Scripture Reflection and Prayer : Journeying together

Monday, 1 June 2026

LIVING UNDER THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST

20260602 LIVING UNDER THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST

2 June 2026, Tuesday, 9th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

2 Peter 3:11-15,17-18

We are waiting for the new heaven and the new earth

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.

Responsorial Psalm

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Gospel Acclamation

Heb4:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

The word of God is something alive and active:

it can judge secret emotions and thoughts.

Alleluia!

Or:

cf.Ep1:17,18

Alleluia, alleluia!

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.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 12:13-17

Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God

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.

LIVING UNDER THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 Pt 3:11-15, 17-18; Ps 90:2-4,10,14,16; Mk 12:13-17]

In the First Reading, St Peter spoke about the Day of the Lord that was to come “when the sky will dissolve in flames and the element melt in the heat.” What is this Day of the Lord that we are expecting? It is the restoration of God’s kingdom. Since the days of the prophets of old, it has been prophesied that the day of the Lord was coming. With its arrival, everything would be destroyed. Within this context, the destruction of the old kingdom would be a necessary stage in the ushering of a new kingdom, “the new heavens and new earth, the place where righteousness will be at home.”

Indeed, the entire mission of our Lord is to establish the Kingdom of God. His ministry is seen as a spiritual warfare against the Evil One and his kingdom. The coming of Jesus – His healing of the sick, the liberation of those possessed by the Evil One, and His authority over storms and nature – all indicate that the reign of God prevails. Indeed, the New Heaven and the New Earth is described in terms of a return to the paradisiacal life. St John wrote, “Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” (Rev 21:4) All will live in peace and unity with each other. “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent – its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain.” (Isa 65:25)

Most of all, in the New Heaven and New Earth, there will be peace and justice. Isaiah prophesied that with the coming of the righteous king, “His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore.” (Isa 9:7) This is why, in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus asked us to pray that His kingdom will come; and in the Sermon on the Mount, He gave us the blueprint for living a blessed life by living out the beatitudes. Finally, He exhorted us, not to worry about our life on earth but simply “strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mt 6:33)

In other words, the New Heaven and the New Earth is where God lives. St John wrote, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them.” (Rev 21:3) And in that city, there will be no temple, no sun or moon to shine on it “for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb; for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.” (Rev 21:22-25) In other words, Heaven is where God lives in us, and we in Him, as we are the dwelling place of God.

This is what the Lord intends by inviting us to accept the Lordship of God. In the Gospel, the religious leaders were hypocritical. They were supposed to serve God as their Lord, but they used their positions and their office to benefit themselves and protect their interests and status in society. Jesus, in His ministry, was critical of their insincerity in serving God. Their two-faced conduct was exposed by the very question they asked Jesus in order to trick Him into providing an answer that would incur the wrath of either the people or the authorities. As the evangelist says, “The chief priests and the scribes and the elders sent to Jesus some Pharisees and Herodians to catch him out in what he said.” Their true intention was exposed when they sought to flatter Jesus by beginning with a compliment, “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.”

What does it mean to accept the Lordship of God? When they asked the Lord, “Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay, yes or no?’, Jesus replied, ”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.'” In other words, accepting the Lordship of God means that we surrender all things to Him. God is the Lord of Heaven and Earth, and therefore all things belong to Him – all our wealth, power and gifts. However, on this Earth, we have authorities empowered to govern the people for the common good. Consequently, taxes have to be paid to the State for the common use of all. Clearly, therefore, acknowledging the Lordship of God does not contradict the Lordship of those who are placed in charge of us. In the final analysis, whether it is Caesar, the government, or those who have rightful authority over us, they are but exercising their office under the Lordship of God.

It is within this context that we should also surrender everything we have and how we live our lives under the Lordship of Christ. St Peter wrote, “You should be living holy and saintly lives while you wait and long for the Day of God to come.” There are two ideas here in this exhortation, namely, the impetus to live a life of holiness is in view of Christ’s second coming. If Christ’s coming will bring justice to the world – which means judgment of the wicked and deliverance of the just – then we should seek to live holy and godly lives now. We will be judged by the standards of Christ. As Jesus is the standard of human life by which we are judged, and by which we judge ourselves, we must already live the life of the kingdom, which is what holiness of life is all about. “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.” We must live with a clear conscience – that is, a life of justice. Only then, when the Day comes, will we be found at peace with God and with our fellowmen.

Hence, St Peter urged the Christians to be prepared. We do not know when the Day of the Lord will come, but it will not be according to our efforts or calculations. Even if the world does not come to an end yet, our life on this earth will surely come to a close much sooner than we think. Indeed, the Responsorial Psalm reminds us of the shortness of this life. “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.”

Consequently, whilst we still have time to purify ourselves for the Lord’s coming, we should not take for granted that we will have a long runway to repent of our sins. On the contrary, we must not take His grace for granted; we must live a life of righteousness. St Peter wrote, “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.” If God has given us a longer life, it only means that He has given us the grace and time to repent and live the life of grace to do good for others. It is not to be wasted or delayed until it is too late for us to do any good.

