Daily Readings

October 17, 2025

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

Reading 1

Romans 4:1–8

Brethren: What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 32:1–2, 5, 11

Response: You are a hiding place for me. You surround me with cries of deliverance.

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is remitted.

Blessed the man to whom the Lord

imputes no guilt, in whose spirit is no guile.

Response: You are a hiding place for me. You surround me with cries of deliverance.

To you I have acknowledged my sin;

my guilt I did not hide.

I said, “I will confess

my transgression to the Lord.”

And you have forgiven the guilt of my sin.

Response: You are a hiding place for me. You surround me with cries of deliverance.

Rejoice in the Lord; exult, you just!

Ring out your joy,

all you upright of heart!

Response: You are a hiding place for me. You surround me with cries of deliverance

Alleluia

Psalm 33:22

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

May your merciful love be upon us as we hope in you, O Lord.

Gospel

Luke 12:1–7

At that time: When so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, Jesus began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Reflection

Jesus uses two powerful symbols ‘leaven’ and ‘light’ in today’s Gospel. He uses them negatively: referring to the leaven of the Pharisees as hypocrisy and the fact that whatever is done/said in the darkness will be revealed in the light. He ultimately expects his disciples to be the ‘leaven in the dough’ and the ‘light of the world’ which run counter to the values of the Pharisees. ‘Fearlessness’ is a key quality of a disciple; he exhorts his disciples to fear no one except the one who can cast them into hell. Sadly, many of those who say that they believe in Jesus, are frightened individuals today. He reassures his disciples saying that even sparrows are cared for and that the hairs of one’s head are numbered.

St Ignatius of Antioch Bishop Martyr, Apostolic Father of the Church (c.45 -c.107)

A native of Syria, a zealous convert and a disciple of St John the Evangelist, Ignatius was the third Bishop of Antioch. From 94 to 96 there raged the second great persecution of Christians under the Emperor Domitian, and St Ignatius was indefatigable in instilling hope and courage in the faithful, so that they might profess the faith unwaveringly, even at the cost of life. After a short period of peace, a third persecution ensued during his reign of Trajan (98-117). St Ignatius once again proved himself the faithful and intrepid leader of the Church in Antioch, both by word and example—“A Christian does not live for himself alone. He belongs to God!”

His fearless reply to a derogatory remark made by Emperor Trajan was: “Call me not a poor wretch, for I bear God within me!” Trajan sentenced him to be devoured by wild beasts in the Coliseum.

Ignatius was then 62, and the journey to Rome proved quite an ordeal; but it also took on the aspect of triumph for the large numbers of Christians who turned out to meet him all along the way across Asia Minor and northern Greece.

Ready and eager to die for the Faith, Ignatius was heard to say to those who were desirous of working for his release: “I am the wheat of the Lord and must be ground by the teeth of wild beasts to become the pure bread of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Reflection: “Let us ask St Ignatius to help us understand Jesus’ words to his disciples: The man who loves his life loses it, while the man who hates his life in this world preserves it to life eternal!” (Blessed James Alberione)

Daily Readings

October 16, 2025

Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Romans 3:21–30

Brethren: The righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it – the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one – who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 130:1–6ab

Response: For with the Lord there is mercy, in him is plentiful redemption.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord;

Lord, hear my voice!

O let your ears be attentive

to the sound of my pleadings.

Response: For with the Lord there is mercy, in him is plentiful redemption.

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,

Lord, who could stand?

But with you is found forgiveness,

that you may be revered.

Response: For with the Lord there is mercy, in him is plentiful redemption.

I long for you, O Lord,

my soul longs for his word.

My soul hopes in the Lord

more than watchmen for daybreak.

Response: For with the Lord there is mercy, in him is plentiful redemption

Alleluia

John 14:6

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the way, and the truth, and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father except through me.

Gospel

Luke 11:47–54

At that time: Jesus said, “Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute’, so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.” As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.

Reflection

Jesus continues to hit out at those who are manipulative and hypocritical; those who control the lives of others and those who are exploitative. He takes these powerful people back to what their ancestors did. He reminds them, “Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute’.” He accuses the lawyers of taking away the key of knowledge from others. All this is a bitter pill for the scribes and the Pharisees to swallow. They are uncomfortable with the truth and they begin plotting to see how best they can trap him. One needs courage to be a prophet, especially considering that no prophet is accepted in his own home!

St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin (1647-1690)

With the rapid spread of Protestantism and Jansenism, England lost to the Faith and France ruled by the worldly Louis XIV, Catholicism had grown disastrously cold in the 17th century. To rekindle it, Christ chose an obscure French nun named Margaret Mary Alacoque, whom he expressly commanded to join the Visitation convent in 1671.

“My divine Heart is so inflamed with love for humankind, that it can no longer contain the flames of its burning charity.….. I ask that the Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi be set aside as a special feast in honour of my Heart, that people communicate and make reparation to it by a solemn act, to make amends for the irreverence to which it is subjected while exposed on the altar. I promise you that my Heart will shed the gifts of its divine love in great abundance on all who will thus honour it and induce others to so honour it!” he said.

Our Lord also exhorted the faithful to receive him in Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month and to keep the Holy Hour on its eve before the Blessed Sacrament exposed. It was only with the assistance of Blessed Claude de la Colombiere, Margaret’s new confessor, a Jesuit, that devotion to the Sacred Heart as the visible sign of Christ’s infinite and condescending love, received due recognition within her order and came to be established in the Church.

She was canonized in 1920.

Reflection: “We should always be prepared to give up readily, with the sure belief that the change comes by the will of God” (St Vincent de Paul).

Daily Readings

October 15, 2025

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Reading I

Romans 2:1–11

You have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practise the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practise such things. Do you suppose, O man – you who judge those who practise such things and yet do them yourself – that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honour and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 62:2–3, 6–7, 9

Response: O Lord, you repay each man according to his deeds.

In God alone is my soul at rest;

my salvation comes from him.

He alone is my rock, my salvation,

my fortress; never shall I falter. 

Response: O Lord, you repay each man according to his deeds.

In God alone be at rest, my soul,

for my hope is from him.

He alone is my rock, my salvation,

my fortress; never shall I falter.

Response: O Lord, you repay each man according to his deeds.

Trust him at all times, O people.

Pour out your hearts before him,

for God is our refuge.

Response: O Lord, you repay each man according to his deeds.

Alleluia

John 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; and I know them, and they follow me.

Gospel

Luke 11:42–46

At that time: Jesus said, “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the market-places. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.” One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

Reflection 

Jesus takes on the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law and he does not mince words. He is direct in his admonitions with one of the teachers of the Law even telling Jesus that he is insulting them. There is however the hard fact (which we experience today too) that there are laws which are very burdensome to ordinary people. Besides, those who make the laws often do not think that it is important that they should be the first who should adhere to them.  Significantly, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Teresa of  Ávila today, a Doctor of the Church, and a religious reformer, who did all she could to ensure that there was a change in the monastic traditions of her time.

St Teresa of Avila Virgin, Doctor of the Church (1515-1582)

Teresa Cepeda de Ahumada was born in Avila, Old Castille, some 50 miles N.W. of Madrid (Spain). At 20, she read the letters of St Jerome before joining the Carmelites, regarding it as the safest way to salvation, albeit without her father’s consent. “Prayer is the doorway to great graces; if this door is closed, I do not see how God can bestow any graces!” During ill-health she practised mental prayer, and the Confessions of St Augustine inspired her to give herself unreservedly to God. For in many religious houses of that day discipline had become rather relaxed, what with frequent visitors providing worldly distractions. “Prayer and self-indulgence do not go together!” she was wont to say.

Our Lord repeatedly spoke to her, even as a seraph pierced her heart (Transverberation, 1559), and she experienced the spiritual espousal. Extrovert by nature and affectionate of disposition, Teresa had the ability to adapt herself quite easily to all kinds of people, places and circumstances. 

In 1561 our Lord commanded her to reform the Carmelite Order. Then 46 years of age, during the remaining 21 years of her life she was able, despite violent opposition, to found 17 convents of discalced Carmelite nuns and 15 monasteries for friars under the severe, unmitigated rule of the Order. Under due obedience to her superiors Teresa wrote her life story “The Way of Perfection”, “The Interior Castle” and “Conception of the Love of God”. Canonized in 1622, she was declared ‘Doctor of the Church’ in 1970.

Reflection: “When you have received Holy Communion, close your bodily eyes so that you may open the eyes of your soul. Then look upon Jesus in the centre of your heart” (St Teresa of Avila).

Daily Readings

October 14, 2025

Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Romans 1:16–25

Brethren: I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonouring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever! Amen.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 19:2–3, 4–5

Response: The heavens declare the glory of God.

The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the firmament proclaims

the work of his hands.

Day unto day conveys the message,

and night unto night

imparts the knowledge.

Response: The heavens declare the glory of God.

No speech, no word,

whose voice goes unheeded;

their sound goes forth

through all the earth,

their message to the utmost

bounds of the world.

Response: The heavens declare the glory of God.

Alleluia

Hebrews 4:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The word of God is living and active, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Gospel

Luke 11:37–41

At that time: While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything

Reflection

Many of us are trapped today in the web of rituals and rites,  several of which are meaningless. We are obsessed with them, they become a fetish, and we lose the ability to question their relevance or if they serve any purpose. Jesus does not perform the necessary ablutions before he dines. Since Jesus does not follow what is prescribed by the Law, the Pharisees find fault with him.  Jesus hits out at this empty ritual saying, ‘Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.” Strong words indeed but very apt for us today, too – when what matters most for many is the observance of ritualistic practices rather than ensuring the purity of our hearts.

St Callistus I, Pope, Martyr (-222)

Callistus was Archdeacon of Rome when he was elected to the papacy on the death of Pope. St Zephyrinus in 217. A staunch supporter of orthodox Catholic beliefs, he held the middle ground between those who advocated extreme laxity and those advocating rigorous discipline. The rigourist Hippolytus, for example, believed with the Montanists that certain mortal sins like murder, adultery and apostasy, should never be forgiven, even after due penance had been exacted and publicly performed. He left the Church at Callistus’ election, formed a schismatic body, and set himself up as a kind of anti-pope.

At that time, Callistus, firmly maintaining that the Church had the power to absolve from all sins and thus ought to adopt a conciliatory attitude towards those who had fallen away from the Faith in the time of persecution, issued his famous decree which defined the Church’s views, and accordingly readmitted into the Church some who had been expelled from the schismatic congregation of Hippolytus, provided they had publicly repented and carried out the severe penances prescribed. Among the other disciplinary regulations of this Pope there is also one which admitted, contrary to Roman civil law, the validity of marriages between patricians and plebians or slaves.

Callistus was killed in a popular disturbance caused by the pagan rabble, by being thrown headlong from a high window. The chapel bearing his name in the Trastevere quarter of Rome appears to stand on land which was adjudged to certain Christians under Emperor Alexander Severus against some claimant who was a tavern keeper. “Any religious rites,” the Emperor declared, “are to be preferred to a tavern!”

Reflection: “Let the Spirit live in you and control your inner being: the mind, the heart and the will.” (Blessed James Alberione).

Daily Readings

October 13, 2025

Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Romans 1:1–7

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 98:1, 2–3ab, 3cd–4 

Response: The Lord has made known his salvation.

O sing a new song to the Lord,

for he has worked wonders.

His right hand and his holy arm

have brought salvation.

Response: The Lord has made known his salvation.

The Lord has made known his salvation,

has shown his deliverance to the nations.

He has remembered his merciful love

and his truth for the house of Israel.

Response: The Lord has made known his salvation.

All the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation of our God.

Shout to the Lord, all the earth;

break forth into joyous song, and sing out your praise.

Response: The Lord has made known his salvation.

Alleluia

Psalm 95:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Today, harden not your hearts, but listen to the voice of the Lord.

Gospel

Luke 11:29–32

At that time: When the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Reflection

Jesus had many critics! They were mainly those who belonged to the powerful ruling elite: in the religious and political spheres. Through his teachings and direct acts of intervention, Jesus shook the establishment of his time. To trap Jesus, they began demanding a sign from him. Jesus is strong in his retort saying, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” This of course draws the ire of the powerful because Jesus reminds them that the people of Nineveh repented listening to the preaching of Jonah. He ultimately tells them “Something greater than Jonah is here.” Are we truly listening to the word of God today?

St Edward, Confessor,  King (1004 -1066)

A saintly, conscientious man, much given to prayer and works of mercy, Edward’s early misfortunes taught him to deprecate all earthly ambitions, and he now concentrated fully on governing his people with Christian gentleness, justice and prudence. Long abandoned monasteries were restored, and in the interest of better education it was decreed that schoolmasters, like clerics, were to be regarded as inviolable. Except for the occasion when Edward gave aid to Malcolm II of Scotland against usurper Macbeth, and another when he repelled a Welsh invasion, his 23­year reign was one of peace and prosperity.

Canonized in 1161, Edward was the first English King to touch and heal scrofulous sores, “the King’s Evil”, with his ring—a power which had been conferred originally on the Kings of France by St Remi. Edward’s famous death-bed vision of his country’s future has seen remarkable fulfilment: “When the measure of wickedness will have become full, then will God in his wrath send wicked spirits among the English people, and they will punish and afflict them with great severity by separating the green branch from the parent trunk for the space of three furlongs; but in the end, through the compassionate mercy of God, and without any governmental assistance, this same branch will return to its original fruit, will flourish anew and bear abundant fruit.” The period of time from Henry VIII’s break with Rome in 1534 and the rule of the Protestant innovators until 1850 when Pope Pius IX re-established the Catholic hierarchy in England, is in fact slightly more than three centuries.

Reflection: “Goodness begets the good. And with practice it becomes connatural to a person who then can experience the sweetest sensations, which are foreign to the uncouth. (Blessed James Alberione).

Daily Readings

October 12, 2025

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading I

2 Kings 5:14-17

In those days: Naaman the Syrian went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him; and he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. Then Naaman said, “If not, please let there be given to your servant two mule-loads of earth, for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the Lord.”

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 98:1, 2–3ab, 3cd–4

Response: The Lord has shown his deliverance to the nations.

O sing a new song to the Lord,

for he has worked wonders.

His right hand and his holy arm

have brought salvation.

Response: The Lord has shown his deliverance to the nations.

The Lord has made known his salvation,

has shown his deliverance to the nations.

He has remembered his merciful love

and his truth for the house of Israel.

Response: The Lord has shown his deliverance to the nations.

All the ends of the earth

have seen the salvation of our God.

Shout to the Lord, all the earth;

break forth into joyous song,

and sing out your praise.

Response: The Lord has shown his deliverance to the nations.

Reading II

2 Timothy 2:8–13

Beloved: Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my Gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself.

Alleluia

1 Thessalonians 5:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
 

Gospel

Luke 17:11–19

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Reflection

The Gospel of today has many interrelated dimensions: of healing, of gratitude (or lack of it) and of the Samaritan, who is a foreigner. We are told of the ten lepers who asked Jesus for ‘mercy’; they were asking him to cure them of the disease which had made them outcasts in their society. Realising their suffering, Jesus heals them instructing them to “go and show yourselves to the priests.” They do so with diligence; delighted with their healing they completely forget who has cured them. All of them but one who is a Samaritan, a ‘foreigner’, go away, the Samaritan coming back to thank Jesus, falling at his feet and praising God. Jesus is prompted to ask ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?”  We need to introspect on the way we often treat ‘others’: those who are not like us, the strangers in our midst.

St Wilfrid of York, Bishop, Confessor (c.634 -709)

St Wilfrid, a native of Northumbria (England), who was to become one of the great men of his age, is best remembered for his part in championing the supreme ecclesiastical authority of Rome. Born of noble stock and educated at the court of King Osway, at Lindisfarne and at Canterbury, he accompanied St Benedict Biscop to Rome as a young man. On his return he founded the monastery of Ripon and, though  aged only 24, became its first Abbot. Here he introduced the Benedictine rule, and five years later was ordained priest. At the famous Synod of Whitby, in 664, he was able to persuade the majority to accept for all of England the Roman usage concerning Easter and the tonsure, in preference to the customs which had been introduced by the Scottish monks from Iona.

Shortly after, Wilfrid was made Archbishop of York and received his consecration in France. His energetic administration witnessed the founding of a large number of Benedictine monasteries and the further extension of Roman usage and church chant. But when King Egfrid and St Theodore proceeded to divide his archdiocese into three parts, St Wilfrid went in appeal to Rome — the first known instance of an English Prelate’s appeal. He won his case, but upon his return was imprisoned and then exiled by the King. He thus preached the faith for five years in Sussex and Wessex, and there converted King St Ceadwalla. Not until 686, was a reconciliation effected so that he could return to York. He died on 24 April c.709.

Reflection: “When God wants to enrich a soul with graces, he first enriches it with confidence” (St Alphonsus).

Daily Readings

October 11, 2025

Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Joel 3:12–21

Thus says the Lord: Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the wine press is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great. Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. The Lord roars from Sion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who dwells in Sion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it. And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the stream beds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and water the Valley of Shittim. Egypt shall become a desolation and Edom a desolate wilderness, for the violence done to the people of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall be inhabited for ever, and Jerusalem to all generations. I will avenge their blood, blood I have not avenged, for the Lord dwells in Sion.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 97:1–2, 5–6, 11–12

Response: Rejoice in the Lord, you just.

The Lord is king, let earth rejoice;

let the many islands be glad.

Cloud and darkness surround him;

justice and right are the foundation

of his throne.

Response: Rejoice in the Lord, you just.

The mountains melt like wax

before the face of the Lord,

before the face of the Lord of all the earth.

The skies proclaim his justice;

all peoples see his glory.

Response: Rejoice in the Lord, you just.

Light shines forth for the just one,

and joy for the upright of heart.

Rejoice in the Lord, you just;

to the memory of his holiness give thanks.

Response: Rejoice in the Lord, you just.

Alleluia

Luke 11:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.

Gospel

Luke 11:27–28

At that time: As Jesus said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Reflection

Blessedness is in ‘becoming’ and ‘being’ a person of the beatitudes. A woman in the crowd raises her voice and praises Mary the Mother of Jesus very publicly. Jesus’ reply to her would have stumped many who heard him. He does not deny what the woman says. Jesus goes beyond that and replies, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”. Here is his public acclamation and affirmation of what his Mother is all about: word and witness.  Anyone who is attuned to the word of God and lives out this word in the small, simple things of one’s daily life is blessed. For example, Mary manifests this by visiting her kinswoman, Elizabeth.

Pope St John XXIII (Pope) – (1881-1963)

Let the winds of change blow into the Church!” said His Holiness, Pope John XXIII, symbolically opening a window, at the commencement of Vatican II in the year 1962. Ever since, neither have the winds of change stopped blowing nor has any of John’s successors closed the window of the Church on the winds of change.

Born into a simple peasant family, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was ordained priest in 1904, drafted into the army as a stretcher-boy during World War I, appointed national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in 1921, consecrated Bishop in 1925, made Cardinal-Patriarch of Venice in 1953 and elected Pope in 1958.

A many-sided personality, with deep reserves to draw upon, John, who was canonized in 2014, was a man with a keenness all his own—a keen foresight that led him to call the Council whose discussions, decisions and directives have had far reaching implications; a keen sense of duty that ensured he maintained a busy schedule, whether as priest, bishop, Archbishop, Cardinal or Pope, that was both exacting and productive; a keen sense of humour that had him steer clear of controversy; and a keen sense of God’s providence that enabled him to promote a new dialogue with Protestants, Orthodox Christians and with Jews and Muslims as well.

Reflection: “Whoever wants to stay with Christ should stay with Peter and his successors. Whoever wants to know the truth should go to this teaching authority; whoever wants to become a citizen of heaven should become, in a spiritual sense, the citizen of Rome” (Blessed James Alberione).

Daily Readings

October 10, 2025

Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Reading I

Joel 1:13–15; 2:1–2

Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! Because grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God. Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord. Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes. Blow a trumpet in Sion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 9:2–3, 6 and 16, 8–9

Response: The Lord will judge the world with justice.

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;

all your wonders I will confess.

I will rejoice in you and be glad, and sing

psalms to your name, O Most High. 

Response: The Lord will judge the world with justice.

You have rebuked the nations,

destroyed the wicked;

you have wiped out their name

forever and ever.

The nations have fallen in the pit

which they made;

their feet have been caught

in the snare they laid. 

Response: The Lord will judge the world with justice.

But the Lord sits enthroned forever;

he has set up his throne for judgment.

He will judge the world with justice;

he will govern the peoples with equity. 

Response: The Lord will judge the world with justice.

Alleluia

John 12:31b-32

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Now will the ruler of this world be cast out, says the Lord; and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

Gospel

Luke 11:15–26

At that time: [When Jesus had cast out a demon,] some of the people said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons”, while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armour in which he trusted and divides his spoil. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

Reflection 

In this world we are called to take sides: for truth against untruth, for light against darkness. It is not easy to do so because one will often have to pay the price. Jesus did so; they began demonizing, casting aspersions on him saying, ‘he casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons’; there are also those who want to test him and seek a sign from heaven. Jesus categorically states that it is the finger of God that is revealed in all he does and that it is the kingdom of God that is breaking out through him. The Gospel encourages us to look for the signs of the finger of God in the lives of those we might be tempted to demonize in any way.

St Francis Borgia, Confessor (1510 -1572)

The eldest son of Juan Borja, third Duke of Gandia, and Joanna of Aragón, Francisco de Borgia embarked on a brilliant political career at the age of 18 with his entry into service at the court of Emperor Charles V. The following year he married Eleanor de Castron, the First Lady-in-waiting and intimate friend of the Empress, who was, like himself, known for her exceptional piety and virtue. The young couple enjoyed high favour and, upon being appointed to manage the affairs of the imperial household, travelled about with the court for the next ten years. Made Lieutenant Governor and Viceroy of Catalonia in 1539, he rooted out banditry, reformed the administration of justice, and provided adequately for the suffering poor during times of famine. His pious practice of receiving Holy Communion each Sunday was in those days something singular. On the death of his father in 1542, he became Duke of Gandia.

Widowed in 1546, with five children to provide for, Francis put into effect his determination to become a Jesuit. Privately and in utter secrecy, he studied Theology and Latin, was secretly professed in 1548, received his doctorate in 1550, was ordained to the priesthood in 1551 and went on to become Vicar General of the Society of Jesus and its third General in 1565. Significantly, Pope St Pius V, the great Dominican Pope of the Counter Reformation, found in him an invaluable assistant and reforming instrument of Divine. 

