Mass Reflection: Sunday - 23rd November 2025

 

2 SM 5:1-3; PS 122:1-5; COL 1:12-20; LK 23:35-43

On this Feast of Christ the King, our readings show us that we serve the greatest of Kings, who is at the same time the humblest of Kings. Christ is the perfect model of servant leadership. And what an indescribable privilege that He has called us to be servant leaders — stewards in the work of advancing His Kingdom.

In our second reading, from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, Paul describes the great power and dignity that characterize Christ the King. “All things were created through him and for him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together... For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell.” It makes you want to stand up and cheer. That’s our King!

Yet, what a contrasting description of the same King we find in our Gospel passage, from Luke. Now we see our King nailed to the Cross. Everyone from rulers to soldiers, to the criminals on either side of Christ is mocking, sneering, and reviling him. They tauntingly urge him to prove His kingship by coming down from the Cross to end his suffering with a great show of power. “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.”

But He does not.

Amazingly, it is in this moment of seeming weakness and humiliation, when all appears hopeless and lost, that the full breadth of his greatness as king is displayed. Though all things were created through and for Him — Christ chooses to live entirely for others, for us!

What does this mean for us as his followers and stewards of His kingdom? Precisely that our lives are not about us. They are about Christ and others. And we will advance his kingdom to the extent that we embrace this mindset: my life is not about me; it is about serving Christ and others.

The “good thief” hanging on the cross next to Jesus realizes this just in time. Struck by our Lord’s perfect humility, he recognizes that Christ is indeed the King of kings. In his last moments of life, he becomes a steward of Christ’s kingdom as he counsels the criminal on our Lord’s other side to repent. What is the result? Jesus promises the good thief a place with him that very day in Paradise. Our God simply cannot be outdone in generosity.

What powerful lessons this King teaches us from the Cross. We learn that true leadership is displayed in emptying ourselves for others; that true greatness is displayed by way of humility; that none of us is worthy of the call to stewardship of His kingdom but that all of us, like the good thief, are welcomed and invited to take up this call. Following in His footsteps will involve suffering and sacrifice. Yet, how can we say no to the King who loves us so completely and promises that His faithful stewards will one day be with Him in Paradise?

Mass Reading: Sunday - 23rd November 2025

First reading
2 Samuel 5:1-3
They anointed David king of Israel

    All the tribes of Israel then came to David at Hebron. ‘Look’ they said ‘we are your own flesh and blood. In days past when Saul was our king, it was you who led Israel in all their exploits; and the Lord said to you, “You are the man who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you shall be the leader of Israel.”’ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a pact with them at Hebron in the presence of the Lord, and they anointed David king of Israel.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 121(122):1-5

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

I rejoiced when I heard them say:
    ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
And now our feet are standing
    within your gates, O Jerusalem.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

Jerusalem is built as a city
    strongly compact.
It is there that the tribes go up,
    the tribes of the Lord.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

For Israel’s law it is,
    there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgement
    of the house of David.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

________

Second reading
Colossians 1:12-20
The Father has created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves

    We give thanks to the Father who has made it possible for you to join the saints and with them to inherit the light.

    Because that is what he has done: he has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves, and in him, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.

He is the image of the unseen God
and the first-born of all creation,
for in him were created
all things in heaven and on earth:
everything visible and everything invisible,
Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers –
all things were created through him and for him.
Before anything was created, he existed,
and he holds all things in unity.
Now the Church is his body,
he is its head.

As he is the Beginning,
he was first to be born from the dead,
so that he should be first in every way;
because God wanted all perfection
to be found in him
and all things to be reconciled through him and for him,
everything in heaven and everything on earth,
when he made peace
by his death on the cross.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Mk11:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessings on the coming kingdom of our father David!

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Luke 23:35-43
'Today you will be with me in paradise'

    The people stayed there before the cross watching Jesus. As for the leaders, they jeered at him. ‘He saved others,’ they said ‘let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.’ The soldiers mocked him too, and when they approached to offer vinegar they said, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’ Above him there was an inscription: ‘This is the King of the Jews.’

