Mass Readings and Reflection for Sunday August 23rd, 2026

First Reading: (Isaiah 22:19-23)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8)
Second Reading: (Romans 11:33-36)
Gospel Acclamation: (Matthew 16:18)

Gospel: (Matthew 16:13-20)

Reflection:

Today's Gospel asks one of the most important questions in all of Scripture:

“Who do you say that I am?”

Jesus is not asking what other people think about him. He is asking for a personal response. Every Christian must eventually answer this question for himself or herself.

Is Jesus simply a historical figure, a wise teacher, or a source of comfort in difficult times? Or is he truly the Son of God and Lord of our lives?

Peter answers:

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Peter's confession of faith did not come from human understanding alone. Jesus tells him that this truth was revealed to him by the Father. The same is true for us. Faith is both a gift and a response. God reveals himself, and we are invited to trust him.

This, therefore, is a personal question addressed to every one of us:

“But who do you say that I am?”

Our answer cannot simply be borrowed from our parents, our Church, our friends, or society. At some point, each of us must personally encounter Christ and decide who he is in our lives.

The readings also lead us to reflect on God's mysterious way of choosing people and entrusting them with responsibility.

It is God who appoints them.

The choice is his. It is he who chooses them.

Even when human beings are involved in the process through which someone comes to power, God can use those human circumstances to accomplish his purposes.

In the choice of Saul, it was Samuel who anointed him. In the choice of David, it was Samuel who anointed him as well.

Even Jacob, whose actions involved greed, selfishness, and human manipulation in obtaining his brother's blessing, was nevertheless someone through whom God chose to continue his plan.

This does not mean that wrongdoing becomes right simply because God can bring good out of it. Rather, it reminds us that God's purposes are greater than human weakness and human calculations.

God can work through imperfect people.

They Are Not Perfect

Those whom God calls are not necessarily perfect.

They have weaknesses, limitations, failures, and shortcomings. Yet God chooses and uses them.

We often ask:

Why this person? Why that person? Why did God choose him or her?

Sometimes God's choices surprise us because we see things differently from the way God sees them.

As Scripture reminds us, God's ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not our thoughts.

The second reading gives us the proper attitude before this mystery:

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”

We cannot teach God how to govern the world.

We cannot fully understand his wisdom.

We cannot see the whole picture.

The Keys Given to Eliakim

In the first reading, Shebna's office as royal steward is taken away from him, and Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, is chosen in his place.

Authority is placed upon Eliakim.

The key of the house of David is placed upon his shoulder:

“He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.”

The key represents authority and responsibility.

Eliakim is entrusted with leadership. He is expected to exercise that authority for the good of the people.

But the important lesson is that receiving authority from God does not make a person incapable of failure.

Human beings remain human beings.

Leadership can be corrupted by selfishness, favoritism, nepotism, pride, and the misuse of power.

Therefore, being chosen is not the end of the story.

Being chosen creates a responsibility to remain faithful.

Peter and the Keys of the Kingdom

The same imagery appears powerfully in today's Gospel.

Jesus says to Peter:

“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

And then:

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”

Peter receives the keys.

He receives authority.

He receives the mantle of leadership.

Yet look carefully at the man receiving these keys.

Peter was not perfect.

He could be impulsive. He could be presumptuous. He could misunderstand Jesus. And later, in the Passion, he would even deny knowing him.

Yet Jesus still chose Peter.

This teaches us something profound:

God does not wait for perfect people before entrusting them with responsibility.

He calls imperfect people and invites them to become faithful.

The question is not whether we are without weakness.

The question is whether we are willing to allow God to transform our weakness into faithful service.

The Meaning of the Keys

There is a striking connection between the first reading and the Gospel.

Eliakim receives the key of the house of David:

“He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.”

Peter receives the keys of the kingdom of heaven:

“Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

The key is a symbol of authority, responsibility, stewardship, and trust.

But the person who receives the key does not own the house.

The person who receives authority does not become the owner of the people.

The leader is a steward.

That is an important distinction.

God gives the keys, but the keys remain God's.

God's people remain God's.

Authority, therefore, must never become an excuse for domination.

Then we wonder, why does God choose people who are imperfect?

Why Eliakim?

Why Peter?

Why Saul?

Why David?

The second reading gives us the answer—not by explaining every individual choice, but by directing our attention back to the mystery of God's wisdom:

“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”

God's wisdom is deeper than ours.