Francis, who was canonized by Pope Clement X in 1671, is the Patron of Portugal.

Reflection: “We must make our way towards eternity, never regarding what men think of us or our actions, studying only to please God” (St Francis Borgia).

Daily Readings

October 9, 2025

Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Malachi 3:13–4:2a

“Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’” Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him. For behold, the day is coming burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.”

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 1:1–2, 3, 4 and 6

Response: Blessed the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

Blessed indeed is the man

who follows not the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the path with sinners,

nor abides in the company of scorners,

but whose delight is the law of the Lord,

and who ponders his law day and night.

Response: Blessed the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

He is like a tree that is planted

beside the flowing waters,

that yields its fruit in due season,

and whose leaves shall never fade;

and all that he does shall prosper.

Response: Blessed the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

Not so are the wicked, not so!

For they, like winnowed chaff,

shall be driven away by the wind.

For the Lord knows the way of the just,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

Response: Blessed the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

Alleluia

See Acts 16:14b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Open our hearts, O Lord, that we may pay attention to the words of your Son.

Gospel

Luke 11:5–13

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Reflection

Prayer is not a ‘once-and-for-all’ act; it is constant, never ceasing. This is what Jesus teaches us in today’s parable of the friend at midnight. True friends never let each other down, whatever the consequences or the risks involved. Jesus emphasizes this in his parable. One must pay importance to the fact that it is midnight, the door is shut and the friend who is already in bed is initially reluctant to get up and respond. Jesus tells us, “for everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened.” God always hears our prayers; he may not always give us what we ask for but certainly what is best for us!

Sts Denis, Rusticus & Eleutherius Martyrs (- c.258)

Born and educated in Italy, St Denis is believed to have been the first Bishop of Paris, a martyr and Patron of France. In the year 250, he was sent to Gaul with six other missionary bishops, where he suffered martyrdom. His companions, St Rusticus and St Eleutherius had joined him in Lutetia Parisorum and they together had established Christian worship on an island in the Siene.

Their preaching was so effective that they were arrested and, after a long imprisonment — during the Valerian persecution — all three were beheaded. Their bodies were thrown into the Siene, whence they were retrieved before being given an honourable burial. Later, a chapel was built over their tomb, around which arose the great abbey of St Denis. The blood of the martyrs is truly the seed of the Church; and the martyrdom of St Denis and his brethren was speedily followed by the establishment of Christianity upon the ruins of Gallic paganism.

St John Leonardi Confessor (1541-1609)

Even as a boy in his native Tuscany (Italy), St John Leonardi was wont to seek out solitude for undisturbed meditation and prayer. He studied for the priesthood while earning his living as a pharmacist’s apprentice in Lucca, and while still a layman worked for the salvation of souls. With his ordination at age 31 there began his truly apostolic life in hospitals and prisons, where he preached, catechized and heard confessions with remarkable zeal.

John Leonardi is revered as the founder of the Congregation of Clerks Regular of the Mother of God. This consisted at first merely of a group of laymen who had been attracted by St John’s evident holiness, and who wished to live under his guidance and assist him in his beneficent work of bringing sinners to conversion. His contemporaries, St Philip Neri and St Joseph Calasanz, were united with him in a deep friendship by the identity of their aspirations.

St John was also one of the founders of the great Roman College of the Propaganda Fide for the philosophical and theological training of missionary Priests. His memory was held so high in the Holy City that Pope Leo XIII had his name placed in the Roman Martyrology and ordered the Roman clergy to celebrate his Mass and Office — an honour which is otherwise strictly limited to beatified Popes.

John died of influenza whilst nursing his brethren stricken with the same disease. Beatified in 1861 and canonized in 1938, his relics lie enshrined in Santa Maria in Campitelli, Rome.

Reflection: “They that have done good things shall come forth into the resurrection of life; but they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgement” (Jesus - Jn 5:29).

Daily Readings

October 8, 2025

Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Jonah 4:1–11

It displeased Jonah exceedingly, [that God did not do the evil which he had said he would do to Nineveh], and he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?” Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labour, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than one hundred twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 86:3–4, 5–6, 9–10

Response: You are slow to anger, O Lord, and abundant in mercy.

Have mercy on me, O Lord,

for I cry to you all the day long.

Gladden the soul of your servant,

for I lift up my soul to you, O Lord. 

Response: You are slow to anger, O Lord, and abundant in mercy.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving,

full of mercy to all who call to you.

Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer,

and attend to my voice in supplication.

Response: You are slow to anger, O Lord, and abundant in mercy.

All the nations you have made shall come;

they will bow down before you, O Lord,

and glorify your name,

for you are great

and do marvellous deeds,

you who alone are God. 

Response: You are slow to anger, O Lord, and abundant in mercy.

Alleluia

Romans 8:15bc

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

You have received the spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”.

Gospel

Luke 11:1–4

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”

Reflection

“Lord, teach us to pray” is the fervent plea of one of the disciples of Jesus; he is certainly voicing the sentiments of all those present with him and others too. They see Jesus praying, in deep encounters with his Father. Saint Luke’s Gospel is also referred to as the ‘Gospel of Prayer’ because ‘Jesus at prayer’ is highlighted several times. The disciples are also eager to pray the way Jesus does. Jesus teaches them what we commonly call today ‘the Lord’s Prayer’ or the ‘Our Father’. The prayer has all the dimensions of what a perfect prayer should be: of praise and petition, of a personal relationship with God and at the same time, having the courage to forgive others.

Saints Sergius and Bacchus (Martyrs) (A.D.-303)

Sergius and Bacchus were said to have been officers of the Roman army on the Syrian frontier; Sergius being described as commandant of the recruits’ school and Bacchus as his subaltern. They were personal favourites of the Emperor Maximian, until one day when he went into the temple of Jupiter to offer sacrifice he noticed that they did not enter with him.

Ordered to take part in the sacrifice, both of them refused and professed their faith in Christ, much to the dismay of the Emperor. They were soon stripped of their arms and ranks and instead paraded through the streets, dressed in women’s clothing. But none of these humiliations and threats could change their hearts.

They were then dispatched to Risafe in Mesopotamia, where the governor had them scourged so severely that St Bacchus died under the lash. His body was thrown out on the highway, where vultures protected it from being attacked by dogs—an incident recorded about several other martyrs. St Sergius was made to walk a long distance wearing shoes with nails thrust through into his feet, and was then beheaded.

In 431, Alexander, Metropolitan of Hierapolis, restored and blessed the church over the grave of St Sergius, whose walls in the middle of the sixth century were plated with silver. The church at Risafe was one of the most famous in the East, and Sergius and Bacchus became the heavenly protectors of the Byzantine army, with the two Theodores, Demetrius, Procopius and George.

Reflection: “When the enemy has been cast out of your hearts, renounce him, not only in word, but in work; not only by the sound of the lips, but in every act of your life” (St Augustine).

Daily Readings

October 7, 2025

Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosar

Reading 1

Acts 1:12–14

[After Jesus was taken up into heaven,] the Apostles returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

Responsorial Psalm 

Luke 1:46-55  

Response: He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour. 

Response: He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

For he has looked on

the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on

all generations will call me blessed;

for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name. 

Response: He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

And his mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud

in the thoughts of their hearts. 

Response: He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

He has brought down the mighty

from their thrones

and exalted those of humble estate;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty. 

Response: He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

as he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his offspring for ever.” 

Response: He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

Alleluia

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.

Gospel

Luke 1:26–38

At that time: The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Reflection 

We celebrate today Mary’s ‘yes’! Her ‘yes’ was total and unconditional; one which came after a dialogue with the angel Gabriel and prayerful discernment. She knows that it is the will of God; she accepts what God wants of her. It is not an easy decision, but she obeys God, cheerfully and lovingly. While May is known as the Month of Mary, the month of October is the month of the Holy Rosary. Today we celebrate the special gift of the  Rosary. As we continue on this journey of life, let us fervently pray to Mary our Mother asking her through the recitation of the Rosary to give us the courage to say “yes’ to the will of God and to accompany us:  “Be with us Mary along the way, guide every step we take…. Lead us to Jesus your son!”

Our Lady of the Rosary

It was on 7 October 1571 that the great naval battle of Lepanto was fought against the invading Turks. The victory of Europe in this famous battle saved Christian civilization. It was to gratefully commemorate Mary’s role in this victory that Pope St Pius V instituted the Feast of Our Lady of Victory on this date. Later popes, in keeping with the fact that the victory was basically the fruit of the rosary, termed it the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

The Rosary devotion was popularized by a Dominican preacher, Alan de la Roche (d.1475) and his confreres, in northern France and Flanders, whence it spread to the rest of Europe. Pope Leo X accorded it official approbation in 1520 and declared October the month of the Holy Rosary. The feast was permanently placed on the liturgical calendar of the Universal Church in 1716—when Prince Eugene won another important victory over the same enemy in Hungary.

The Rosary as we use it today is a simplified version of the Dominican Rosary which consisted of 150 Hail Mary’s to the accompaniment of a meditation on 15 mysteries pertaining to the life, suffering, death and glorification of Jesus and of Mary based on scripture. These mysteries [now 20] fall into four divisions or “chaplets” of 5 mysteries each, viz., the “Joyful”, the “Sorrowful”, the “Glorious” and the “Luminous”, thus summarizing the Church’s Liturgical Year and presenting Christian truth comprehensively and graphically. The rosary possesses great power to enlighten and sanctify and, according to Pope Pius XII, has the special efficacy of intercession.

Reflection: “Never will anyone who prays his Rosary every day be led astray. This is a statement that I would gladly sign with my blood” (St Louis de Montfort).

Daily Readings

October 6, 2025

Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Jonah 1:1–17; 2:1, 10

The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish. And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

Responsorial Psalm

Jonah 2:2, 3, 4, 7

Response: You brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God.

I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,

and he answered me;

out of the belly of Sheol I cried,

and you heard my voice.

Response: You brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God.

For you cast me into the deep,

into the heart of the seas,

and the flood surrounded me;

all your waves and your billows passed over me. 

Response: You brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God.

Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight;

yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ 

Response: You brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God.

When my life was fainting away,

I remembered the Lord,

and my prayer came to you,

into your holy temple. 

Response: You brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God.

Alleluia

John 13:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

A new commandment I give to you, says the Lord, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

Gospel

Luke 10:25–37

At that time: A lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Reflection 

On 04 October 2020, Pope Francis gave us his path-breaking Encyclical ‘Fratelli Tutti’. In the second chapter ‘A Stranger on the Road’: the parable of the Good Samaritan (the Gospel of today) he writes, “Although this Letter is addressed to all people of goodwill, regardless of their religious convictions, the parable is one that any of us can relate to and find challenging”. Pope Francis contextualises the parable in a new idiom: in the realities of today; he hits out at what is endemic in society today – the structural sins which we do not address. The parable provides a dual way ahead: the openness to encounter and embrace the stranger and the endurance to accompany the stranger to the very end.

Saint Bruno (Abbot Confessor) (c.1030 -1101)

Bruno Hartenfaust was ordained priest at 25, and received a canonry at Cologne but was recalled by the Bishop of Rheims to assist in directing his former school. 

In 1075 he was appointed Chancellor and Canon-theologian for the diocese. But after the death of his friend, Bishop Gervais, the See was occupied by the worldly and violent Manasses I who, when later suspended, fled for his life in a popular uprising. Bruno and his six companions thereupon carried out a vow made some years before to leave the world and embrace the monastic life in the Alpine solitude of the Chartreuse given to them by St Hugh, Bishop of Grenoble, commencing in 1084 a life of silence, prayer, labour, study, mortification, and poverty. That was the beginning of the Eremitical Order of Carthusians.

Bruno, however, was to spend only six years at the Chartreuse, for Pope Urban II, a former pupil at Reims, called him to Rome as his adviser and confessor with the aim of continuing the reform of the clergy initiated by Pope St Gregory VII; but faced with the anti-pope, Guibert, and the military advances of Emperor Henry IV, Bruno repeatedly tried to persuade Urban to let him return to the solitary life, but Urban wished him to remain within call, and so had a new monastery founded in Calabria, where Bruno died in 1101. His Grande Chartreuse continued to grow until it controlled some 250 monasteries.

Reflection: “In the midst of the battle which we fight for God, we enjoy peace which the world does not know” (St Bruno).

Daily Readings

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Habakkuk 1:2–3; 2:2–4

O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end – it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.”

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 95:1–2, 6–7abc, 7d–9

Response: O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts.

Come, let us ring out our joy to the Lord;

hail the rock who saves us.

Let us come into his presence, giving thanks;

let us hail him with a song of praise.

Response: O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts.

O come; let us bow and bend low.

Let us kneel before the God who made us,

for he is our God and we the people

who belong to his pasture,

the flock that is led by his hand. 

Response: O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts.

O that today you would listen to his voice!

“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,

as on that day at Massah in the desert

when your forebears put me to the test;

when they tried me, though they saw my work. 

Response: O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts.

Reading 2

2 Timothy 1:6–8, 13–14

Beloved: I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

Alleluia

1 Peter 1:25

The word of the Lord remains for ever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

Gospel

Luke 17:5–10

At that time: The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea’, and it would obey you. Will any one of you who has a servant ploughing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table?’ Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterwards you will eat and drink?’ Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

Reflection 

The core message of today’s gospel passage is faith. We are all invited to join the apostles as they plead with Jesus, “Lord, increase our faith.” That leaves us with the question: what is ‘faith?’  Too often we associate faith with saying prayers and performing ritualistic practices; whilst all of that may have their specific roles, faith is much more. The apostles in today’s  Gospel passage are unsure of their faith; with deep sincerity, they are convinced they need much more of it. They are not afraid to approach Jesus with their doubt. Jesus’ response is that if one’s faith is genuine, however little it may seem (even like a grain of mustard),  one could do incredible things.  Faith is tangible and is manifested in our attitudes and actions. The one prayer that should always be on our lips and in our hearts is “Lord, increase my faith… help my unbelief”

Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska (Virgin, visionary) (1905-1938)

Named Helena at birth, this ardent promoter of the “Divine Mercy” devotion worked as a domestic since the age of fourteen in order to help her parents until, in 1925, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy at Warsaw. Here, amidst the humble setting of the simple daily chores Jesus, in a vision in 1931, made her his secretary, confidant and messenger, instructing her to paint an image of his according to the profile she saw. She was blessed with other innumerable and extensive mystical experiences which she put down in her “Diary” at the behest of her spiritual director and of Jesus himself.

She took the name Maria Faustina at her veiling in the Novitiate in 1926 and made her final profession in 1933. In 1934, she visited the artist, E. Kazimirowski, in connection with the proposed painting. 

Despite ill-health and humiliation, she was ever obedient to the dictates of conscience, superior and Lord. Suffering in silence, she prayed fervently for priests, for the Church and her needs, and for the world at large. The Lord for his part, made his satisfaction known to her thus: “My child, you are my delight. You are the comfort of my heart. I grant you as many graces as you can hold. As often as you want to make me happy, speak to the world about my great and unfathomable mercy.”

Sr Maria Faustina Kowalska was canonized by her compatriot, Pope Saint John Paul II, in the Jubilee Year, 2000.

Reflection: “Jesus, source of life, sanctify me. O my strength, fortify me. My commander, fight for me. Only light of my soul, enlighten me. My Master guide me” (St Maria Faustina Kowalska).

Daily Readings 

October 04, 2025, Saturday 

Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi

Reading 1

Baruch 4:5–12, 27-29

Take courage, my people, O memorial of Israel! It was not for destruction that you were sold to the nations, but you were handed over to your enemies because you angered God. For you provoked him who made you, by sacrificing to demons and not to God. You forgot the everlasting God, who brought you up, and you grieved Jerusalem, who reared you. For she saw the wrath that came upon you from God, and she said: “Listen, you neighbours of Sion, God has brought great sorrow upon me; for I have seen the captivity of my sons and daughters, which the Everlasting brought upon them. With joy I nurtured them, but I sent them away with weeping and sorrow. Let no one rejoice over me, a widow and bereaved of many; I was left desolate because of the sins of my children, because they turned away from the law of God. Take courage, my children, and cry to God, for you will be remembered by him who brought this upon you. For just as you purposed to go astray from God, return with tenfold zeal to seek him. For he who brought these calamities upon you will bring you everlasting joy with your salvation.”

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 69:33–35, 36–37 

Response:The Lord listens to the needy.

The poor when they see it will be glad,

and God-seeking hearts will revive;

for the Lord listens to the needy,

and does not spurn his own in their chains.

Let the heavens and the earth give him praise,

the seas and everything

that moves in them. 

Response:The Lord listens to the needy.

For God will bring salvation to Sion,

and rebuild the cities of Judah,

and they shall dwell there in possession.

The children of his servants shall inherit it;

those who love his name shall dwell there. 

Response:The Lord listens to the needy.

Alleluia

See Matthew 11:25

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have revealed to little children the mysteries of the kingdom.

Gospel 

Luke 10:17–24

At that time: The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

Reflection 

The seventy-two are entrusted with a mission. They are sent to places where Jesus was to eventually go, in a way to prepare the way for him. They come back to Jesus with tremendous happiness for what they managed to do during their visits. They were particularly happy with the way they dealt with evil and cast out demons. Jesus cautions them saying that what is essential in discipleship is to have one’s name written in heaven. At the same time, he thanks his Father for revealing the truth to the humble of heart.  Saint Francis d’Assisi,  patron of the environment, through his words and deeds, highlights the importance of caring for our common home and responding to the cries of the poor.

St Francis of Assisi (Confessor) (c.1181-1226)

Francis had all the comforts and luxuries of life and, in keeping with the times, was a highly popular romantic who passionately sought knighthood! Thus, in 1202, when Assisi went to war against Perugia, his involvement cost him a year in prison. Recovering from a serious illness that followed, his attempt in late 1205 to join the papal forces against Frederick II in Apulia came to naught when a vision at Spoleto bid him return to Assisi and there await a call to a new kind of knighthood whereby he would “serve the Master rather than the man”, marking the start of his conversion. 

In prayerful solitude he passionately prayed to know God’s will for him. His newfound concern for the poor and the sick reached its peak when he one day dismounted his horse to give a leper by the wayside alms and a warm embrace that, in his own words, changed “bitterness to sweetness.” In response to Jesus’ command from the cross at San Damiano’s Church, “Francis, go repair my house which, as you see, is falling into ruin,” he instantly set about repairing old, dilapidated San Damiano’s. In 1208, he perceived clearly at Mass the Lord’s plan for him in Matthew 10:5-14. In 1209, with the enrobing of Peter of Cattaneo, Canon of the Cathedral, was born the Order of Friars Minor, with Mary, Queen of the Angels as guide and protector.   

Canonized in 1228, Francis was called by Pope Benedict XV the “most perfect image of Christ” and by Pope Pius XI alter Christus.

Reflection: “We adore you and we bless you, Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all the churches which are in the world, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world” (St Francis d’Assisi).

Daily Readings

October 03,2025,

Friday

Friday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Baruch 1:15–22

Righteousness belongs to the Lord our God, but shame, as at this day, to us, to the people of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to our kings and our princes and our priests and our prophets and our fathers, because we have sinned before the Lord and have disobeyed him and have not heeded the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in the statutes of the Lord that he set before us. From the day when the Lord brought our fathers out of the land of Egypt until today, we have been disobedient to the Lord our God, and we have been negligent, in not heeding his voice. So to this day there have clung to us the calamities and the curse that the Lord declared through Moses his servant at the time when he brought our fathers out of the land of Egypt to give to us a land flowing with milk and honey. We did not heed the voice of the Lord our God in all the words of the prophets whom he sent to us. but we each followed the intent of his own wicked heart by serving other gods and doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord our God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 79:1–2, 3–5, 8, 9

Response: For the sake of the glory of your name, free us O Lord.

O God, the nations have invaded your heritage;

they have profaned your holy temple.

They have made Jerusalem a heap of ruins.

They have handed over

the bodies of your servants

as food to feed the birds of heaven,

and the flesh of your faithful

to the beasts of the earth.

Response: For the sake of the glory of your name, free us O Lord.

They have poured out their blood

like water round Jerusalem;

no one is left to bury the dead.

We have become the taunt of our neighbours,

the mockery and scorn of those around us.

How long, O Lord?

Will you be angry forever?

Will your jealous anger burn like fire? 

Response: For the sake of the glory of your name, free us O Lord.

Do not remember against us

the guilt of former times.

Let your compassion hasten to meet us;

for we have been brought very low. 

Response: For the sake of the glory of your name, free us O Lord.

Help us, O God our saviour,

for the sake of the glory of your name.

Free us and forgive us our sins,

because of your name. 

Response: For the sake of the glory of your name, free us O Lord.

Alleluia

Psalm 95:8

Today, harden not your hearts but listen to the voice of the Lord.

Gospel

Luke 10:13–16

At that time: Jesus said, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

Reflection

Being rebuked, being condemned is not easy to accept; particularly if this rebuke, this condemnation comes from someone who matters. This someone is Jesus! But Jesus speaks strongly to the Galilean towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum for a reason. These towns have experienced the ‘mighty works’ (miracles, graces whatever) of Jesus; sadly, they don’t seem to have created the necessary impact. Jesus admonishes them saying if these mighty works had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have repented long ago. We too constantly receive heavenly blessings: do they result in the necessary conversion in us? Are we prepared to share these blessings with others?  If not, we too may meet with the same fate as that of the people Jesus rebukes!

Two Ewalds Martyrs ( 695)

The Ewalds were Anglo-Saxon brothers from Northumbria and both were priests. Both of them being equally fervent and zealous, they could be differentiated largely by the colour of their hair—one was called Black Ewald, and the other, White Ewald!

Having specialized in sacred learning and in eloquence in Ireland, they went over to the country of old Saxony in Westphalia in 604 to preach the Gospel, after the example of St Willibrord who opened the spiritual harvest in Friesland. There they were met by a certain official, whom they desired to conduct them to his lord, because they had tidings for his advantage. The man invited them into his house and kept them there for several days. The missionaries passed the time in prayer, singing psalms and hymns, and daily celebration of the Mass.

But the local pagans, observing this, feared that the preachers might prevail on their chief to forsake their gods and religion, and thus resolved to murder them both. They felled White Ewald with one blow of the sword and tortured Black Ewald before slaying him before throwing their bodies in the Rhine. But when the Lord of the territory heard of what had happened, he was furious and had the murderers put to death and their villages burnt for their failure to report the two strangers to him and for having taken the law into their own hands.

