TUESDAY OF WEEK 13 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word. PS 129:5

AMOS 3:1-8,4:11-12

My Soul's Beloved,

Each of us who are baptized and grafted into Your Body is a child of God. You invite us to address Him as Abba; You have poured Your Holy Spirit into our souls through each of the Sacraments You instituted. We eat of the flesh and Blood of the Son of Man and the Son of God, and we receive You in Holy Communion, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity as often as we do it with a pure conscience. This is why we are called to a higher standard. Chosen from all the people in the world to be members of Your Church, we are given every grace, every spiritual advantage, and we have no excuse whatsoever to turn our backs and follow the world. This is why our judgment, our punishment, will be greater than those who have not received the fullness of grace and truth.

Beloved, the Vicar of Christ on earth and all the shepherds appointed to guard Your people constantly remind us of our identity and our response to God's choice that we be His people, in a singular manner. Grant us the wisdom, the grace, the humility to do as You desire us, O Lord, so we can truly be salt and light in the world. May our witness bring many to climb Mount Zion, the place where You dwell. It is a hard, steep climb, but those who are called will be given the grace they need. Thank You, Lord.

Listen, sons of Israel, to this oracle the Lord speaks against you, against the whole family I brought out of the land of Egypt:
You alone, of all the families of earth, have I acknowledged,
therefore it is for all your sins that I mean to punish you.
Do two men take the road together
if they have not planned to do so?
Does the lion roar in the jungle
if no prey has been found?
Does the young lion growl in his lair
if he has captured nothing?
Does the bird fall to the ground
if no trap has been set?
Does the snare spring up from the ground
if nothing has been caught?
Does the trumpet sound in the city
without the populace becoming alarmed?
Does misfortune come to a city
if the Lord has not sent it?
No more does the Lord do anything
without revealing his plans to his servants the prophets.
The lion roars: who can help feeling afraid?
The Lord speaks: who can refuse to prophesy?
I overthrew you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
and you were like a brand snatched from the blaze;
and yet you never came back to me.
It is the Lord who speaks.
This therefore, Israel, is what I plan to do to you,
and because I am going to do this to you,
Israel, prepare to meet your God!

PSALM 5:5-8

Lead me, O Lord, in your justice.

You are no God who loves evil;
no sinner is your guest.
The boastful shall not stand their ground
before your face.

You hate all who do evil;
you destroy all who lie.
The deceitful and bloodthirsty man
the Lord detests.

But I through the greatness of your love
have access to your house.
I bow down before your holy temple,
filled with awe.

Lead me, O Lord, in your justice.

MATTHEW 8:23-27

THURSDAY OF WEEK 12 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him. JN 14:23

2 KINGS 24:8-17

My Soul's Beloved, 

Little by little, day by day, we either build a strong foundation for our lives or, with every sin, we grow weaker and weaker until the slightest disturbance in the end will bring us crumbling down. So it was with Joiachin and so many kings before and after him, who forgot that God had chosen them for His own. Instead of being faithful to the God who, with so many marvelous signs and wonders, led them from slavery to freedom allowed themselves to be tempted to worship false gods, idols made of wood, silver, and gold, and bowed down before them. So it is with us. We forget that the inestimable price that purchased our freedom, and we allow the tinsel attractions of the world, the weaknesses of our flesh, our pride, and our envy, to lure us by the wiles of the Enemy until we are lost.

Once we become captives of the Enemy, we are unable to free ourselves and find that we are dragged deeper and deeper into the cesspit of sin. It is only when we, like the prodigal son, reflect on what we have deliberately and willfully given up by our love of pleasure, our very souls, then we decide to return to our Father's house. Often our repentance is not authentic, but weak and flawed; as it is, it is a first step to restoration to the family of God.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, and never lose sight of us. Bring us back kicking and screaming if need be, back into the Father's embrace, for in God alone will be find perfect rest.

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan, from Jerusalem. He did what is displeasing to the Lord, just as his father had done.
At that time the troops of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched on Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon himself came to attack the city while his troops were besieging it. Then Jehoiachin king of Judah surrendered to the king of Babylon, he, his mother, his officers, his nobles and his eunuchs, and the king of Babylon took them prisoner. This was in the eighth year of King Nebuchadnezzar.
The latter carried off all the treasures of the Temple of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace, and broke up all the golden furnishings that Solomon king of Israel had made for the sanctuary of the Lord, as the Lord had foretold. He carried off all Jerusalem into exile, all the nobles and all the notables, ten thousand of these were exiled, with all the blacksmiths and metalworkers; only the poorest people in the country were left behind. He deported Jehoiachin to Babylon, as also the king’s mother, his eunuchs and the nobility of the country; he made them all leave Jerusalem for exile in Babylon. All the men of distinction, seven thousand of them, the blacksmiths and metalworkers, one thousand of them, all of them men capable of bearing arms, were led into exile in Babylon by the king of Babylon.
The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in succession to him, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

PSALM 78(79):1-5,8-9

Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.