God can enter human history and bring good even through imperfect human instruments.

This does not excuse sin.

It does not justify corruption.

It does not mean that bad leadership should be tolerated.

It means that human imperfection does not prevent God from accomplishing his purposes.

This brings us to an important balance.

If God places someone in authority, we should respect that authority.

But respect does not mean silence in the face of wrongdoing.

Praying for leaders does not mean approving everything they do.

Respecting authority does not mean abandoning accountability.

We can pray for our leaders and still challenge injustice.

We can respect authority and still criticize bad governance.

We can recognize God's sovereignty while insisting that those entrusted with responsibility exercise it honestly and justly.

Therefore:

Does respect mean that leaders should never be held accountable?

Of course not.

Does it mean that we should simply accept bad governance?

Of course not.

Does it mean that leaders are above criticism?

Of course not.

Leaders are human beings, and precisely because they have been entrusted with authority, they have a greater responsibility to use that authority properly.

We should choose leaders carefully.

We should not allow greed, selfishness, favoritism, manipulation, or corruption to determine our choices.

We should pray before making important decisions.

And once leaders are chosen, we should pray for them.

And to everyone who has been entrusted with authority, whether in the Church, in government, in the family, in the workplace, or in the community, the message is clear:

The keys were not given for self gratification.

They were given for service.

Do not use them to open doors only for your friends and close doors against those you dislike.

Do not use authority for personal enrichment.

Do not become a tyrant.

Do not lord it over the people entrusted to you.

Rule with gentleness, fairness, justice, and humility.

Remember: the people you lead belong ultimately to God.

You are a steward.

God knows your weaknesses, but he expects you to make the effort to lead faithfully.

And if you fail to carry out your responsibility, the Scriptures remind us that the mantle of authority can be taken away and entrusted to another.

And now we return to the question with which the Gospel began:

“Who do you say that I am?”

Peter answered:

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

But what is our answer?

Who is Jesus to you and me?

Is he merely someone we hear about on Sundays?

Is he merely a historical figure?

Is he simply someone we turn to when we have problems?

Or is he truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Lord of our lives?

If Jesus is truly Lord, then our answer must affect how we live.

It must affect how we treat our families.

It must affect how we conduct ourselves at work.

It must affect how we exercise authority.

It must affect how we choose our leaders.

It must affect how we respond to injustice.

It must affect how we treat the poor, the vulnerable, and those who have no power.

The confession “You are the Christ” is not merely a statement of belief.

It is a commitment to discipleship.

Finally, the responsorial psalm reminds us:

“O Lord, your merciful love is eternal; discard not the work of your hands.”

We are all works of God's hands.

Our leaders are works of God's hands.

Those entrusted with authority are works of God's hands.

And even in our imperfections, God continues to work.

Let us therefore pray for those who have been entrusted with the keys of leadership.

Let us pray that they will lead with wisdom, humility, justice, and compassion.

Let us pray that we ourselves will be faithful with whatever responsibility God has placed in our hands.

And above all, let us return again and again to the most important question:

“Who do you say that I am?”

May our answer, like Peter's, always be:

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

And may our lives demonstrate that we truly believe what we profess with our mouths and hearts.

Amen.

Mass Reading and Reflection for Saturday 22nd August 2026

First Reading: (Ezekiel 43:1-7)

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 85) "The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land."

Gospel: (Matthew 23:1-12)

Reflection:

Today's readings center on humility, God's presence, and faithful service.

In the first reading, Ezekiel witnesses the glory of God filling the Temple. God's presence among His people is not earned through power or prestige but through a relationship founded on faithfulness. God desires to dwell with those who open their hearts to Him.

In the Gospel, Jesus challenges religious leaders who seek honor and recognition while neglecting the spirit of God's law. He reminds us that discipleship is not about titles or authority. Instead, it is about serving others with sincerity, compassion, and humility.

The greatest example is that of the Blessed Virgin Mary, especially under the title Queen of Heaven and Earth. Although chosen for an extraordinary role in salvation history, Mother Mary never sought recognition for herself. Her humble "yes" to God's plan made her a model of faith, obedience, and servant leadership. Because of her humility, God exalted her.

Today's message is a call for us to examine our own hearts:

• Do I seek recognition more than service?
• Do my actions reflect the faith I profess?
• Am I willing to say "yes" to God's will, even when it is difficult?

