Daily Mass Reading and Reflection for the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude

First Reading: (Ephesians 2:19–22)

Responsorial Psalm

Response: Their message goes out through all the earth.

Gospel: (Luke 6:12–16)

Reflection

Today is the feast of St. Simon and Jude. All four Gospels recount Jesus choosing his Apostles, but only Luke tells us that he spent the entire night in prayer before doing so. Prayer. His choices flowed directly from that communion with the Father. Throughout Luke’s Gospel, Jesus turns to prayer at crucial moments, after his baptism, before his passion, and even on the cross. It will be nice if we could pray and ask God to intervene for us when we go out to choose our leaders. 

We are reminded that when we face important decisions, we too should first seek God in prayer. Prayer doesn’t guarantee ease or perfect outcomes, after all, one of the twelve chosen betrayed Jesus, but it opens space for God to act, to guide, and to strengthen us in ways unseen.

Our task is to surrender trustfully, allowing the Lord’s will to shape ours, even when the path leads through uncertainty.

Saints Simon and Jude, pray for us. 

God bless you 

Pal Ronnie

Jesus Heals: Mass Readings and Reflection October 27th 2025

First Reading: (Romans 8:12–17)

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 68)
Response: Our God is a God who saves.

ALLELUIA: Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth; sanctify us in your truth.
Alleluia.

Gospel: (Luke 13:10–17)

Reflection:
As a clinician, I love all things healing in the Bible. In this profession, our sole mission is always to heal the sick. Unfortunately, sometimes we fall short of that mission to heal. In a greedy market based economy where everything is tied to spreadsheets and profits, to heal completley could mean that someone could be put out of business, so we would rather manage symptoms and be getting perpetually paid.

Today Gospel then presents a powerful lesson where Jesus healed that woman. Those leaders perhaps wanted to uphold their laws more than they wanted to see that woman healed. It is not hard to picture that in the world we live in today. Jesus heals a woman who had suffered for eighteen long years. Instead of rejoicing, the synagogue leaders are offended, not because the healing was evil, but because it broke their interpretation of the law. 

Their hearts, hardened by pride, jealousy, and legalism, became blind to compassion. The law, given to serve humanity, had become more important to them than the human person standing before their eyes, burdened by man made rules. During COVID, people were not allowed to go outside for sunlight. The sun, the greatest disinfectant compatible with all living things for billions of years, was prohibited by man made laws to, in their words, “flatten the curve of the covid spread.” Man can be wicked in his belief systems.

Anyway, this blindness to humanity still happens today all around us like stated above. We can become so attached to rules, positions, pride, or our own anger and prejudice that we fail to see the suffering, dignity, and value of another human being. The rulers of the synagogue could not rejoice with their own sister in faith, who had carried pain, shame, and burden for eighteen lomg years. They did not share her tears, so they could not share her joy. Some people where actually unhappy covid didn't kill more people than it did. 

But Jesus reveals the heart of God:
When a human life, human dignity, or human suffering is before us, love must speak louder than law. Mercy must stand above ritual. Compassion must outweigh pride. When life and dignity are at stake, every other law falls silent. The only law that remains is the law of love.

Recently at work, I had an exchange with a staff member in another department. My clinical judgment superseded hers. She wanted to uphold the rules, and I would not. I did what was necessary, and she questioned it, showing a great deal of displeasure.

Let us examine our hearts. Have we allowed jealousy, anger, prejudice, or rigid legalism to make us cold toward others? Have we forgotten that those we judge or mistreat are human beings, children of God, whose blood, like ours, flows with pain and hope?

Today, Jesus calls us to recover our humanity. To put the human person first. To let love be the highest law. To heal, to lift, to rejoice with others. For there is no law greater than love.

Have a wonderful week and God bless you.

Pal Ronnie

Sunday Mass Readings and Reflection October 26th 2025

Daily Mass Readings:

First Reading: (Sirach 35:12–18)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 34)-“The Lord hears the cry of the poor.”

Second Reading: (2 Timothy 4:6–8, 16–18)

The Gospel: (Luke 18:9–14)

Reflection
We sinners, in the words of Bishop Barron, loves to show off, not just spiritually like the Pharisee did above and in the parable, but in all our daily dealings with fellow men. We sees only outward appearances, the esthetics, the piercings, jewelries, and styles, all while ignoring the deeper reality of the heart. 

