20261016 HAPPY THE PEOPLE THE LORD HAS CHOSEN AS HIS OWN
16 October 2026, Friday, 28th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Ephesians 1:11-14 |
You have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit
It is in Christ that we were claimed as God’s own,
chosen from the beginning,
under the predetermined plan of the one who guides all things
as he decides by his own will;
chosen to be,
for his greater glory,
the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came.
Now you too, in him,
have heard the message of the truth and the good news of your salvation,
and have believed it;
and you too have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit of the Promise,
the pledge of our inheritance
which brings freedom for those whom God has taken for his own, to make his glory praised.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 32(33):1-2,4-5,12-13 |
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just;
for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp,
with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
For the word of the Lord is faithful
and all his works to be trusted.
The Lord loves justice and right
and fills the earth with his love.
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
They are happy, whose God is the Lord,
the people he has chosen as his own.
From the heavens the Lord looks forth,
he sees all the children of men.
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps18:9 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your words gladden the heart, O Lord,
they give light to the eyes.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 12:1-7 |
Not one sparrow is forgotten in God's sight
The people had gathered in their thousands so that they were treading on one another. And Jesus began to speak, first of all to his disciples. ‘Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees – that is, their hypocrisy. Everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. For this reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places will be proclaimed on the housetops.
‘To you my friends I say: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God’s sight. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.’
HAPPY THE PEOPLE THE LORD HAS CHOSEN AS HIS OWN
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EPHESIANS 1:11-14; LUKE 12:1-7]
For our well-being, we need to belong. Indeed, man is inherently social. Although we are all individuals, we naturally desire to connect with others and be part of a group. Knowing we belong brings a reassuring sense of being loved, whereas living without community can feel extremely lonely.
Nevertheless, we are paradoxical beings, and there is a certain tension within us: we want to be independent, and yet we want to belong. For this reason, some people get married just so that they belong to someone who loves them. Many get married simply for companionship rather than for procreation.
While it is great to belong to someone or to a group, greater still is when we belong to God. This is because no matter whom we belong to on earth, there is no guarantee of security, as misunderstandings can always arise. To be chosen for God and by God is truly a great privilege. This was what Moses said to the people of Israel: “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession. It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that the Lord set his heart on you and chose you — for you were the fewest of all peoples” (Dt 7:6-7).
To be chosen by God is a grace; it is a gift. As St. Paul makes clear, it happens “under the predetermined plan of the one who guides all things as he decides by his own will.” God freely chooses us in Christ to be His beloved.
Why is this such a great privilege? Before the coming of Christ, Israel saw herself as the only Chosen People of God, believing all others were condemned. They thought that simply being a member of the race of Israel entitled them to the privileges of being God’s chosen people. They were given the Covenant, the Decalogue, and the Torah. Moses said to the people: “You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!’ For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?” (Dt 4:6-8).
However, they failed to take heed of Moses’ warning. They failed to realise that once chosen, we are called to fulfil our responsibilities as the Chosen People of God. Once chosen, we must live as the People of God. God said to the people through Moses: “Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation” (Ex 19:5-6).
The great news is that through Christ, being part of the Chosen People of God is no longer dependent on race or simply obeying the law, but on faith in Him. St. Paul tells us: “It is in Christ that we were claimed as God’s own, chosen from the beginning, under the predetermined plan of the one who guides all things as he decides by his own will; chosen to be, for his greater glory, the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came.” Israel was the Chosen People of God, and Jesus came from Israel. He was a descendant of King David. Yet, His coming was intended to make all of us God’s chosen people. Christ has now claimed us as God’s own, and His death and resurrection make us a new creation.
So St. Peter declared: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Pt 2:9-10). Like the Gentiles of old, we are now the New People of God, members of the Chosen Race.
What does it mean to be chosen? St. Paul tells us it is for His greater glory. Indeed, the entire work of Jesus is for the greater glory of God. But the way to glorify Him is not just through words, but through our very lives. God does not choose us for ourselves alone, but so that we might reflect the glory of His presence to others. This is why we pray: “Our Father in heaven, holy be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done.” We want God to be glorified in us.
Just as Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:16). St. Paul likewise exhorted us: “Whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31). Our lives must be lived in such a way that whatever we do or say gives glory to God, enabling people to see Him in and through us. In this way, we will be able to sing with Mary: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. For the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name” (Lk 1:46-49).
How, then, can we be sure that we are God’s own?
Firstly, we must believe in Him. “Now you too, in him, have heard the message of the truth and the good news of your salvation, and have believed it.” Faith is therefore a prerequisite. Unless we believe in Christ, there is no way we can become God’s chosen people. Christ makes it possible for us to be God’s own because He purchased our freedom through His death on the cross. He has shown us how we should conduct ourselves as God’s adopted sons and daughters — by being obedient to His will and living out His mercy and compassion for all.
Secondly, we have the Holy Spirit to make His presence felt within us. St. Paul says: “You too have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit of the Promise, the pledge of our inheritance which brings freedom for those whom God has taken for his own, to make his glory praised.” The Holy Spirit makes our relationship with God secure because He is God’s seal on us. Through His Holy Spirit, God dwells in us and marks us as His chosen ones. When we experience the presence and power of the Holy Spirit at work in us, we know for certain that God is with us.
After all, as St. Paul says, the Holy Spirit is the love of God poured into our hearts (cf. Rom 5:5). In doing so, He functions as a deposit or pledge of what awaits us in the future. This explains why the early disciples, though they had not seen the historical Christ face-to-face, were full of faith: they experienced the Risen Lord at work in their lives and worship. As St. John says: “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit” (1 Jn 4:12-13).
Finally, we do not have to live in fear, but in faith. People in the world often act hypocritically because they fear rejection and seek human power and glory. This was why the Lord warned: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees — that is, their hypocrisy. Everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. For this reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places will be proclaimed on the housetops.”
The Holy Spirit reveals the truth in our hearts. As the Lord said: “When he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”
Indeed, the Lord reassures us: “To my friends I say: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God’s sight. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.”
God has chosen us, and He will be with us. Do not be afraid, and do not get discouraged. We are worth more than sparrows. His Holy Spirit will guide us into an intimate relationship with God, helping us discern what is right and good so that we may act with integrity and courage. In the Holy Spirit, we will bear lasting fruit for the Lord.
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.