    One of the criminals hanging there abused him. ‘Are you not the Christ?’ he said. ‘Save yourself and us as well.’ But the other spoke up and rebuked him. ‘Have you no fear of God at all?’ he said. ‘You got the same sentence as he did, but in our case we deserved it: we are paying for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong. Jesus,’ he said ‘remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ ‘Indeed, I promise you,’ he replied ‘today you will be with me in paradise.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 16th November 2025

 

MAL 3:19-20A; PS 98:5-9; 2 THES 3:7-12; LK 21:5-19

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, our readings offer a sober reminder that this life is not our aim and that God’s justice will triumph in the end. Now is the time to get our priorities in order, putting God above all else as his faithful stewards.

This theme of right priorities is rolled out in no uncertain terms from the first verse of our first reading from Malachi. “Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble and the day that is coming will set them on fire.”

But there is good news for those who are faithful. “For you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.” All the trials, any sufferings, or injustices we endure for the sake of the Gospel, will be healed and we will be rewarded in the end by our loving God who cannot be outdone in generosity.

Our second reading, from St. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, reinforces the message that we must order our lives so that they direct the attainment of holiness and nothing else. We see in this passage that conducting ourselves as good stewards involves not only action in certain areas (intentional prioritizing of our time, talents, and treasure); it also means refraining from certain actions and areas that are none of our concern.

St. Paul puts it this way: “some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others.” It can be tempting in family life, work life, and parish life, especially for those go-getters among us, to want to insert ourselves (to help, of course!) Into others’ way of doing things. But a good steward must have the humility to recognize that God has given gifts to everyone and that the way others use their gifts is between them and God. Besides, with a strong stewardship plan of life, we should have plenty to focus on without worrying about how those around us are operating.

Finally, our Lord brings home the urgency of right priorities in our Gospel passage from Luke, reminding the people around him who were looking at the temple nearby, “All that you see here — the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” All in this world is passing, our Lord reminds us. We must keep our focus on eternity.

Yet before the eternal bliss of heaven, we should expect to be tried and tested. “Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.”

Sounds scary. But if you are living a stewardship way of life, there is nothing to fear. You have a plan in place. All you need to do is stick with it. Put our Lord first in your time, with your talents, and through your use of treasure. This way of life is not meant to be easy. But Jesus promises it will lead to eternal salvation and the joy of union with Him. “You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance, you will secure your lives.”

Onward, Christian stewards, the struggle is worth the joy that awaits!

Mass Reading: Sunday - 16th November 2025

First reading
Malachi 3:19-20
For you the sun of righteousness will shine out

The day is coming now, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and the evil-doers will be like stubble. The day that is coming is going to burn them up, says the Lord of Hosts, leaving them neither root nor stalk. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will shine out with healing in its rays.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 97(98):5-9

The Lord comes to rule the peoples with fairness.

Sing psalms to the Lord with the harp
    with the sound of music.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
    acclaim the King, the Lord.

The Lord comes to rule the peoples with fairness.

Let the sea and all within it, thunder;
    the world, and all its peoples.
Let the rivers clap their hands
    and the hills ring out their joy
    at the presence of the Lord.

The Lord comes to rule the peoples with fairness.

For the Lord comes,
    he comes to rule the earth.
He will rule the world with justice
    and the peoples with fairness.

The Lord comes to rule the peoples with fairness.

________

Second reading
2 Thessalonians 3:7-12
Do not let anyone have food if he refuses to work

    You know how you are supposed to imitate us: now we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we ever have our meals at anyone’s table without paying for them; no, we worked night and day, slaving and straining, so as not to be a burden on any of you. This was not because we had no right to be, but in order to make ourselves an example for you to follow.

    We gave you a rule when we were with you: do not let anyone have any food if he refuses to do any work. Now we hear that there are some of you who are living in idleness, doing no work themselves but interfering with everyone else’s. In the Lord Jesus Christ, we order and call on people of this kind to go on quietly working and earning the food that they eat.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Lk21:36

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stay awake, praying at all times
for the strength to stand with confidence
before the Son of Man.

Alleluia!