O God, the nations have invaded your land,
they have profaned your holy temple.
They have made Jerusalem a heap of ruins.
They have handed over the bodies of your servants
as food to feed the birds of heaven
and the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.

They have poured out blood like water in Jerusalem;
no one is left to bury the dead.
We have become the taunt of our neighbours,
the mockery and scorn of those who surround us.
How long, O Lord? Will you be angry for ever;
how long will your anger burn like fire?

Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us.
Let your compassion hasten to meet us;
we are left in the depths of distress.

O God our saviour, come to our help.
Come for the sake of the glory of your name.
O Lord our God, forgive us our sins;
rescue us for the sake of your name.

Rescue us, O Lord, for the glory of your name.

MATTHEW 7:21-29

My Soul's Beloved,

We know perfectly well what is needed for us to be happy in this life, no matter what our circumstances may be. In sickness or health, richer or poorer, for better or worse, if we choose to do God's will, always we will be happy and nothing will shake our faith in You, in Your Word, and in Your Church. 

Lord Jesus, all other ground is shaky ground, we know this. Anyone or anything other than You will disappoint and fail eventually. You are the only one we can trust and so we put all our hope in You. Thank You, Lord, for giving us this assurance that all those who are grafted to You, built on You, have You as our foundation and cornerstone will never be moved.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. When the day comes many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?” Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men!
‘Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’
Jesus had now finished what he wanted to say, and his teaching made a deep impression on the people because he taught them with authority, and not like their own scribes.

TUESDAY OF THE 12TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life. JN 8:12

2 KINGS 19:9-11,14-21,31-36

My Soul's Beloved, 

The hubris of Sennacherib is repeated over and over again in the history of the world, where despots and dictators believed themselves more powerful than the Living God. Like Sennacherib, all these tyrants who waged war against the people of God, those who are called by Your Name, have discovered in the end that there is a God and He is alive and watches over His own as tenderly as a mother watches over her little ones.

Beloved, when we have God on our side, the Son of God who abides in us and in whom we abide, we need fear no one. But we do need to trust You, put our faith in You, and always have the confidence that God will never abandon His own. Through the ages, to the present day, and there will always, until the end of time, be those foolish people who have great wealth and power who believe that this gives them the right to crush the poor and the weak and ride roughshod over them, denying them their rights and grabbing indiscriminately the little they possess for their personal gain. Apart from the poor, Lord, Christians everywhere, especially in those countries where they are a minority, are persecuted, lies are fabricated against them, false witnesses are brought to testify against them, and they face harassment, imprisonment, loss of property, and life. There is nothing; either no help is available to them, or no one has the gumption to stand up for them. 

In the face of this outright and blatant discrimination against Your people, Lord, we lift our heads high, for we know in whom we have placed our trust. You, O Lord, will not let Your people who are called by Your Name, be put to shame. We will recall the words that You spoke through the prophet Isaiah, assuring Hezekiah, the king of Judah, that any hand raised against His people will be crushed and annihilated. We will not fear, Lord, the vast number of the enemy camp arrayed against us, for we have this confidence, that God is on our side, fighting for us.

 

PSALM 47(48):2-4,10-11

God upholds his city for ever.

The Lord is great and worthy to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain rises in beauty,
the joy of all the earth.

Mount Zion, true pole of the earth,
the Great King’s city!
God, in the midst of its citadels,
has shown himself its stronghold.

O God, we ponder your love
within your temple.
Your praise, O God, like your name
reaches the ends of the earth.

God upholds his city for ever.

MATTHEW 7:6,12-14

My Soul's Beloved,

The gifts of the Sacraments instituted by You, O Lord, especially the Holy Eucharist, which is altogether sacred, and the Gift of Gifts, for it is Yourself, Body, Blood, Soul, Divinity - we receive the whole Christ, the Son of the Living God. Only those who believe this completely and only those who are grafted to Your Body in Baptism in the Church You founded, may receive this awesome gift, and only if we are in the state of grace. The Church heeds Your command, ‘Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls in front of pigs, or they may trample them and then turn on you and tear you to pieces.’ We must believe what we receive, the Living God, and believing as we do, we eat and drink the food that wells up to eternal life in us. Those who do not believe eat and drink damnation, and hence the Church restricts the Holy Eucharist only to those who are her children, safeguarding the rest from bringing condemnation on themselves.

