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

1st Reading           Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13 Psalm                     146:7, 8-9a, 9bc-10 (R. Matthew 5:3) R:// "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" 2nd Reading         1 Corinthians 1: 26-31 Gospel                     Matthew 5:1-12a GOD BUILDS HIS KINGDOM WITH THE HUMBLE Dear friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A). It is the 1st Sunday of February 2026. February, in the Catholic Church, is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Family. What binds a family is love. In fact, within the secular sphere, February is regarded as a month of love because of the celebration of Valentine's day. This celebration aligns with the Church's dedication of the month to the Holy Family.  Let us enter deeply into the readings of the day. The first reading is from Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13 ...

1st Reading                    Isaiah 9:1-4 Psalm                               27:1,4,13-14 (R.1a) R:// "The Lord is my light and my salvation" 2nd Reading                 1 Corinthians 1:10-13,17 Gospel                             Matthew 4:12-23 SALVATION BEGINS WHERE HISTORY REMEMBERS PAIN Friends, Peace and Goodness! We are already getting deeper into the Season of Ordinary Time, and today is the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A). Today is also the last Sunday of the month of January. What it means is that we have enjoyed the providence of God and what should fill our hearts should be thanksgiving. In a unique way, today is designated as Sunday of the Word of God. This observance was instituted by Pope Francis on 30 September 2019 (Memorial of St....

1st Reading                Isaiah 49:3, 5-6 Psalm                           40:2 & 4ab, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10 (R. 8a & 9a) R:// "See, I have come, Lord, to do your will" 2nd Reading              1 Corinthians 1:1-3 Gospel                         John 1:29-34 LIGHT THE WORLD Friends, Peace and Goodness! After the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we return to the Season of Ordinary Time. This is the first part. Today, we are ushered into the second week of Ordinary Time. Let us take a quick dive into the readings.  The first reading is from Isaiah 49:3,5-6. It is the Second Song of Isaiah. To unpack the text, I suggest we put the text within context.  Realise that our text is from Isaiah 49. Isaiah is popularly divided into three parts. The first part, known as First Isaiah (or Pr...

1st Reading                 Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 Psalm                            29:1a & 2, 3ac-4, 3b & 9c-10 (R. 11b) R:// "The Lord will bless his people with peace" 2nd Reading              Acts 10: 34-38 Gospel                         Matthew 3:13-17 CLAIM YOUR PLACE IN THE JORDAN Peace and Goodness, friends! Today is the 2nd Sunday of the year 2026. On a bigger level, today is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This feast marks the end of the Season of Christmas and ushers us into the public ministry of Jesus. I believe that this feast also reminds us of our own baptism. I suggest we quickly look at the Gospel passage for today. The Gospel passage is from Matthew 3:13-17. We find parallels in Mark 1:9-11 and Luke 3:21-22, but with subtle synoptic differences. I want us t...

  1st Reading                Isaiah 60: 1-6 Psalm                           71:1-2, 7-8, 10-13 R:// "All nations on earth shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord" 2nd Reading               Ephesians 3: 2-3, 5-6 Gospel                          Matthew 2: 1-12 REVEALED TO ALL Beloved, once again, Happy New Year! Today is the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. Epiphany celebrates the self-manifestation or revelation of Christ to the world, including the Gentiles. This celebration is filled with the imagery of light, and this is stressed by the name of the feast, Epiphany. From the Greek word "epiphaneia", it is made of two words: "epi" (upon) and "phanō" (shine). Basically, we celebrate the "shining" of Christ on earth. Our readings are also filled with this image of light. ...

1st Reading                Sirach 3:3-7, 14-17 Psalm                          128:1-2, 3, 4-5 (R. cf. 1) R:// "O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in His ways!" 2nd Reading              Colossians 3: 12-21 Gospel                          Matthew 2:13-15,19-23 DREAM, OBEY, AND PROTECT Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the last Sunday of the year. It is also the feast of the Holy Family. The Holy Family is the family of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. As we bring the year to a close, the Holy Family becomes a model for a virtuous Christian life. This Sunday, I suggest we consider the Gospel passage. The Gospel passage is from Matthew 2:13-15,19-23. It is the flight to Egypt. In that passage, we hear the names of each of the members of the Holy Family. It is not enough to identify...

1st Reading                       Isaiah 62:1-5 Psalm                                  89:4-5, 16-17, 27 & 29 (R. cf. 2a) R:// "I will sing forever of your mercies, O Lord" 2nd Reading                    Acts 13:16-17, 22-25 Gospel                               Matthew 1:1-25 GOD WRITES YOUR SCRIPT Friends, Peace and Goodness! All too soon, we have arrived at the Vigil of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas). We anticipate the birth of Christ, something we have been preparing for in the season of Advent. Today, I strongly suggest we look at the Gospel passage from Matthew 1:1-25.  The Gospel passage is Jesus' family tree. It is the Genealogy of Jesus. In fact, due to the long list of names, some of which might ap...