Like Mary, we are called to trust God, serve others selflessly, and walk humbly each day. When we place God and others before ourselves, we discover the path to true greatness and lasting peace.

Mass Readings and Reflection on Friday, August 21, 2026

First Reading: (Ezekiel 37:1–14)

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 107)

Response:
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endures forever.

Gospel Acclamation:

Gospel Reading: (Matthew 22:34–40)

Reflection:

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the rivals, the Sadducees, they teamed up. That is, the Pharisees came together as a team, supposing that Jesus could not outsmart them either.

They asked him a trick question:

“Which is the greatest commandment of the law?”

Now, how tricky was this question?

The Jews held the law in very high esteem. In fact, for the Jews, keeping the law was synonymous with being righteous. The law came through Moses, and for this, Moses was an icon and considered as the lawgiver.

No wonder, often Moses was quoted. When they talked with Jesus, they reminded him:

“Moses told us to do this. It was Moses who instructed us to do this and that.”

However, of the Ten Commandments, they had made over 613 bylaws. If Jesus had chosen one over the others, they would have accused him of showing preference for one over the other. He would have been tagged as a lawbreaker.

This was actually the trap.

Remember, he had even been accused of not keeping the Sabbath law, though he told them he did not come to abolish the law or the prophets, but to fulfill them.

And anyone who infringed on any of the laws, even the smallest of them, would be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven. But anyone who kept the laws and taught others to do so would be considered the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17).

However, what seemed to be a trick question to trap Jesus turned out to be a great lesson for all of us.

The greatest law is love.

Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

Now, when we love, we have kept the law. He broke down the 613 laws into one-"Love your neighbor as yourself". Powerful.

Whatever we do, whatever we say, should be out of love and for love.

We too may have made many laws. Out of the Ten Commandments, or in addition to them, we have church laws made by the Church institutions-not by God but by human beings.

We have personal laws. We have group and association bylaws.

So many laws.

Many laws.

And unfortunately, we stress them so much that one begins to wonder what truly matters the most. What is it that truly will take us to heaven?

The laws must center around love of God and love of neighbor, such that any law that betrays love is no law at all.

In the laws we enact, how do they reflect love of God? How do they reflect love of neighbor in our relationship with God and neighbors?

How do we show how much we love them?

How will these laws help people to love God and love their neighbors better?

It is all about love.

Love is the greatest commandment of the law.

Every law must seek the good and the interest of the human person. It must foster human dignity and promote love-love of God and love of neighbor.

Therefore, whatever I say, whatever I do, I must ask myself:

In doing this, in saying this, how do I love God? How do I love my neighbor?

And if I see that in saying it or doing it, I do not exhibit love, then:

Don't say it. Don't do it.

In keeping any law, I must ask:

How does keeping this law help me to love God? To love him better, and to love my neighbor better-to love my neighbor as myself?

In the end, love is what truly matters.

If we keep all the laws meticulously, yet that keeping of the law does not bring me to love God and my neighbor, I have simply been chasing shadows.

Remember, at the very end, God will judge us on how much love we showed.

You will realize that most of the laws are kept out of fear, out of just keeping the laws, not out of love.

Tell yourself:

Let me love.

If we love and do things out of love, you will not hurt our neighbor. We will not do something that will bring them pain.

If truly we love God, we will not do something that hurts him.

Why?

And how is love the greatest commandment?

It is because when we love, we live life with God. We become God.

God is love.

So, when we love, we become God. And since God is love, we cannot hurt our neighbor.

So, we see that we have not been keeping the law.

See how much hate exists among us and between us.

Do we truly love?

When we love, we do good.

When we love, we forgive.

When we love, we avoid hurting the other.

So indeed, Jesus is right to say love is the greatest commandment.

Because I love God, I will honor the Sabbath.

Because I love God, I will not call his name in vain.

Because I love God, I will worship him and serve him alone.

Because I love my neighbor, I will not take what belongs to them.

Because I love my neighbor, I will not lie against them.

Because I love my neighbor, I will not cheat.

Because I love my neighbor, I will not see them as objects of pleasure.

Because I love my neighbor, I will not gossip to tarnish their names.

So, love indeed is the greatest commandment.

Whatever we do, it must be done out of love and for love.

