Mass Readings and Reflection for Thursday February 5th 2026

First Reading: (1 Kings 2:1–4, 10–12)

Responsorial Psalm: (1 Chronicles 29:10–12)

Response: Lord, you are exalted over all.

Alleluia: (Mark 1:15)-The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in God.

Gospel: (Mark 6:7–13)

Reflection:

The Gospel reading today presents us once again with a moment of mission. Jesus sends out the Twelve, much like the earlier sending of the seventy-two. In this repeated action, a clear pattern emerges, one that defines what it truly means to live the Christian life.

Our faith is, at its core, missionary. To be a Christian is to be sent. And this mission is never meant to be lived in isolation. Jesus sends the apostles out two by two, reminding us that faith is always lived in communion. Whether in families, parishes, religious communities, or groups engaged in social action, discipleship is both communal and missionary. We are not only called to believe, but to go forth together and witness to the Gospel in the world.

Jesus also gives very concrete instructions to those he sends. They are told not to bring excess, no food, no sack, no money, no extra tunic. This simplicity is not meant to romanticize poverty or hardship. Rather, it is an invitation to radical trust. The less we cling to, the more space we create for God to act. Simplicity becomes an expression of faith, a sign that our confidence rests not in what we carry, but in the One who sends us.

This kind of trust is beautifully captured in the prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola: “Take, Lord, and receive all that I have and possess. Give me only your love and your grace. That is enough for me.” When we entrust everything to God, we discover that His love and grace truly are sufficient. Simplicity, then, is not loss, it is freedom. It allows us to be disposed according to God’s will, ready to serve wherever and however He calls.

Underlying this call to mission and simplicity is a deeper assurance: that God Himself brings the mission to completion. The work is ultimately His. Our role is to discern faithfully, not only what God asks us to do, but how He asks us to do it. Jesus’ instructions to the apostles are clear and detailed, teaching us that discernment includes the manner of our service, not just its goal.

This discernment is especially important in our engagement with the world, including social action. We act as Church, bringing the Gospel worldview into every work of justice, development, and transformation. It is the Gospel that gives meaning and direction to our mission.

Today, we are invited to revisit these essential dimensions of our faith. We are a missionary people, called to live and serve in communities. We are called to simplicity, born of complete trust in God. And we are called to discernment, trusting that when we act according to God’s will and in His way, He Himself will bring everything to fulfillment.

May we have the grace to say, with humility and confidence, “Lord, I want to do this, not my way, but the way You want it done.”

Amen 

God bless you all

Mass Readings and Reflection for Wednesday February 4th 2026

First Reading: (2 Samuel 24:1–10, 15–17)

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 32:1–2, 5, 6, 7)

Response: Forgive, Lord, the guilt of my sin.

Gospel Acclamation: (Matthew 4:4)

Alleluia, alleluia.
Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: (Mark 6:1–6)

Reflection

The mass readings today is a call to examine a subtle but dangerous spiritual error: mistaking stewardship for ownership.

In the First Reading, King David orders a census of Israel. On the surface, this seems harmless, after all, is he not the king? But Scripture reveals the deeper issue. Israel does not belong to David; Israel belongs to God. David’s role is that of a steward, not a lord. By counting the people as though they were his possession, David crosses a spiritual boundary. His action springs not from obedience, but from pride and self-reliance.

This is why the sin carries social consequences. Pride is never private. When leaders forget that what they govern is entrusted, not owned, entire communities suffer. David recognizes this and pleads with God: “It is I who sinned… but these sheep, what have they done?” True repentance always accepts responsibility.

The Responsorial Psalm echoes this movement of the heart, from guilt to confession, from confession to mercy. God does not desire punishment; He desires truth in the heart and humility before Him.

The Gospel presents the same sin in a quieter form. The people of Nazareth reduce Jesus to what they think they know: the carpenter, the son of Mary, the familiar face. Their pride blinds them. Because they believe they already understand Him, they cannot receive Him. Familiarity becomes an obstacle to faith.

My dear friends in Christ, we fall into the same error whenever we take pride in our achievements, our families, our positions, or even our faith itself, as if these were our own doing. Everything we have, life, talents, relationships, resources, has been entrusted to us by God. When we forget this, pride creeps in, and grace is resisted.

Today’s Word warns us gently but firmly: never confuse what is given with what is owned. We are stewards, not masters. One day, we will be asked to give an account, not of what we possessed, but of how faithfully we served.

May God almighty grant us the grace of humility, the courage of honest repentance, and the wisdom to recognize His work even when it comes through what feels familiar. Through Christ our Lord. 