You said that we are to treat others not just as we would like them to treat us, but You took it a step further when You said, 'Love one another as I have loved you.' The narrow way is difficult, Lord, not just narrow, it is also steep and challenging, and without the grace of the Sacraments, we would perish by the wayside. Thank You, Lord, for making provision for us in every stage of our lives. With Your help and the help of the Holy Spirit, we can navigate all impediments to our final goal, which is entering the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls in front of pigs, or they may trample them and then turn on you and tear you to pieces.
‘So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.
‘Enter by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to perdition is wide and spacious, and many take it; but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’

SATURDAY OF WEEK 11 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Jesus Christ was rich,
but he became poor for your sake,
to make you rich out of his poverty. 2 COR 8:9

2 CHRONICLES 24:17-25

My Soul's Beloved,

The way we live has a direct bearing on our eternal judgment. Our actions have eternal consequences, even though many go about their daily affairs blithely without giving a thought to pursuing a life of holiness, goodness, and grace. 

Ever since the creation of man, we see how actions, either good or evil, are rewarded or punished - no one can escape the wrath of God when we choose to do evil. The rich and the powerful more often than not live unconcerned about right and wrong. Their sole purpose is to get richer and more powerful, and they get so caught up in their own hubris that they actually forget that the day of reckoning will come sooner or later.

This cycle is so clear in salvation history when the chosen people and their rulers worshipped idols and sacrificed to them, forgetting the God who created them and led them from slavery to freedom.  

In our world today, nothing has changed. The godly are persecuted. They are hated with a visceral hatred, and the enemies of Truth will not rest until they destroy them. The blood of martyrs continues to be spilled everywhere, and in some countries more than in others. But persecution in one form or another is faced by all Christians, and sadly, Catholics also face it from those who identify as Christians and are clueless about the faith, doctrines, practices, and beliefs of the Church You founded.

However, Lord, we praise God if in some small way we are called to suffer for being witnesses of the Gospel and testifying to the Truth, walking in the Way, and being filled with Your Life. Beloved, keep us faithful to the end.

After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came to pay court to the king, and the king now turned to them for advice. The Judaeans abandoned the Temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, for the worship of sacred poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger fell on Judah and Jerusalem. He sent them prophets to bring them back to the Lord, but when these gave their message, they would not listen. The spirit of God took possession of Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the people and said, ‘God says this, “Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord to no good purpose? You have deserted the Lord, now he deserts you.”’ They then plotted against him and by order of the king stoned him in the court of the Temple of the Lord. King Joash, forgetful of the kindness that Jehoiada, the father of Zechariah, had shown him, killed Jehoiada’s son who cried out as he died, ‘The Lord sees and he will avenge!’

When a year had gone by, the Aramaean army made war on Joash. They reached Judah and Jerusalem, and executed all the officials among the people, sending back to the king at Damascus all that they had plundered from them. Though the Aramaean army had by no means come in force, the Lord delivered into its power an army of great size for having deserted him, the God of their ancestors.
The Aramaeans treated Joash as he had deserved, and when they retired they left him a very sick man; and his officers, plotting against him to avenge the death of the son of Jehoiada the priest, murdered him in his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the Citadel of David, though not in the tombs of the kings.

PSALM 88(89):4-5,29-34

I will keep my love for him always.

‘With my chosen one I have made a covenant;
I have sworn to David my servant:
I will establish your dynasty for ever
and set up your throne through all ages.

‘I will keep my love for him always;
with him my covenant shall last.
I will establish his dynasty for ever,
make his throne endure as the heavens.

‘If his sons forsake my law
and refuse to walk as I decree
and if ever they violate my statutes,
refusing to keep my commands;
then I will punish their offences with the rod,
then I will scourge them on account of their guilt.

‘But I will never take back my love,
my truth will never fail.

I will keep my love for him always.

MATTHEW 6:24-34

FRIDAY OF WEEK 11 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

How happy are the poor in spirit:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. MT 5:3

2 KINGS 11:1-4,9-18,20

My Soul's Beloved,

Today, we are reminded that nothing lasts forever. Evil has its day, but victory belongs to the Lord. The world has always had its share of good leaders and kings, and evil and corrupt ones, yet it all ends. Although they live as if they will never die, that is their delusion. All that lives on this earth will eventually fade and die; only the soul remains, and this is what many do not know, do not believe, or simply do not have the awareness that we have to safeguard the life of the soul so it can stand before You to be judged without fear. 

