St Bernard, Abbot and doctor20th Week in Ordinary Time : Saturday 20th August 2022Ez. 43:1-7a; Ps. 84:9ab and 10,11-12, 13-14; Mt. 23:1-12 (Ps Wk IV) During Jesus’ time, the scribes were seen as religious intellectuals skilled in interpreting and applying the Scriptures to everyday life. The Pharisees, meanwhile, were mainly pious laymen belonging to a…
St John Eudes, priest20th Week in Ordinary Time : Friday 19th August 2022Ez. 37:1-14; Ps. 106:2-3,4-5,6-7,8-9; Mt. 22:34-40 (Ps Wk IV) Ezekiel was a prophet of the Lord while the Israelites were in exile in Babylon. In this passage, Ezekiel prophesied that the people of Israel would be restored to their homeland. It would be…
Lord, may I be a good shepherd like You20th Week in Ordinary Time : Thursday 18th August 2022Ez. 36:23-28; Ps. 50:12-13,14-15,18-19; Mt. 22:1-14 (Ps Wk IV) “You shall be my people, and I shall be your God.” (Ez. 36: 28) Meditating on this verse gives one a sense of intimacy with the Lord. This is…
Lord, may I be a good shepherd like You20th Week in Ordinary Time : Wednesday 17th August 2022Ez. 34:1-11; Ps. 22:1-3a,3b-4,5,6; Mt. 20:1-16a (Ps Wk IV) In the parable of the shepherds found in the first reading, the Prophet Ezekiel speaks about the wicked rulers who reigned over Israel but did not carry out their…
St Stephen of Hungary20th Week in Ordinary Time : Tuesday 16th August 2022Ez 28:1-10; (R. Ps.) Deut. 32:26-27ab, 27cd-28,30,35cd-36ab; Mt. 19:23-30 (Ps Wk IV) Rich man, poor man, camel passing through the eye of a needle, the kingdom of heaven … “Lord, who can be saved?’ Jesus’ answer is: those who follow Him will be…
Mother Mary, Pray for usTHE ASSUMPTION OF THE B. V. MARY : Monday 15th August 2022Rev. 11:19a; 12:1-6a,10ab; Ps. 44:10,11,12, 15b-16; 1 Cor. 15:20-27; Lk. 1:39-56 (Psalter proper) The birth of a child is a positive sign of hope and continuing life. The woman clothed with the sun – Mary – gave birth to a…
Lord, help me to keep my focus on You20th Week in Ordinary Time : Sunday 14th August 2022Jer. 38:4,6,8-10; Ps. 39:2,3,4,18; Heb. 12:1-4; Lk. 12:49-53 (Ps Wk IV) In today’s Gospel, it seems like Jesus is feeling disappointment, and His distress is great. He wishes the fire is already blazing, but it is not. He…
SS. Pontian, pope, and Hippolytus, priest, martyrs19th Week in Ordinary Time : Saturday 13th August 2022Ez. 18:1-10,13b,30-32; Ps. 50:12-13,14-15,18-19; Mt. 19:13-15 (Ps Wk III) It was a Jewish custom to present the children to the rabbis so that they would bless them. But in today’s Gospel, the Apostles thought that the children were abusing the…
St Jane Frances de Chantal, religious19th Week in Ordinary Time : Friday 12th August 2022Ez. 16:1-15,60,63 (or Ez. 16:59-63); (R. Ps.) Is. 12:2-3,4bcd,5-6; Mt. 19:3-12 (Ps Wk III) “It was not like this from the beginning”. This statement on divorce reappears again and again in history in varying forms. Moses instructs his people on how…
St Clare, virgin19th Week in Ordinary Time : Thursday 11th August 2022Ez. 12:1-12; Ps. 77:56-57,58-59,61-62; Mt. 18:21—19:1 (Ps Wk III) “The Word of the Lord came to me.” The Prophet Ezra speaks these words. He understands how God’s Word empowers; it enables him to follow God’s commands and be a sign to Israel. To prophesy…