Honoured as martyrs, their mortal remains were enshrined in the church of St Clement [now renamed St Cunibert] in the time of Pepin.

Reflection: “The kingdom of Heaven, O man, requires no other price than your self. The value of it is your self. Give yourself for it and you shall have it” (St Augustine).

October 02, 2025, Thursday

Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels

Reading 1

Exodus 23:20–23

Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I send an angel before you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice, do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him. But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites, and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out.”

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 91:1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 10–11

Response: For you has he commanded his angels, to keep you in all your ways.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High,

and abides in the shade of the Almighty,

says to the Lord, “My refuge,

my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!”.

Response: For you has he commanded his angels, to keep you in all your ways.

He will free you

from the snare of the fowler,

from the destructive plague;

he will conceal you with his pinions,

and under his wings you will find refuge.

His faithfulness is buckler and shield. 

Response: For you has he commanded his angels, to keep you in all your ways.

You will not fear the terror of the night,

nor the arrow that flies by day

nor the plague that prowls in the darkness,

nor the scourge that lays waste at noon. 

Response: For you has he commanded his angels, to keep you in all your ways.

Upon you no evil shall fall,

no plague approach your tent.

For you has he commanded his angels

to keep you in all your ways. 

Response: For you has he commanded his angels, to keep you in all your ways.

Alleluia

Psalm 103:21

Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his servants, who do his will.

Gospel

Matthew 18:1–5, 10

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me. See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”

Reflection

Guardian Angels are special. The Lord’s spirit guarding us, caring for us and leading us so that one day we too like them reach heaven and see the face of the Father who is in heaven. We often use the word ‘angel’ in today’s parlance for someone good, kind, loving, caring, available, and protecting others. There are a whole range of qualities which are constitutive of an angel. A popular  1979 ABBA hit titled ‘I Have a Dream’ has these words “I believe in angels, something good in everything I see”. Today as we celebrate our Guardian Angels, let us remember that we too are called to be angels: to be good, and to do good and to overcome the hate and violence which engulf our world today!

Guardian Angels

The Angels, God’s first creation, are spiritual beings, considered immensely superior to man in natural gifts. Hebrews tells us that Christ is superior to all the angels. They serve him. “The truth is they are all spirits whose work is service, sent to help those who will be the heirs of salvation” (Heb 1:14). Clearly, then, though the notion of guardian angels, which is deeply embedded in longstanding Catholic tradition, is not an essential doctrine of the Faith, its validity as a proximate teaching of faith, based on Scripture and the teaching of the Fathers of the Church, cannot be denied. After all, did Jesus himself not say, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you their angels in heaven behold the face of my Father in heaven” (Mt 18:10)?

The word “angel” is derived from the Greek word aggelos, which in turn is a translation of the Hebrew word mal’akh, meaning messenger. In the light of this understanding, devotion to one’s guardian angel is considered noteworthy, for, as the Psalmist says, “To his angels he has given charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. Upon their hands they shall bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone” (Ps 90:11-12).

St Jerome avers that “so sublime is the dignity of the soul that from its birth there is appointed to each one a Guardian Spirit” whose role as is evident in Catholic theology is to enlighten, protect, guide and pray for the person entrusted to his care.

Reflection: “Revere your Guardian Angel! Be grateful for the care he bestows upon you. Have confidence in him, love him, and turn to him to entreat his protection in every difficulty, danger and temptation!” (St Bernard)

Daily Readings

October 01, 2025, Wednesday 

Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Reading 1

Isaiah 66:10–14c

“Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her; that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious abundance.” For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass; and the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants.”

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 131:1, 2, 3

Response: Keep my soul in peace at your side, O Lord.

O Lord, my heart is not proud,

nor haughty my eyes.

I have not gone after things too great,

nor marvels beyond me. 

Response: Keep my soul in peace at your side, O Lord.

Truly, I have set my soul

in tranquillity and silence.

As a weaned child on its mother,

as a weaned child is my soul within me. 

Response: Keep my soul in peace at your side, O Lord.

O Israel, wait for the Lord,

both now and forever.  

Response: Keep my soul in peace at your side, O Lord.

Alleluia

See Matthew 11:25

Blessed are you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have revealed to little children the mysteries of the kingdom.

Gospel

Matthew 18:1–5

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.

Reflection 

There are several qualities which a child embodies; these include spontaneity, simplicity, transparency, humility, and natural acceptance of the other. Jesus wants every disciple of his to change; however, to meaningfully change, one needs to radiate the qualities that belong to the ‘realm of children’. Jesus makes ‘becoming like children’ a prerequisite to entering the kingdom of heaven and humbling oneself is a fundamental step. We live in a world today in which pride and power, divisiveness and manipulation, hate and violence seem to have become the ‘new normal’. It is not easy to swim against the current. Jesus challenges us to be the change we want to see. Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus epitomized these qualities and courageously lived them!

Saint Therese of the Child Jesus (Virgin) (1873 -1897)

Marie Francoise Therese was the youngest of nine children of devout French parents, Louis and Zelie Martin, both of whom were canonized in 2015. She was barely 15 when she fulfilled her cherished dream of entering the Carmelites in 1888.

Sr Therese of the Child Jesus was favoured with signal graces, and advanced so rapidly in holiness that at the age of 22 she was appointed novice mistress. A childlike simplicity, utter humility, constant self-sacrifice, and a boundless love of God and trust in him were some of her most outstanding virtues as was evident from her now world renowned autobiography “The Story of a Soul”, which she wrote under obedience. Not to be conspicuous in anything, not to complain, not to reveal that she was ailing, to show a special friendliness towards those who were unsympathetic to her, and to answer pointed remarks with a winning smile—these were some of her axioms.

After a martyrdom of both mind and body, and having offered herself in sweet resignation and heroic patience as a victim of God’s merciful love, Therese died of consumption in 1897 at the age of 24. “There is just one thing to be done here below: to love Jesus and to save souls for him, so that he may be more loved!”

Canonized in 1925 and declared Doctor of the Church, she is the Patron Saint of aviators and of Russia, and with St Francis Xavier, of all Catholic missions.

Reflection: “What offends Jesus, what woun

ds him to the heart, is want of confidence” (St Therese).

Daily Readings

September 30, 2025

Memorial of Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Reading 1

Shared from Daily Liturgy

Sept 30, Tue

Zechariah 8:20–23

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favour of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’ Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favour of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 87:1–3, 4–5, 6–7

Response: God is with us.

Founded by him on the holy mountain,

the Lord loves the gates of Sion,

more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

Of you are told glorious things,

you, O city of God!  

Response: God is with us.

Rahab and Babylon I will count

among those who know me;

of Tyre, Philistia, Ethiopia, it is told,

‘There was this one born.’

But of Sion it shall be said,

“Each one was born in her.”

He, the Most High, established it.  

Response: God is with us.

In his register of peoples the Lord writes,

“Here was this one born.”

The singers cry out in chorus,

“In you, all find their home.” 

Response: God is with us.

Alleluia

Mark 10:45

The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Gospel

Luke 9:51-56

When the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But other people did not receive him, because his face was set towards Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.

Reflection 

When someone rejects us, we can either feel bad and offended or simply shrug it off and treat it as part of life. Jesus, who was refused entry into the Samaritan village, walked away without harbouring resentment. He did not disturb the people of Samaria and departed from them without leaving any ill feeling. We should not bite the bait of people who try to offend us or lure us into arrogance. Instead, we should take the higher road and extract much positivity out of negative situations. Remember that nobody is in charge of how we react in any given situation,  nor should we forget to look at the positive in every negative situation. Jesus’ deep faith in God is a testament to his trust. We should nurture our faith and trust daily, creating a foundation that will support and sustain us in need.

St Jerome Confessor, Doctor of the Church (c.341-420)

Sophronius Eusebius Hieronymus—the full form of the name Jerome—was born in Dalmatia (Yugoslavia), studied in Rome, and then travelled for years in a passionate search for knowledge: first to Treves (where St Athanasius had, some 30 years before, induced numerous men to follow the example of the Egyptian desert hermits, and the whole region was developing into a centre of Christian asceticism) for theology. Thence to Antioch, where he studied Greek and Holy Scripture; but, being warned by our Lord in a vision that he was “more of a Ciernonian than a Christian”, he withdrew for five years in the desert, practised penance, and studied Hebrew.

Ordained priest, he served the Pope for five years as secretary, revised the Bible, opened a library, and guided a group of pious Roman women in the study of the Scriptures. Among the latter were St Paula and her daughter St Eustochium, and when, after Pope St Damasus’ death, the ease-loving Roman clergy whom the outspoken Jerome had bitterly criticized, caused him to leave the half pagan city in disgust, these holy women followed him to Bethlehem. Here, besides governing a monastery and a school, he completed his prolific and monumental writings, especially the translation of the Bible. 

St Jerome used to conduct his controversies with great fierceness, but readily acknowledged his shortcomings; to the very end, he submitted his body to severe fasts and vigils until his death in 420. 

Reflection: “Always be doing something, so that whether God or the devil com

es to you, you may be found with your hands full” (St Jerome).

Daily Readings

September 29, 2025

Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels

Reading 1

Daniel 7:9–10, 13–14

“As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

or

Revelation 12:7-12ab

War broke out in heaven;

Michael and his angels battled against the dragon.

The dragon and its angels fought back,

but they did not prevail

and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

The huge dragon, the ancient serpent,

who is called the Devil and Satan,

who deceived the whole world,

was thrown down to earth,

and its angels were thrown down with it.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

"Now have salvation and power come,

and the Kingdom of our God

and the authority of his Anointed.

For the accuser of our brothers is cast out,

who accuses them before our God day and night.

They conquered him by the Blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony;

love for life did not deter them from death.

Therefore, rejoice, you heavens,

and you who dwell in them."

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 138:1–2a, 2bcd–3, 4–5 

Response: In the presence of the angels I praise you, O Lord.

I thank you, Lord, with all my heart;

you have heard the words of my mouth.

In the presence of the angels I praise you.

I bow down toward your holy temple.  

Response: In the presence of the angels I praise you, O Lord.

I give thanks to your name

for your merciful love and your faithfulness.

You have exalted your name over all.

On the day I called, you answered me;

you increased the strength of my soul.  

Response: In the presence of the angels I praise you, O Lord.

All earth’s kings shall thank you, O Lord

when they hear the words of your mouth.

They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,

“How great is the glory of the Lord!”  

Response: In the presence of the angels I praise you, O Lord.

Alleluia

Psalm 103:21

Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his servants, who do his will.

Gospel

John 1:47–51

At that time: Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree’, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Reflection

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of the Archangels, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. The names of these three Archangels are evident in Sacred Scripture and have significant roles in the history of salvation. Michael is the “Prince of the Heavenly Host” and the leader of all the angels. He is mentioned four times in the Bible, including Daniel 10 and 12, the letter of Jude, and Revelation. Saint Michael is invoked for protection against Satan and evil spirits. Christian tradition recognizes four offices of Saint Michael: fighting against Satan, rescuing the souls of the faithful, being the champion of God’s people, and bringing men’s souls to judgment. Saint Gabriel, meaning “God’s strength”, is mentioned four times in the Bible and is believed to have appeared to the Blessed Mother, Saint Joseph and the shepherds. Saint Raphael is a travelling companion, who can help us not to be tempted to take the wrong step in our lives. The last verse of the Gospel mentions the presence of the angels in our lives. The angels are the carriers of grace between God and humanity. Let us seek their assistance in our day-to-day life.

Sts Michael, Gabriel and Raphael the Archangels

Today the Church celebrates the importance and significance of each of the three Archangels named in the Bible, i.e., Sts Michael, Gabriel and Raphael—each with a different mission: Michael protects, Gabriel announces and Raphael guides.

St Michael.

The name Michael in Hebrew signifies “who is like God”—

the battle cry of the good Angels who drove Satan from Heaven. In Holy Scripture he is shown to have been the guardian and comforter of the Chosen Race who prepared their return from captivity in Persia and insured the victory of the Maccabees. The early Christians entrusted to St Michael the care of their sick: all who bathed in his medicinal spring near Colossae, invoking him and the Holy Trinity, were healed; and near Constantinople the sick used to spend the night in his church in the hope of a cure. Catholic tradition assigns to this “great prince” these four offices: to fight against Satan, to rescue the souls of the faithful from his grasp, especially at death, to be the special Patron of Holy Church, and to bring men’s souls to judgement. St Michael’s was one of the “Voices” which instructed St Joan of Arc.

The 29 September is probably the date on which the ancient Roman Basilica to “St Michael and All Angels” at Gargano in Italy was dedicated in the 6th century, but that building disappeared over a thousand years ago. In England “Michaelmas Day” is one of the regular days on which quarterly rents and accounts are settled. St Michael is the Patron Saint of grocers, and the guardian of all mountain places. He is also held to be the special Guardian Angel of the Pope and, according to St Eutropius, of the Blessed Sacrament.

St Gabriel

The name Gabriel means “The Power of God” or “Hero of God” in Hebrew. He is one of the seven Angels who “Stand before God”, and he seems to be in a particular way the messenger of glad or consoling tidings. Thus, we read in the Book of Daniel (ch 8) that it was St Gabriel who explained the vision of the ram and foretold the fall of the Persian empire at the hands of Alexander the Great. The very next chapter records his prophecy concerning the coming of Christ after “70 weeks” of years. In the New Testament we are told of how he appeared to Zachary in the Temple and announced to him the coming birth of his son, St John the Baptist. But above all he is known as the “Angel of the Annunciation”—it was he who informed Mary that she had been chosen to become the Mother of the Incarnate Word.

In Jewish tradition, Gabriel was taken to be the Angel of judgement as at Sodom and against the army of Sennacherib, and it was he who was supposed to mark the foreheads of the elect. Christian tradition also attributes to St Gabriel the message given to the shepherds at Bethlehem and to St Joseph in connection with the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt, and believes that it was he who “strengthened” our Lord in the Garden of Olives on the night of His Betrayal.

Notably, Mohammed, in the Qu’ran, considered St Gabriel the head of all Angels, and claimed that he had received his revelations from him. In 1951, Pope Pius XII proclaimed him the patron of all communication arts, particularly television.

St Raphael

Raphael’s Hebrew name signifies “God has healed.” According to his own testimony to Tobias, even he is one of the seven Angels who always stand before the throne of the Almighty. In the Old Testament it is recorded how he cured the blindness of Tobit and acted as guide during his son’s trip to Media. St Raphael is in consequence revered as the Patron Saint of travellers, of the young and the innocent.

The day’s Gospel also identifies him with the Angel who used to come down at certain intervals to stir the water in the Probatica pool, which caused the cure of the first invalid who descended into the moving waters.

The Eastern Church has honoured St Raphael since the year 1000, but his cult was added to the universal calendar of the Church by Pope Benedict XV in 1921.

Reflection: "Make the holy Angels your friends

No matter how weak you may be, how sad your condition, or how great the perils which surround us, we have nothing to fear under the protection of such guardians!" (St Bernard)

Daily Readings

September 28, 2025

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Amos 6:1a, 4–7

Thus says the Lord almighty; “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria. Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.”

Responsorial Psalm 

Psalm 146:6c–7, 8–9a, 9bc–10  

Response: Come, Lord, and save us.

It is the Lord who preserves fidelity forever,

who does justice to those

who are oppressed.

It is he who gives bread to the hungry,

the Lord who sets prisoners free. 

Response: Come, Lord, and save us.

It is the Lord who opens the eyes of the blind,

the Lord who raises up those

who are bowed down.

It is the Lord who loves the just,

the Lord who protects the stranger.  

Response: Come, Lord, and save us.

The Lord upholds the orphan and the widow,

but thwarts the path of the wicked.

The Lord will reign forever,

the God of Sion from age to age.  

Response: Come, Lord, and save us.

Reading 2

1Timothy 6:11–16

As for you, O man of God, pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time – he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honour and eternal dominion. Amen.

Alleluia

Cf. 2 Corinthians 8:9

Though Jesus Christ was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Gospel

Luke 16:19–31

At that time: Jesus said to the Pharisees, “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not do so, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house – for I have five brothers – so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Reflection 

The prophet Amos and our Saviour Jesus echo the same message today: Those who are unmindful and insensitive to the plight of the poor and the needy in this world will be severely punished in the next world. There will be a reversal of fortunes: “Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.” The poor who suffer hunger and pain in this world will be compensated or rewarded in the next. The rich man in today’s Gospel is so comfortable in his luxury that he does not notice the plight of the suffering Lazarus, who never even existed for him. Prophet Amos says of the rich: “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory, stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock.” According to Pope Francis, “If we truly wish to encounter Christ, we have to touch his body in the suffering bodies of the poor, as a response to the sacramental communion bestowed in the Eucharist” (Message for World Day of the Poor 2017, n  3).

St Wenceslaus, King, Martyr (907-929)

St Wenceslaus (or Vaclav) owed his thoroughly Christian education to his grandmother, St Ludmilla, who instilled in him a special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. But when his father, a Christian, died, his mother, a pagan named Dragomir, became regent for the all-too-young Wenceslaus and started a violent pagan reaction in which the German missionaries were gradually expelled and St Ludmilla suffered martyrdom by strangulation. At this juncture, in 922, the people insisted on the growing prince wresting the regency out of his mother’s hands. Before long, Wenceslaus obliged. Recalling the German Priests from their banishment, and combining courage and energy with great kindness of heart, he did everything in his power to raise the religious, moral, and cultural standard of his subjects. 

He obtained from Emperor Otto I the title of King of Bohemia. But a number of nobles opposed his policies, and in this they were actively encouraged by Dragomir and by her second son, Boleslav, an apostate and a man of turbulent character. In the meanwhile, a son was born to Wenceslaus. Resentful at having lost his chance at succession to the throne, Boleslav plotted his murder and invited him to his home town where he murdered him at the church door of A1tBunzlau where he had gone, as was his wont, to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. 

St Wenceslaus is the Patron of Bohemia (Czechoslovakia).

Reflection: “While recognizing the autonomy of the reality of politics, Christians who are invited to take up political activity should try to make their choices consistent with the Gospel and, in the framework of a legitimate plurality, to give both personal and collective witness to the seriousness of their faith by effective and disinterested service of all people” (Paul VI).

Daily Readings

September 27, 2025

Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest

Reading 1

Zechariah 2:1–5, 10–11a

I, Zechariah, lifted my eyes and saw, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand! Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. And I will be to her a wall of fire all round, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.’” Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Sion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst.

Responsorial Psalm

Jeremiah 31:10, 11–12ab, 13 

Response: The Lord will keep us, as a shepherd keeps his flock.

Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,

and declare it in the coastlands far away;

say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him,

and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.  

Response: The Lord will keep us, as a shepherd keeps his flock.

For the Lord has ransomed Jacob

and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.

They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Sion,

and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord.  

Response: The Lord will keep us, as a shepherd keeps his flock.

Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,

and the young men and the old shall be merry.

I will turn their mourning into joy;

I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.  

Response: The Lord will keep us, as a shepherd keeps his flock.

Alleluia

See 2 Timothy 1:10

Our Saviour Christ Jesus abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Gospel

Luke 9:43b–45

At that time: While they were all marvelling at everything Jesus was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

Reflection

The disciples were hesitant to ask Jesus about his statement that he would be delivered into the hands of men, possibly due to fear of danger, suffering, or the image of Jesus as a miracle worker and revolutionary leader. True discipleship involves suffering for Jesus and carrying our crosses with him. We should not be afraid to suffer for the sake of Jesus’ name, as there will always be something glorious after suffering. When facing difficult trials, we should never be afraid to ask questions to God but firmly hold onto our faith. Jesus’ disciples were prepared for the difficult journey ahead, but the meaning of his statement was hidden from them. Let us follow him, no matter what awaits our discipleship and mission.

St Vincent De Paul Confessor (c.1581-1660)

The third of six children in a Gascony (French) peasant family, St Vincent de Paul was educated by the Franciscans at Dax and ordained to the priesthood at 19. Five years later he was captured and enslaved by Turkish pirates but made good his escape after two years, together with his renegade Christian master whom he had converted. In 1619 King Louis XIII made him General Almoner, whereby he was able to improve the pitiful lot of the prisoners and of the slaves in the royal galleys; he established hospitals, and by way of bodily and spiritual ministrations won their hearts and converted many.

In 1626, he founded the Congregation of Priests of the Missions, whereby Vincent and a number of zealous secular priests bound themselves “to live in community and devote themselves to the salvation of poor country people.” The direction of seminaries which they undertook at the request of certain bishops proved so successful that at the outbreak of the French Revolution they were in charge of one third of all such institutions in France.

He started a foundling home, an old people’s home, an asylum for the insane, and an institution for the care of lepers. Breadlines and soup kitchens were established. “Those who have loved the poor will meet death without fear,” he maintained.

He was beatified in 1729, canonized in 1737 and declared patron of all societies devoted to works of charity by Pope Leo XIII.

Reflection: “Strive to live content in the midst of those things that cause your discontent. Free your mind from all that troubles you, God will take care of things… Trust in him, I beg you, and you will have the fulfilment of what your heart desires” (St Vincent de Paul).

Daily Readings

September 26, 2025

Friday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Haggai 2:1–9

In the second year of Darius the king, in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 43:1, 2, 3, 4

Response: Hope in God; I will praise him yet again, my saving presence and my God.

Give me justice, O God, and plead my cause

against a nation that is faithless.

From the deceitful and the cunning

rescue me, O God. 

Response: Hope in God; I will praise him yet again, my saving presence and my God.

You, O God, are my strength;

why have you rejected me?

Why do I go mourning,

oppressed by the foe? 

Response: Hope in God; I will praise him yet again, my saving presence and my God.

O send forth your light and your truth;

they will guide me on.

They will bring me to your holy mountain,

to the place where you dwell. 

Response: Hope in God; I will praise him yet again, my saving presence and my God.

And I will come to the altar of God,

to God, my joy and gladness.

To you will I give thanks on the harp,

O God, my God. 

Response: Hope in God; I will praise him yet again, my saving presence and my God.

Alleluia

Mark 10:45

The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Gospel

Luke 9:18–22

Now it happened that as Jesus was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

Reflection

Jesus, in solitude and prayer, asked his disciples who they believed he was. They responded with answers such as John the Baptist, Elijah, or an ancient prophet. Jesus then asked who they thought he was. Today, Jesus invites us to consider who he is to us and how his presence impacts our lives. He desires a personal relationship with each of us, making him the centre of our lives. We must decide whether Jesus is just a figure in the Gospels or if he is someone we have opened our hearts to.  Jesus is waiting for us to choose. Psalm 34: 8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him”. Let us continue to taste the goodness of the Lord, taking refuge in him, knowing him and loving him in our lives. Let us pray that he takes possession of us, forms us and enables us to love him above all else.