How often:

• Examine Pride: Where do I imitate the Pharisee, assuming I am better or holier than others?

• Embrace Mercy: Can I approach God like the tax collector, honest, vulnerable, and aware of my need for grace and God's mercy?

• Trust God’s Justice: Sirach and Paul reassure us that God Himself defends the humble and raises up those who rely on Him.

May we learn to see others as God sees them, beyond appearances, beyond judgments, down to the heart.

God bless you,
Pal Ronnie

On Work

 

Daily Mass Readings and Reflection for October 25th 2025

First Reading: (Romans 8:1-11)

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 24)
Response: Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Alleluia
Alleluia, Alleluia.
( no verse provided, but I can insert the proper one if you want the official lectionary Alleluia.)
Alleluia, Alleluia.

Gospel: (Luke 13:1-9)

Reflection

In the Gospel today, Jesus’ parable of the fig tree confronts us with two profound truths: God’s justice and God’s patience. The vineyard owner represents justice, there is an expectation that our lives bear spiritual fruit. The gardener represents mercy, God sees potential in us even when we fail, and He fights for our conversion.

Like the fig tree, some souls grow slowly. Some resist grace. Some appear barren. Yet God, in His mercy, cultivates, nourishes, and waits. This parable reminds us that now is the time to repent, to grow, and to bear the fruits of the Spirit, before our time in the vineyard runs out.

We are not hopeless, and we are not abandoned. With God’s grace, even what looks spiritually fruitless can become fruitful again.

I hope you get something out of this. I did. 

God bless and have a wonderful weekend.

Pal Ronnie

Mass Reading and Reflection for Friday October 24th, 2025

First Reading: (Romans 7:18–25a)

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 119)

R: Teach me your statutes, O Lord.

Alleluia

Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
Alleluia.

Gospel: (Luke 12:54–59)

Reflection

All week, the Church has led us to reflect on the Last Things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. Each day has reminded us that life is short, death is certain, and the hour is unknown.

• On Monday, Jesus warned that wealth cannot save us from death.

• On Tuesday, we were urged not to live like fools, forgetting eternity.

• On Wednesday, we were told not to delay our preparation, for death can come at any moment.

• On Thursday, we were exhorted to choose friendship with Jesus, even over friendship with the world.

Today, Jesus adds a final warning: reconcile now, before it is too late.

Just as two people should settle a dispute before it reaches the court, Jesus tells us to settle our souls before we stand at the judgment seat of God. A simple problem becomes complicated once it reaches court: it costs more, involves more people, exposes more shame, and may lead to prison.

So, it is with the soul.

Now, while we are “on the way,” we still have time.
Now, while we breathe, we can:

• forgive and ask forgiveness

• seek peace

• confess our sins

• return to God

But after death, it will no longer be in our hands. The case will be God’s. We risk purgatory, and even then, we depend on others to pray for us. And who will remember us for long? Today is the time. A stitch in time saves nine.

So, let us not carry grudges, sins, or pride to the judgment. Go to confession. Reconcile. Fix it while it is still easy to fix. Make peace with God and with one another. Time is a gift, and today it is still on our side.

God bless you

Amen

My Favorite Season

 

Daily Mass Readings and Reflection October 23rd 2025

First Reading: (Romans 6:19–23)

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 1)

Response: Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Alleluia: (Philippians 3:8–9)

Alleluia, Alleluia.
I consider all things so much rubbish
that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
Alleluia, Alleluia.

Gospel: (Luke 12:49–53)

Reflection

Jesus declares that He has come to set the world on fire, a fire that symbolizes the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Before that fire could be unleashed at Pentecost, Christ first had to endure His Passion, the “baptism” of suffering He speaks of. His burning desire is to purify, refine, and ignite hearts with divine love.

But the Gospel reminds us that the truth divides before it unites. When the light of Christ enters a soul, it forces a choice: for Him or against Him. Even families can experience division when some embrace the Gospel and others reject it. This division is not caused by Christ’s desire for conflict, but by the dramatic nature of conversion, the Gospel demands a decision.

Meanwhile, Saint Paul reminds us that we must no longer be slaves to sin. Sin promises freedom, but leads to death; Christ offers surrender, but it leads to eternal life. The fire of the Holy Spirit both burns away sin and lights the path to holiness.