Beloved, in the end, Your plans will prevail. Your will for our lives will triumph no matter how hard the devil tries; he has already lost. We cling to this hope O Lord that the victory has been won from the moment of the Annunciation and Mary's fiat, through the incarnation of the Word of the Father, through Your hidden life in Nazareth with Mary and Joseph, through Your public ministry for 3 short years and all that You endured in that time from those who were Your own, and ultimately Your passion, crucifixion, death, burial, and glorious resurrection and ascencion into heaven. What have we to fear, Lord, from cruel and godless men and women? Nothing. You are God, and we are Your people whom You have redeemed at a price beyond anything we can imagine. Thank You, Lord. I shall not fear, but I will have faith, hope, and rejoice always for Your hand saves. 

When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah learned that her son was dead, she promptly did away with all those of royal stock. But Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, secretly took away Jehoash, her brother’s son, from among the sons of the king who were being murdered, and put him with his nurse in the sleeping quarters; in this way she hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death. He stayed with her for six years, hidden in the Temple of the Lord, while Athaliah governed the country.
In the seventh year, Jehoiada sent for the commanders of hundreds of the Carians and of the guards, and had them brought to him in the Temple of the Lord. He made a pact with them and, putting them under oath, showed them the king’s son.
The commanders of hundreds did everything as Jehoiada the priest had ordered. They brought their men, those coming off duty on the sabbath together with those mounting guard on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. The priest equipped the commanders of hundreds with King David’s spears and shields which were in the Temple of the Lord. The guards formed up, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the south corner to the north corner of the Temple, surrounding the altar and the Temple. Then Jehoiada brought out the king’s son, put the crown and armlets on him, and he anointed him king. They clapped their hands and shouted, ‘Long live the king!’
Athaliah, on hearing the shouts of the people made for the Temple of the Lord where the people were. When she saw the king standing there beside the pillar, as the custom was, with the captains and trumpeters at the king’s side, and all the country people rejoicing and sounding trumpets, Athaliah tore her garments and shouted, ‘Treason, treason!’ Then Jehoiada the priest gave the order to the army officers: ‘Take her outside the precincts and put to death anyone who follows her.’ ‘For,’ the priest had reasoned, ‘she must not be put to death in the Temple of the Lord.’ They seized her, and when she had reached the palace through the Entry of the Horses, she was put to death there.
Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and king and people, by which the latter undertook to be the people of the Lord; and also between king and people. All the country people then went to the temple of Baal and demolished it; they smashed his altars and his images and killed Mattan, priest of Baal, in front of the altars.
The priest posted sentries to guard the Temple of the Lord. All the country people were delighted, and the city made no move. And they put Athaliah to death in the royal palace.

PSALM 131(132):11-14,17-18

The Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling.

The Lord swore an oath to David;

  he will not go back on this word:

‘A son, the fruit of your body,

  will I set upon your throne.

If they keep my covenant in truth

  and my laws that I have taught them,

their sons also shall rule

  on your throne from age to age.’

For the Lord has chosen Zion;

  he has desired it for his dwelling:

‘This is my resting-place for ever;

  here have I chosen to live.

There David’s stock will flower;

  I will prepare a lamp for my anointed.

I will cover his enemies with shame

  but on him my crown shall shine.’

The Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling.

MATTHEW 6:19-23

My Soul's Beloved,

The older we get, the more we grasp the wisdom of Your teaching. So much of what possessed our hearts in our youth has slipped away from us. God has constantly trimmed and pruned us, and now, as we near the close of our days on earth and draw nearer to eternal life, we see how foolish we were not to store up heavenly treasures rather than earthly ones. 

The people we loved so dearly are either dead or have grown up and gone away to live their own lives. We are left alone with ample time for reflection and understanding of the things that truly matter, and thank You for the time we had with them. Grateful that we had that time and accept that what matters in the final analysis is whether we have run the race faithfully and kept the faith to the end. Every day I am invited to choose life or death, joy or sadness, hope or despair, You or the world. When I choose You, Lord, then Your light will shine brightly in me, and my whole being will be alive to Your Presence in me. Help me, Lord, daily more and more to strip myself of the things that still keep me bound to the things of the earth, and by the power of Your Spirit, help me to cling to You and grow closer to You every day.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and woodworms destroy them and thieves can break in and steal. But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor woodworms destroy them and thieves cannot break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
‘The lamp of the body is the eye. It follows that if your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light. But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be all darkness. If then, the light inside you is darkness, what darkness that will be!’

MONDAY OF WEEK 11 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Your word is a lamp for my steps
and a light for my path. PS 118:105

1 KINGS 21:1-16

My Soul's Beloved,

To covet that which does not belong to us is our besetting sin. For most of us, we silently covet in our hearts because, all too often, we cannot do anything about it. But in Ahab's case, as with all the rich and the powerful of the world, he sees, he covets, and he takes. We may do this in the little things, over those we have some power over, those weaker than us, those who cannot retaliate, and those who have greater power do it callously. We see how governments facilitate the rich and the powerful to steamroll the poor, the marginalized, the voiceless, with impunity, grabbing, looting, and stealing the little they have if it suits their purposes.