God bless you

St. Blaise Pray for Us

Mass Readings and Reflection for Feb 3rd, 2026

• 1st Reading: (2 Samuel 18:9–10, 14, 24–25, 30–19:3) 

The death of Absalom and David’s profound grief. 

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 86:1–6). A cry of the poor asking God to listen and have mercy. 

Gospel: (Mark 5:21–43).

Jesus heals the woman with the hemorrhage and raises Jairus’ daughter. 

Reflection

Theological Themes Healing:

1. The Heart of the Father (2 Samuel 18–19)

• David’s love and anguish over Absalom, despite Absalom’s betrayal.
• A king whose justice and mercy collide as he faces the consequences of sin within his own family.

Th Theological Insights:

• God’s fatherly compassion surpasses even David’s.
  David cries, “Would that I had died instead of you!”.
  This foreshadows the self-giving love of God-fulfilled in Christ, who actually dies in our place.
• The text reveals the brokenness of human freedom: sin wounds relationships; mercy bears its cost.

2. The Cry of the Poor (Psalm 86)

The psalmist describes:

• Human poverty of spirit
• God’s steadfast mercy and responsiveness
• The heart of prayer: dependence on the Lord alone

Theology:

• Psalm 86 anticipates the Beatitudes: those who know their need for God are closest to Him.
• It also harmonizes with today’s Gospel: those who cry out in need (the hemorrhaging woman, Jairus) are heard.

3. Christ the Healer and Life-Giver (Mark 5:21–43)

In this Gospel, Jesus:

• Heals a woman suffering for 12 years
• Raises a 12‑year‑old girl from death

Theological depth:

• Faith as participation in Christ’s power:
  “Your faith has saved you” (summarized) teaches that faith is not magic but relationship.
• Jesus restores what sin and death steal:
  He heals physical suffering and reveals His authority over death.
• The dual miracle shows Christ’s tenderness toward suffering bodies, making today especially fitting for the Blessing of the Throats on St. Blaise’s feast.

 St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr -Feast Day Theology

St. Blaise (4th century):

• Bishop of Sebaste
• Known for healing miracles, especially of the throat
• Martyred for the faith

The traditional blessing:

“Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness.”

Theological significance:

• The blessing is not superstition.
• It is an invocation of Christ’s healing power through the communion of saints.
• St. Blaise, a physician of bodies and souls, mirrors Christ the Divine Physician.
• This feast, combined with today’s Gospel, illuminates how God works bodily, spiritually, and sacramentally to restore His people.

Integrated Reflection: The Father’s Compassion and Christ’s Healing

Today’s liturgy places three powerful images side by side:

1. David weeping over the death of his son
2. A psalmist crying for mercy
3. Two desperate people begging Jesus for healing

All three forms of suffering-parental grief, personal vulnerability, and physical illness-meet their fulfillment in Christ.

1. Christ is the fulfillment of David’s cry.

David wishes he could die for Absalom, but cannot.
Christ does die for sinners who rebel us.

2. Christ answers the plea of Psalm 86.

The psalmist begs God to bend down and hear.
In Jesus, God literally bends down into human misery, touching the unclean and raising the dead.

3. Christ transforms suffering  He does not avoid it.

• The hemorrhaging woman finds healing not through isolation but through encounter.
• Jairus’ daughter is raised not from a distance but by Christ taking her hand.

4. St. Blaise reminds us that healing continues in the Church.

The blessing of throats is a sign:

• that our bodies matter,
• that Christ still heals,
• and that the communion of saints is active in the life of the faithful.

Spiritual Application for Today

A. Do you carry grief like David?

Offer it to the One whose heart is pierced for you.

B. Do you cry from the depths like the psalmist?

Let your poverty become prayer.

C. Are you suffering in body or soul like those in the Gospel?

Come forward in faith, Christ still heals through the sacraments, the saints, and the Church.

D. Receive the St. Blaise blessing with theological clarity.

It is:

• a prayer for protection,
• an act of faith in Christ’s healing,
• and a reminder that holiness embraces both body and soul.

God bless you, 

Pal Ronnie 

Mass Readings and Reflection for Sunday February 1st 2026

First Reading: (Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12–13)

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 146:6–10)
Response: “The Lord keeps faith forever.”

