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

1st Reading                   2 Maccabees 12:42-45 Psalm                             63:2-6, 8-9 2nd Reading               Philippians 3:20-21 Gospel                          Luke 7:11-17 DO NOT WEEP Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today, we commemorate the faithful departed, which is called All Souls' Day. It is quite unusual to celebrate it today because today is a Sunday. In fact, it is supposed to be the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). This only becomes a very interesting incident because Sunday is regarded as the day of the Resurrection (Matt. 28:1; Lk. 24:1). The commemoration of all the faithful departed on a Sunday only deepens our belief in the resurrection of the dead. This is a sign of hope. Added to that is the fact that today is the first Sunday of November. ...

1st Reading                Sirach 35:12c-14, 16-18b Psalm                           34:2-3, 17-18, 9 & 23 (R. cf. 7a) R:// "The lowly one called, and the Lord heard him " 2nd Reading             2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 Gospel                        Luke 18: 9-14 ONLY THE LOWLY RISE Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), and the last Sunday of October. We shall soon be bringing the praying of the Rosary to a close. We need to continue praying it even outside October to deepen our relationship with Mary. We also have to notice that arrival on the 30th Sunday points to the fact that we are close to the end of the liturgical year. Let us keep that in mind.  Let us turn to the Word of God for this Sunday and say a few words about the Gospel passage (L...

1st Reading              Exodus 17:8-13 Psalm                        121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 (R. 2) R:// "Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth" 2nd Reading              2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 Gospel                         Luke 18:1-8 YOUR FAITH SHOULD REFUSE TO GIVE UP Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today, the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) is also the 3rd Sunday of October. Recalling October, we should remember to join the Universal Church in seeking Mary's intercession through the praying of the Holy Rosary. For this Sunday also, I suggest we limit ourselves to the Gospel passage, Luke 18:1-8. The Gospel passage for today is semi-continuation from last Sunday's Gospel. The series of Luke's Gospel only skipped vv. 20-37. Today, Jesus tells his disciples a parable about a woman an...

1st Reading              2 Kings 5:14-17 Psalm                        98:1,2-3ab, 3cd-4 (R. cf.2) R:// "The Lord has shown his deliverance to the nations" 2nd Reading           2 Timothy 2:8-13 Gospel                      Luke 17:11-19 AVOID THE LEPROSY OF INGRATITUDE Peace and Goodness, friends! Today is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), and the 2nd Sunday of October. Our first reading is from 2 Kings 5:14-17 and the Gospel is from Luke 17:11-19. For this Sunday, I suggest we pay particular attention to the Gospel from Luke. The first reading and the Gospel harmonize in talking about the issue of leprosy. Let us understand that leprosy, as described in Scripture, is not leprosy as we know it today. Leprosy in Scripture is any scar, wound, defect, or disorder, on the body, animal, or cloth. What happens is...

1st Reading              Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4 Psalm                         95:1-2, 6-7abc, 7d-9 (R. 7d, 8a) R://"O that you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts" 2nd Reading            2 Timothy 1:6-8,13-14 Gospel                       Luke 17:5-10 JUST WAIT Peace and Goodness, Friends! Today is the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), and it is the 1st Sunday of October, the month of the Holy Rosary. In this month, we shall all the more seek Mary's intercession. We also unite with the Holy Father, Leo XIV, in praying for unity and respect for all people of different religious expressions and ideologies. The first reading for today is from Habakkuk 1:2-3, 2:2-4. We barely read from this book. Habakkuk is actually one of the 12 minor prophets. He prophesied close to the start of the Babylonian ...

First Reading              Amos 6:1a, 4-7 Psalm                            146:6c-7,8-9a,9bc-10 (R.1b) R:// "My soul, give praise to the Lord" 2nd Reading              1 Timothy 6:11-16 Gospel                         Luke 16:19-31 ATTEND TO THE LAZARUS AT YOUR GATE Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today, the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) is the last Sunday of September. We thank God for his providence, granting us the strength to go through even the hard times. The Word of God for this Sunday is taken from the same books as last Sunday. Therefore, we should see a particular trend or thematic development here. Let us delve into them. The first reading is from Amos 6:1a, 4-7. Again, the prophet Amos is working within a difficult economic system. The issue is that while things look very ec...

1st Reading               Amos 8:4-7 Psalm                          113:1-2,4-6,7-8 (R. see 1a, 7a) 2nd Reading             1 Timothy 2:1-8 Gospel                         Luke 16: 1-13 WEALTH WITHOUT WORSHIP DESTROYS JUSTICE Peace and Goodness! Today, the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), our first reading is from Amos 8:4-7 and the Gospel is from Luke 16:1-13. We shall give particular attention to the first reading. The personality of Amos will make a good foundational start. Prior to being called to be a Prophet,  Amos was a shepherd and a dresser of Sycamores (Amos 7:4). What becomes clear is that his prime occupational language will feature prominently in his speech and in the book. Noticeably, he spoke within his understanding of agriculture and livestock rearing. In that vein, going b...