No one will escape the justice of God, and for those who have robbed the poor, the justice of God will demand full retribution on behalf of His little ones. We see injustice everywhere. The greed displayed by the powerful is insatiable, and they will stop at nothing, not even murder, just like Jezebel, who uses power and local governing machinery to facilitate her evil plans and to carry out her evil deed.

The poor suffer everywhere, and Christians have been persecuted in every age. Through it all, we keep our eyes fixed on You in faith, trusting that at a time of Your choosing, justice will be meted out to the arrogant on behalf of those who were helpless in defending themselves, their families, their homes, and their meagre properties.  

Naboth of Jezreel had a vineyard close by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria, and Ahab said to Naboth, ‘Give me your vineyard to be my vegetable garden, since it adjoins my house; I will give you a better vineyard for it or, if you prefer, I will give you its worth in money.’ But Naboth answered Ahab, ‘The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my ancestors!’
Ahab went home gloomy and out of temper at the words of Naboth of Jezreel, ‘I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.’ He lay down on his bed and turned his face away and refused to eat. His wife Jezebel came to him. ‘Why are you so dispirited’ she said ‘that you will not eat?’ He said, ‘I have been speaking to Naboth of Jezreel; I said: “Give me your vineyard either for money or, if you prefer, for another vineyard in exchange.” But he said, “I will not give you my vineyard.”’ Then his wife Jezebel said, ‘You make a fine king of Israel, and no mistake! Get up and eat; cheer up, and you will feel better; I will get you the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel myself.’
So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, sending them to the elders and nobles who lived where Naboth lived. In the letters she wrote, ‘Proclaim a fast, and put Naboth in the forefront of the people. Confront him with a couple of scoundrels who will accuse him like this, “You have cursed God and the king.” Then take him outside and stone him to death.’
The men of Naboth’s town, the elders and nobles who lived in his town, did what Jezebel ordered, what was written in the letters she had sent them. They proclaimed a fast and put Naboth in the forefront of the people. Then the two scoundrels came and stood in front of him and made their accusation, ‘Naboth has cursed God and the king.’ They led him outside the town and stoned him to death. They then sent word to Jezebel, ‘Naboth has been stoned to death.’ When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, ‘Get up! Take possession of the vineyard which Naboth of Jezreel would not give you for money, for Naboth is no longer alive, he is dead.’ When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel and take possession of it.

PSALM 5:2-3,5-7

Give heed to my groaning, O Lord.

To my words give ear, O Lord,
give heed to my groaning.
Attend to the sound of my cries,
my King and my God.

You are no God who loves evil;
no sinner is your guest.
The boastful shall not stand their ground
before your face.

You hate all who do evil;
you destroy all who lie.
The deceitful and bloodthirsty man
the Lord detests.

Give heed to my groaning, O Lord.

MATTHEW 5:38-42

My Soul's Beloved,

In our world today, especially in the West, the secular world spits in the eye of Catholic social doctrine. The Church, however, and the Pope will uphold the dignity of the person always and in every circumstance. No matter what happens, no matter what appear to be reasonable and plausible arguments by the worldview on closing doors and building walls may be, each one of us, every human being, no matter how governments and the vast multitudes do, is made in the image and likeness of God and has intrinsic and infinite value. It matters not where they come from, who or what they worship, nor their cultural background; every last one of them must be treated with dignity and respect. This flies in the face of what the world teaches and propagates, but Your teachings, O Lord, to Your Church are eternal and will be honored despite the diabolical vitriol directed against it.

You have shown us the Way. We are to be yoked to one another, helping each other to carry the load so the burden each has to bear is shared. The Gospel values and the beatitudes testify to the world our Catholic and Christian identity. Sealed in the Holy Spirit, we can only reflect You who are the Head of Your Body, the Church. Nothing less than a total gift of ourselves to our neighbor is what each of us is called, if we are to truly reflect the Master and Lord whom we worship and serve.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I say this to you: offer the wicked man no resistance. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well; if a man takes you to law and would have your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone orders you to go one mile, go two miles with him. Give to anyone who asks, and if anyone wants to borrow, do not turn away.’

MONDAY OF WEEK 10 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Rejoice and be glad:
your reward will be great in heaven. MT 5:12a

1 KINGS 17:1- 6

My Soul's Beloved,

Those who belong to Your Church, those grafted to Your Body through Baptism, the Sacrament You instituted, can be assured that even should evil, calamity, and famine and drought strike the world, the members of Your Body will be fed and nourished by You. You are her head, and Your Holy Spirit enlivens Your Body and nourishes her with supernatural food and drink.