If we do this, then, we would have kept the law.

As a cook, cook out of love.

As a cleaner, clean out of love and for love.

As a driver, drive out of love and for love.

As a leader, lead out of love and for love.

As a thought leader, do it out of love.

As a clinician, do it out of love.

Then we discover that whatever we do, the motivating factor, the driving force, is love.

We are not just keeping the law for keeping's sake but doing everything out of love and for love.

Let us go back to the words Jesus says in the Gospel.

Let us love God with all of our mind, with all of our strength, with all of our heart.

This means God is the only person we worship.

We give him all of our strength.

We give him all of our heart.

He is everything, and nothing stands between us and God.

This is what it means to love God with all of our strength, with all of our mind, with all of our heart and will.

With all of our soul, he stands as the first.

Nothing takes his place.

We give him our all.

And to love our neighbor as ourselves, first of all means we begin by loving ourselves.

If we have not loved ourselves, we cannot love our neighbor as ourselves.

Some people hate themselves.

How can you love another if you have not first loved yourself?

So, it begins by first loving myself.

See our neighbor as ourselves.

They too want to enjoy the same.

Here the Golden Rule also applies:

Do unto others what you like done unto you.

And:

Do not do to them that you don't like done to you.

The good I want for myself; I should want for my neighbor.

We shall pray for that grace that we may grow in love-love of God and love of neighbor.

If we truly love God, we will do things that please him.

He has loved me first, and I am reciprocating his love.

Let me do it out of love.

Let the words we speak be spoken out of love.

Let the things we do be done out of love.

And indeed, we will realize that love is the greatest commandment of the law.

Go out and love, and you would have kept the law.

Amen.

Treasury Intervention Yesterday Didn't Help The Slide

 

Mass Readings and Reflection for Thursday, August 20th, 2026

First Reading: (Ezekiel 36:23–28)

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 51)

R. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses.

Gospel: (Matthew 22:1–14)

Reflection: 

One of those Gospel readkng that gives you plethora of questions to ponder than answers. To begin with, why was this guest treated in such a harsh manner as depicted in the picture above? 

Was it his fault that he didn't have the best garments on?

Did the master not say to his servants, “Go out to the streets and invite everyone you find”? Did he specify that only those with wedding garments should be invited to come?

Did this guest even beg to be invited?  Perhaps he was on his way to go doing something elsewhere before the invitation met him.

And if the invitation met him on the streets, how did they expect him to have a wedding garment on him? Was he supposed to go home and get one before returning? Maybe, but did they give him enough time to do so?

Did he bargain to buy a wedding garment for a wedding party he had not planned for?

Did the others who were found on the streets and received the ssame kind of surprise invitation have wedding garments? Was he the only one who did not have one?

If the invitation was so abrupt, could the master not understand that the wedding was unplanned for this guest?

It seems as though the invitation already was set up to fail this man.

There are so many questions obviously that arise if we focus solely on the literal details of the story.

First, we must remember that it is a parable-a short story or illustration. The words used may be limited in their ability to express the full reality.

Therefore, rather than focusing exclusively on the exact details, we should look for the meaning behind the parable and the lesson Jesus is teaching.

It is like watching a movie and focusing entirely on whether a particular actor performed well instead of asking what the movie is trying to teach us.

The important question is:

What is the lesson?

The words of parables require interpretation.

The focus of this parable is God inviting all of us to heaven.

The banquet is ready.

Heaven is ready.

The invitation is open to all.

Heaven is meant for all.

Heaven is free.

We do not pay anything to enter heaven.

However, we cannot simply walk into heaven without preparation.

The fact that God wants all of us to enter heaven, and that the invitation is free and sometimes comes unexpectedly, does not mean that we can simply walk into it without transformation.

We need to be dressed and prepared.

The invitation meeting us on the streets symbolizes the different ways in which we encounter God.

Each person has a different conversion story.

Some became Christians from birth.

Some became Christians after many years of not going to church.

Others became Christians through different religious experiences.

Others became Christians because of an aunt, a parent, or the family in which they were raised.

We all have different invitations.

However the invitation reaches us, we must prepare ourselves.

The invitation may meet us on the streets, in church, in the marketplace, or somewhere else. But accepting the invitation requires preparation.

You have accepted the invitation.

Yes, you have accepted Christ.

Yes, you have become a Christian.