Sts Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs (-303)

Traditionally considered twins, Cosmas and Damian were devout Arabian Christians who practised their medical profession at the seaport of Aegae in Cilicia, Turkey. Their consistent refusal to accept any payment for their medical services earned them the epithet, “silverless ones”. This, combined with the fact that they were equally interested in mending the souls of their patients, as also their miraculous healing powers and their example of holy living, brought many pagans to the Faith.

When the Diocletian persecution broke out, they were immediately imprisoned as prominent Christians, subjected to various torments, and then beheaded. Their fame spread rapidly throughout Christendom, and many churches were dedicated to them, both in the East and the West. They are included in the Litany of the Saints, and were the last Saints to be added to the Canon of the Mass.

The famous Medici family of Florence adopted them as their Patrons, and so did a number of seaports where the plague was apt to be brought from time to time through commerce with the east. Druggists, barbers, physicians, surgeons and dentists regard the holy brothers as their patrons, and they are invoked against hernia and pestilence.

Reflection: “I adore your eternal and impenetrable plans; for love of you I submit to you with all my heart. I offer you the sacrifice of my entire being in union with that of Jesus, my divine saviour” (Blessed James Alberione).

Daily Readings

September 25, 2025

Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Haggai 1:1–8

In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your panelled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord.”

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 149:1b–2, 3–4, 5–6a and 9b

Response: The Lord takes delight in his people.

Sing a new song to the Lord,

his praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Israel rejoice in its Maker;

let Sion’s children exult in their king. 

Response: The Lord takes delight in his people.

Let them praise his name with dancing,

and make music with timbrel and harp.

For the Lord takes delight in his people;

he crowns the poor with salvation. 

Response: The Lord takes delight in his people.

Let the faithful exult in glory,

and rejoice as they take their rest.

Let the praise of God be in their mouths.

This is an honour for all his faithful. 

Response: The Lord takes delight in his people.

Alleluia

John 14:6

I am the way, and the truth, and the life, says the Lord no one comes to the Father except through me.

Gospel

Luke 9:7–9

At that time: Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen. Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he sought to see him.

Reflection

Herod’s curiosity about Jesus’ identity stems from his desire to know if John, who was killed by his order, had risen. Jesus’ arrival on the scene makes Herod suspect and fear that the one he had beheaded has come back to life to haunt him. He is weighed down by his guilt and consequently lacks peace and joy in life. He seeks to see Jesus only to rule out the possibility that it is John. We should also be curious about Jesus, not out of guilt and fear, but for a deeper intimacy with Him, leading to a deeper faith and love. Through grace, we can know Jesus in prayer which is like communicating with a friend. We should pray to recognize Jesus in moments of grace, challenges, and obstacles, and be open to seeing Him in others we serve.

St Ceolfrid, Abbot, Confessor (642-716)

St Ceolfrid, whose name is the Teutonic form of “Geoffery”, was a Northumbrian (English) nobleman before becoming a Benedictine monk and priest at Ripon under St Wilfrid. On account of his outstanding sanctity and humility, he was sent to assist St Benedict Biscop who was then founding the new abbey of Wearmouth. There he became Prior, and when the second monastery was founded at nearby Jarrow in 681, he became its first Abbot.

St Benedict, on his deathbed, designated St Ceolfrid as his successor, who, during his 26-year rule was able to bring many of his predecessors’ plans to happy fruition. The venerable St Bede was one of his monks. St Ceolfrid had a surpassing interest in studies, which led him to nearly double the set of his two monastery libraries.

At 74, he resigned his office and went on a pilgrimage to Rome, taking with him, as an offering to the Pope, the famous Codex Amiatinus, which still exists. Probably written at Wearmouth or Jarrow (c.700) during the time that he was Abbot, it is the best and one of the oldest texts which we have of St Jerome’s Vulgate.

St Ceolfrid died on a journey through France on 26 September 716; his relics have been translated to Wearmouth-Jarrow.

Reflection: “He that is great among you shall be your servant” (Mt 23:11).

Daily Readings

September 24, 2025

Wednesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading I

Ezra 9:5–9

At the evening sacrifice I, Ezra, rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God, saying: “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens. From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today. But now for a brief moment favour has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem.”

Responsorial Psalm 

Tobit 13:1b–2, 3–4a, 6efgh, 6ij, 8  

Response: Blessed is God who lives for ever.

Blessed is God who lives for ever,

and blessed is his kingdom,

because he chastises, and he shows mercy;

he leads down to Hades below the earth,

and he himself raises up again

from great devastation,

and there is nothing that can escape

his hand. 

Response: Blessed is God who lives for ever.

Acknowledge him, O sons of Israel,

before the nations;

for he himself has scattered you among them,

and he has shown you his greatness

even there.  

Response: Blessed is God who lives for ever.

And now see what he has done with you;

acknowledge him with your full voice,

and bless the Lord of righteousness

and exalt the King of the ages.  

Response: Blessed is God who lives for ever.

I acknowledge him

in the land of my captivity,

and I show his power and majesty

to a nation of sinners.  

Response: Blessed is God who lives for ever.

Let all people speak

and acknowledge him in Jerusalem.  

Response: Blessed is God who lives for ever.

Alleluia

Mark 1:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the Gospel.

Gospel

Luke 9:1–6

At that time: Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Reflection 

Jesus gives his disciples power and authority to cure diseases and sends them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and heal the sick. Jesus instructs the disciples to travel light, relying on the providence of God and the kindness and generosity of the people they serve. They were warned that their message might not be welcomed by everyone they encountered. To truly journey with Jesus, we must travel light. We should ask ourselves what we truly need and what we can let go of, including our physical belongings and emotional baggage. Today, we ask Jesus to give us the wisdom to choose what to let go of, as it may be difficult but will ultimately lead to feeling freer and lighter.

Our Lady of Ransom

The Order of Our Lady of Mercy, which was founded at Barcelona (Spain) in 1233 by St Peter Nolasco, St Raymond of Penyafort and King James of Aragon, for the ransoming of Christians from Saracen captivity, instituted this feast in thanksgiving to Our Lady. It was gradually adopted in Spain and France, and in 1696 was promulgated by Pope Innocent XIII for observance in the Universal Church.

Mary is particularly invoked under the title of “Our Lady of Ransom” or “Our Lady of Mercy” for the re-conversion of England (“Our Lady’s Dowry”), from false religious teaching. She is also the compassionate ransomer of living sinners from Satan’s grasp, and of the suffering souls in Purgatory.

Reflection: “Mary is our Spiritual Mother, and the mother always understands her children . . . . . Then, she has that specific mission to love us, received from Jesus on the Cross, to love us only and always, so as to save us! Mary consoles us above all by pointing out the Crucified One and Paradise to us!” (John Paul II)

Daily Readings

September 23, 2025, Tuesday

Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest

Reading 1

Ezra 6:7–8, 12b, 14–20

In those days: Darius the king wrote to the governors of the province Beyond the river, “Leave the work on this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. Moreover, I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God. The cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River. “I Darius make a decree; let it be done with all diligence.” And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia; and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. They offered at the dedication of this house of God one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their divisions, for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses. On the fourteenth day of the first month, the returned exiles kept the Passover. For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 122:1–2, 3–4ab, 4cd–5

Response: Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

I rejoiced when they said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

And now our feet are standing

within your gates, O Jerusalem. 

Response: Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Jerusalem is built as a city

bonded as one together.

It is there that the tribes go up,

the tribes of the Lord. 

Response: Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

For Israel’s witness it is

to praise the name of the Lord.

There were set the thrones for judgment,

the thrones of the house of David. 

Response: Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord

Alleluia

Luke 11:28

Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.

Gospel

Luke 8:19–21

At that time: His mother and his brothers came to Jesus, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

Reflection

Today’s short Gospel passage teaches us the profound truth of who is the true kindred of Jesus. Mary carried out the will of God all her life, starting with her consent at the Annunciation. She accepted the angel’s message as the will of God for her. She not only became the mother of God’s Son but groomed him for the supreme sacrifice on Calvary and accompanied him all along. Her spiritual kinship with Jesus in carrying out the will of God is greater than her biological motherhood. She was the first to “hear the word of God and do it”. We become a brother/sister of Jesus by hearing the word of God and practising it in our lives.

St Pio de Pietrelcina, Priest, Stigmatic (1887 – 1968)

Born in Pietrelcina, Italy, Francois took the name of Pio at his investiture on 22 January 1903 at the Capuchin Friary at Morcone. He made his solemn profession in 1907 and was ordained priest in 1910. Such was his depth of piety and his love of God and neighbour that, as early as in 1910, the Lord singled him out for that most significant of graces, the stigmata, i.e., a representation of his wounds.

A man of deep piety, prayer and prudence, he had a special charism for spiritual direction and sacramental reconciliation and helped bring the touch of God’s forgiving love to the aching heart of suffering, sinful humanity. His awe-inspiring manner of celebrating the Eucharist was considered the pinnacle of his apostolic activity.

Padre Pio was widely believed to have been the recipient of numerous mystical experiences such as visits from our Blessed Mother, bilocation, i.e., being seen in two different places at one and the same time, communication with angels, the gifts of prophecy and healing, etc. However, he was not without his share of anguish and suffering, brought about by the doubts and suspicions harboured and expressed by many as regards the authenticity of his stigmata. Yet, the good padre took it all in his stride in the true Franciscan spirit of resignation.

Reflection: “The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain” (St Padre Pio de Pietrelcina).

Daily Readings

September 22, 2025

Monday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Ezra 1:1–6

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel – he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.” Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem. And all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 146:6c–7, 8–9a, 9bc–10  

Response: Come, Lord, and save us.

It is the Lord who preserves fidelity forever,

who does justice to those

who are oppressed.

It is he who gives bread to the hungry,

the Lord who sets prisoners free. 

Response: Come, Lord, and save us.

It is the Lord who opens the eyes of the blind,

the Lord who raises up those

who are bowed down.

It is the Lord who loves the just,

the Lord who protects the stranger.  

Response: Come, Lord, and save us.

The Lord upholds the orphan and the widow,

but thwarts the path of the wicked.

The Lord will reign forever,

the God of Sion from age to age.  

Response: Come, Lord, and save us.

Alleluia

Matthew 5:16

Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Gospel

Luke 8:16–18

At that time: Jesus said to the crowds, “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”

Reflection 

The purpose of lighting a lamp is to dispel darkness and brighten up the area. This is possible if the lighted lamp is kept on a lamp stand. Light exposes everything around it. Jesus tells us: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (Jn 8:12). Jesus is the light that brightens up our lives and leads us to the light of life, that is, eternal life. Each of us is called to be a bearer of the light of Christ so that “those who enter may see the light”.

St Thomas of Villanova, Bishop, Confessor (1486 -1555)

Born at Fuentellana in Castille, Spain, Thomas got the suffix “Villanova” by virtue of the close proximity of his own birthplace to that of his parents, i.e., Villanueva de los Infantes. This “Almsgiver” and “Father of the Poor”, was raised in the virtue of practical charity by his father, a miller, who gave away in alms all he earned.

At 16, he joined the Hermits of St Augustine at Salamanca. After his Ordination he gained fame as a learned lecturer of Theology and was much in demand all over Spain for his preaching. Emperor Charles V had great reverence for his personal sanctity and made him his court preacher and councillor of state.

As Provincial of his congregation, he sent out the first band of Augustinian missionaries to Mexico. As Archbishop of Valencia, he laboured at reforming the morals of both clergy and laity and did away with underground prisons. A money gift which he received from the cathedral chapter for use in his palace, he used instead for rebuilding the fire-gutted general hospital; he founded a college for young clergy, another for poor students and an orphanage for foundlings and children of indigent parents; and for the benefit of working people, Masses were offered at very early hours of the morning.

The epitome of utter simplicity and poverty, Thomas mended his own clothes and gave away two thirds of his Episcopal revenues in alms. He also healed the sick and converted hardened sinners. His writings on mystical theology have seen over 20 editions.

He died in 1555, was beatified in 1618 and canonized in 1658.

Reflection: “The highest wisdom is the science of right living. If you posses

s this wisdom you are the wisest man” (St Thomas Villanova).

Daily Readings

September 21, 2025

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Amos 8:4–7

Hear this, you who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end, saying, “When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances, that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of the wheat?” The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: “Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.”

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 113:1bc–2, 4–6, 7–8

Response: Praise the Lord, who raises the poor from the dust.

Praise, O servants of the Lord,

praise the name of the Lord!

May the name of the Lord be blest both now and forevermore! 

Response: Praise the Lord, who raises the poor from the dust.

High above all nations is the Lord,

above the heavens his glory.

Who is like the Lord, our God,

who dwells on high,

who lowers himself to look down upon heaven and earth? 

Response: Praise the Lord, who raises the poor from the dust.

From the dust he lifts up the lowly,

from the ash heap he raises the poor,

to set them in the company of princes,

yes, with the princes of his people. 

Response: Praise the Lord, who raises the poor from the dust.

Reading 2

1 Timothy 2:1–8

Beloved: First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarrelling.

Alleluia

Cf. 2 Corinthians 8:9

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Though Jesus Christ was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Gospel

Luke 16:1–13

At that time: Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful with the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Reflection

The steward in today’s Gospel is irresponsible in dealing with his master’s goods, and also dishonest in asking his master’s debtors to rewrite their account to benefit his future life. Can such a dishonest, irresponsible person be taken as a model of prudence and wisdom? Of course not! The master only approves his foresight without approving his behaviour. Jesus uses this story to teach us the need for foresight, prudence and wisdom in working out our salvation and in building up the Kingdom of God. “…For the sons of this world are wiser in their generation than the sons of light.” We need to be wise and prudent in our priorities, choices, behaviour and relationships so that we reach our ultimate destiny – eternal life. The First Reading tells how unwise the rich are in their cruelty towards the poor. The Lord warns, “Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.” The Second Reading teaches us that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.” True wisdom and prudence lie in accepting Christ Jesus as Saviour and living according to his teachings.

St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (1st century)

Matthew was a collector of customs duties for King Herod Antipas at Capernaum, when our Lord called him to follow him. Also known as Levi, the publican, he was so overjoyed at his new calling that he spread a great feast in his home for the Master and his disciples, even inviting his fellow tax-gatherers. Jesus, to the amazement of the Pharisees, comfortably dined with the very people the leaders of Israel despised as extortionists and traitors, and would not even think of ever eating with.

Levi, the son of Alphaeus (Mk 2:14), obviously had a certain amount of education, for he knew Aramaic as well as Greek and was accustomed to writing. The name Matthew (Mattija or “Gift of Jahweh”) was probably given him by Christ himself. He was one of the first Apostles to be chosen to set down in writing the essential events of our Lord’s life and discourses as he himself had witnessed them and as they were being orally taught by all the Apostles. It is assumed that, when writing his Gospel, Matthew had before him his own collection of Jesus’ discourses in Aramaic, the language widely used as the lingua franca by the Jews and others in the time of Christ.

Using his gift of story-telling, he groups together all acts and precepts of a similar nature, and stresses particularly that Jesus completely fulfilled all the familiar prophecies concerning the Messiah and that the Jewish nation as a body was to be excluded from the Messianic Kingdom because of its obstinate unbelief and its rejection of the Messiah.

Reflection: “Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth: where rust and moth consume, and where thieves break in and steal” (Mt 6:19).

Daily Readings

September 20, 2025

Memorial of Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Priest, and Paul Chong Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs

Reading I

1 Timothy 6:13–16

Beloved: I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time – he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honour and eternal dominion. Amen.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 100:1–2, 3, 4, 5

Response: Come before the Lord, singing for joy.

Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Serve the Lord with gladness.

Come before him, singing for joy. 

Response: Come before the Lord, singing for joy.

Know that he, the Lord, is God.

He made us; we belong to him.

We are his people, the sheep of his flock. 

Response: Come before the Lord, singing for joy.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with songs of praise.

Give thanks to him, and bless his name. 

Response: Come before the Lord, singing for joy.

Indeed, how good is the Lord,

eternal his merciful love.

He is faithful from age to age. 

Response: Come before the Lord, singing for joy.

Alleluia

See Luke 8:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

 Gospel

Luke 8:4–15

At that time: When a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to Jesus, he said in a parable, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand’. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”

Reflection

Life is meaningful when lived within the love of God. A life without God becomes meaningless, even with material wealth. Jesus’ parable of the seeds, falling on four different surfaces illustrates the importance of having good and productive soil of godliness. Being connected to Jesus, like the branches of a tree are connected to the trunk of the tree, is the key to becoming good and productive citizens in this world. Without the connection to the giver of the real meaning of life, wisdom and productivity are impossible. Being connected to Jesus is the good soil that everyone should strive to achieve in life. Our life in Christ allows us to grow in wisdom and become productive citizens in this temporal world.

Sts Andrew Kim, Paul Chong and Companions Korean Martyrs (1839, 1846, 1862, 1867)

The Christian Faith first sprouted in Korea when Yi Sung-hun started to study Christian doctrine by himself and was eventually baptized as Peter in 1784. In the beginning, because of their belief in God, the early Korean Christians were constantly persecuted, rejected by their own families, and subjected to loss of not only their social rank but even their fundamental human rights. Nevertheless, the Faith continued to spread.

The Christian community in Korea which had begun without any priestly ministers finally got the assistance of two Chinese priests. But their ministry was short-lived, and another forty years passed before the Paris Foreign Mission Society began its work in Korea with the arrival of Fr Maubant in 1836. Until then the Christian community consisted only of lay people.

In the meantime, moved by an ardent desire for the graces of the sacraments, the Christian community of Korea appealed to the Bishop of Peking and to the Holy Father in Rome to send them bishops and priests. Serious dangers awaited those missionaries who dared enter Korea. More than 10,000 martyrs died in persecutions which extended over 100 years. They included 103 martyrs, consisting of 11 priests and 92 lay people, who were canonized in 1984 by Pope John Paul II, foremost among these being Andrew Kim Tae-gon and Paul Chong Ha-Sang.

Among the 103 martyrs were 15 virgins. Similarly, the martyr John Yi Kwang-hyol also lived a celibate life.

Reflection: “Whether or not my parents betrayed is their affair. As for us, we cannot betray the Lord of Heaven whom we have always served” (Agatha Yi).

Daily Readings

September 19, 2025

Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

1 Timothy 6:2c–12

Beloved: Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 49:6–7, 8–10, 17–18, 19–20

Response: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Why should I fear in evil days

the malice of the foes who surround me,

those who trust in their wealth,

and boast of the vastness of their riches? 

Response: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

No man can ransom a brother,

nor pay a price to God for his life.

How high is the price of his soul!

The ransom can never be enough!

No one can buy life unending,

nor avoid coming to the grave. 

Response: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Then do not fear when a man grows rich,

when the glory of his house increases.

He takes nothing with him when he dies;

his glory does not follow him below. 

Response: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Though he flattered himself while he lived,

“People will praise me for all my success,”

yet he will go to join his forebears,

and will never see the light anymore. 

Response: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Responsorial Psalm

Alleluia

See Matthew 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have revealed to little children the mysteries of the kingdom.

Gospel

Luke 8:1–3

At that time: Jesus went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

Reflection

The Gospel depicts Jesus travelling through Palestine, preaching the kingdom of God, accompanied by the twelve apostles. A group of women supported Jesus and his apostles’ missionary activities. Despite the existence of a patriarchal society, where women had no civil rights or public stature, Jesus had women travelling with him and participating in his mission. This indicates that Jesus, in his ministry, gave equal status and dignity to women as he did to his male disciples. Women have made significant progress since then, with universal suffrage, gaining the opportunity to serve in various offices, and holding high positions in public and private companies. In the Church, women direct retreats, give lectures, guide study groups, and contribute to social action plans. It is hoped that the talents and experiences of women will continue to be utilized by society and the Church alike.

St Januarius, Bishop, Martyr (-c.305)

Next to nothing is historically known about the life and death of St Januarius, but he is believed to have been Bishop of Beneventum in southern Italy and to have suffered for the faith under Diocletian. Legend has it that, he, together with a number of Deacons and Lectors, was thrown to wild bears and then decapitated.

His relics in the cathedral of Naples are famous for the regularly recurring Miracolo di San Gennaro. Here, in a silver and glass reliquary, are enshrined two hermetically sealed phials of the holy Bishop’s blood, traditionally believed to have been collected by a certain Eusebia. Normally appearing as a dark solid mass, 18 times on three public occasions during the year, when this reliquary is brought near the silver bust which encases the Saint’s head, defying all scientific explanation it liquefies, turning a bright ruby red, and frothing and bubbling as though it were just shed, while at the same time it increases in volume and, as has been ascertained by scientific measurements, also in weight.

Observations carried on for over 100 years prove that the temperature in the church has no effect on the blood, nor has the moving of the reliquary or the number of spectators. Written records show that the liquefaction of the blood was known to have first occurred in c.1389, i.e., over 7 centuries ago.

St Januarius is Patron of Naples and its protector against the eruptions of nearby Mt Vesuvius.

Reflection: “The Church……admits…….that scientific culture today requires Christians to have a mature faith, an openness toward the language and to the questions of the learned, a sense of the orders of knowledge and of differing approaches to truth.” (Pope Saint John Paul II)

Daily Readings

September 18, 2025

Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

1 Timothy 4:12–16

Beloved: Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practise these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 111:7–8, 9, 10

Response: Great are the works of the Lord. (Or: Alleluia).

His handiwork is justice and truth;

his precepts are all of them sure,

standing firm forever and ever,

wrought in uprightness and truth. 

Response: Great are the works of the Lord. (Or: Alleluia).

He has sent redemption to his people,

and established his covenant forever.

Holy his name, to be feared. 

Response: Great are the works of the Lord. (Or: Alleluia).

The fear of the Lord

is the beginning of wisdom;

understanding marks all who attain it.

His praise endures forever! 

Response: Great are the works of the Lord. (Or: Alleluia).

Alleluia

Matthew 11:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.

Gospel

Luke 7:36–50

At that time: One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” “A certain money-lender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning towards the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Reflection

Forgiveness is a crucial aspect of love, as it helps to overcome bitterness and hatred. It is an intentional and voluntary process wherein one changes his/her feelings and attitude towards an offender, overcoming negative emotions like resentment and vengeance. God forgives us through His Son, Jesus, to allow us to enjoy a relationship with Him. Forgiveness cannot be granted without giving, and it is a choice to love regardless of the other person’s actions. In today’s gospel, Jesus offers forgiveness to a woman who was known for adultery and prostitution. Jesus demonstrates his love towards this woman despite her being a sinner. If we have received forgiveness from God through Christ, we must love much by forgiving others because forgiving others shows God’s presence in us.