For as long as we remain united to You, Beloved, our food and drink are assured just as Elijah's were. His water and drink, provided by the Lord, are a foretaste of the Holy Eucharist. No matter how difficult it becomes in the world as the power of evil forces continues to be unleashed on the world, we will remain as a weaned child in its mother's arms, for we know in whom we trust. Thank You, Lord.

Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the Lord lives, the God of Israel whom I serve, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years except at my order.’
The word of the Lord came to him, ‘Go away from here, go eastwards, and hide yourself in the wadi Cherith which lies east of Jordan. You can drink from the stream, and I have ordered the ravens to bring you food there.’ He did as the Lord had said; he went and stayed in the wadi Cherith which lies east of Jordan. The ravens brought him bread in the morning and meat in the evening, and he quenched his thirst at the stream.

PSALM 120(121)

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains;
from where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the Lord
who made heaven and earth.

May he never allow you to stumble!
Let him sleep not, your guard.
No, he sleeps not nor slumbers,
Israel’s guard.

The Lord is your guard and your shade;
at your right side he stands.
By day the sun shall not smite you
nor the moon in the night.

The Lord will guard you from evil,
he will guard your soul.
The Lord will guard your going and coming
both now and for ever.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

MATTHEW 5:1-12

My Soul's Beloved,

The Beatitudes are the blueprint for every Catholic who is united and grafted into Your Body, through the Church You founded. Peter is the Vicar of Christ, and where Peter is, there is the Church. Here, O Lord, is found the fullness of all that is true, good, and beautiful, for You are in her and she is in You.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, help us to not just hear the words You speak to us but to live the Beatitudes faithfully. The more we make them our way of life, the quicker we will hasten Your return in glory. Thank You, Lord.

Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:
‘How happy are the poor in spirit;
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Happy the gentle:
they shall have the earth for their heritage.
Happy those who mourn:
they shall be comforted.
Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right:
they shall be satisfied.
Happy the merciful:
they shall have mercy shown them.
Happy the pure in heart:
they shall see God.
Happy the peacemakers:
they shall be called sons of God.
Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven: this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.’

THURSDAY OF WEEK 9 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the Good News. 2 TIM 1:10

2 TIMOTHY 2:8-15

My Soul's Beloved,

We who are baptized into Your Body, the Church You founded with Peter as the Rock, are called to be saints. Woe to us, O Lord, when we stand before You at the end of our sojourn on earth, which is a preparation for eternity, if we have not sought with all our might, soul, and strength to strive after holiness and perfection. Even if we fall far, far short of this goal, we would still be most pleasing in Your sight. You will reward greatly our desire, our willingness, and all our striving to obey Your command in emulating our heavenly Father, for the Holy Spirit will provide every grace we need to assist us in this call to holiness and godliness.

Being a saint will never be easy, as the lives of every saint who has left us a model to follow testify. You have forewarned every disciple who comes after You and follows You that we ought not to be surprised if we are called to suffer and die for the sake of the Good News, for we are not better than our Master, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Lord, and our God. In fact, we are to expect it and glory in the suffering and persecution, even death if necessary, for being thought as worthy to follow in Your footsteps. To lay down our lives for You and for the Good News so that another may believe and be saved would be a gracious gift from God.

All that St. Paul writes to Timothy is written for us as well. To teach, preach, and live the Gospel must be our food and our drink. How well St. Paul summarises the whole of the life of a true disciple:

Here is a saying that you can rely on:
If we have died with him, then we shall live with him.
If we hold firm, then we shall reign with him.
If we disown him, then he will disown us.
We may be unfaithful, but he is always faithful,
for he cannot disown his own self.

The divisions that have arisen from those who broke away from Holy Mother Church, and continue to fragment steadily, are because of St. Paul's prophetic words:

...... in the name of God that there is to be no wrangling about words: all that this ever achieves is the destruction of those who are listening.

Thank You, Lord, for St. Peter and his successors and the successors to the Apostles. In Your great wisdom, You have given us the teaching authority of the Church, and we know that those who listen to Peter listen to You, and where Peter is, there is the Church You founded and established. In the bosom of Holy Mother Church and faithful to her teaching, we will arrive safely at the eternal shores of the Kingdom of God.