But we must prepare ourselves.

If you know the feast to which you have been invited and you know who invited you, you cannot use the fact that you were unexpectedly invited as an excuse to remain unprepared.

Let us look at the cultural context of the parable.

When such events were organized, the host, especially a king-customarily provided appropriate clothes for his guests. People were gathered from the streets, both good and bad. No one was expected to have been prepared beforehand.

Therefore, the man's lack of a wedding garment meant that he had intentionally rejected the clothing provided by the king and chosen to remain in his shabby clothes.

This explains why, when the king questioned him, he was speechless.

He had no excuse.

The clothes had been provided, but he refused to wear them.

To understand this further, we can look at Isaiah 61:10:

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall be joyful in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.”

We can also look to Revelation 3:4 and Revelation 19:7–9, which speak of the marriage feast of the Lamb and the bride making herself ready.

We must clothe ourselves with the garment of righteousness that Christ offers us.

If we refuse that garment, we cannot blame God for the consequences.

Imagine that you are working on your farm in shabby farm clothes and someone suddenly tells you:

“Please come quickly. You have been invited to have lunch with the Pope, the cardinals, and the bishops.”

Would you not ask for a few minutes to take a quick bath and change your clothes?

Would you simply walk into the gathering without preparing yourself, knowing the people you were about to meet?

Of course you would ask for a few minutes to prepare.

That is what the parable means.

Yes, the banquet of heaven is ready.

The invitation is free.

The invitation is urgent.

It does not require delay or excuses.

Yet there is always time for preparation.

We must be clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

The guest symbolizes the receiver of God's word who needs the wedding garment-the sacrament of Baptism.

Unless we are born again of water and the Holy Spirit, we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

We must accept the gift of grace that God gives us.

That grace is the garment we must wear.

The invitation is given to everyone.

But we need the wedding garment.

We need inner transformation.

It is not enough merely to say yes to Christ's invitation. We must allow ourselves to be transformed from within.

For not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” who accepts the invitation, will enter heaven, but those who do the will of the heavenly Father.

We want heaven, but sometimes we do not want to abide by its requirements.

We want to be members of the wedding party, but we do not want to wear the garment of the wedding party.

We want to enter heaven, but not according to God's terms.

We like heaven.

We enjoy the invitation.

Yet we must live according to what is expected of us in order to enter.

May we never take the invitation to the heavenly banquet for granted.

The banquet is ready.

All are invited.

The invitation is free.

But we must put on the garment of righteousness and prepare ourselves for the feast.

Markets Today August 19th 2026

There was plenty if not a boat load of jitteriness in the capital markets this week, and the reason was simple: the 30-year Treasury yield surged to a 19-year high over 5.3.

If there's any reliable indicator of the economy's health, it's the bond market. The bond market is essentially the market for interest rates. It's slow, boring, and often overlooked by most investors and spectators alike, including myself. Fair enough. But when bond yields start moving sharply, everyone eventually pays attention.

When yields rise, high-value growth companies and stocks tend to get hit first. That's exactly what happened this week. The outcry across financial media was loud and clear, and futures markets today pointed sharply lower heading into this morning's trading session.

Then, before Wall Street could fully panic and turn the tables, some relief arrived from Papa Sam.

First, news broke that policymakers from the treasury department and elsewhere were considering measures aimed at easing debt issuance pressures and helping stabilize the bond market. Second, the administration's planned 50% tariff on one of America's largest trading partners and closest allies, Canada, was put on hold until further notice.

Those two developments changed the mood in not time.

Lower pressure on bond yields and a pause on a major trade escalation gave investors exactly what they were looking for: a reason to buy the dips. Futures reversed course, confidence improved, and the markets turned green.

Now you know why Wall Street is smiled today-relief.

Brought to you by your Pal, Mr. Spectator in Chief. 

Mass Readings and Reflection and Reflection for August 19th, 2026

 

First Reading: (Ezekiel 34:1–11)

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 23)

R/. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Gospel Acclamation:

Alleluia, alleluia.

The word of God is living and active;
it probes the thoughts and motives of our heart.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: (Matthew 20:1–16)

Reflection:

From the Gospel, we can see that Jesus threw everything upside down.

Human reason would say that the first workers should receive much more than those who worked only one hour. Yet Jesus is speaking about the kingdom of God.