St Joseph of Cupertino, Confessor (1603 -1663)

Baptized Joseph Desa, this son of a poor shoemaker in Cupertino, near Brindisi (Italy), started having ecstatic visions as early as at the age of 8, so that his schoolmates dubbed him “open-mouthed”. When, at 17, he sought admission first to the Franciscan Conventuals and then to the Capuchins, he was refused for lack of intelligence and because his frequent ecstasies rendered him unfit for work. Finally the Franciscans at La Grotella took him in as a tertiary and gave him work as a stable-hand. Here his exemplary life of penance, humility and obedience saw him accepted for ordination to the priesthood in 1628. He was then 25 and was hardly able to read, but by infused knowledge he could solve the most intricate theological questions.

Joseph possessed the gift of prophecy and of healing, besides the ability to recognize the faces of sinners — their faces appeared black to him while people who lived in impurity were known to him by a disagreeable odour. But he is especially remembered for his extraordinary power of levitation, whereby he was witnessed to have flown over the heads of the congregation from the church door to the altar, or up to a branch of an olive tree where he remained for half an hour in meditation, while the branch was not deflected by any apparent weight upon it.

He was canonized in 1767.

Reflection: “Love God! He in whom this love reigns is rich although he does not perceive it” (St Joseph of Cupertino).

Daily Readings

September 17, 2025

Wednesday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

1 Timothy 3:14–16

Beloved: I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 111:1b–2, 3–4, 5–6

Response: Great are the works of the Lord.

I will praise the Lord with all my heart,

in the meeting of the just and the assembly.

Great are the works of the Lord,

to be pondered by all who delight in them.  

Response: Great are the works of the Lord.

Majestic and glorious his work;

his justice stands firm forever.

He has given us a memorial of his wonders.

The Lord is gracious and merciful.  

Response: Great are the works of the Lord.

He gives food to those who fear him;

keeps his covenant ever in mind.

His mighty works he has shown to his people

by giving them the heritage of nations.  

Response: Great are the works of the Lord.

Alleluia

See John 6:63c, 68c

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Your word, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of eternal life.

Gospel

Luke 7:31–35

At that time: Jesus said, “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the market-place and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”

Reflection 

Jesus expresses his disappointment at the stubbornness and lack of openness on the part of the people of his time. Because they had the opportunity to see and listen to both John the Baptist and Christ the Saviour, they were the most privileged generation. However, like children, they have one excuse or another for not accepting their teachings and changing their lives. They find fault with the messengers to reject the message. Thus they miss out on the opportunity to welcome the Saviour into their lives. Attitudes of pride, stubbornness, ingratitude and lack of openness are serious blocks to our salvation. The man who receives one talent has many excuses for not multiplying it (Mt 25:24-25). But those who take the risk of multiplying the talents given to them are rewarded with more.

St Robert Bellarmine

Robert was born of ancient, noble lineage. He joined the Jesuits at 18 and in 1569 was sent to Louvain, Belgium, the bulwark of Catholicism, to complete his studies. Familiarizing himself at close range with the Protestant heresies he gained a reputation as a controversialist. In 1576 he was called to Rome by Pope Gregory XIII to train the German and English seminarians for the spiritual battles which they would face in their homelands.

Robert’s systematic approach to an issue, his amazing memory and familiarity with the works of the Church Fathers, his knowledge of foreign languages, all combined to attract great audiences. His lectures continued for twelve years and resulted, even before their publication under the title De Controversiis, in their circulation throughout England and Germany, in transcriptions; his  catechism, translated into 60 languages, is still in use in Italy today.

In 1592 he was made rector of the Roman College, in 1595 Provincial of Naples and in 1599 Cardinal by Pope Clement VIII who affirmed: “The Church has not his equal in learning.” He played a prominent role in the examination of Galileo’s writings. His famous treatise on the true relation between Church and State, to the effect that all authority comes from God but is vested in the people and that they entrust it to their rulers as they see fit, is the democratic concept on which the constitutions of many nations have been founded.

In the spirit of self-sacrifice, Robert Bellarmine, an ardent devotee of Francis d’Assisi, practised poverty to the hilt. He was canonized in 1930 and declared doctor of the Church the following year.

Reflection: “Charity is that with which no man is lost, and without which no man is saved” (St Robert Bellarmine).

Daily Readings

September 16, 2025

Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs

Reading 1

1 Timothy 3:1–13

Beloved: The saying is trust worthy: If anyone aspires to the office of bishop, he desires a noble task. Therefore a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 101:1–2ab, 2cd–3ab, 5, 6 

Response: I will walk with blameless heart.

I sing of merciful love and justice;

I raise a psalm to you, O Lord.

I will ponder the way of the blameless.

O when will you come to me? 

Response: I will walk with blameless heart.

I will walk with blameless heart

within my house;

I will not set before my eyes

whatever is base. 

Response: I will walk with blameless heart.

Whoever slanders a neighbour in secret

I will bring to silence.

Proud eyes and haughty heart

I will never endure. 

Response: I will walk with blameless heart.

My eyes are on the faithful of the land,

that they may dwell with me.

The one who walks in the way

of the blameless shall be my servant. 

Response: I will walk with blameless heart.

Alleluia

Luke 7:16

A great prophet has arisen among us, and God has visited his people.

Gospel

Luke 7:11–17

At that time: Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

Reflection

Today’s Gospel highlights Jesus’ compassion for the widow who lost her son. Out of compassion, Jesus brings him back to life. He saw the woman’s pain and was moved with pity. At times of great pain and loss, it may be difficult to trust in Jesus. We question why God allows tragedies and loss. However, it is important to pray with faith and trust to help ourselves overcome these difficult times. The widow’s unexpected encounter with Jesus at Nain replaced her feelings of loneliness and emptiness with hope and optimism. We all experience loneliness and emptiness, but Jesus understands us and comes to rekindle our hope and optimism. We must trust in Him, who gives us everlasting hope amidst life’s struggles and desperation.

St Cornelius (Pope, Martyr) (- 253) and  St Cornelius (Pope, Martyr) (- 253)

About a year after Pope St Fabian’s martyrdom, the Decian persecution was sufficiently relaxed due to the Emperor’s absence from Rome, so that 16 Bishops were able to assemble and elect Cornelius Pope (c.March 251). He reigned for two years, and during this time excommunicated the first anti-Pope, Novatian, and his followers because of their excessively rigid stand which denied readmission under any condition to all who had apostatized under the strain of the persecution, no matter how sincere their repentance. This would have been placing a limit on God’s mercy. We are told that at that time there were in Rome a limited number of clergy caring for some 50,000 Christians, among whom were 1,500 minors wholly dependent on charity. With the renewal of the persecution of 253, St Cornelius was exiled to Civitavecchia, where he died either of exhaustion or decapitation.

St Cyprian, the famous orator of Carthage, Africa, was a man of considerable wealth, and endowed with remarkable energy and administrative ability. He was in his fifties when a chance encounter with an old priest named Caecilian convincingly exposed him to the truth of Christianity. As a result, he embraced Christianity and sold his properties for the benefit of the poor. Within a few years he was ordained Priest and, on popular insistence, consecrated Bishop of Carthage, at that time the very centre of the Church in Africa. Then came the Decian persecution, and Cyprian, in order to ensure that the organization of the Church remained intact, governed his See from a hiding place. When the persecution abated during the following year, he returned to Carthage; but his compassionate leniency in readmitting to communion, under certain conditions, some sincerely contrite penitents (lapsi) who had apostatized under the terrible tortures, was attacked by the Priest Novatian and even created a schism.

In 257 a new persecution broke out under Valerian, and St Cyprian was beheaded on 14 September 258. The detailed official account of his fearless profession of faith before the Roman judge and of his condemnation and death that has come down to us throws abundant light upon Catholic practice of the day. Sixty-two of his letters are still extant.

Reflection: “We have solemnly renounced the world and therefore, whilst we continue in it, we should behave like strangers and pilgrims” (St Cyprian).

Daily Readings

September 15, 2025

Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

Reading 1

Hebrews 5:7–9

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 31:2–3a, 3bc–4, 5–6, 15–16, 20

Response: Save me, O Lord, in your merciful love.

In you, O Lord, I take refuge.

Let me never be put to shame.

In your justice, set me free;

incline your ear to me,

and speedily rescue me.

Response: Save me, O Lord, in your merciful love.

Be a rock of refuge for me,

a mighty stronghold to save me.

For you are my rock, my stronghold!

Lead me, guide me,

for the sake of your name. 

Response: Save me, O Lord, in your merciful love.

Release me from the snare they have hidden,

for you indeed are my refuge.

Into your hands I commend my spirit.

You will redeem me, O Lord,

O faithful God. 

Response: Save me, O Lord, in your merciful love.

But as for me, I trust in you, O Lord;

I say, “You are my God.

My lot is in your hands, deliver me

from the hands of my enemies

and those who pursue me.” 

Response: Save me, O Lord, in your merciful love.

How great is the goodness, Lord,

that you keep for those who fear you,

that you show to those who trust you

in the sight of the children of men. 

Response: Save me, O Lord, in your merciful love.

Sequence (Optional)

At the cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.

Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,
All his bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword had passed.

Oh, how sad and sore distressed
Was that Mother highly blessed
Of the sole begotten One!

Christ above in torment hangs,
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious Son.

Is there one who would not weep,
'Whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ's dear Mother to behold?

Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,
In that mother's pain untold?

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
She beheld her tender Child,
All with bloody scourges rent.

For the sins of his own nation
Saw him hang in desolation
Till his spirit forth he sent.

O sweet Mother!  font of love,
Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with yours accord.

Make me feel as you have felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord.

Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.

Let me share with you his pain,
Who for all our sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.

Let me mingle tears with you,
Mourning him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.

By the cross with you to stay,
There with you to weep and pray,
Is all I ask of you to give.

Virgin of all virgins blest!
Listen to my fond request:
Let me share your grief divine.

Let me to my latest breath,
In my body bear the death
Of that dying Son of yours.
Wounded with his every wound,
Steep my soul till it has swooned
In his very Blood away.

Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
Lest in flames I burn and die,
In his awful judgment day.

Christ, when you shall call me hence,
Be your Mother my defense,
Be your cross my victory.

While my body here decays,
May my soul your goodness praise,
Safe in heaven eternally.
Amen.  (Alleluia)

Alleluia

R.    Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary; without dying you won the martyr’s crown beneath the Cross of the Lord.

Gospel

John 19:25–27

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

Reflection

Our Blessed Mother found strength and courage in her Son, Jesus, despite all the contradictions and the fact that a sword of sorrow pierced her soul at his crucifixion.  We too can find strength and courage in Jesus during our sorrowful moments, asking for the same strength and courage as  Mother Mary received when she looked up at the cross. The cross symbolises suffering, salvation, death, life, fall, and redemption. As Christians, we are challenged by Jesus to carry our cross, willingly undergoing sacrifices in our ordinary existence. By re-examining the cross, we can deepen our faith and relationship with God. We pray to Jesus for strength and courage to face our sorrows, trusting Him more than we trust ourselves. Mary, like a true mother, never asked anything for herself, and her simplicity, humility, and maternal nurturing spirit should serve as a constant reminder that she was given as a mother to all of us.

Our Lady of Sorrows

As on the Friday in Passion Week, so again in mid-September, Holy Church especially commemorates Our Lady’s great sorrows. The seven principal ones were: the prophecy of the aged Simeon in the Temple, the 300 mile flight into Egypt with the Infant, the loss of Jesus in Jerusalem when he was a boy of 12, Mary’s encounter with her Divine Son on his way to Calvary, his crucifixion, the taking down of his body from the Cross and his burial. Today’s feast was first granted to the Servites in 1668, and when Pope Pius VII came out of exile in 1814, he extended it to the Universal Church in gratitude.

Reflection: “For if he could die in body, could she not die with him in spirit? He died in body through a love greater than anyone had known. She died in spirit through love unlike any other since his” (St Bernard).

Daily Readings

September 14, 2025

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Reading 1

Numbers(21:4-9)

In those days: The people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38

Response: Never forget the deeds of the Lord!

Give ear, my people, to my teaching; incline your ear to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable and utter hidden lessons of the past.

Response: Never forget the deeds of the Lord!

When he slew them, then they sought him, repented and earnestly sought God. They would remember that God was their rock, God the Most High their redeemer.

Response: Never forget the deeds of the Lord!

Yet they deceived him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. For their hearts were not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.

Response: Never forget the deeds of the Lord!

Yet he who is full of compassion forgave them their sin and spared them. So often he held back his anger, and did not stir up all his rage.

Response: Never forget the deeds of the Lord!

Reading 2

Philippians (2:6-11)

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you; because by your Cross you have redeemed the world.  

Gospel

John (3:13-17)

At that time: Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

Reflection

Saint Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, went to Jerusalem early in the fourth century in search of the holy places of Christ’s life. When St Helena arrived in Jerusalem, there was a pagan temple to the Roman goddess Venus over Calvary which her son, the Emperor Constantine, ordered to be destroyed. As the workers dismantled the structure and reached the foundation, they broke into a cistern which contained three crosses, one of which was determined to be the True Cross. Legend has it that the one on which Jesus died was identified when its touch healed a dying woman. Subsequently, two Churches were built, the Basilica of the Anastasis over the tomb of Jesus to honour his Resurrection and the Basilica of the Martyrium over Calvary to honour the crucifixion. On 14 September 335, the True Cross was lifted by Bishop Macarius before the crowd, and her son Constantine built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher on that spot.

The cross immediately became an object of veneration. At a Good Friday celebration in Jerusalem towards the end of the fourth century, according to an eyewitness, the wood was taken out of its silver container and placed on a table together with the inscription Pilate ordered placed above Jesus’ head: Then “all the people pass through one by one; all of them bow down, touching the cross and the inscription, first with their foreheads, then with their eyes; and, after kissing the cross, they move on.” The Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox alike, celebrate to this day, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the anniversary of the basilica’s dedication. The feast entered the Western calendar in the seventh century after Emperor Heraclius recovered the cross from the Persians, who had carried it off in 614, fifteen years earlier. According to the story, the emperor intended to carry the cross back into Jerusalem himself, but was unable to move forward until he took off his imperial garb and became a barefoot pilgrim.

“Being Christian”, Pope Benedict XVI wrote, “is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event”. God wants to enter into a relationship of love with everyone. This is offered in His Son, Jesus, lifted up on the Cross.

Lifting up our gaze to God expresses a very important truth: we are invited to enter back into relationship with Him. We cannot remain neutral regarding the Cross of Jesus. Either we are with Him or we are against Him. A choice is made before every action, for the actions of a Christian are none other than the testimony of how “God has loved us so much that he gave His only Son, Jesus.”

The feast was formerly known as the Triumph of the Cross, but it has been renamed the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. “Exaltation” means “to lift up,” and for centuries Christians have elevated crosses so they can be clearly seen and venerated by genuflection, kneeling, a profound bow, singing, dancing, and other expressions of respect and reverence. The Cross is the primary symbol of the Christian faith. It represents Jesus himself, his suffering, his immeasurable love for us, his victory over sin and death, and our redemption. In the Cross is our salvation.

(Source: The Sunday Liturgy)

 Exaltation of the Holy Cross

The Paschal Mystery, i.e., the life, passion, death and resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, is the source and promise of eternal life. The ultimate and abiding symbol of this glorious of all Mysteries is the Cross, on which hung the world’s salvation! The victory of the cross over sin and death was total. And it is the totality of this victory, this joyful triumph that the Church celebrates in this feast.

The lifting up of the Cross on Calvary Hill that fateful Friday had involved much suffering and shame. Yet, it was a sacrifice for the love of the Father, and for the love the Father bore all humankind. Raised high up, Jesus made the cross a pulpit whence he preached, by word and example, the most stirring sermon of his entire ministry on earth — he forgave and he gave. Out of every one of his wounds flowed grace. From his side was born the Church. And before he breathed his last he gave to all humankind the gift of his own mother, Mary. The cross is indeed the sign of his triumph, the vertical beam linking man to God; the horizontal beam that stretches across the vertical, linking man to man and inseparably to God.

As on Good Friday the Cross divided those present on Calvary into two groups, so too when on the last day, “the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven” (Mt 24:30), all of us shall know whether our place is on the left or on the right.

Reflection: “Behold the wood of the Cross, on which our Saviour hung; come, let us adore!” (Good Friday Liturgy)

Daily Readings

September 13, 2025

Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Reading 1

1 Timothy 1:15–17

Beloved: The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 113:1–2, 3–4, 5a and 6–7

Response: May the name of the Lord be blest for evermore.

Praise, O servants of the Lord,

praise the name of the Lord!

May the name of the Lord be blest

both now and forevermore! 

Response: May the name of the Lord be blest for evermore.

From the rising of the sun

to its setting,

praised be the name of the Lord!

High above all nations is the Lord,

above the heavens his glory. 

Response: May the name of the Lord be blest for evermore.

Who is like the Lord, our God,

who lowers himself to look down

upon heaven and earth?

From the dust he lifts up the lowly,

from the ash heap he raises the poor. 

Response: May the name of the Lord be blest for evermore.

Alleluia

John 14:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, says the Lord; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him.

Gospel

Luke 6:43–49

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’, and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Reflection

Jesus teaches his disciples about bearing fruit and building a house on solid rock. A strong foundation prevents the house from being shaken by floods, while a weak foundation can collapse. Jesus invites us to examine our inner foundation and assess if there has been erosion or if we strive to keep it solid and secure. Regular monitoring of our inner foundation is crucial to avoiding potential disasters like inner floods or downstream erosions. A deep friendship with Jesus helps us remain strong even during the lowest points of life. Life is never permanent, and we may face moments of loneliness and happiness, but we survive because we have Christ in our lives. We should pray for a deeper encounter with Jesus and invite him into our lives to remain serene and calm amidst trials and turbulence.

St John Chrysostom (Bishop, Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church) (349-407)

St John Chrysostom was the son of a pagan father and a Greek mother. At 23, his friend St Basil, and St Meletius, Bishop of his native Antioch, turned him away from Greek classical studies to the study of Scripture. Two years later he was baptized, ordained a “lector” and thereafter lived for several years as an anchorite in a cave.

Ordained priest in 386, John became the very “eyes, ears and hands of his Bishop”, and turned more and more to the writing of treatises and books, his greatest asset being the spiritually deep content of his preaching, which came to influence life throughout the East, earning him, in the process, the Greek suffix, Chrysostom, meaning “golden-mouthed”.

After he had spent 12 years in priestly ministry, John was consecrated Bishop of the great Eastern metropolis of Constantinople. He immediately began to correct abuses and to initiate much needed ecclesiastical reform. He reduced radically the expenses of his Episcopal household even as he, himself, continued to live in utter simplicity, purging the clergy of unworthy elements and tightening monastic discipline.

In the 5th year of his episcopate, he was deposed and sent into exile. But the temper of the people ensured that he was recalled almost immediately. As soon as things had calmed down, however, and after two failed attempts on his life, John was again banished to Armenia where he passed away.

Reflection: “There is nothing which so much aids to keep the soul in tranquillity and calm as meekness and modesty” (St John Chrysostom).

Daily Readings

September 12, 2025

Friday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

Reading I

1 Timothy 1:1–2, 12–14

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 16:1–2a and 5, 7–8, 11

Response: It is you, O Lord, who are my portion.

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord.

O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup;

you yourself who secure my lot.  

Response: It is you, O Lord, who are my portion.

I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,

who even at night directs my heart.

I keep the Lord before me always;

with him at my right hand,

I shall not be moved.  

Response: It is you, O Lord, who are my portion.

You will show me the path of life,

the fullness of joy in your presence,

at your right hand, bliss forever.  

Response: It is you, O Lord, who are my portion.

Alleluia

See John 17:17b, 17a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Your word, O Lord, is truth; sanctify us in the truth.

Gospel

Luke 6:39–42

At that time: Jesus told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye’, when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

Reflection 

The Gospel passage of today emphasizes the importance of a heart check and not just an eye check. It encourages us to be aware of our thoughts and be conscientious about our actions, as judgment can often come without conscious awareness on our part. Jesus warns us against being judgemental and focusing on others’ faults without recognising our shortcomings. To follow Jesus’ steps, we should seek to grow without judgement and use the spirit of faith to search for God’s will, and his unconditional love. To succeed in our healthy relationships and friendships, it is essential to avoid a judgemental mindset. It is crucial to have the courage and humility to point the accusing finger at ourselves, rather than focusing on the faults of others. We must follow Jesus wholeheartedly and reach out to people in need without judgment.

St Guy (- 1033)

St Guy, called the Poor Man of Anderlecht, was born in the country near Brussels (in Belgium) of poor but virtuous and, consequently, content parents. They could not afford to give their son a school education, but this did not hinder them from instructing him early in life in Christian virtue and the practice of the Christian Faith. They would often repeat to him the lesson which old Tobias gave his son— “We shall have many good things if we fear God.”

Happily enough, young Guy loved poverty and learned to live ever contentedly, bearing all hardships. The charity which he had for his neighbour was no less active. He divided his pittance with the poor, and often fed them whilst he himself fasted.

A wanderer in his youth, Guy, arrived at Laeken, near Brussels, where he showed such devotion before the shrine of Our Lady that the priest there besought him to stay on and serve the church. Thenceforth, his happiness lay largely in being always in the church, sweeping the floor, dusting the ceiling, polishing the altars and cleansing the sacred vessels, and still finding both time and means to befriend the needy. His almsgiving became so famous that a merchant of Brussels came to Laeken and offered him a share in his business. Guy could not bear the thought of having to leave the church premises; but the offer seemed providential, the scope for charity bright, and he at last accepted it.

About 1033, sensing his imminent end, he returned to his own country where he was hospitalized because of exhaustion and illness brought on by the fatigue of his journeys and other hardships

Reflection: “To God glory ... to my neighbour happiness .... to me hardship” (St Bertilla).

Daily Readings

September 11, 2025

Thursday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Colossians 3:12–17

Brethren: Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Responsorial Psalm

 Psalm 150:1b–2, 3–4, 5–6  

Response: Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! (Or: Alleluia).

Praise God in his holy place;

praise him in his mighty firmament.

Praise him for his powerful deeds;

praise him for his boundless grandeur. 

Response: Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! (Or: Alleluia).

