Gospel Matthew 6:7-15 How to pray Jesus said to his disciples: ‘In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. And do not put us to the test, but save us from the evil one. ‘Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.’ Reflection: Jesus redirects prayer from performance to relationship. God, our loving Father, already knows our needs. True prayer is not about informing or impressing him, but about trusting alignment—humbling ourselves to his holy will, relying...

Gospel Matthew 25:31-46 I was naked and you clothed me; sick, and you visited me Jesus said to his disciples: ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.     ‘Then the King will say to those on his right hand, “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make...

Gospel Matthew 4:1-11 The temptation in the wilderness Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was very hungry, and the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves.’ But he replied, ‘Scripture says: Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ The devil then took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are the Son of God’ he said ‘throw yourself down; for scripture says: He will put you in his angels’ charge, and they will support you on their hands in case you hurt your foot against a stone.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Scripture also says: You must not put the Lord your God to the test.’ Next, taking him to a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. ‘I will give you all these’ he said, ‘if you fall at my ...

Gospel Luke 5:27-32 Jesus comes not to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance Jesus noticed a tax collector, Levi by name, sitting by the customs house, and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And leaving everything he got up and followed him.     In his honour Levi held a great reception in his house, and with them at table was a large gathering of tax collectors and others. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples and said, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus said to them in reply, ‘It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.’ Reflection: Jesus deliberately seeks out Levi, a tax collector despised for his collaboration with Roman occupiers and corruption. His call is transformative; Levi leaves everything and immediately responds with joyful hospitality for fellow outcasts. Jesus’s mission is shockingly clear: He is a physician for the...

Gospel Matthew 9:14-15 When the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast John’s disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast.’ Reflection Jesus presents himself as the bridegroom, bringing a new era of divine presence and joy. Fasting, a sign of mourning or longing, is inappropriate while he is physically present. His coming fulfills the old patterns of devotion. Yet he foreshadows his passion—a time when he will be “taken away.” Then fasting will find its meaning: an expression of longing for his return and of shared sorrow over his absence. This passage invites us to discern the seasons of God’s work—knowing when to feast in Christ’s presence and when to fast in hopeful anticipation. Qu...

Gospel Luke 9:22-25 Whoever loses his life for my sake will save it Jesus said to his disciples:     ‘The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.’     Then to all he said:     ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it. What gain, then, is it for a man to have won the whole world and to have lost or ruined his very self?’ Reflection In this passage, Jesus reveals the paradoxical heart of discipleship: true life is found not in self-preservation but in surrender. He first foretells His own suffering, death, and resurrection, establishing the pattern. He then invites us into that same pattern—daily self-denial and cross-bearing. The world...