When we look at salvation, the reward is to be fully united with God in heaven. It does not matter whether we have been good Christians all our lives, from childhood, or whether we experience a conversion at the last moment before death. The gift of salvation is the same.

This is why it is so important to give freely.

Sometimes we may look at another person and think, “I have been a good person all my life. Why should they receive the same thing I receive?”

But we do not always know what another person has endured. Someone who has been far away from the Lord, particularly someone struggling with addiction, may have experienced an internal battle between good and evil that is almost impossible for us to understand.

There are people who have already experienced what hell looks like.

God is a just judge, but he is also generous and merciful.

The first reading from Ezekiel gives us another important lesson. God strongly condemns the shepherds who feed themselves rather than the sheep. They have failed to strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind up the injured, bring back the strayed, and seek the lost.

This message applies not only to the religious leaders of Ezekiel's time. It challenges shepherds today.

But the message also applies to every one of us.

How generous am I with my life? How generous am I with my resources? And am I willing to give them to God?

And this is needed today just as much as it was two thousand years ago.

People need signs they can trust. They need people who actually live what they preach.

This applies especially to parents. Parents are called to be examples for their children, offering a priestly presence in the home by living what they teach.

We are called not merely to preach the faith, but to live it daily.

And may we be generous with our gifts as God is generous with us.

Amen.

Sector Rotation at Best August 18th 2026

As a market spectator, I saw these guys were all as green can be just yesterday and today, they flipped into deep red.

Mass Readings and Reflection on Tuesday, August 18th, 2026

First Reading: (Ezekiel 28:1–10)

Responsorial Psalm: (Deuteronomy 32)

Response: I kill and I make alive.

Gospel: (Matthew 19:23–30)

Reflection:

Today gospel is yet one of those challenging ones to reflect on deeply. As believers, there's always the temptation we must keep in check especially when things are going well in our lives to think that we made it happened all by ourselves; we are self-made. I remember mocking with a friend some of our richest people in society who got a magazine citing them as self made billionaires. We were like "they must have given birth to themselves, too". The point was it's a lie. Nobody is self-made. We tend to pride ourselves in our abundance, feeling that we do not need God or others.

After all, what do I need from them? I have it all going well for me.

We start feeling that we are on top of the world and, rather than remaining humble, we think we have become God Himself, or even greater.

No wonder the Psalmist says:

"In his riches, man lacks wisdom."-Psalm 49:12, 20

This is the danger of riches. This is the danger of self-sufficiency. And that is what the Gospel today is pointing out. 

When that feeling comes, that because we have it all, therefore we know it all, we tends to become arrogant, unteachable, and fail to see the very vices that will lead to our own destruction.

That is why it's impossible to teach a person who feels they know it all because they think that having money, power, and influence means they know it all? We can all become victims of this. That is why a humble self reflection can be helpful. 

When Jesus said in the Gospel that it is hard for a rich person to enter heaven, He was not saying that it is bad to be rich. Far from it. Jesus had rich friends in His days.

Of course, it is God who blesses us with whatever we have.

Neither does He mean that rich people are automatically going to hell. Of course not.

There are saints who were kings and extremely wealthy. 

Very rich people can also go to heaven.

What Jesus wants us to understand is that we must guard against the dangers of self-sufficiency. It can pose as an obstacle to the Word of God because of self-sufficiency. 

Our riches can also blind us to our faults because we think we know it all.

We can feel that we are greater than God Himself, who blessed us, and think that it was entirely by our own merits, and effort that we became successful.

Our riches can make us develop an arrogant attitude, or they can distract us from God and heaven.

We may become too attached to our riches.

And remember: riches are not only material.

Our talents are our riches.

See how talented people sometimes behave.

Our intelligence is our riches.

See how intelligent people sometimes behave.

Our skills are our riches.

Your families are our riches.

We all have riches in different capacities and categories.

In the First Reading for instance, the Lord addresses the ruler of Tyre through the prophet Ezekiel.

Because his heart had grown proud, he said to himself:

"I am a god."

Yet God reminds him:

"You are but a man and no god."

He thought there was no one as wise as he was. He believed that his wisdom and intelligence had made him wealthy.

He believed that his skill in trading had enabled him to amass gold and silver.

But his fortune had made his heart proud.

Then God tells him that his enemies will besiege him, and he will discover how helpless he really is.

He will fall into the hands of his enemies and realize just how human he is.