Second Reading: (1 Corinthians 1:26–31)

Alleluia: (Matthew 5:12)

Gospel: (Matthew 5:1–12a)

Reflection

I made it to the 11 a.m. Mass at St. Mary’s Church at Yale University. It was wonderful, as I was seated right in front, taking in everything. The homily was broad and very dynamic, and I was able to walk away with a few points to share and ponder for the day. Happy February 1st, by the way.

The priest started the homily by talking about how he never gets the chance to be at that parish anymore and joked about age discrimination, because he is the oldest one in the system. 

Then we went on to talk about the Beatitudes: love of God vs. love of God’s benefits. Drawing from a question once posed by Bishop Robert Barron, whom I also listen to online, he challenged listeners to examine whether their faith is rooted in genuine love of God or in the material and emotional benefits they receive from Him. True love of God must remain even when blessings, comfort, or success are taken away (see Job, Abraham).

First Reading (Zephaniah) applied: Israel mistook prosperity as proof of God’s favor, and we all do that today. When something bad happen happens and unsettles us, we question God. Material comfort led to spiritual complacency and forgetfulness of God. Exile became the painful path through which trust in God was restored for the Israelites back in the day. In our world today, many of us are blessed with more than our fathers and great-grandfathers. I can testify to that in terms of material things, and yet most of us are very unhappy in this life. That tells us that materialism is not the way for us, but the love of God is His way for us.

False ideas of happiness: society teaches conditional happiness, “I will be happy when I have that girl, that car, the house, and that bank account.” This mindset always focuses on what is lacking rather than what truly with us and fulfills. Earthly happiness is temporary and incomplete.

Beatitudes as the cost of discipleship: Jesus defines blessedness in ways that contradict human logic, poverty of spirit, meekness, persecution. Following God may require sacrificing wealth, power, status, and even reputation. Being faithful often comes at a real cost.

This world is not our final home. Earthly possessions, success, and comfort are temporary and should be used as a vehicle to our final destination after this place. Humans are created for heaven and for happiness, not permanent satisfaction here. They priest confessed that he usually doesn't think much about paradise but should. We might think the life we have here in this world is good and comforting but it's not, he added. Look at the sufferings we see around us, poverty, homelessness, disease, wars etc. 

He added that, restlessness in life despite some successes is a sign of our longing for God (St. Augustine: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”)

It was a wonderful Mass, and I hope you get something from it.

God bless you.

Pal Ronnie

Mass Readings and Reflection for January 31st 2026

First Reading: (2 Samuel 11:1–17)

Response Psalm: (Psalm 51)

“Be merciful, Lord, for we have sinned.”

Alleluia

God reveals the mysteries of the Kingdom not to the self-sufficient, but to the humble. The childlike heart sees what pride obscures. This humility is the doorway through which grace enters.

Gospel (Mark 4:26–34)

Reflection

Today’s readings place two truths side by side: the fragility of the human heart and the unstoppable mercy of God.

David’s fall warns us that spiritual complacency is dangerous. He remained behind while others went to battle, and in that idleness, temptation took root. Sin often begins not with rebellion, but with neglect. Prayer fades. Awareness dulls. Ego creeps in. Like David, we can become blind to how far we have drifted.

Yet the Gospel reminds us that God never abandons the soil, even when it is wounded. The seed of God’s love is already planted within us. It grows quietly, persistently, if we allow it. Prayer is what keeps us awake. It sobers us. It realigns us when fear, pride, or self-doubt threaten to stunt our growth.

Spiritual life is not about instant perfection; it is about faithful nurturing. When we return to God with humility, even our failures become fertile ground for grace. God specializes in growth we cannot explain and mercy we do not deserve.

Today, we are invited to trust the slow work of God within us. To repent honestly. To pray faithfully. And to believe that no storm, no sin, no weakness is stronger than the love in which we are anchored.

Be merciful, Lord, for we have sinned-and make us grow again.

Amen.

God bless 🙌 

Have a wonderful weekend 

Mass Readings and Reflection Friday January 30th 2026

First Reading (2 Samuel 11:1–17)

Psalm (Psalm 51)

“Be merciful, Lord, for we have sinned.”

Alleluia

God reveals the mysteries of the Kingdom not to the self-sufficient, but to the humble. The childlike heart sees what pride obscures. This humility is the doorway through which grace enters.

Gospel (Mark 4:26–34)

Reflection

Today’s readings place two truths side by side: the fragility of the human heart and the unstoppable mercy of God.

David’s fall warns us that spiritual complacency is dangerous. He remained behind while others went to battle, and in that idleness, temptation took root. Sin often begins not with rebellion, but with neglect. Prayer fades. Awareness dulls. Ego creeps in. Like David, we can become blind to how far we have drifted.