O praise him with sound of trumpet;

praise him with lute and harp.

Praise him with timbrel and dance;

praise him with strings and pipes. 

Response: Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! (Or: Alleluia).

O praise him with resounding cymbals;

praise him with clashing of cymbals.

Let everything that breathes

praise the Lord! 

Response: Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! (Or: Alleluia).

Alleluia

1 John 4:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

Gospel

Luke 6:27–38

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Reflection 

Jesus invites us Christians to respond to the challenges of loving our enemies, doing good to those who hate us, bless and pray for those who abuse us. This divine call is not a rational but a Christian way and the only way for a Christian. Forgiving an enemy and wishing good for him/her is a decision and a process, and the path may take time. Jesus encourages us not only to free the individual who wounded us but also to free ourselves from pain, anger, and hurt. He is patient and persistent, and we must plead with him to change our hearts and transform them into merciful hearts like his. Let us spend this day pondering, how he has been merciful to us even when we are sinful and ungrateful.

St Paphnutius the Great Bishop, Confessor (-c.350)

St Paphnutius was an Egyptian who spent some years under St Anthony’s direction in the desert and was then appointed to a bishopric in the Upper Thebaid. During the persecution of the tyrant Maximinus Thrax he was, with many others, condemned to have his right eye torn off and his left knee mutilated, and then sent to work in the mines. With the return of peaceful conditions, he was able to take up again the administration of his See and proved himself an unswerving opponent of Arianism.

At the great Council of Nicaea he was conspicuously honoured by the friendship and esteem of Constantine the Great, who would often consult him in private and then, when seeing him off, would reverently kiss the place where his eye had been pulled out. It is perhaps due to his influence that the Council left to the discretion of Priests who had been married before ordination, the question of continence. It was decreed, however, that all clergy who had been celibate at ordination, would continue to observe continence. In 335 Paphnutius also attended the Synod of Tyre in the company of St Athanasius, and there defended him vigorously against his Arian adversaries.

Reflection: “God is love, and he that dw

ells in love dwells in God and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16).

Daily Readings

September 10, 2025

Wednesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Colossians 3:1–11

Brethren: If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 145:2-3, 10-11, 12-13ab 

Response: How good is the Lord to all.

I will bless you day after day,

and praise your name forever and ever.

The Lord is great

and highly to be praised;

his greatness cannot be measured.  

Response: How good is the Lord to all.

All your works shall thank you, O Lord,

and all your faithful ones bless you.

They shall speak of the glory of your reign,

and declare your mighty deeds.  

Response: How good is the Lord to all.

To make known your might

to the children of men,

and the glorious splendour of your reign.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom;

your rule endures for all generations.  

Response: How good is the Lord to all.

Alleluia

Luke 6:23ab

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Rejoice and leap for joy, says the Lord, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.

Gospel

Luke 6:20–26

At that time: Jesus lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.”

Reflection 

The Gospel of the day highlights the reality that those who are blessed are often the ones who are rejected and hated by the world. We are blessed when we do not compromise on principles, but follow Jesus with undivided loyalty. Jesus emphasizes that riches and poverty are not the criteria to evaluate one’s true blessing or curse, but rather, it is determined by one’s relationship with him. Riches are God’s blessings given to us for proper distribution as stewards, and so they should not lead to greed or selfishness. Jesus was a defender of the poor, and his followers should strive to be defenders of the poor. Christian living requires availability and cooperation in the mission of Jesus.

St Nicholas of Tolentino, Confessor (1245 -1305)

St Nicholas of Tolentino owes his baptismal name to the fact that he was born in response to the prayer of his parents, Campagnone and Amata de Guarutti, to St Nicholas of Bari, his mother at that time being already well advanced in age. 

As a child he was such a model of holiness that he was made Canon of Tolentino in Italy at 17 while still a student. But moved by a sermon of a certain Fr Reginaldo on the text 1 John 2:15-17 (“Do not love the world…….), he soon resigned this dignity, however, renouncing all prospects of Ecclesiastical eminence and joined the austere Hermits of St Augustine among whom he came to be known for his remarkable devotion, angelic meekness, and sincere striving after perfection. Ordained a priest, he resolved to preach the word of God daily and soon gained renown for his eloquence and an extraordinary gift of miracles.

Nicholas had a deep concern for the poor and his ardent charity for the holy souls in Purgatory earned him the title of “Advocate of the souls in Purgatory”. Repeatedly it was shown him in a vision during Mass how he had gained the release of a soul by offering the Holy Sacrifice for it. 

Nicholas was canonized in 1446.

Reflection: “Let us not forget the maxim of the Saints, which warns us that every day we must feel that we begin our perfection; and if we bear this well in mind we will not be astonishe

d at the misery we find in ourselves”’ (St Francis de Sales).

Daily Readings

September 9

Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest

Reading 1

Colossians 2:6–15

Brethren: As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 145: 1b-2. 8-9. 10-11 

Response: How good is the Lord to all.

I will extol you, my God and king,

and bless your name forever and ever.

I will bless you day after day,

and praise your name forever and ever.  

Response: How good is the Lord to all.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion,

slow to anger, abounding in mercy.

How good is the Lord to all,

compassionate to all his creatures.  

Response: How good is the Lord to all.

All your works shall thank you,

O Lord, and all your faithful ones bless you.

They shall speak of the glory of your reign,

and declare your mighty deeds.  

Response: How good is the Lord to all.

Alleluia

I chose you from the world that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, says the Lord..

Gospel

Luke 6:12–19

In those days Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.

Reflection

Jesus selected twelve ordinary men to form his community and continue his mission after he returned to the Father. Despite their ordinary status, they had faith in Jesus and walked with him for three years. They were empowered with the Holy Spirit and sent on a mission to preach, teach and drive out evil spirits. The Gospel emphasises the importance of prayerfully discerning the will of God before making any decision or choice in life, as Jesus chose his apostles for his mission after a whole night’s prayer. The apostles, except for Judas, were faithful followers of the Lord and collaborators in Christ’s mission. By Baptism, we are called to collaborate with Jesus, lead holy lives, and be patient in suffering. Loving Jesus means facing hardships for his kingdom’s advancement.

St Peter Claver, Confessor (1581-1654)

The son of a Spanish farmer living near Barcelona, St Peter became a Jesuit at the age of 20, and while finishing his novitiate on the island of Majorca, was inspired by St Alphonsus Rodriguez, the holy doorkeeper of the Jesuit college there, to devote his life to missionary work in America. In 1610 he arrived at Cartagena in Central America, was ordained priest, and for the next 44 years made that port city his headquarters for missionary work among the Negro slaves.

Peter Claver was probably the first white man to take interest in these unfortunates. Accompanied by a small band of interpreters, he would lovingly minister to the sick and the dying in the horribly fetid hold of ships, and hand out fruit and cooling drinks to the half crazed, fear-struck Negroes who had only been permitted on deck as the ship cast anchor. Undeterred by the antagonism of the callous merchants and the misgivings of his own superiors who were apt to look askance at his “indiscreet zeal”, Peter calmly went about, instructing his charges in the elements of the Christian Faith. At a solemn baptismal ceremony in the large town square, he would present each Negro with a small but greatly treasured medal of Jesus and Mary. In all, it has been estimated, he administered the Sacrament to over 300,000 people.

Peter Claver was canonized at the same time as his friend St Alphonsus Rodriguez in 1888 and declared special Patron of all Catholic missions in 1896.

Reflection: “Jesus Christ, Son of God, you shall be my father, my mother and all my good. I love you much!” (St Peter Claver)

Daily Readings

September 8, 2025

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Reading 1

Sept 08, Mon

Micah 5:2–5a (Or: Romans 8:28–30)

Thus says the Lord: You, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labour has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace.

or

Romans 8:28-30

Brothers and sisters:

We know that all things work for good for those who love God,

who are called according to his purpose.

For those he foreknew he also predestined

to be conformed to the image of his Son,

so that he might be the firstborn

among many brothers.

And those he predestined he also called;

and those he called he also justified;

and those he justified he also glorified.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 13:6, 7a

Response: I will greatly rejoice in the Lord.

As for me, I trust in your merciful love.

Let my heart rejoice in your salvation.  

Response: I will greatly rejoice in the Lord.

I will sing to the Lord

who has been bountiful with me.  

Response: I will greatly rejoice in the Lord.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise; from you rose the sun of justice, Christ our God.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mathew: 1:18–23

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. But as he considered these thiMatthewngs, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel” (which means, God with us).

Reflection

Today, we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who played a crucial role in God’s plan of salvation. Matthew, in the gospel, shows that both Mary and Joseph came from the line of David. Mary’s role in the plan of salvation is extraordinary, as she trusted God and placed herself in an awkward position when responding to God’s call to bear  His Son. Her simple “yes” created a paradigm shift and remained a source of awe and reverence. Mary’s motherly way is exceptional and an epitome of God’s unconditional love for us. We are grateful for her constant care and intercession, and we should form and keep a heart like Mary’s, with great faith and trust in God’s providential care as we continue to bear Christ in our lives and give him to the world.

The Nativity of Mary

The Church regards the day of a saint’s death a “birthday”, and rightly so! For it was on that day that the elect ended his/her life on earth to be born anew to the real life in heaven. There is, however, an exception made whereby the Church celebrates the natural birth of three persons, viz., Jesus, Mary and John the Baptist.

The birth of a child is always a joyful event in the family. Indeed, as Rabindranath Tagore says, “Every child comes into the world with the assurance that God is not yet fed up with the human race.” Today we celebrate the birth a woman who came as “the dawn of hope and salvation to the whole world”.

“Having been destined to become the Mother of the Eternal Word, this Child was enriched with so great a grace that even at the moment of her Immaculate Conception she exceeded all the Saints and Angels in sanctity, for she was given a higher order of grace, which corresponded to her dignity of Mother of God,” exults St Alphonsus de Liguori.

Mary, the new Eve, is the Mother of the Church and a mother to each one of us. She is the delight of the Father, the joy of the Son and the faithful spouse of the Holy Spirit who would descend on her to form Christ.

Today’s feast, with its origin in the Orient, first celebrated in Jerusalem in the fifth century, and introduced in Rome in the eighth, helped fix the date of the “Immaculate Conception” at 8 December.

Reflection: “Today the Virgin is born, tended and formed,  and prepared for her role as Mother of God who is the universal King of the ages” (St Andrew of Crete).

 Saint of the Day †

(September 7)

? Blessed Frédéric Ozanam ?

Founder of Society of Saint Vincent de Paul:

Born: April 23, 1813

Milan, Kingdom of Italy

Died: September 8, 1853

Marseilles, France

Venerated in: Roman Catholic Church

Beatified: August 22, 1997

Pope John Paul II

Patronage:

Politicians, Economists, Social Workers, Teachers, Journalists, Criminologists, Anthropologists, Writers, Travelers, Accountants, Lawyers, Environmentalists, Doctors, Police, Volunteers, Businessmen, Sociologists, Diplomats, Humanitarians, Scientists, Agriculturalists, Laborers, Philanthropists, Historians, Geographers

Feast: September 7

A man convinced of the inestimable worth of each human being, Frédéric served the poor of Paris well and drew others into serving the poor of the world. Through the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, which he founded, his work continues to the present day.

Frédéric was the fifth of Jean and Marie Ozanam’s 14 children, one of only three to reach adulthood. As a teenager, he began having doubts about his religion. Reading and prayer did not seem to help, but long walking discussions with Father Noirot of the Lyons College clarified matters a great deal.

Frederic Ozanam was born on April 23, 1813, in Milan, Italy. He was the fifth child of fourteen born to Jean-Antoine- Francoise and Marie Nantes Ozanam, ardent French Catholics of middle-class circumstances. His father had served with distinction as an officer under Napoleon, retiring early to become a tutor and later to practice medicine. When the city of Milan fell to the Austrians in 1815, the Ozanams returned to their native city of Lyons in France where Frederic spent his early years.

At seven he suffered the loss of his sister, Elise, which came as great grief to him because they had grown close as she patiently helped him with his early lessons. Frederic became a day student at the Royal College of Lyons where he quickly showed an aptitude for and an interest in literature and where he would later become editor of a college journal, The Bee.

In a letter written when he was sixteen we have something of an autobiographical account of these early years:

...They say 1 was very gentle and docile as a child, and they attribute this to my feeble health, but 1 account for it in another way. 1 had a sister, such a beloved sister! who used to take turns with my mother to teach me, and whose lessons were so sweet, so well-explained, so admirably suited to my childish comprehension as to be a real delight to me. All things considered, 1 was pretty good at this stage of my life, and, with the exception of some trifling peccadilloes, 1 have not much to reproach myself with.

At seven years old I had a serious illness, which brought me so near death that everybody said I was saved by a miracle, not that I wanted kind care, my dear father and mother hardly left my bedside for fifteen days and nights. I was on the point of expiring when suddenly I asked for some beer. I had always disliked beer but it saved me. I recovered, and six months later, my sister, my darling sister, died. Oh! what grief that was. Then I began to learn Latin, and to be naughty; really and truly I believe I never was so wicked as at eight years old. And yet I was being educated by a kind father and a kind mother and an excellent brother; I loved them dearly, and at this period I had no friends outside my family, yet I was obstinate, passionate, disobedient. I was punished, and I rebelled against it. I used to write letters to my mother complaining of my punishments. I was lazy to the last degree and used to plan all sorts of naughtiness in my mind. This is a true portrait of me as I was first going to school at nine and a half years old. By degrees I improved; emulation cured my laziness. I was very fond of my master; I had some little successes, which encouraged me. I studied with ardour, and at the same time, I began to feel some emotions of pride. I must also confess that I exchanged a great number of blows with my companions. But I changed very much for the better when I entered the fifth class. I fell ill and was obliged to go for a month to the country, to the house of a very kind lady, where I acquired some degree of polish, which I lost in great part soon after.

I grew rather idle in the fourth class, but I pulled up again in the third. It was then that I made my First Communion. O glad and blessed day! may my right hand wither and my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I ever forget thee!

I had changed a good deal by this time; I had become modest, gentle, and docile, more industrious and unhappily rather scrupulous. I still continued proud and impatient. 12

At sixteen the young Ozanam started his course in philosophy and became greatly disturbed by doubts of faith for about a year. However, he was able to survive the ordeal with the help of a wise teacher and guide, Abbe Noirot, who was to exercise a strong influence on Frederic throughout his life. In the midst of this crisis, he made a promise that if he could see the truth, then he would devote his entire life to its defence. Subsequently, he emerged from the crisis with a consolidation of the intellectual bases for his faith, a lifetime commitment to the defence of Truth and a deep sense of compassion for unbelievers.

Despite a leaning toward literature and history, Frederic's father decided on a law career for him and apprenticed him to a local attorney, M. Coulet. But, in his spare time, the young man pursued the study of language and managed to contribute historical and philosophical articles to the college journal.

In the Spring of 1831 Ozanam published his first work of any length, "Reflections on the Doctrine of Saint-Simon," which was a defence against some false social teaching that was capturing the fancy of young people at the time. His efforts were rewarded with a favourable notice from some of the leading social thinkers of the day including Lamartine, Chateaubriand and Jean-Jacques Ampere.

Ozanam also found time outside of work to help organize and write for the Propagation of the Faith which had begun in this same city of Lyons.

In Autumn of the same year, Frederic was sent to the University of Paris to study law. At first, he suffered a great deal from homesickness and unsuitable company in boarding house surroundings. But after moving in with the family of the renowned Andre-Marie Ampere where he stayed for two years, he had not only the nourishment of a very Christian and intellectual milieu but also the opportunity to meet some of the bright lights of the Catholic Revival like Chateaubriand, Montalembert, Lacordaire and Ballanche.

It was at this time that Frederic's attraction to history took on the dimensions of a life's task as an apologist, to write a literary history of the Middle Ages from the fifth to the thirteenth centuries with a focus on the role of Christianity in guiding the progress of civilization. His aim was to help restore Catholicism to France where materialism and rationalism, irreligion and anti-clericalism prevailed. He made plans for the extensive studies he would need to equip him for this vocation.

It was not long before Ozanam found the climate of the University hostile to Christian belief. So he seized the opportunity to find kindred spirits among the students to join in defending the faith with notable success. Among these was one who was to become his best friend, Francoise Lallier.

Under the sponsorship of an older ex-professor, J. Emmanuel Bailly, these young men revived a discussion group called a "Society of Good Studies" and formed it into a "Conference of History" which quickly became a forum for large and lively discussions among students. Their attentions turned frequently to the social teachings of the Gospel.

At one meeting during a heated debate in which Ozanam and his friends were trying to prove from historical evidence alone the truth of the Catholic Church as the one founded by Christ, their adversaries declared that, though at one time the Church was a source of good, it no longer was. One voice issued the challenge, "What is your church doing now? What is she doing for the poor of Paris? Show us your works and we will believe you!" In response, one of Ozanam's companions, Auguste de Letaillandier, suggested some effort in favor of the poor. "Yes," Ozanam agreed, "let us go to the poor!"

After this, the "Conference of History" became the "Conference of Charity" which eventually was named the "Conference of St. Vincent de Paul." Now, instead of engaging in mere discussion and debate, seven of the group (M. Bailly, Frederic Ozanam, Francois Lallier, Paul Lamarche, Felix Clave, Auguste Letaillandier and Jules De Vaux) met on a May evening in 1833 for the first time and determined to engage in practical works of charity. This little band was to expand rapidly over France and around the world even during the lifetime of Ozanam.

In the meantime, Frederic continued his law studies but kept his interest in literary and historical matters. He was also able to initiate other ventures like the famed "Conferences of Notre Dame" which provided thousands with the inspired and enlightening sermons of Pere Lacordaire. This was another expression of Ozanam's life-commitment to work for the promotion of the Truth of the Church.

In 1834, after passing his bar examination, Frederic turned to Lyons for the holidays and then went to Italy where he was to gain his first appreciation of medieval art. After this, he returned to Paris to continue studying for his doctorate in Law. When he finished, he took up a practice of law in Lyons, but with little satisfaction. His attention turned more and more to literature. When his father died in 1837, he found himself the sole support of his mother which kept him in the field of law to make a living.

In 1839, after finishing a brilliant thesis on Dante which revolutionized critical work on the poet, the Sorbonne awarded him a doctorate in literature. In the same year he was given a chair of Commercial Law at Lyons where his lectures received wide acclaim and where, after an offer to assume a chair of Philosophy at Orleans, he was asked to lecture also on Foreign Literature at Lyons which enabled him to support his mother. She died early in 1840, leaving him quite unsettled about his future. At the time, Lacordaire was on his way to Rome to join the Dominicans with the hope of returning to France to restore religious life. For a while, Ozanam entertained the idea of joining him, but again under the guidance of Abbe Noirot and with the consideration of his commitment to the constantly expanding work of the Conference of Charity which were multiplying around France, he decided against pursuing a life of celibacy and the cloister.

In the same year (1840), to qualify for the Chair of Foreign Literature at Lyons, Ozanam had to take a competitive examination which demanded six months of gruelling preparation. He took first place easily with the result that he was offered an assistantship to a professor of Foreign Literature at the prestigious Sorbonne, M. Fauriel. When Fauriel died three years later, Ozanam replaced him with the rank of full professor, no mean accomplishment for a man of his early years. This established him in the midst of the intellectual world of Paris. He now began a course of lectures on German Literature in the Middle Ages. To prepare, he went on a short tour of Germany. His lectures proved highly successful despite the fact that, contrary to his predecessors and most colleagues in the anti-Christian climate of the Sorbonne, he attached fundamental importance to Christianity as the primary factor in the growth of European civilization.

After years of hesitation concerning marriage, Frederic was introduced by his old friend and guide, Abbe Noirot, to Amelie Soulacroix, the daughter of the rector of the Lyons Academy. They married on June 23, 1844, and spent an extended honeymoon in Italy during which he continued his research. After four years of a happy marriage, an only daughter, Marie, was born to the delighted Ozanams.

All during this time, Ozanam, who had never enjoyed robust health, found his work-load increasing between the teaching, writing and work with the Conference of St. Vincent de Paul. In 1846 he was named to the Legion of Honor. But at this time his health broke down and, he was forced to take a year's rest in Italy where he continued his research.

When the Revolution of 1848 broke out, Ozanam served briefly and reluctantly in the National Guard. Later he made a belated and unsuccessful bid for election to the National Assembly at the insistence of friends. This was followed by a short and stormy effort at publishing a liberal Catholic journal called The New Era which was aimed at securing justice for the poor and working classes. This evoked the ire of conservative Catholics and the consternation of some of Ozanam's friends for seeming to side with the Church's enemies. In its pages, he advocated that Catholics play their part in the evolution of a democratic state.

At this time, too, he wrote another of his important works, The Italian Franciscan Poets of the Thirteenth Century, which reflected his admiration for Franciscan ideals.

During the academic year 1851/52, Ozanam barely managed to get through his teaching responsibilities as a complete breakdown of his health was in progress. The doctors ordered him to surrender his teaching duties at the Sorbonne and he again went with his family to Southern Europe for rest. It did not deter him, however, from continuing to promote the work of the Conferences.

In the Spring of 1853, the Ozanams moved to a seaside cottage at Leghorn, Italy, on the Mediterranean, where Frederic spent his last days peacefully. Though not fearing death, he expressed the wish to die on French soil, so his brothers came to assist him and his family to Marseilles where Frederic died on September 8, 1853.

He has been revered since as an exemplar of the lay apostle in family, social and intellectual life. The work he began with the Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul has continued to flourish. At his death, the membership numbered about 15,000. Today (in 1979) it numbers 750,000, serving the poor in 112 countries, a living monument to Frederic Ozanam and his companions.

Daily Readings

September 6, 2025

Saturday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

Reading I

Colossians 1:21–23

Brethren: You, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 54:3–4, 6 and 8

Response: See, I have God for my help.

O God, save me by your name;

by your power, defend my cause.

O God, hear my prayer;

give ear to the words of my mouth. 

Response: See, I have God for my help.

See, I have God for my help.

The Lord sustains my soul.

I will sacrifice to you with willing heart,

and praise your name, for it is good. 

Response: See, I have God for my help.

Alleluia

John 14:6

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the way, and the truth, and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father except through me.