In order to be strengthened to live a life of holiness, we need be well-grounded in the Truth and in the Word of God. There are many of us who start well in our faith, but along the way, we give up on God. Starting well is no guarantee that we will end well. Holiness is not a one-time decision, but a daily decision to live under the Lordship of Christ. We must be wary of who we associate with, and not allow worldly people to confuse our faith and weaken our love for the Lord. Rather, our lives must always be rooted in constant prayer and in the Word of God so that we will always walk in the way of the Gospel. Let us take the words of St Paul seriously: “by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom 12:1f)

Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections

Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.

Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.

Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.

Sunday, 31 May 2026

GROWING AND STRENGTHENING OUR FAITH

20260601 GROWING AND STRENGTHENING OUR FAITH

1 June 2026, Monday, 9th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

2 Peter 1:2-7

You will be able to share the divine nature if you add goodness to your faith

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.

Responsorial Psalm

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!’

My God, in you 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.’

My God, in you I trust.

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.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Col3:16a,17

Alleluia, alleluia!

Let the message of Christ, in all its richness,

find a home with you;

through him give thanks to God the Father.

Alleluia!

Or:

cf.Rv1:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

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.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 12:1-12

They seized the beloved son, killed him and threw him out of the vineyard

Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes and the elders in parables: ‘A man planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug out a trough for the winepress and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce from the vineyard. But they seized the man, thrashed him and sent him away empty-handed. Next he sent another servant to them; him they beat about the head and treated shamefully. And he sent another and him they killed; then a number of others, and they thrashed some and killed the rest. He had still someone left: his beloved son. He sent him to them last of all. “They will respect my son” he said. But those tenants said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” So they seized him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and make an end of the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this text of scripture:

It was the stone rejected by the builders

that became the keystone.

This was the Lord’s doing

and it is wonderful to see?

And they would have liked to arrest him, because they realised that the parable was aimed at them, but they were afraid of the crowds. So they left him alone and went away.

GROWING AND STRENGTHENING OUR FAITH

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 Pt 1:2-7; Ps 91:1-2, 14-16; Mk 12:1-12]

Salvation is a gift from God. We are saved not by our good works but through the precious blood of Christ. It is purely God’s mercy and love that has saved us from our destruction. Not only has God saved us, He wants us to continue to grow in the faith. The experience of salvation, whether this is at our Baptism or at a renewal retreat, is only the beginning of a new life. The real danger occurs when those who have encountered the Lord and had a conversion experience think that they have arrived. Many who have received their first and deepest encounter with the Lord stop at that experience and think that their relationship with the Lord will grow naturally from there. On the contrary, once the seed germinates, we must continue to tend to the plant, otherwise it can be destroyed by weeds or storms. Therefore, Catholics who have had a renewal in the Spirit must continue to grow and not become complacent.

In the journey of growing in maturity of faith, God does not leave us alone. Rather, He provides us the means for life and growth. St Peter wrote, “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.” So, we have no excuse that we do not have the means to grow in our spiritual life. We have the Word of God. We have two thousand years of spiritual tradition for us to deepen our prayer life, both the ascetical and mystical life. We have the guidance of the Church, in her doctrines and morality. Most of all, we have the sacraments which are the efficacious and sure means of grace. It is therefore not true, as some Catholics claim, that the Church has nothing to offer those who desire to grow and deepen their love and understanding of the Word of God or in their prayer life.

Through these available means, we keep ourselves pure and holy, uncontaminated by the world. Again, St Peter wrote, “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.” Only by living the life of Christ, can we continue to share in the divine life of God and free ourselves from the evils of the world. Indeed, we must never take the life of grace for granted, as if we are guaranteed of salvation without cooperation with His grace simply because we are baptised.

This was what happened to the Jewish leaders during the time of Jesus. Israel had been chosen to be the vineyard of the Lord. The tenants refer to the political and religious leaders of Israel who were supposed to guide and protect the vineyard. Unfortunately, they took the grace of God for granted. Instead of using their privilege of being God’s chosen people for service, they were more concerned about their own selfish interests. They manipulated the Word of God for their own pleasure. Instead of being grateful to the prophets that God sent to warn them of the impending destruction if they did not change, they killed the prophets one after another. Undeterred by such persecutions and ingratitude, the Lord chose to send His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to call them to repentance. But like the rest, they betrayed, manipulated, and put Him to death.

Like the leaders of Israel, we too keep on rejecting the call to an ongoing conversion. We do not listen to what the leaders say, but like stubborn and spoilt children, insist on going our own way. We pay no heed to their warnings, which is for our good growth and happiness. Instead, we try to circumvent the message of repentance so that we can continue to do what we like without restrictions. Although baptised as sons and daughters of God, we do not uphold the dignity of our identity as sons and daughters. Truly, we have taken our election as God’s children for granted. We have taken our faith for granted as well.