Yet the Gospel reminds us that God never abandons the soil, even when it is wounded. The seed of God’s love is already planted within us. It grows quietly, persistently, if we allow it. Prayer is what keeps us awake. It sobers us. It realigns us when fear, pride, or self-doubt threaten to stunt our growth.

Spiritual life is not about instant perfection; it is about faithful nurturing. When we return to God with humility, even our failures become fertile ground for grace. God specializes in growth we cannot explain and mercy we do not deserve.

Today, we are invited to trust the slow work of God within us. To repent honestly. To pray faithfully. And to believe that no storm, no sin, no weakness is stronger than the love in which we are anchored.

Be merciful, Lord, for we have sinned, and make us grow again.

God bless you

Have a wonderful weekend.

Pal Ronnie 

Mass Readings and Reflection for January 29th 2026

First Reading: (2 Samuel 7:18–19, 24–29)

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 132)

R. The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David.

Gospel: (Mark 4:21–25)

Reflection

Today mass readings reflect on Yesterday's, where Jesus taught us about the sower, the seed, and the soil, showing how fruitfulness depends on receptivity and faithful labor. Today, He continues His teaching using another powerful image: light.

The purpose of light is simple, to dispels darkness.
Therefore, it defeats the purpose of a lamp to place it under a bed or hide it beneath a basket.

Streetlights are raised high on poles; they are not buried underground.
Bulbs are placed above the ceiling, not hidden inside the roof.
A light that does not shine is useless.

Jesus uses this image to teach us a profound truth:
Christians are the light of the world.

How Christians Shine as Light

The light of the Christian shines through good deeds:

• Where there is hatred, Christians shine by bringing love.

• Where there is unforgiveness, Christians shine through forgiveness.

• Where there is disunity, Christians shine by promoting unity and togetherness.

• Where there is war and violence, Christians shine by being instruments of peace.

• Where there is falsehood, Christians shine by speaking and living the truth.

This is how Christians become light in a dark world.
This is how our light shines.

Beloved, when you possess these qualities, whether you like it or not, you will stand out. People will notice. They will say:

• “This person is truthful.”

• “This person is honest.”

• “This person loves peace.”

• “This person lives forgiveness.”

In the same way, when these qualities are absent, people will also know that a person is living in darkness.

Where Is the Light?

If our Christian light is not seen,
if it is dim, or barely visible, or completely extinguished, 
then something is wrong.

With billions of Christians in the world, one must ask:

• Why does evil still ravage our societies?

• Why does corruption still thrive?

• Why does hatred still spread so easily?

Beloved, let us be honest:
Much of the darkness in the world is perpetrated by Christians themselves, or sustained by Christians who see evil and remain silent.

Cheating in markets, stealing, falsehood, bribery, embezzlement,
these are not done by pagans alone.
Christians are often involved, or they look away and become silent partners.

Jesus tells us:

“Nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest.”

If our light truly shines, evil will be exposed.
Those who do evil will feel uncomfortable around us because light reveals darkness.

But when Christians compromise, when they blend into the darkness, evil flourishes unchecked.

Let Your Light Shine Everywhere

Beloved, let your light shine:

• In your office

• In the marketplace

• On the roadside

• On the bus or train

• Even on the football field

Wherever you find yourself, let people say:
“This is a Christian.”

The Measure You Give

Jesus continues:

“The measure you give will be the measure you get.”

This is an invitation to generosity of heart.

When you give:

• Give freely

• Give wholeheartedly

• Give without calculation

Thin sowing produces thin reaping.
Generous sowing produces abundant harvest.

There is a multiplier effect in generosity:

• When you give your talents, they grow.

• When you use your gifts, they multiply.

• When you share your time and love, they return to you a hundredfold.

But when we are stingy,
when we refuse to use our talents, 
even what we think we have begins to die.

That is why Jesus says:

“To him who has, more will be given;
and from him who has not,
even what he has will be taken away.”

We are the light of the world.

Our world is in darkness.
We cry when we see evil, corruption, and violence.

But the deeper question remains:
Where are the Christians?
What has happened to the light?

Let our light shine brightly,
so that it may dispel the darkness of evil,
expose injustice,
and bring glory to God.

Amen.

God bless you 

Pal Ronnie 

Inspired by Fr. Blessed 🙌 

Mass Readings and Reflection om Wednesday, the 28th of January, 2028.