Gospel

Luke 6:1–5

On a sabbath, while Jesus was going through the cornfields, his disciples plucked and ate some ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands. But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

Reflection

In today’s Gospel, we see that the disciples may have broken the law, but they didn’t intentionally do so. The Pharisees, however, constantly sought reasons to criticize Jesus and his followers, demonstrating the tendency for nit-picking and judgemental attitudes without understanding the true cause behind the actions. Jesus, as a good teacher, defends His followers and challenges the Pharisees to see what is right and just to do it. Do we indulge in fault-finding when it serves our purpose? Of course, most of us do not like it when others scrutinise our behaviours, attitudes or actions. Yet, it is extremely easy for us to fall into this pattern. However, when we become aware that we are judging another, we can stop, breathe and then dismiss the judgment. We need to cultivate a non-judgemental attitude and remain healthy, happier and more relaxed.

St Eleutherius, Abbot (6th century)

The holy man, old father Eleutherius”, is known for his simplicity and spirit of compunction. Chosen Abbot of St Mark’s near Spoleto, Italy, he was favoured by God with the gift of miracles.

Once, when he was lodging at a convent of nuns he was asked to take over the care of a boy who was troubled every night by an evil spirit. Eleutherius did so, and for long nothing untoward happened to the lad, prompting the holy Abbot to say: “Since the child is among the servants of God, the devil dares not approach him!”—words that obviously smacked of vanity. Thereupon the devil again entered the child and tormented him mercilessly. The Abbot, realizing his folly, humbly confessed his fault and, with his whole community, fasted and prayed till the young lad was again freed from the tyranny of the fiend.

St Gregory the Great, unable to fast on Easter Eve on account of extreme weakness, engaged Eleutherius to go with him to the church of St Andrew, there to plead with God for his health, that he might join the faithful in the solemn penitential practice. Eleutherius prayed with many tears, and the Pope, coming out of the church found his breast suddenly strengthened so that he was enabled to perform the fast as he desired.

St Eleutherius died in St Andrew’s monastery in Rome, about the year 585.

Reflection: “It was his will that after death the Church should give his image in the Crucifix—that he might appear to us in a condition of utmost ignominy. And why? Precisely because he knew the worth of humility and the danger of the sin which opposes it” (St Vincent de Paul).

Daily Readings

September 5, 2025, Friday

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, virgin

First Reading

Colossians 1:15–20

Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven,  making peace by the blood of his cross.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 100:1–2, 3, 4, 5   

Response: Come before the Lord, singing for joy.

Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Serve the Lord with gladness.

Come before him, singing for joy. 

Response: Come before the Lord, singing for joy.

Know that he, the Lord, is God.

He made us; we belong to him.

We are his people,

the sheep of his flock.

Response: Come before the Lord, singing for joy.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with songs of praise.

Give thanks to him,

and bless his name. 

Response: Come before the Lord, singing for joy.

Indeed, how good is the Lord,

eternal his merciful love.

He is faithful from age to age. 

Response: Come before the Lord, singing for joy

Alleluia

See Matthew 11:25

I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life.

Gospel

Luke 5:33–39

At that time: The Pharisees and the scribes said to Jesus, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’

Reflection

For most of us, it is hard to accept changes and new ideas, because it may cost us a lot. We are happy with the old because it simply makes us feel more comfortable and more secure. The Pharisees criticized Jesus for not being ascetical enough, supposing that Jesus and his disciples should be fasting and praying more. This temptation to judge others based on what we “see and observe” is evident in today’s Gospel. Jesus invites His listeners to look at situations differently and be open to the “new”. This may be an uncomfortable invitation, as we feel comfortable with our usual ways of doing things. Jesus is challenging the Pharisees and us to be open to other ways of doing things and not to judge others too quickly. Let us pray to the Lord, to grant us a heart of understanding to accept others as they are.

Saint Teresa of Kolkata (Religious, Founder) (1910-1997)

Teresa was born in Skopje, Yugoslavia and Christened Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. The youngest of three children who lost their father in their childhood, she joined Loreto Abbey in Ireland at 18, taking the name “Teresa”, choosing St Therese of Lisieux as her patron. Five months later, i.e., in 1929, she came to Calcutta (now Kolkata), where she taught for sixteen years at St Mary’s School, Entally and mastered the local language, Bengali.

In 1946 she got what she referred to as “the call within the call”, viz., “to be God’s love in action to the poorest of the poor”. In 1948, clad in a coarse blue-bordered white sari, a crucifix pinned at her shoulder and equipped with a 6-month intensive training course in ‘nursing’, she nursed the sick and the dying with utmost tenderness, lovingly cleansed their maggot-infested wounds, washed their naked bodies, cradled them into the Lord’s peace the way only someone divinely possessed could.

In 1952, she started “Nirmal Hriday” (pure heart), a home for dying destitute, followed by the opening of “Shishu Bhavan” for children; in 1957, “Shanti Nagar” for lepers; in 1963, a parallel institute for men, the “Missionary Brothers of Charity”. Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize (1979) and the Bharat Ratna (1980), Teresa walked with royalty without losing the common touch and was comfortable with Pope, politician and pauper alike.

She was canonized in 2016.

Reflection: “At the moment of death we will not be judged according to the number of good deeds . . . . . . We will be judged according to the love we have put into our work” (Blessed Mother Teresa).

Daily Readings

September 4, 2025

Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Colossians 1:9–14

Brethren: From the day we heard, [your love in the Spirit] we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 98:2–3ab, 3cd–4, 5–6 

Response: The Lord has made known his salvation.

The Lord has made known his salvation,

has shown his deliverance to the nations.

He has remembered his merciful love

and his truth for the house of Israel.  

Response: The Lord has made known his salvation.

All the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation of our God.

Shout to the Lord, all the earth;

break forth into joyous song,

and sing out your praise.  

Response: The Lord has made known his salvation.

Sing psalms to the Lord with the harp,

with the harp and the sound of song.

With trumpets and the sound of the horn,

raise a shout before the King, the Lord.  

Response: The Lord has made known his salvation.

Alleluia

Matthew 4:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Follow me, says the Lord; and I will make you fishers of men.

Gospel

Luke 5:1–11

At that time: On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Reflection 

In the Gospel, Simon Peter begged Jesus to “depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” However, Jesus, with love, mercy, and forgiveness, asserted that from then on, he would be catching men. Simon and his fellow fishermen left everything to follow the Lord. Regardless of our sins and dark past, Jesus calls us to begin a new life with him. He wants us to walk away from our sins and leave behind whatever makes us sinful. Jesus is not interested in our sinful past but in our present and future with him. We must respond to his call to become his followers. As Jesus said, “Do not be afraid,” we must trust in his companionship and follow his footsteps.

St Rose of Viterbo, Virgin (1235 -1252)

The daughter of poor and pious parents, Rose showed remarkable holiness in her early childhood. At 7 she was already practising penitential austerities and living as a recluse. In response to Our Lady’s command, she joined the Third Order of St Francis when about 10, and started to preach public penance in the streets of Viterbo (in Italy). For two years she exhorted the citizens to remain faithful to the Pope and to resist Emperor Frederick II of Germany, who at that time held the city. The spirited youngster spoke with such power and apparent authority, accompanying her pleas with such remarkable miracles that the imperial prefect came to consider her influence a serious threat to his own authority, and so banished her from Viterbo with her family.

When the Pope’s power was restored in Viterbo in 1251, Rose returned to her native city and asked for admission to the convent of the Poor Clares, but was refused. Thereupon she went to live in a small cell on the outskirts of Viterbo, foretelling that she would be admitted to the convent after her death. And so it happened indeed, for not long after she had died the following spring at the age of 17, i.e. on 6 March 1252, Pope Alexander IV ordered her remains to be interred at the convent of the Poor Clares.

On the eve of her feast annually, 70 men carry her body through the streets in a triumphal procession, surmounted by a 60-foot-high wooden tower of Gothic design.

Reflection: “Prayer reveals to souls the vanity of earthly goods and pleasures. It fills them with light, strength and consolation; and gives them a foretaste of the calm bliss of our heavenly home” (St Rose of Viterbo).

Daily Readings

September 3, 2025

Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

Reading 1

Colossians 1:1–8

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing – as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 52:10, 11 

Response: I trust in the mercy of God, forever and ever.

I am like a growing olive tree

in the house of God.

I trust in the mercy of God,

forever and ever.  

Response: I trust in the mercy of God, forever and ever.

I will thank you forever more,

for this is your doing.

I will hope in your name, for it is good,

in the presence of your faithful.  

Response: I trust in the mercy of God, forever and ever.

Alleluia

Luke 4:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives.

Gospel

Luke 4:38–44

At that time: Jesus arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

Reflection

Today’s Gospel highlights Christ’s compassion towards Peter’s mother-in-law and other sick persons seeking healing. Having experienced healing, Peter’s mother-in-law began to serve others. Jesus’ healing touch not only restores our health, frees us from bondages and troubles,  but also moves us to active service and care for others. To whom do you take your troubles and struggles in life?  Do you allow Jesus to be the Lord and healer in your life, family, and community? Certainly, we need to ask whether we have realized what a friend we have in Jesus. It is our privilege to appeal to Jesus, bring to him all our sins and griefs, illness and pain, sorrow and tears, and indeed everything to him in prayer, for in him and through him we have true healing and joy.

St Gregory the Great, Pope, Confessor, Doctor of the Church (c. 540 - 604)

Gregory was the brilliant and energetic son of a wealthy Roman patrician. At 33 he was already mayor of Rome, but soon gave up all worldly ambition and joined the Benedictines whom the invading Lombards had driven from Monte Cassino to Rome. From 579 to 586 he acted as Papal legate in Constantinople, and upon his return was elected Abbot of his monastery on the Coelian Hill. Three years later there occurred a disastrous inundation that destroyed the Papal granaries, caused a dreadful pestilence, and decimated the population. It even carried off the Pope; and a very reluctant Gregory, who had been the Pope’s chief adviser for some years, was unanimously elected to succeed him in 590—the first case of a monk becoming Pope.

One of Pope Gregory’s first acts was to call the Roman people to converge in seven great penitential processions upon the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, to implore God’s pardon and the cessation of the plague. Legend has it that the Archangel Michael then appeared above Hadrian’s tomb and sheathed his sword, thus indicating the end of the dreaded disease.

Gregory ruled for only 14 years, but his work was of such far-reaching consequence that he is considered the most notable Pope of the first 1000 years. Living with monastic frugality, he continued to wear his coarse monk’s habit on all but formal occasions. He combated simony, incontinence, heresy and injustice, and promoted a wider interest in the Church’s liturgy and sacred music (“Gregorian Chant”).

Gregory is venerated as the patron of singers, scholars and teachers.

Reflection: “No sacrifice can be more acceptable to God than labour with genuine zeal for the saving of souls” (St Gregory).

Daily Readings

September 2, 2025

Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

1 Thessalonians 5:1–6, 9–11

Concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security”, then sudden destruction will come upon them as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 27:1, 4, 13–14

Response: I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

whom should I dread? 

Response: I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.

There is one thing I ask of the Lord,

only this do I seek:

to live in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the Lord,

to inquire at his temple. 

Response: I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.

I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness

in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord; be strong;

be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord! 

Response: I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.

Alleluia

Luke 7:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

A great prophet has arisen among us, and God has visited his people.

Gospel

Luke 4:31–37

At that time: Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

Reflection

Jesus, in today’s Gospel, exemplifies the power of love in fighting evil. His Word can transform, heal, and set free those who believe in him. Jesus challenges us to commit our lives completely to him so that we may also have the power and authority to conquer evil and live a life of faith. The authority of Jesus becomes a model for each of us to exercise our power in love and service to others rather than controlling, oppressing and dissipating. Pope Francis emphasizes the importance of exercising authority for the good of all and the propagation of the Gospel. He tells that every individual, even if in small ways, exercises some authority. May God give us the grace to increase our faith so that we can discern God’s will and purpose in our lives. May our loving Saviour teach us to follow his servant leadership in our lives.

St William of Roskilde (Bishop) (-1070)

St William was an English priest who was chaplain to King Canute. Accompanying the King on one of his voyages from England to Denmark, the zealous servant of God was so moved with compassion at the sight of the ignorance, idolatry and superstition in which so many of the Danes lived that then and there he decided to stay behind to preach Christ and his gospel. He was later made Bishop of Roskilde on the island of Zealand. King Sweyn Estridsen, having once caused some of his subjects to be put to death not only without trial but also within the bounds of a church, was confronted by the saintly William, who, true to his name, which meant “Strong Helmet”, held out his pastoral staff, and forbade him to enter the house of God till his hands were cleansed of the blood he had unjustly spilt. Sweyn publicly confessed his crime, and later gave some land to the church of Roskilde as a peace offering.

Upon the death of the king his body was temporarily buried in the abbey he had founded at Ringsted, till the cathedral of Roskilde was ready for its reception in the very tomb prepared there for William. It is said that while Sweyn’s body was being conveyed from Ringsted to Roskilde, William came out to meet it and, himself, died at its approach so that the two friends were borne together to burial.

Reflection: “Charity may be a very short word, but with its tremendous meaning of pure love, it sums up man’s entire relation to God and to his neighbours. As our Lord explained, it is on charity that all the Law and the Prophets depend” (St Aelred of Rievaulx).

Daily Readings

September 1, 2025

Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 96:1 and 3, 4–5, 11–12, 13

Response: The Lord comes to judge the earth.

O sing a new song to the Lord;

sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Tell among the nations his glory,

and his wonders among all the peoples. 

Response: The Lord comes to judge the earth.

For the Lord is great and highly to be praised,

to be feared above all gods.

For the gods of the nations are naught.

It was the Lord who made the heavens. 

Response: The Lord comes to judge the earth.

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad;

let the sea and all within it thunder praise.

Let the land and all it bears rejoice. 

Response: The Lord comes to judge the earth.

Then will all the trees of the wood shout for joy

at the presence of the Lord, for he comes,

he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with justice;

he will govern the peoples with his truth. 

Response: The Lord comes to judge the earth.

Alleluia

See Luke 4:18

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

Gospel

Luke 4:16–30

At that time: Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke well of him and marvelled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your home town as well.” And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his home town. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away.

Reflection

Jesus, the son of God, is appointed to bring the Good News to the poor, liberty to captives, and liberation to the oppressed. His rejection in Nazareth might have caused sadness and humiliation to him. When we are indifferent to Sacraments, lack desire for union with God in prayer, and above all, show indifference to our suffering brothers and sisters, especially the poor and the marginalized,  we too join the people of Nazareth in rejecting Jesus, the Saviour of the world.

Saint Giles Abbot Confessor (7th century)

It is not certain whether St Giles (Aegidius) was a native of southern France or came there from Greece. He was a holy recluse in a dense forest near Nimes and is said to have been a cripple. Here he was discovered by the King of the Franks when, on a hunting expedition, a wounded deer took refuge in his cave. The saintly old man was persuaded to accept some disciples, and for them a monastery was built, which he governed as Abbot under the Benedictine rule. On its site grew the city of St Giles.

Innumerable churches were dedicated to St Giles, the only saint among the 14 Holy Helpers who is not a Martyr. His cult as the chief patron of the poor, the crippled, the epileptics, the sterile, blacksmiths and foresters became very popular during the Middle Ages when numerous healings and miracles came to be reported at his grave at the abbey, making the site one of the three greatest pilgrimage places of Europe, surpassed only by Campostela and Rome. The pilgrimages set in again since 1862, when many of his relics, which had been dispersed at the time of the Huguenots, were returned to the city, the rediscovery of his tomb in 1865 providing further impetus.

Reflection: “No man can attain to the knowledge of God but by humility. The way to mount high is to descend” (St Giles).

Daily Readings

August 31, 2025

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Sirach (3:17-18, 20, 28-29)

My son, perform your tasks in meekness; then you will be loved by those whom God accepts. The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself; so you will find favour in the sight of the Lord. For great is the might of the Lord; he is glorified by the humble. The affliction of the proud has no healing, for a plant of wickedness has taken root in him. The mind of the intelligent man will ponder a parable, and an attentive ear is the wise man’s desire.

Responsorial Psalm

Response: In your goodness, O God, you prepare a home for the poor.

The just shall rejoice at the presence of God; they shall exult with glad rejoicing. O sing to God; make music to his name. The LORD is his name; exult at his presence.

Response: In your goodness, O God, you prepare a home for the poor.

Father of orphans, defender of widows: such is God in his holy place. God gives the desolate a home to dwell in; he leads the prisoners forth into prosperity.

Response: In your goodness, O God, you prepare a home for the poor.

 You poured down, O God, a generous rain; when your people languished, you restored their inheritance. It was there that your flock began to dwell. In your goodness, O God, you provided for the poor.

Response: In your goodness, O God, you prepare a home for the poor.

Reading 2

Hebrews (12:18-19, 22-24a)

Brethren, you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom, and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant.

Alleluia

Matthew 11:29ab

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord; and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart.

Gospel

Luke (14:1, 7-14)

One Sabbath, when Jesus went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honour, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, Do not sit down in a place of honour, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person’, and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honoured in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

Reflection

In the First Reading the author writes about humility and warns against intellectual pride. A humble person will be loved by others and by God. The warnings against intellectual pride are often read against the background of the author’s own conflict with Hellenistic philosophy and culture around 200 BC. But they apply to people of any age and are presented here as general statements. Those who neglect God’s laws to meddle in things beyond them go astray; they thus display a “hard heart” that ends in destruction.

 In the Second Reading the author uses his standard technique of comparison, juxtaposes the experience of the Israelites at Mount Sinai with a vision of the heavenly Jerusalem. The author makes a contrast between the Mount Sinai and Mount Sion. The Israelites who left Egypt approached God on Mount Sinai to hear the terms of his covenant and discover what it meant to serve him as a holy nation (Exod??19:5-6). The author highlights the physical terrors that were part of that event. So awesome was this encounter with God that even Moses the mediator trembled with fear. Contrasting with Mount Sinai is Mount Sion which is traditionally a place of God’s presence. We understand Mount Sion as the ultimate goal of God’s people when they left Egypt. Men and women of faith in OT times looked forward to this city, but those who have come to God through Jesus Christ are now part of that heavenly scene.

The essence of today’s gospel is the saying of Jesus, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Humility and pride are dealt with elaborately by Jesus as he attends the feast to which he is invited. His teaching results from watching the guests head for the seats of honour. As Jesus watches the guests rush to claim the honoured seats, he notes how much such behaviour reveals about them. Jesus’ exhortation is clear: at a wedding feast or major meal, do not go to seat of honour for a more eminent person may have been invited. The guest would then have to take one of the last seats, since all others would have been filled in the meantime. Prudence and wisdom suggest that one should not be anxious to take the honoured seat. Jesus describes the embarrassing reversal: a self-appointed place at the front produces shame as the host intervenes for the more eminent guest and asks the presumptuous person to move to the least honourable seat.

Infront of everyone the guest must get up and move to the remaining seat at the end of the table. In effect, Jesus tells them that it is better not to overestimate one’s importance, which can put one at risk of public disgrace.

For Jesus, the real issue is humility, which God honours with exaltation. The theme of eschatological reversal is common in Luke. The proud will be brought down and the humble exalted. Jesus tells how God will treat both the proud and the humble. Such wisdom is not merely practical but has spiritual, eschatological overtones. A couplet by George Herbert applies to this text: “Humble we must be, if to heaven we go; High is the roof there, but the gate is low.” In a second set of exhortation, Jesus exhorts the Pharisees to invite not their friends but the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Four affluent types of human beings, able to recompense, are contrasted with four unfortunate types, unable to do so. The focus is on those who have need and cannot repay the invitation. Such hospitality is given without concern for reciprocity and so it pleases God.

Source: The Sunday Liturgy

St Raymond Nonnatus, Confessor (1204 -1240)

St Raymond (“Ramon” in Spanish) bears his surname Nonnatus (non natus, i.e., not born) from having been delivered surgically after his mother had died during his birth. His family, though poor, belonged to the Catalonian nobility.

He joined the young Order of Mercedarians at Barcelona under their founder St Peter Nolasco and was so remarkable for his zeal and piety that he was before long made Master General and Ransomer. As such he went to Algiers and redeemed many Christian slaves. But when all of his funds and those collected by his Order for that purpose were exhausted, he offered himself as hostage so as to set free some more unfortunates.

In prison he underwent terrible misery, and when he insisted on trying to convert his jailers, the infuriated Mohammedan authorities padlocked his lips together. His Order was finally able to redeem him and he returned to Spain in 1239. He was created Cardinal by Pope Gregory IX but he died on his way to Rome on 30 August 1240 aged 36 and was canonized by Pope Alexander VII in 1657.

Women in childbirth, midwives, and people who have been falsely accused, invoke St Raymond’s aid, and the Church blesses candles and water for the sick in his honour.

Daily Readings

August 30, 2025

Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

1 Thessalonians 4:9–11

Brethren: Concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 98:1, 7–8, 9

Response: The Lord comes to judge the peoples with fairness.

O sing a new song to the Lord,

for he has worked wonders.

His right hand and his holy arm

have brought salvation.

Response: The Lord comes to judge the peoples with fairness.

Let the sea and all within it thunder;

the world, and those who dwell in it.

Let the rivers clap their hands,

and the hills ring out their joy

at the presence of the Lord, for he comes,

he comes to judge the earth.

Response: The Lord comes to judge the peoples with fairness.

He will judge the world with justice,

and the peoples with fairness.

Response: The Lord comes to judge the peoples with fairness.

Alleluia

John 13:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

A new commandment I give to you, says the Lord, that you love one another: just as I have loved you.

Gospel

Matthew 25: 14-30

At that time: Jesus told his disciples this parable: “It will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Reflection

Be ready today for Jesus’ return tomorrow. Being ready today means that we must be faithful, have faith, and, as in the parable of the talents, be fruitful. Discover how you can be fruitful in your life from this reflection. It will also help you see that “fruitfulness is the mark of those who are ready at Christ’s return, and fruitlessness is the mark of those who will be damned.” He’s going to come secretly. He’s going to come suddenly. Are you ready for His return? Are you faithful? Do you have faith? Are you fruitful?

Saint Euphrasia (Rosa), (1877 - 1952)

Saint Euphrasia (Rosa) was born as the daughter of Elavuthinkal Antony and Kunjethi on 17 October, 1877 in Kattur which was in the undivided Trichur Diocese and now in the Diocese of Irinjalakuda. Besides three brothers, Rosa had a sister also, but she died in early childhood. Even in the midst of all wealth and pomp in the family, little Rosas heart desired only God. After overcoming many obstacles she was able by the grace of God to become a member of the boarding of the Kerala Carmelite Congregation (founded by Bl. Kuriakose Elias Chavara in 1866) at Koonammavu.

