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Category: Weekdays

Ordinary Time / Twentieth Week / Weekdays / Year I

“I HAVE OPENED MY MOUTH TO THE LORD, AND I CANNOT TAKE BACK MY VOW” (Judg 11:35)

⏰Thursday of the Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time 1 (19 August 2021) 📖Judg 11:29-39a; Ps 40:5, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10 (R.v.8a, 9a); Matt 22:1-14 🎤”I HAVE OPENED MY MOUTH TO THE LORD, AND I CANNOT TAKE BACK MY VOW” (Judg 11:35) Reading through Judg 11:29-39, something keeps me from being blinded by the fact that the actions of Jephthah in sacrificing his only daughter were borne of a pagan custom that was already condemned by God (cf. Lev 18:21; 20:2-5; Deut 12:31). Instead, the FAITHFULNESS OF JEPHTHAH TO FULFIL HIS VOWS TO THE LORD struck me. How often do we keep...

Eighteenth Week / Ordinary Time / Weekdays / Year I

“WHEREVER THERE IS JEALOUSY AND SELFISH AMBITION, YOU WILL ALSO FIND DISCORD AND ALL THAT IS EVIL” (Jam 3:16)

⏰Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week of Ordinary Time (03 August 2021) 📖Num 12:1-13; Ps 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 6cd-7, 12-13 (R.v.3a); Matt 14:22-36 🎤”WHEREVER THERE IS JEALOUSY AND SELFISH AMBITION, YOU WILL ALSO FIND DISCORD AND ALL THAT IS EVIL” (Jam 3:16) There is one Igbo adage which says, “Nwata kpachuo ibe ya na nke, asi na o kpara nke ya n’ajo ohia,” literally meaning that when a child fetches more firewood than his mates, they will allege that he fetched his from the evil forest. Why would that happen? ENVY AND JEALOUSY! They want to rubbish his integrity so that they...

Ordinary Time / Seventeenth Week / Weekdays / Year I

FOCUS ON THE KINGDOM FOR YOUR BLESSING

⏰Monday of the Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time 1 (26 July 2021 – Memorial of Ss. Joachim and Anne) 📖Exod 32:15-24, 30-34; Ps 106:19-20, 21-22, 23 (R.v.1b); Matt 13:31-35 🎤FOCUS ON THE KINGDOM FOR YOUR BLESSING Beloved in Christ, things might be rough, slow and unstable at the beginning, but if you put your trust in the Lord and persevere to the end, you shall reap the fruit of abundance. In our journey of faith, our destination is the kingdom of God. The two parables that Jesus gave in Matt 13:31-35 speak of the kingdom as one one with a...

Fourteenth Week / Ordinary Time / Weekdays / Year I

“EVEN THE HAIRS OF YOUR HEAD ARE ALL NUMBERED” (Matt 10:30)

⏰Saturday of the Fourteenth Week of Ordinary Time 1 (10 July 2021) 📖Gen 49:29-33, 50:15-26a; Ps 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7 (R. Ps 69:33); Matt 10:24-33 🎤”EVEN THE HAIRS OF YOUR HEAD ARE ALL NUMBERED” (Matt 10:30) Beloved in Christ, do you know that you are not an accident? Not minding whatever might be the circumstances surrounding your birth, God knows you before you were born and approved of your birth and made out plans for what he shall achieve with you (cf. Jer 1:5). You are a child of destiny and no one can do anything to you without God’s approval...

Ordinary Time / Tenth Week / Weekdays / Year I

BE AN AUTHENTIC AND DEDICATED WITNESS

⏰Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time 1 (08 June 2021) 📖2 Cor 1:18-22; Ps 119:129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 135 (R.v.135a); Matt 5:13-16 🎤BE AN AUTHENTIC AND DEDICATED WITNESS Immediately after his teaching on the beatitudes, Jesus went on to teach them on how they can be effective in transforming the world, using three important allegories – light of the world, salt of the earth and city built on a hill. Light has many roles; it dispels darkness and illuminates the world. As Christians, we are expected to also dispel the darkness of evil and hatred in the...

Ninth Week / Ordinary Time / Weekdays / Year I

“BLESSED THE MAN WHO FEARS THE LORD” (Ps 112:1)

⏰Monday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time 1 (01 June 2021 – Memorial of St. Justin) 📖Tob 1:3, 2:1-8; Ps 112:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6 (R.v.1b); Mark 12:1-12 🎤”BLESSED THE MAN WHO FEARS THE LORD” (Ps 112:1) Beloved in Christ, I welcome you to this first day of the new work month. Listen to the prayers of the psalmist for you today:Your descendants would be powerful on earth and your generation blest (Ps 112:2), amen. Again, riches and wealth shall be in your house and a light would rise to enlighten the darkness before you (Ps 112:3-4), amen. And it shall...

Eight Week / Ordinary Time / Weekdays / Year I

“WISDOM DOES NOT ENTER THE WICKED SOUL” (Wisdom 1:4)

⏰Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time 1 (29 May 2021) 📖Sir 51:12c-20b; Ps 19:5, 9, 10, 11 (R.v.9ab); Mark 11:27-33 🎤”WISDOM DOES NOT ENTER THE WICKED SOUL” (Wisdom 1:4) In Sirach 51:12-20, the wise man tells us how he prayerfully sought wisdom. The attitude he put up was that of humility, trust, repentance and reverence. He made this search as if his life depended on it. Indeed, his life depended on it! This is because the scriptures normally compares wisdom as the same as God. In fact, 1 Cor 1:24 declares Jesus as the power and wisdom of...

Eight Week / Ordinary Time / Weekdays / Year I

BE PRODUCTIVE AND LIVE!

⏰Friday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time 1 (28 May 2021) 📖Sir 44:1, 9-13; Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a, and 9b (R.v.4a); Mark 11:11-25 🎤BE PRODUCTIVE AND LIVE! Beloved in Christ, the time of the great harvest is ever closer. Please ensure that you bear good fruit which would ensure your continuous existence even after your earthly existence. Remember that the good that men do lives with them and follows them. But evil men have no good place in history (cf. Sirach 44:9-13). We must therefore encourage our leaders, in whatever capacity, whether spiritual or temporal, even as low as...

Eight Week / Ordinary Time / Weekdays / Year I

STAY FOCUSED ON JESUS; BEWARE OF THE CROWD!

⏰Thursday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time 1 (27 May 2021 – Children’s Day) 📖Sir 42:15-25; Ps 33:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (R.v.6a); Mark 10:46-52 STAY FOCUSED ON JESUS; BEWARE OF THE CROWD! Beloved in Christ, try always to be focused in life and in communion with God. That is actually what you need to succeed. Don’t form the habit of basing your life upon how people might react to your actions. The story of the blind man, Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52) passes that important message to us, and even more. Remember our discussions of yesterday. The disciples were following Jesus,...

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Marriage and Family Life / Ordinary Time (Year 1) / Weekdays / Year I

“IT IS NOT GOOD THAT MAN SHOULD BE ALONE” (Gen 2:18)

⏰Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time 1 (11 Feb 2021) 📖Gen 2:18-25; Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 (R.v.1a); Mark 7:24-30 “IT IS NOT GOOD THAT MAN SHOULD BE ALONE” (Gen 2:18) A modern consideration of Gen 2:18-25 might see it as strictly referring to the institution of marriage. But taking it back to the time like 10th Century B.C. and placing it in the context that the Jew of that time would understand might not yield the same result. And I think that that kind of venture is important for us to undertake. At that time, a woman’s position...