First Reading: (2 Samuel 7:4–17)

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 89)

R. I will keep my faithful love for him always.

Gospel: (Mark 4:1–20)

Reflection

The parable of the sower is very familiar to us. It presents three main actors:

1. The sower

2. The seed

3. The soil

Very often, when we reflect on this parable, we focus on the soil and its productivity. Today, however, let us deliberately focus on the sower.

For a great harvest to occur, all three must play their role.

• A good and hardworking sower with good seeds cannot produce a harvest if the soil is poor.

• A good sower and rich soil cannot produce a harvest if the seeds are rotten.

• Even with good soil and good seed, a lazy sower will still fail, because the seed cannot sow itself.

However, a hardworking sower can till unproductive land, water it, manure it, and cultivate it until something good comes out of it.

Before blaming the soil for unproductivity, the sower must ask:
“Have I been effective and faithful in my work?”

Examining Ourselves as Sowers

It is easy:

• For a teacher to blame students for failing exams, but did the teacher teach well and complete the syllabus?

• For parents to blame wayward children, but did they reflect honestly on their parenting?

• For priests to blame Christians for lack of repentance, but did they preach homilies that pierce hearts and call for true conversion?

Sometimes our homilies are dry.
People come to church hungry for God, longing to be edified, but they leave spiritually empty.

We preach about:

• money,

• miracles,

• breakthroughs,

but not enough about:

• repentance,

• conversion,

• carrying the cross,

• holiness of life.

We publish homily books with beautiful titles, Scattering the Seeds, My Daily Bread, The Mustard Seed, Breaking the Word, but we must ask ourselves:

Do we truly scatter the seed?
And what kind of seed are we scattering?

It is possible to scatter seeds, and still scatter the wrong seeds.

We Are All Sowers

Dear friends, being a sower is not the duty of priests or pastors alone.

• Parents are sowers in the home.

• Teachers are sowers in the classroom.

• Leaders are sowers in society.

• Every Christian is a sower by word and example.

Wherever you find yourself, you are sowing something.

So ask yourself:

• What kind of seed do I sow?

• Seeds of love or hatred?

• Seeds of peace or division?

• Seeds of unity or discord?

Remember:
A person reaps what they sow.

Do Not Give Up on the Soil

What effort do we make to manure the soil, even when it seems unproductive?

Christ never gave up.
That is why He is the Good Sower.

Some of us have already given up, on our children, on our communities, on our parishes, on people we consider “hard soil.”

But Christ kept sowing.
He kept watering.
He kept manuring.

Let us therefore focus on our responsibility as sowers.

Let the unproductivity of the soil never be blamed on our poor sowing skills.

Do your part faithfully:

• Teach well.

• Parent well.

• Preach with conviction.

• Live the Gospel authentically.

So that tomorrow, when fruit appears, or even when it does not, we can say before God:
“Lord, I did my part.”

Saint of the Day: St. Thomas Aquinas

Today we celebrate the Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, priest, philosopher, and one of the greatest theologians in the history of the Church.

Born in 1225 and dying at the young age of 49 in 1274, he devoted his life to:

• prayer,

• study,

• deepening the Christian faith.

He authored monumental works in theology and philosophy and is known as the Angelic Doctor. He is the patron saint of Catholic schools.

St. Thomas pray for us. 

God bless you 🙏 

Pal Ronnie 

Heavily inspired by Fr. Blessed 🙌 

Mass readings and a reflection for Tuesday, January 27, 2026

First Reading: (2 Samuel 6:12b-15, 17-19)

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10)
“Who is this King of glory? It is the Lord!”

Gospel: (Mark 3:31-35)

Reflection

Today, in our first reading today, King David’s unrestrained joy at bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem shows a heart fully alive to God’s presence. With every step, David rejoices with dancing, music, and sacrifice,  not out of formality, but out of deep relationship. His joy isn’t contained; it overflows and blesses the whole community.

The Psalm echoes this celebration: “Who is this King of glory? It is the Lord!”, a refrain that invites us to surrender the “gates” of our hearts, allowing God to enter and transform within us.

In the Gospel, Jesus expands our understanding of family. When told that His biological mother and brothers are calling for Him, Jesus looks at those gathered around and declares that true kinship is rooted in doing the will of God. This is a radical invitation: family isn’t only who we are related to by blood, it’s who we join in faithful obedience to God. 

Now, Jesus teaches that spiritual kinship comes from living God’s will. Our identity as brothers and sisters in Christ flows not from association alone, but from obedience and love that reflect God’s heart.

Amen and God bless you

Pal Ronnie 

Division In The Church

 The Church is Divine