On 10 January 1898 Rosa received her Carmelite dress from Mar John Menachery and soon after began to deepen in personal love for Lord Jesus. On 24 May Sr. Euphrasia along with others made her perpetual profession and surrounded her whole self to Jesus.

Mother Euphrasia who was appointed superior of the St. Marys convent Ollur from 1913-1916 served the sisters under her authority in a very exemplary way. She was able to do loving and kind services to all those who came into contact with her because of the divine love she received from the Holy Eucharist and the Sacred Heart of Jesus and her devotion to Mother Mary.

Mother Euphrasia grew in humility, poverty and holiness as she completely obeyed the will of God every moment. The whole life of this virgin was full of continuous prayer, penance and reparation.

After a long life of 75 years, Euphrasia, the praying mother passed away in the convent at Ollur on 29 August, 1952.

It was a wonder that the church bell at Cheralayam parish began to ring without stop at her death. To all those who prayed her intercession, the one who never forgets even after death, granted graces. God is revealing her great heavenly intercessory power through miracles and signs. This holy virgin who desired to become an unknown saint is raised today to the glory of the altar by the Almighty and the sweet fragrance of her sanctity is spread worldwide.

Daily Readings

August 29, 2025, Friday

Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist

Reading 1

Jeremiah 1:17–19

In those days: The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 71:1–2, 3–4a, 5–6ab, 15ab and 17

Response: My mouth will tell of your salvation, Lord.

In you, O Lord, I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

In your justice, rescue me, free me;

incline your ear to me and save me.

Response: My mouth will tell of your salvation, Lord.

Be my rock, my constant refuge,

a mighty stronghold to save me,

for you are my rock, my stronghold.

My God, free me

from the hand of the wicked.

Response: My mouth will tell of your salvation, Lord.

It is you, O Lord, who are my hope,

my trust, O Lord, from my youth.

On you I have leaned from my birth;

from my mother’s womb,

you have been my help.

Response: My mouth will tell of your salvation, Lord.

My mouth will tell of your justice,

and all the day long of your salvation.

O God, you have taught me from my youth,

and I proclaim your wonders still.

Response: My mouth will tell of your salvation, Lord.

Alleluia

Matthew 5:10

R.    Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Gospel

Mark 6:17–29

At that time: Herod sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests.  And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Reflection

When evil is done, such as the killing of the innocent, it is often due to a combination of factors, a coming together of the moral failings of several people. And conversely, good deeds are performed in this world through the coalition of the forces of good. There is a coalition of evil in the Gospel Reading, Herod, Herodias and her daughter, but there is a coalition of good there as well. There is John the Baptist and also his disciples who ensure he has a dignified burial even if he had an undignified death. When Jesus called people of all sorts to follow him, he was forming a coalition of good to work for the coming of God’s kingdom on earth. It came to be called the church. We all belong in that coalition of good. We are called by the Lord to work together to further God’s kingdom in our world.

Beheading of St John the Baptist

St John, the baptizer, lived in a desert until the day when he started preaching penance, to “prepare for the Lord a perfect people”. His hearers were urged to be faithful and honest in fulfilling their worldly duties and to be baptized in the Jordan for the remission of repented sins. On the day when Jesus submitted to this ceremony, the Father manifested him to the world: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased!” (Mt 3:17)

John gathered many disciples together and taught them to lead a life of prayer and fasting. Then, for having openly rebuked King Herod Antipas for his incestuous relationship with Herodias, his half-brother’s wife, he was arrested and imprisoned in the mountain fortress of Machaerus. Herodias never forgave him and did not rest until Herod ordered the Precursor’s decapitation, the result of a rashly taken oath on the occasion of Salome’s notorious dance at Herod’s birthday celebrations. All this took place about a year before Jesus’ own Passion.

Reflection: “Such was the quality and the strength of the man who accepted the end of this present life by shedding his blood after the long imprisonment” (St Bede the Venerable).

Daily Readings

August 28, 2025, Thursday

Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Reading 1

1 Thessalonians 3:7–13

Brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 90:3–4, 12–13, 14 and 17

Response: Fill us with your merciful love, O Lord, and we shall exult.

You turn man back to dust,

and say, “Return, O children of men.”

To your eyes a thousand years

are like yesterday, come and gone,

or like a watch in the night.

Response: Fill us with your merciful love, O Lord, and we shall exult.

Then teach us to number our days,

that we may gain wisdom of heart.

Turn back, O Lord! How long?

Show pity to your servants.

Response: Fill us with your merciful love, O Lord, and we shall exult.

At dawn, fill us with your merciful love;

we shall exult and rejoice all our days.

Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon us;

give success to the work of our hands.

O give success to the work of our hands.

Response: Fill us with your merciful love, O Lord, and we shall exult.

Alleluia

Matthew 24:42a, 44

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Stay awake, be ready; the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Gospel

Matthew 24:42–51

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, Stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed’, and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Reflection

None of us knows how long we will live, nor did Jesus reveal how long human history would continue before he came again for the final judgement. This should make us realize that we need to be always ready to meet the Lord, to have our actions true, and our conscience always clear. We need to be living as if each day were our last, as if our eternal happiness depended on the choices and actions of this very day. Every moment is precious and important in God’s eyes, and the one necessary thing is working to attain our salvation. This is more important than anything else we can accomplish in life. Often it can seem that God is distant and not involved in our lives. It can seem that he is not coming back anytime soon, and this can lead us to become distracted with many other things. Every day we need to renew our spirit of faith in God and his constant presence, living each day to please him, no matter how long the delay seems to be.

St Augustine of Hippo, Bishop, Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church (354-430)

Today is the feast of Saint Augustine (354–430).

He was raised in the Christian faith by his mother, though he was not baptised as a child. In his youth, he left the Church in search of ‘truth’.

For a time, he embraced Manichaeism (a heresy), and later explored Neo-Platonism. He also lived with a mistress, with whom he had a son.

Throughout this time, his mother, St Monica, prayed fervently for his conversion.

Augustine eventually encountered the great St Ambrose, Bishop of Milan. Both were brilliant minds, but it was Ambrose—by the grace of God—who succeeded where others had not. Augustine was baptised in 387.

He returned to North Africa and was eventually elected Bishop of Hippo, a role he served in faithfully for 34 years.

He died as the Roman Empire was collapsing and barbarian forces were attacking Hippo.

Augustine left behind a profound body of writings that continue to guide and inspire. One of his most famous reflections reads:

“Late have I loved you, Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you!
Lo, you were within, but I was outside, and I sought you out there…
You called, shouted, and broke through my deafness;
You flared, blazed, and banished my blindness;
You breathed your fragrance on me, I drew in breath and now I pant for you.
I tasted you, and now I hunger and thirst;
You touched me, and I burned for your peace…”

Augustine is regarded as one of the great teachers of the early Church. His theological insights significantly shaped Christian doctrine. Over time, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Church has continued to refine and expand upon his teachings—yet much of his thought remains deeply relevant today.

We are custodians of a living deposit of faith. As Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit continues to lead us into a fuller understanding of that faith in every age.

As we reflect, we hear the words of Jesus echo: “Wise is the scribe who brings forth treasures both old and new.”

Daily Readings

August 27, 2025, Wednesday

Memorial of Saint Monica

Reading 1

1 Thessalonians 2:9–13

You remember, brothers, our labour and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct towards you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 139:7–8, 9–10, 11–12ab

Response: O Lord, you search me and you know me.

O where can I go from your spirit,

or where can I flee from your face?

If I climb the heavens, you are there.

If I lie in the grave, you are there.

Response: O Lord, you search me and you know me.

If I take the wings of the dawn

or dwell at the sea’s furthest end,

even there your hand would lead me;

your right hand would hold me fast. 

Response: O Lord, you search me and you know me.

If I say, “Let the darkness hide me

and the light around me be night,”

even darkness is not dark to you,

the night shall be as bright as day. 

Response: O Lord, you search me and you know me.

Alleluia

1 John 2:5

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Whoever keeps Christ’s word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.

Gospel

Matthew 23:27–32

At that time: Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.

Reflection

Chapter 23 of Matthew’s Gospel gives us the Master’s scathing condemnation of the Jewish leadership, expressing the rolling thunder of Jesus’ anger and sorrow at the hypocrisy or double standards of the Scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus levels three accusations against the Pharisees: 1) they do not practice what they preach, 2) they resort to a very narrow and burdensome interpretation of the Torah, and 3) they seek public acknowledgement and glory for themselves rather than for God. What Jesus wants is a pure heart, with no element of deceit. We should not follow the dog-in-the-manger policy of the Pharisees by not keeping God’s commandments ourselves and not allowing others to keep them. Let us avoid frivolous sweari…

St Monica, Widow (331-387)

Monica, a Christian, was married at the age of 20 to Patricius, a pagan official at Tagaste (North Africa), whose violent temper and dissolute pagan habits caused her much suffering, making the Christian education of their offspring rather difficult; but after 18 years of married life Patricius, whom she had borne three children, finally embraced the Faith, and died soon after.

Thenceforth Augustine, her eldest son, was her sole preoccupation, for during his studies at Carthage he had become ensnared by the Manichaean heresy, and kept a woman as mistress for the next 15 years. Monica tried in vain to persuade a visiting Bishop, who had himself passed the Manichaean errors, to lead her son back to the truth; she had to content herself with the bishop’s assurance that “it is impossible that the son of such tears should perish!”

Monica followed Augustine to Milan, where she befriended the great Bishop, St Ambrose whose eloquence and sanctity helped Augustine to come into the Church at Easter 387.

“My son, I had but one object in life, and that was to see you a Catholic,” Monica once said to Augustine; “God has done more than I had dared to hope for in that he has taught you to despise all that the world can offer in order to follow him. Bury my body where you will. All I ask is that you remember me always at the altar of God!”

Monica died in the arms of Augustine in Ostia, the port of Rome, aged 56.

Reflection: “Never can I describe what her love was for me! By her glance as well as her words she raised our hearts to God. If I am Your Child, Oh my God, it is because you did give me such a mother!” (St Augustine)

Daily Readings

August 26, 2025

Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

1 Thessalonians 2:1–8

You yourselves know, brothers that our coming to you was not in vain. But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed – God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 139:1–3, 4–6

Response: O Lord, you search me and you know me.

O Lord, you search me and you know me.

You yourself know my resting and my rising;

you discern my thoughts from afar.

You mark when I walk or lie down;

you know all my ways

through and through.

Response: O Lord, you search me and you know me.

Before ever a word is on my tongue,

you know it, O Lord, through and through.

Behind and before, you besiege me,

your hand ever laid upon me.

Too wonderful for me, this knowledge;

too high, beyond my reach.

Response: O Lord, you search me and you know me.

Alleluia

Hebrews 4:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The word of God is living and active, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Gospel

Matthew 23:23–26

At that time: Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

Reflection

Jesus criticizes those who look well on the outside but within leave a lot to be desired. We all know that appearances can be deceptive. There isn’t always a good fit between the person we present to others and the person we are in our heart of hearts. It is clear from the Gospel Reading that Jesus is more interested in how people are in their hearts than in how they appear. He wants his followers to attend to what is within first, their basic attitudes and values, and not to be worried about appearances. If what is within is right, then it will show itself in how we appear to others. Jesus praised Nathanael as a person who was incapable of deceit, or, in an older translation, a ‘man in whom there is no guile.’ In other words, there was a harmony between what was within him and what was evident to others. Nathanael had plenty of work to do on what was within, as Jesus went on to point out, but, at least, he wasn’t pretending to be someone he was not.

St Zephyrinus Pope Martyr(-217)

St Zephyrinus became the XVth Pope in 199 on the death of St Victor I. Three years later Emperor Septimius Severus, whose mother, a Christian, had at first inclined him to be tolerant of the faith, issued his edict of persecution, prohibiting all conversions to Christianity and Judaism under the severest penalties.

Pope Zephyrinus entrusted to his Archdeacon St Callistus I, the administration of the burial ground which the Church had acquired on the Appian Way (its first landed property), and this has ever since been known as the Catacombs of St Callistus. The narrow subterranean galleries of the Roman catacombs, lined on both sides with tiers of recessed tombs, were gradually extended to greater depths and to distances of many miles, so that they eventually became a maze way. The entrances were carefully concealed in vine­yards or disused sandpits. As recently as 1849 a Papal crypt was discovered in these Catacombs which had served for the interment of the Popes.

Zephyrinus had to contend with a number of heretical sects, and it was during his reign that Tertullian went over to the Montanists, who were then very active in Rome. This Pope also abolished the use of wooden chalices, decreeing that these be replaced with glass ones if metal was too expensive. He also required all the faithful to receive Holy Communion at Easter.

Zephyrinus won the crown of martyrdom on 26 August 217. His relics are enshrined in San Silvestro at Rome, the church for English Catholics in the Eternal City.

Reflection: “I am telling you the truth, you will cry and weep, but the world will be glad; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into gladness”  (Jn 16:20).

Daily Readings

August 25, 2025

Monday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

Reading I

1 Thessalonians 1:1–5, 8b–10

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. But your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 149:1b–2, 3–4, 5–6a, and 9b

Response: The Lord takes delight in his people.

Sing a new song to the Lord,

his praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Israel rejoice in its Maker;

let Sion’s children exult in their king.

Response: The Lord takes delight in his people.

Let them praise his name with dancing,

and make music with timbrel and harp.

For the Lord takes delight in his people;

he crowns the poor with salvation.

Response: The Lord takes delight in his people.

Let the faithful exult in glory,

and rejoice as they take their rest.

Let the praise of God be in their mouths

this is an honour for all his faithful.

Response: The Lord takes delight in his people.

Alleluia

John 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; and I know them, and they follow me.

Gospel

Matthew 23:13-22

At that time: Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

Reflection

Here Jesus gives us some very useful tools to help us discern truth from lies or error, and true teachers from false teachers. False teachers fail to see and worship Jesus as the Messiah. Ask yourself, does this person, I’m listening to and following, believe Jesus is the Christ?  Is he worshipping Jesus as the Messiah?  Is he teaching me to worship Jesus as Messiah? False teachers may be devout, but in their zeal, they bring great harm to others. Ask yourself why I listen to this person. Is it because he is very entertaining? Because I like his accent? Because he is fun to watch? Or does he speak the truth? False teachers twist the scriptures for their gain. Ask yourself, does this teacher say what the Bible says? Does he go beyond the Scriptures and claim extra knowledge? Does he view the Bible as God’s Word, authoritative and the source of truth?

St Louis IX King, Confessor (1214—1270)

Louis was only 11 when he became king on his father’s death in 1226. For 10 years he ruled under his wise mother’s guardianship, even as she continued to exert a beneficent influence on French affairs until her death in 1252. At 19, he married Marguerite of Provence, who bore him 10 children; he proved himself a devoted husband and father.

By nature and upbringing deeply religious, Louis never forgot his mother’s assertion: “I would rather see you dead at my feet than guilty of one mortal sin!” Each day he took time to attend two Masses, to recite the Divine Office and, unknown to his subjects, spent long hours in prayer and acts of penance. The custom of genuflecting during the Creed at the homo factus est and at the passages in the Gospels pertaining to the Lord’s death on the Cross, owes its origin to him. Indifferent to personal comfort, his tender sympathies went out to the poor and unfortunate.

Strong-willed yet holy, he was a friend of the clergy and particularly of the young Franciscan and Dominican Orders, himself becoming a Franciscan tertiary before embarking on the seventh Crusade. Probably most famous among the buildings which he caused to be erected, are the college of the Sorbonne, which became the theological faculty of Paris, and the Sainte Chapelle, an architectural gem, which housed the relics of the True Cross and the Crown of Thorns.

He succumbed to a malignant fever in 1270. Canonized in 1297, St Louis is revered as the patron of stone masons, printers and barbers.

Reflection: “Be always ready rather to suffer all manner of torments than to commit any mortal sin” (St Louis).

Daily Readings

August 23, 2025

Saturday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Ruth 2:1–3, 8–11; 4:13–17

Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favour.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favour in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. And the women of the neighbourhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 128:1–2, 3, 4, 5

Response: Indeed thus shall be blessed the man who fears the Lord.

Blessed are all who fear the Lord,

and walk in his ways!

By the labour of your hands you shall eat.

You will be blessed and prosper.

Response: Indeed thus shall be blessed the man who fears the Lord.

Your wife like a fruitful vine in the heart of your house; your children like shoots of the olive around your table.

Indeed thus shall be blessed

the man who fears the Lord.

Response: Indeed thus shall be blessed the man who fears the Lord.

May the Lord bless you from Sion.

May you see Jerusalem prosper all the days of your life!

Response: Indeed thus shall be blessed the man who fears the Lord.

Alleluia

Matthew 23:9b, 10b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

You have one Father, who is in heaven; and you have one instructor, the Christ.

Gospel

Matthew 23:1–12

At that time: Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practise. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honour at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the market-places and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Reflection

The life of Jesus is about finding ways to serve and to live as a servant. But today in our life, be it in the Church or in the society our central concern is to be happy, and successful, and “become a better me.” We’re supposed to be finding ways to bring others joy, helping them be the best they can be. When the Christian faith is really and truly lived out in service, looking after the welfare of others, everyone is a winner, and God is praised and exalted. But, when our first inclination is to isolate ourselves in our cares and concerns, we lose a lot.

St Rose of Lima, Virgin (1586 -1617)

Isabella de Florez took the name Rose Marie when she was confirmed at the age of 11 by Archbishop St Turibio. Like her role model, St Catherine of Siena, she led a rather austere life of prayer, fasting and severe mortification within her family circle, even as she helped support it through her exquisite lace and embroidery work.

In spite of a decade of family opposition and ridicule, Rose finally attained her long-desired goal of becoming a religious. As a Dominican tertiary at 20, Sister Rose of St Mary redoubled her penance — she partook of almost no food, wore an iron chain around her waist and a spiked metal crown concealed in her hair.

Our Lord revealed himself to her on numerous occasions, leaving her for hours in an ecstasy of peace and joy after she had successfully overcome diabolical temptations against purity and constancy in faith. She in turn would offer him all her mortifications in expiation for the sins and evil she saw all about her, including idolatory, and for the suffering souls in Purgatory.

“I beheld great scales in our Lord’s hands,” she once wrote, “and with minute care he distributed among the souls as many blessings as he had loaded them with affliction. You must know that in the true scales of Paradise grace corresponds to tribulation! No one would complain about the weight of his cross, if he knew of the scales in which it has been weighed!”

Beatified in 1668, Clare was canonized in 1671—the first American-born saint!

Reflection: “Contradictions bring us to the foot of the Cross, and the Cross to the gate of heaven” (St John B.M. Vianney).

Daily Readings

August 22, 2025

Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Reading 1

Isaiah 9:2–7

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 113:1b–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8

Response: May the name of the Lord be blest forevermore.

Praise, O servants of the Lord,

praise the name of the Lord!

May the name of the Lord be blest

both now and forevermore!

Response: May the name of the Lord be blest forevermore.

From the rising of the sun to its setting,

praised be the name of the Lord!

High above all nations is the Lord,

above the heavens his glory.

Response: May the name of the Lord be blest forevermore.

Who is like the Lord, our God,

who dwells on high,

who lowers himself to look down

upon heaven and earth?

Response: May the name of the Lord be blest forevermore.

From the dust he lifts up the lowly,

from the ash heap he raises the poor,

to set them in the company of princes,

yes, with the princes of his people.

Response: May the name of the Lord be blest forevermore.

Alleluia

See Luke 1:28

R.    Alleluia, alleluia.

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.

Gospel

Luke 1:26–38

At that time: The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Reflection

When God asked in the days of Isaiah who would  go on His behalf, Isaiah responded, “Here I am; send me.” When the angel told Mary, ‘You are going to have a child born of the Holy Spirit’, Mary simply responded by saying, “I am the servant of the Lord.” I am just a servant; I am happy to serve the Lord. Ask me to do anything and I will do it. Whatever you need, Lord, that is what I will do!  Not ‘whatever is convenient for me, that is what I will do’. Mary will do anything to serve the Lord. This is a statement of great faith, in contrast to Zechariah who doubted. Mary believed and was ready for the task. We need to have the faith that says God can do anything and that we want to be the ones through whom God’s plans are accomplished. Not only do we want God’s plan to be done, but we want to be the ones to do God’s work and be servants in God’s plan.

Queenship of Mary (1955)

From the earliest centuries of the Church, Christians have addressed fervent prayers and hymns of praise to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Because of her eminence, Christians have always acknowledged the royal excellence of the Mother of God whose Son “will reign in the house of Jacob forever” (Lk 1:32).

From the testimonies of the Fathers, theologians concluded that the Blessed Virgin is Queen of all creation, Sovereign Mistress of all humankind. “Since the great Virgin Mary was raised to the dignity of Mother of the King of Kings, the Church justly honours her, and wishes that she be honoured with the glorious title of Queen,” says Saint Alphonsus de Liguori.

Proposing the traditional doctrine on the Queenship of Mary, Pope Pius XII says in his encyclical Ad Coeli Reginam: “We commend that on the festival there be renewed the consecration of the human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Upon this there is founded a great hope that there may arise an era of happiness that will rejoice in the triumph of religion and in Christian peace.

“Therefore, let all approach with greater confidence more than before, the throne of mercy and grace of our Queen and Mother to beg help in difficulty, light in darkness and solace in trouble and sorrow; and let them strive to free themselves from the servitude of sin....”

Reflection: “Mary’s conformity to the will of God was total. Mary enjoys God.     She ...  has a very special place in paradise: more perfect than that of the other saints because she is the Queen” (Blessed James Alberione).

Daily Readings

August 21, 2025

Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope

Reading I

Judges 11:29–39a

In those days: The Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites. And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the Lord gave them into his hand. And he struck them from Aroer to the neighbourhood of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, with a great blow. So the Ammonites were subdued before the people of Israel. Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow.” And she said to him, “My father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, on the Ammonites.” So she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: leave me alone for two months, that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions.” So he said, “Go.” Then he sent her away for two months, and she departed, she and her companions, and wept for her virginity on the mountains. And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 40:5, 7–8a, 8b–9, 10

Response: See, I have come, Lord, to do your will.

Blessed the man who has placed his trust in the Lord,

and has not gone over to the proud who follow false gods.

Response: See, I have come, Lord, to do your will.

You delight not in sacrifice and offerings,

but in an open ear.

You do not ask for holocaust and victim.

Then I said, “See, I have come.”

Response: See, I have come, Lord, to do your will.

In the scroll of the book it stands written of me:

“I delight to do your will, O my God;

your instruction lies deep within me.”