Or:
Lk21:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stand erect, hold your heads high,
because your liberation is near at hand.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Luke 21:5-19
The destruction of the Temple foretold

    When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, Jesus said, ‘All these things you are staring at now – the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.’ And they put to him this question: ‘Master,’ they said ‘when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that this is about to take place?’

    ‘Take care not to be deceived,’ he said ‘because many will come using my name and saying, “I am he” and, “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there; there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

    ‘But before all this happens, men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand you over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and bring you before kings and governors because of my name – and that will be your opportunity to bear witness. Keep this carefully in mind: you are not to prepare your defence, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 9th November 2025

 

EZ 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; PS 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; 1 COR 3:9c-11, 16-17; JN 2:13-22

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, the cathedral church of the Bishop of Rome — the Pope — and the mother church of all Christendom. While we honor a building, our readings invite us to look deeper: this feast is about the spiritual reality of God dwelling among His people. The readings remind us that the Church is not merely a structure of stone, but a living temple built of the faithful, with Christ Himself as the cornerstone.

In the first reading, Ezekiel envisions life-giving water flowing from the temple, bringing fruitfulness and healing wherever it goes. This water symbolizes God’s grace poured out upon His people. As stewards of that grace, we are called to let the living water of God’s Spirit flow through us — nurturing, healing, and renewing the world around us.

St. Paul builds on this theme, reminding us, “You are God’s building… Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor 3:9,16). The apostle urges us to recognize our sacred dignity as members of the Body of Christ. Stewardship begins with this awareness — that our lives, our time, and our talents are not our own, but gifts of God meant to be offered back to Him in service and love.

In the Gospel, Jesus cleanses the temple in Jerusalem, driving out those who had turned His Father’s house into a marketplace. His zeal reminds us that our worship and our lives must be pure and centered on God alone. When Jesus declares, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up,” He reveals that His own body is the true temple. In His death and resurrection, Christ becomes the new dwelling place of God, and we become His living stones, united in faith.

The Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica calls us to renew our dedication to the Church — not only to the physical building where we gather, but to the spiritual temple formed by the People of God. As Christian stewards, we are called to care for our parish communities as places where the presence of Christ is encountered and shared. We do this through generous participation in parish life, faithful support of our ministries, and lives that reflect the Gospel.

May today’s feast remind us that the Church is most fully alive when her members live as grateful stewards, allowing the living water of God’s grace to flow from our hearts into the world — building up the Body of Christ, the true temple of the Lord.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 9th November 2025

First reading
Ezekiel 47:1-2,8-9,12
Wherever the water flows, it will bring life and health

    The angel brought me to the entrance of the Temple, where a stream came out from under the Temple threshold and flowed eastwards, since the Temple faced east. The water flowed from under the right side of the Temple, south of the altar. He took me out by the north gate and led me right round outside as far as the outer east gate where the water flowed out on the right-hand side. He said, ‘This water flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing into the sea it makes its waters wholesome. Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal.’

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 45(46):2-3,5-6,8-9

The waters of a river give joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is for us a refuge and strength,
    a helper close at hand, in time of distress,
so we shall not fear though the earth should rock,
    though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea.

The waters of a river give joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

The waters of a river give joy to God’s city,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within, it cannot be shaken;
    God will help it at the dawning of the day.

The waters of a river give joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

The Lord of hosts is with us:
    the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Come, consider the works of the Lord,
    the redoubtable deeds he has done on the earth.

The waters of a river give joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

________

Second reading
1 Corinthians 3:9-11,16-17
The temple of God is sacred, and you are that temple

    You are God’s building. By the grace God gave me, I succeeded as an architect and laid the foundations, on which someone else is doing the building. Everyone doing the building must work carefully. For the foundation, nobody can lay any other than the one which has already been laid, that is Jesus Christ. 

    Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you? If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
2Ch7:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

I have chosen and consecrated this house, says the Lord,
for my name to be there forever.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
John 2:13-22
Destroy this sanctuary and in three days I will raise it up

    Just before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers sitting at their counters there. Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money changers’ coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers, ‘Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.’ Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: Zeal for your house will devour me. The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us to justify what you have done?’ Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this sanctuary: are you going to raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the words he had said.

The Gospel of the Lord.