Remember the Good News that I carry, ‘Jesus Christ risen from the dead, sprung from the race of David’; it is on account of this that I have my own hardships to bear, even to being chained like a criminal – but they cannot chain up God’s news. So I bear it all for the sake of those who are chosen, so that in the end they may have the salvation that is in Christ Jesus and the eternal glory that comes with it.
Here is a saying that you can rely on:
If we have died with him, then we shall live with him.
If we hold firm, then we shall reign with him.
If we disown him, then he will disown us.
We may be unfaithful, but he is always faithful,
for he cannot disown his own self.
Remind them of this; and tell them in the name of God that there is to be no wrangling about words: all that this ever achieves is the destruction of those who are listening. Do all you can to present yourself in front of God as a man who has come through his trials, and a man who has no cause to be ashamed of his life’s work and has kept a straight course with the message of the truth.

PSALM 24(25):4-5,8-10,14

Lord, make me know your ways.

Lord, make me know your ways.

  Lord, teach me your paths.

Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:

  for you are God my saviour.

In you I hope all day long

The Lord is good and upright.

  He shows the path to those who stray,

He guides the humble in the right path,

  He teaches his way to the poor.

His ways are faithfulness and love

  for those who keep his covenant and law.

The Lord’s friendship is for those who revere him;

  to them he reveals his covenant.

Lord, make me know your ways.

MARK 12:28-34

My Soul's Beloved,

We see how different the approach of this scribe who questioned You, asking, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ than the lawyer who asked You the same question in Matthew 22:34-36, but his motives were suspect. He, at the behest of the Pharisees, wanted to test You, and You gave him the same answer as You gave the scribe mentioned in today's Gospel. The scribe acknowledged You as a rabbi, and this is why he approached You and put the question to You, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Praising Your response, he added, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ You saw into the depths of this sincere man's soul, and said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ Seeing You speak with such quiet conviction, no one dared to question You further.

We see the same thing on social media when Protestants question Catholic teaching and doctrine, too many of them do so with the sole purpose of mocking or denouncing Catholic beliefs. A few may have a genuine desire to learn, but by and large, their motives are almost always bad. I am always filled with awe at many Catholics who engage with them intelligently, quietly, gently, with conviction, and do not take offence despite the belligerent and often foul way in which they engage with Catholics. They show genuine love to their attackers.

Grant us all the grace to be ready to take on our opponents with wisdom, compassion, and love.

 One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to question him any more.

TUESDAY OF WEEK 9 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

enlighten the eyes of our mind,

so that we can see what hope his call holds for us. EPH 1:17,18

2 PETER 3:11-15,17-18

My Soul's Beloved,

We are warned that this life is short, and then comes judgment and heaven or hell. Whether we give this truth credence or not, it is the truth, and our disbelieving it will make no difference to the final outcome of our eternal destiny.

You have called us to be holy and perfect as our heavenly Father is holy and perfect. These intrinsic attributes of God our Father are also in the Son. And, as You have taught us to address God as our Father, then we, as His children, must emulate Him. We must ask the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, ardently and daily, to help us grow in these virtues; only then can we live saintly lives pleasing to God.

All too often, we are so caught up in the ordinary, daily, humdrum routine of our lives that we forget that this life is fleeting and all is in preparation for the life to come, which is eternal. Death comes like a thief in the night. It may come suddenly, and without warning, this is why we must always be prepared to meet You, our Creator, our Redeemer, our Savior, and ultimately our Judge. 

Lord, in Your great mercy and compassion, hear our prayers for our loved ones who have strayed from the path of holiness, righteousness, and truth, that they may come home to the Church while there is yet time. I believe, I hope, and I place all my trust in Your readiness and willingness to save. Thank You, Lord.

You should be living holy and saintly lives while you wait and long for the Day of God to come, when the sky will dissolve in flames and the elements melt in the heat. What we are waiting for is what he promised: the new heavens and new earth, the place where righteousness will be at home. So then, my friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace. Think of our Lord’s patience as your opportunity to be saved. You have been warned about this, my friends; be careful not to get carried away by the errors of unprincipled people, from the firm ground that you are standing on. Instead, go on growing in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory, in time and in eternity. Amen.

PSALM 89(90):2-4,10,14,16

O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

Before the mountains were born

  or the earth or the world brought forth,

  you are God, without beginning or end.

You turn men back to dust

  and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’

To your eyes a thousand years

  are like yesterday, come and gone,

  no more than a watch in the night.

Our span is seventy years,

  or eighty for those who are strong.

And most of these are emptiness and pain.

  They pass swiftly and we are gone.

In the morning, fill us with your love;

  we shall exult and rejoice all our days.

Show forth your work to your servants;

  let your glory shine on their children.

O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

MARK 12:13-17

My Soul's Beloved, 

The wisdom of God and the power of God are our shelter, our refuge, and our shade. Truth is invincible and irrefutable - try as hard as the enemy might, it will be defeated. The father of lies, from the beginning, is a deceiver and destroyer. Whereas in You, O Lord, who are the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and in whom we rest serenely, is everlasting and eternal joy.

