luke 8:2 and Mark 16:9, Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons". That could mean that she was under some kind of serious diabolic possession or influence.

But despite her centuries-old infamous reputation which was depicted in religion, art, literature, and in recent prominent fictional books and movies, it is largely agreed today that there was no solid biblical or extra biblical evidence that suggests she was ever a prostitute,  or a secret lover or wife of Jesus, or mother of His children.

The gospel of Luke has it that after Jesus delivered her of the "seven demons", she followed Him and joined the band of women who supported Jesus and His disciples out of their own means.

But it was at the crucifixion, burial and Resurrection that Mary Magdalene became prominent.

She was there at the foot of the cross with Mother Mary and the beloved disciple John; she was at that burial of Jesus; and she was there at the tomb very early on the first day of the week.

And it was there and then that Jesus appeared to her and called her by name.

In Mary Magdalene, we see a slow and silent transformation from the moment she was delivered by Jesus to the moment He called her by name at His resurrection.

She had a dark past, and maybe even after that was disregarded and labelled with rejection.

But in the events of the crucifixion, burial and Resurrection, Mary Magdalene displayed faithfulness, courage and love even beyond death.

The Risen Jesus also sent her to the disciples and to announce to them that He is risen, and that is also why she is honoured as Apostle of the Apostles.

So if every saint has a past, then every sinner also has a future. But just as Mary Magdalene put her future in Jesus, may we also put ours into the hands of Jesus and hear Him call us by name.

16th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 21-07-2026

Micah 7:14-15, 18-20 / Matthew 12:46-50

Two professors were discussing about their lectures and how many students they have.

The first said that he has about three hundred students for his lectures.

The second said that he also had about three hundred people coming for his lectures.

And then he said, “Though I have about three hundred attending my lectures, I don’t really know how many are my students.”

What the second professor said may sound rather odd.

But what he meant is that though anyone can come for his lectures, he can’t be certain how many of those really understood what he is teaching and putting it into practice.

"Anyone" is an indefinite pronoun meaning any person or anybody.

But what comes after that would specify the conditions or requirements for that “anyone”.

So anyone can be a Christian, but the requirement or condition is that he must carry the cross and follow after Jesus.

In the gospel, Jesus used the word “anyone” but He also specified what this “anyone” must do.

And that is to do the will of God the Father.

So anyone can be a Christian, but he must carry his cross and follow after Jesus to do will of God.

When we carry the cross and follow Jesus to do the will of God, then we become truly the brother or sister of Jesus.

16th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 20-07-2026

Micah 6:1-4, 6-8 / Matthew 12:38-42

The World Cup 2026 has been going on for a couple of weeks now and it has captivated many people in the world.

Football is an exciting game and it has been called a beautiful game.

But it is also a contact sport, which means that there will be heavy and rough tackles, pushing and shoving, pulling and kicking (other than the ball)

It is a game that demands sportsmanship, which is defined as the ethical and honourable conduct when playing the game.

That requires the players to play fair, respect officials and respect the dignity of teammates and opponents.

However, that is not often the case, and even in the World Cup matches, there are controversies, and accusations of favouritism and match fixing.

The beautiful game is not that beautiful after all, primarily because of the flawed human desires and failings.

In the first reading, what could have been a beautiful relationship between God and His people was broken down because of the sinfulness and unfaithfulness of the people.

But the truth is that God was not demanding too much from His people.

What God is asking of His people is only this: to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with God.

That is also what God is asking of us, but we also know that at any one time, we have failed in at least one, if not all three of what God is asking of us.

Let us focus on acting justly, loving tenderly and walking humbly with God.

Then our relationship with God and with others will be beautiful.