"STAY WITH US, LORD" (Luke 24:29)

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26TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B)

1st Reading Numbers 11: 25-29 Psalm 19: 7. 9. 11-12. 13 (R. 8ab) R//: "The precepts of the Lord are right; they gladden the heart 2nd Reading James 5: 1-6 Gospel Mark 9: 38-43. 45. 47-48. SHARED LEADERSHIP IN AMPLIFYING GOD'S VOICE Beloved, today is the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) and the last Sunday of September. Indeed, Ebenezer, "thus far the Lord has helped us" (1 Sam. 7: 12). The Word of God for this Sunday shifts our focus to two significant aspects of leadership — decentralising power and sharing of burdens. Let us quickly dive into the readings. The first reading is from Numbers 11: 25-29. To understand the designated passage, we need only to take the whole of chapter 11 into consideration. The Israelit...

25TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B)

1st Reading Wisdom 2: 12. 17-20 Psalm 54: 3-4. 5. 6 & 8 (R. cf. 6b) R//: "Behold, the Lord is the upholder of my life" 2nd Reading James 3: 16-4: 3 Gospel Mark 9: 30-37 SERVICE AND MEANS TO AUTHORITY REDEFINED Dear friends, today is the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B), and gradually, we shall soon be drawing the curtain down on the Liturgical Year. Our lives as Christians have been met with insults and humiliation, and we are torn between two extremes — neglecting our good ways for which we are despised or stay true to our Christian principles and values. The first reading is from Wisdom 2: 12. 17-20. The Book of Wisdom is a Deuterocanonical book (or Apocrypha called by Protestants). It is found in ...

24TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B)

1st Reading Isaiah 50: 5-9a Psalm 116: 1-2. 3-4. 5-6. 9 (R. 9) R//: "I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living" 2nd Reading James 2: 14-18 Gospel Mark 8: 27-35. RESPONDING TO HUMILIATIONS Dear friends, Today is the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) and we stand at the feet of the Lord to be instructed in his ways so that we may be able to "walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living" (Ps. 116: 9). The Word of God this Sunday turns our focus to how we are to react to humiliations. We pray that we who "feel the working of [God's] mercy", may be granted, with the help of that same mercy, to look beyond humiliation and all sorts of debasements. The first reading is fr...

23RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B)

1st Reading Isaiah 35: 4-7a Psalm 146: 6c-7. 8-9bc -10ab (R. 1b) R:// "Come, Lord, and save us" 2nd Reading James 2: 1-5 Gospel Mark 7: 31-37 THE LORD RESTORES US IN BOTH EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR FASHIONS Beloved, today is the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B). The Lord has been gracious in bringing us thus far to the 2nd Sunday in September 2024. We underscore that we are 11 weeks away from the end of the liturgical year. What it means is that we have come very far. We need to recognize that in this journey, we may have gone astray and would need the Lord's healing to bring us back to the fold. This Sunday, we shall focus on the Lord's healing and restoration as we reflect on the Word of God. Let us have a brief background to the first r...

22ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B)

1st Reading Deuteronomy 4: 1-2, 6-8 Psalm 15: 2-3a. 3bc-4ab. 5 (R. 1a) R:// "O Lord, who may abide in your tent" 2nd Reading James 1: 17-18, 21b-22, 27 Gospel Mark 7: 1-8. 14-15. 21-23. BELIEF INFORMS ACTIONS Beloved, today is the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B). Today is also the first day of the new month of September. We are not only in the second half of the liturgical year but also surrounded by newness. What I suggest we start understanding is that the Lord comes to renew us whenever we encounter him. Let us take a few details from the Word of God for this Sunday and draw out lessons to help our reflections. The first reading is from Deuteronomy 4: 1-2, 6-8. The first reading opens by say...

21ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B)

1st Reading Joshua 24: 1-2, 15-18. Psalm 34:2-3,16-23 R:// "Taste and see that the Lord is good" 2nd Reading Ephesians 5:21-32 Gospel John 6: 60-69 WE WILL SERVE THE LORD, FOR HE IS OUR GOD Beloved, today is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B). Today is also the last Sunday of August. We thank God for his mercies and his providence. We recognize the miraculous deeds of the Lord for the last 8 months. We pray that the Lord will continue to cause us to "love what [he] commands and to desire what [he] promises amid the uncertainties of this world." Let us pay close attention to the first reading from Joshua 24: 1-2, 15-18. We also need to recognise that we are bringing our long reading of Jesus' discourse on bread in John 6 to an end. Today ...

20TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B)

1st Reading Proverbs 9: 1-6 Psalm 34: 1-2. 9-10. 11-12. 13-14 (R. 8a) R:// "Taste and see that the Lord is good" 2nd Reading Ephesians 5:15-20 Gospel John 6: 51-58 LIVING THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE Beloved, today is the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B), and we need to realise that we are far gone in the wilderness of life. The Word of God today helps us to focus on Living the Extraordinary Life . Let us take a few thoughts from the first reading and the Gospel to assert our point and come to know what the "extraordinary life" entails and how vital it is for us to strive to attain it. The first reading is from Proverbs 9: 1-6. Chapter 9 of Proverbs forms part of the major reflection on wisdom. In fact, Wisdom is personified as a lady, and she invites people to her...