People like the chief priests, scribes, and the elders are puppets and pawns of the enemies of Truth, who are sent by the power of the world to intimidate and trap those whom they perceive as an obstacle and a barrier to their personal agenda. Any disturbance of the status quo they see as a threat that needs to be removed, and this is how the religious authorities perceived You. It is the same in our world; those who seek change for the better, no matter what it costs, often find themselves on the receiving end of those who will not tolerate dissension in the masses.

Today's Gospel shows us how the world often works in the guise of honesty, yet it reeks of hypocrisy, and You caught the stench a mile away. On hearing their question, made as if in good faith, ‘Master, we know you are an honest man, that you are not afraid of anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you, and that you teach the way of God in all honesty. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay, yes or no?’ You ripped off their mask and exposed their evil intent, saying, ‘Why do you set this trap for me? Hand me a denarius and let me see it.’ They handed him one and he said, ‘Whose head is this? Whose name?’ ‘Caesar’s’ they told him. Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.’ They were wonderstruck at the irrefutable truth of what You said and, for now, had to accept defeat. 

The image of the world is on the coin of the world; the image of God is sealed on every human heart that is yielded and surrendered to You. Until the hour for You to be delivered into the hands of the Enemy had arrived.

Grant me this grace as well, O Lord, to know that when I stand with Truth, I am invincible. Amen.

The chief priests and the scribes and the elders sent to Jesus some Pharisees and some Herodians to catch him out in what he said. These came and said to him, ‘Master, we know you are an honest man, that you are not afraid of anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you, and that you teach the way of God in all honesty. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay, yes or no?’ Seeing through their hypocrisy he said to them, ‘Why do you set this trap for me? Hand me a denarius and let me see it.’ They handed him one and he said, ‘Whose head is this? Whose name?’ ‘Caesar’s’ they told him. Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.’ This reply took them completely by surprise.

ST. JUSTIN MARTYR, ON MONDAY OF WEEK 9 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

You, O Christ, are the faithful witness,
the First-born from the dead;
you have loved us and have washed away our sins with your blood. REV 1:5

2 PETER 1:2-7

My Soul's Beloved,

Without love, it is impossible to please You, our Lord and God. The essence of God's being is love - love created us, love redeemed us, and love sanctifies us. Life without love is hell.

Thank You, Lord, for making the Father's love for us visible and tangible: for while we were still sinners, God sent You, His only Son, into the world, not to condemn the world, as we most assuredly deserve, but to redeem it. Thank You, Beloved, for sending us the Holy Spirit, for without the Spirit's help, who animates us, guides us, and provides every grace we need, and who assists us in helping virtue grow in us, we would wither and die on the vine. Thank You, Lord, for the Church You established, thank You for Peter, Your Vicar on earth, and for all the Popes down the ages that guide this Ark of the Church through the rough and choppy waters of life. We will not sink, no matter how great the storm that threatens it, for we have Your assurance, Your Word, that You are with us, Your Body the Church, until You return, and time is no more. 

Thank You for the Sacraments You instituted, they heal, sanctify, and nourish us as we cross the desert of this life. Without the Bread of the Angels, without the Rock from which gushes forth the Life of the Spirit, we would never survive the evil in the world. The world, the flesh, and the devil make constant attacks on us, and we would succumb were it not for the graces we receive through the Sacraments.

Let us engrave the words of St. Peter on our hearts and act on his advice so that it becomes our way of life. Help us to nurture the gift of faith given to us at our baptism:  adding goodness to the faith that you have, understanding to your goodness, self-control to your understanding, patience to your self-control, true devotion to your patience, kindness towards your fellow men to your devotion, and, to this kindness, love.

May you have more and more grace and peace as you come to know our Lord more and more.
By his divine power, he has given us all the things that we need for life and for true devotion, bringing us to know God himself, who has called us by his own glory and goodness. In making these gifts, he has given us the guarantee of something very great and wonderful to come: through them you will be able to share the divine nature and to escape corruption in a world that is sunk in vice. But to attain this, you will have to do your utmost yourselves, adding goodness to the faith that you have, understanding to your goodness, self-control to your understanding, patience to your self-control, true devotion to your patience, kindness towards your fellow men to your devotion, and, to this kindness, love.

PSALM 90(91):1-2,14-16

My God, in you I trust.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
and abides in the shade of the Almighty
says to the Lord: ‘My refuge,
my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!’

His love he set on me, so I will rescue him;
protect him for he knows my name.
When he calls I shall answer: ‘I am with you.’

I will save him in distress and give him glory.
With length of life I will content him;
I shall let him see my saving power.

My God, in you I trust.

MARK 12:1-12