If we find that our faith is not empowering us or giving us a real focus in life and that we lacking in evangelical zeal in spite of our commission at Pentecost to go out and proclaim the Good News, then it shows that we are not living or growing in the life of the Spirit. Concretely, what does it mean to grow in the life of the Spirit? St Peter parallels what St Paul gave us in his own list of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. He wrote, “But to attain this, you will have to do your utmost yourselves, adding goodness, self-control to your understanding, patience to your self-control, true devotion to your patience, kindness towards your fellow man to your devotion, and, to this kindness, love.”

To grow in Christian maturity, we must show the fruits of the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit cannot be produced without our cooperation with His grace. To bear the fruits of holiness we must, before everything else, make every effort to grow in our Christian life. The godly characteristics listed by St Peter must be virtues that we desire. But they cannot grow automatically without our diligent effort in working with the grace of God.

Secondly, we must focus on developing these virtues in our lives. We are called to develop goodness in the first place. Goodness is best understood as living an upright and virtuous life. It means living a moral life. It does not mean being prudish but rather, it seeks to cultivate a balanced life. It is the fruit of one who is emotionally and socially mature. St Peter insists that we support our faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge. This means a greater awareness of God’s love for us, and this is accompanied by self-awareness. Christian maturity demands that we come to understand ourselves increasingly each day so that we can heal those areas in our lives that are still wounded. Holiness entails a growing knowledge of our true selves and motives in what we do. Otherwise, we cannot grow in goodness. Our salvation is the result of God’s goodness. What we do must manifest God’s goodness as well.

Besides, goodness, St Peter says that we need to grow in self-control as well. This is one of the most difficult virtues to cultivate as it involves personal self-discipline, not just in what we do but in the way we manage our relationships with people. Self-control is simply the ability to control one’s behaviour, especially one’s impulsive reactions to situations. A mature person does not react to his or her emotions as he or she likes without considering the impact on others. Again, like goodness, self-control demands knowledge of oneself and of others. Hence, closely connected with self-control is the virtue of patience. This entails the capacity to endure wrongs and difficulties. Patience is tantamount to long-suffering when one has the capacity to suffer quietly. Only those in control of themselves can suffer in silence and carry the cross of Christ in a most intimate manner. As the word suggests, long-suffering means the patience to suffer for a long time, especially when we have to suffer humility and suffer due to the sins of others.

Besides patience, we need to grow in kindness and love. Again, like the other virtues, these do not stand alone. They are aided by other virtues. We can be kind and loving only because of our devotion to our fellowmen. The gift of piety, which is our devotion to God and our fellowmen in service, is what empowers us to remain patient in love and gentleness towards those whom we love and serve. When we demonstrate these fruits of the Spirit, we grow in holiness.

Of course, these fruits can only be produced in us when we root our lives in Jesus Christ as the cornerstone. Virtues are not produced merely by diligence and one’s efforts. We need the grace of the Holy Spirit, especially the seven gifts of wisdom, knowledge and understanding, fortitude, counsel, piety, and fear of the Lord. It therefore requires that we be truly convicted that Jesus is the centre of our lives. From the time we wake up and till the time we get to bed and during sleep, we must focus on Jesus and allow Him and His Holy Spirit to direct our lives, so that we live in the power of His Spirit.

This is what the Gospel reminds us, “Have you not read this text of scripture: It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone? This was the Lord’s doing and it is wonderful to see.” This is to remind us of the need to graft ourselves onto Jesus the Vine. It is also a stark warning to those who continue to reject the call to conversion and responsibility for Jesus said, “Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and make an end to the tenants and give the vineyard to others.” We must deepen our love for the Word of God and the Eucharist especially.

To make Jesus as the cornerstone in our lives means that there should be a unity of life between faith and what we do each day. To say that Jesus is our cornerstone means that everything in our lives, every aspect of it, regardless, whether it is politics, work, business, relationships, family, sex, time, pleasure, entertainment, and holidays, it must be in accordance with the values of the Gospel. Faith must permeate our human existence and culture, for anyone who loves Christ must be affected by Him to the very core of his personality. A person’s behaviour, values, conduct, perspectives of life and the world and humanity must be influenced by Christ. There can be no dichotomy between what we believe and how we live. Christ is the centre of our lives just like in a building. Removing the cornerstone will result in the collapse of the building. Because of our faith in Christ, we will see everything in life from the perspective of faith, through the eyes of Christ, and His heart. Hence, a businessman must not view his business as making money for himself, but for the development of the economy and the people. Work must not be seen as drudgery but to fulfil our role of being good stewards in developing the world for the good of humanity. Sex must not be reduced to pleasure but a true celebration of total giving in love and in marriage.

In this way, our life and faith envelop each other, mutually penetrating each other so much so that faith is expressed in life and our life expresses what we believe. Through such a life, we are sanctified not merely in prayer and worship but in every area of our lives. Life is therefore sanctified when all that we do give glory to God and show to others that the Christian life is one of love, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit. Through us, the world becomes glorified too.

Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections

Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.

Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.

Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.

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