This is the lot of those who trust in themselves.

As Proverbs 28:26 reminds us:

"He who trusts in his own mind is a fool."

And when the glory of a person's house increases, that person must still remember that earthly glory does not last forever.

We Are Nothing Without God

Remember:

We are nothing without God.

Who we are and what we have has been given to us by God.

We are nothing without Him.

So why should we pride ourselves because of our riches?

Why should we pride ourselves because of the things we own?

Why should we pride ourselves because of who we are?

Let not our self-sufficiency get into our heads.

Do not use our power, money, position, talents, or influence to intimidate others and make them feel inferior while we posture ourselves superior.

No one, remember, dies and is buried with their riches.

When we read and reflect on today's readings, we hear a call to humility in a subtle manner.

There is nothing we have that was not given to us by God.

Not even our intelligence.

It is not simply because we are extraordinarily talented or skillful in business that we have all the wealth we have.

God has been merciful to us all.

Therefore, let's remain humble.

Then we can use what God has blessed us, to also bless others who are not as fortunate or as we are.

Our blessings should become instruments through which other people experience God's goodness.

Finally, what we have should be a bridege to and not an island between us and God. It should always point us back to God:

Who would I have been without you, my God?

What would I have been without you?

Therefore, let us not become like the ruler of Tyre, who, because of his wealth, riches, and position, felt that he had become another god.

No.

We should always remain humble.

And remember the teaching of Jesus: let our riches never prevent us from coming closer to God and from coming closer to heaven.

God bless you 🙏 

Amen.

Mass Readings and Reflection for Monday, August 17th, 2026

First Reading: (Ezekiel 24:15–24)

Responsorial Psalm

The response is: Deuteronomy, chapter 32.

"You forgot God who gave you birth"

Gospel Acclamation:

Alleluia!Alleluia!

Gospel Reading: (Matthew 19:16–2

Reflection:

Today, the Gospel brings out two aspects of our Christian lives:

1. Avoiding evil.

2. Doing good.

We are meant to avoid evil, but at the same time, we are also meant to do good. They are two sides of the same coin. While we try to avoid evil, we must also try to do good.

Christianity is not only about not doing evil. It is not limited to avoiding evil. What good do you also do?

We could be very meticulous, very excellent, at avoiding evil. There are people who do not steal. They do not tell lies. They do not kill. They do not gossip. They do not fornicate. They do not hurt others because, of course, they mind their own business and respect their boundaries from other people.

They live in the comfort of their houses. They do not go out to meet others. That is all very wonderful.

But after all the avoiding of evil, what is the good that you do?

We should not end at observing the don'ts:

Don't do this.
Don't do that.

There are also the do's:

Do this.
Do that.

It may be easy for a day to pass by without one doing a single good thing, yet one may have avoided all evil.

You did not insult anyone, yet you did not reach out to anyone in need.

It is within this context and background that the question of the rich young man makes sense:

“What good must I do to inherit eternal life?”

He had observed the don'ts from when he was a boy, yet he felt empty. There was a void. He felt he needed something more.

Something was lacking.

Jesus told him:

“Yes, indeed, there is one thing you lack. Go and do something good.”

All along, he had avoided evil, but he needed to do something. He was told to go and give to the poor.

It is not enough to avoid evil.

Yes, you don't steal.
You don't cheat.
You don't embezzle.

But what is the good that you do for others?

Another biblical verse that beautifully captures this is (Isaiah 1:16)

“Wash, make yourselves clean, take your wrongdoings out of my sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good.”

The young man was perfect in avoiding evil, but when it came to doing good, his countenance changed.

We are told that when Jesus told him to go and sell what he had and to do good, to give to the poor, he went away sad.

It was easy to avoid evil, but he found it difficult to do good.

He will not steal.
He will not lie.
But he will not assist the poor.

The challenge, therefore is to ask ourselves:

“What is the good thing that I do?”

It is good to avoid evil, but it doesn't end there.

What is the good that you do?

So, as you move about today, as we begin this new week, let you not end at just avoiding evil.

Like once someone told me:

“I don't go to church because I don't steal. I don't lie. Let the thieves and the liars go to church.”

True.

But what is the good thing you do?

Let us pray for that grace, that we may not end at only avoiding evil, which is one side of the coin, but that we may also learn to do good.

Amen.