May we allow that divine fire to burn within us, purifying what is unholy, igniting what is good, and giving us courage to choose Christ even when it costs us.

Amen 🙏 

Pal Ronnie 

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2025: Mass Readings and Reflection

First Reading: (Romans 6:12–18)

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 124)
Response: Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Gospel: (Luke 12:39–48)

Reflection

If you were told that today would be your last day on earth, how would you spend your remaining time? Most people when asked, almost everyone gave the same answers: some said they would rush to confession, knowing no one can enter heaven with unrepented sins. Others said they would go straight to church and remain in prayer until their final breath. Some even said they would give away their possessions, realizing they would no longer need them.

In other words, we know what leads to heaven, repentance, prayer, charity, and readiness. Yet in everyday life, we postpone these very things.

Imagine a person in a plane moments before a crash, or in a car seconds before a fatal accident. What floods the mind at that moment? We have seen videos of people crying out, “Jesus!” In the face of eternity, priorities become painfully clear.

This is how a Christian ought to see life: tomorrow is not guaranteed. If we know we need confession, why wait for another day? If we need to forgive, to love, to reconcile, to break from sin, or to do good, why delay?

Jesus tells us: “If the householder had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.” We do not know the hour, not of death, not of judgment, not of the Lord’s return.

We treat time as if it were endless. We delay tasks, arrive late, and even take our spiritual life casually. Yet there is one account we draw from daily without ever seeing the remaining balance: the account of life itself. Each sunrise is a withdrawal. How much remains, only God knows.

Should we fear death? No. But we should live each day so well that if death came this very afternoon, we would be at peace. The good you can do, do it today. The confession you need, go today. The forgiveness you are withholding, offer it today. Time is not waiting for us.

So let us ask ourselves honestly: If today were my last, would I be ready to meet God?

May St. John Paul II intercede for us, that whenever our hour comes, we may be found faithful, watchful, and prepared. Amen.

Amen.
-Pal Ronnie-

Mass Readings and Reflection on Tuesday October 21st 2025

First Reading: (Romans 5:12, 15b, 17–19, 20b–21)

Through one man, Adam, sin and death entered the world; but through one man, Jesus Christ, grace and redemption overflow for all who receive Him.

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 40)

Response: “Here I am, Lord; I come to do Your will.”
The psalmist rejoices that God does not desire empty sacrifice, but a willing heart ready to obey His will.

Alleluia

“Be vigilant, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Gospel: (Luke 12:35–38)

Jesus calls His disciples to be watchful and ready, like servants awaiting their master’s return, promising blessing for those found vigilant.

Reflection

Today, St. Paul gives us a sweeping summary of salvation history, what is often called the kerygma: the good news, the bad news, and the best news. Through Adam, sin enters the world, and through sin comes death. This original rupture creates a chasm between humanity and God, one we cannot bridge by our own effort. But through one obedient man, Jesus Christ, grace, redemption, and new life overflow. His obedience cancels Adam’s disobedience, and His sacrifice opens the way for us to live in grace.

The Gospel then calls us to respond. Jesus tells us, “Gird your loins” and “light your lamps.” In ancient times, this meant tucking in long garments so one could run freely. In other words: be ready. He urges us to live each day prepared for His return, whether in the first watch or the third, because the Master will come at an hour we do not expect.

If Christ were to return for you today, would you be ready? Or would you say, “Lord, give me a moment, I still need to forgive…I still need to repent…I still need to return to prayer”? Jesus warns us not to delay conversion. Vigilance is not fear, it is faithfulness. It is choosing daily prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, and a life of charity so that our hearts stay awake.

And then Jesus gives us a stunning image: if the Master finds us ready, He will seat us at table and serve us. The One who washes feet will one day satisfy every hunger of our soul in the heavenly banquet.

So how do we remain vigilant? Three simple pillars:

1. Prayer, Scripture, Sacraments, build a daily plan of grace.

2. Community, surround yourself with believers who call you higher.

3. Mission and Service, share your faith and love your neighbor.

Love is not a feeling, is willing the good of the other. When we live this way, our faith becomes dynamic, joyful, and alive.

May we stay awake, stay ready, and stay rooted in grace, so that when the Lord knocks, our lamps are already burning.

God bless you,

-Pal Ronnie-