COVER UP

20260720 COVER UP

 

 

20 July 2026, Monday, 16th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Micah 6:1-4,6-8

The Lord asks only this: to act justly, to love tenderly, to walk humbly

Listen to what the Lord is saying:

Stand up and let the case begin in the hearing of the mountains

  and let the hills hear what you say.

Listen, you mountains, to the Lord’s accusation,

  give ear, you foundations of the earth,

for the Lord is accusing his people,

  pleading against Israel:

My people, what have I done to you,

  how have I been a burden to you? Answer me.

I brought you out of the land of Egypt,

  I rescued you from the house of slavery;

I sent Moses to lead you,

  with Aaron and Miriam.

– ‘With what gift shall I come into the Lord’s presence

  and bow down before God on high?

Shall I come with holocausts,

  with calves one year old?

Will he be pleased with rams by the thousand,

  with libations of oil in torrents?

Must I give my first-born for what I have done wrong,

  the fruit of my body for my own sin?’

– What is good has been explained to you, man;

  this is what the Lord asks of you:

only this, to act justly,

  to love tenderly

  and to walk humbly with your God.

How to listen

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 49(50):5-6,8-9,16-17,21,23

I will show God’s salvation to the upright.

‘Summon before me my people

  who made covenant with me by sacrifice.’

The heavens proclaim his justice,

  for he, God, is the judge.

I will show God’s salvation to the upright.

‘I find no fault with your sacrifices,

  your offerings are always before me.

I do not ask more bullocks from your farms,

  nor goats from among your herds.

I will show God’s salvation to the upright.

‘But how can you recite my commandments

  and take my covenant on your lips,

you who despise my law

  and throw my words to the winds,

I will show God’s salvation to the upright.

‘You do this, and should I keep silence?

  Do you think that I am like you?

a sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me

  and I will show God’s salvation to the upright.’

I will show God’s salvation to the upright.

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Gospel Acclamation

cf.2Tim1:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death

and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Matthew 12:38-42

There is something greater than Solomon here

Some of the scribes and Pharisees spoke up. ‘Master,’ they said ‘we should like to see a sign from you.’ He replied, ‘It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign! The only sign it will be given is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the sea-monster for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here. On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.’

 

COVER UP

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [MIC 6:1-4, 6-8; MT 12:38-42]

On one hand, the people of Israel seemed to be faithful to God and the Covenant. They were diligent in offering sacrifices and doing what the law required of them for temple worship, even offering gifts of holocausts to the Lord. Externally, they observed all the required ceremonies and rituals.

On the other hand, both the leaders and the people were hypocritical. They were offering worship to pagan gods as well. This was why the Lord called upon the mountains to be His witness — because they had erected high altars on those very mountains to worship false deities. Furthermore, they were corrupt and selfish. Those from the wealthier strata of society took advantage of the poor, the widows, and the orphans. They were not living a just life based on charity and compassion.

Many of us are just like the Israelites. We say our prayers piously every day and dutifully attend Sunday Mass. We observe the precepts of the Church through fasting, abstinence, and financial support. Some of us might even be active in parish ministries, serving as wardens, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, altar servers, or choir members. Yet, our conduct at home, in the office, and sometimes even in the church is far from what is expected of a Christian. We can be tyrannical at work and at home, ordering people around while refusing to lift a finger to help with household chores. Some of us live double lives — cheating, having affairs, and engaging in dishonest or immoral activities.

When we appear religious on one hand but live irreligiously on the other, we are merely covering up our sins. We are not sincere in living the life of the Covenant or the life of Christ. Performing pious exercises does not exempt us from living a life of integrity, mercy, and compassion. As the Lord said to the Israelites: “I find no fault with your sacrifices, your offerings are always before me. But how can you recite my commandments and take my covenant on your lips, you who despise my law and throw my words to the winds?”

Indeed, God does not need our external offerings. If we offer sacrifices or perform pious devotions, it is not for God’s sake, but for ours. By performing these rituals and devotions, our intention should be to put into practice what we worship. They are means to help us set ourselves right with God, giving us the grace to do what is right and to live in accordance with God’s laws and the precepts of the Gospel. They do not substitute for a life of charity; rather, they enhance it. The prophet tells us what the Lord truly wants from us: “What is good has been explained to you, man; this is what the Lord asks of you: only this, to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

First, we must act justly toward our fellow human beings, never exploiting them or depriving them of their rights and dignity. This is the central message of the Prophet Amos. This is particularly true when we do business or exercise responsibility for the common good. As Jesus tells us in the Gospel, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.” (Mt 7:12) We should not do to others what we would not want them to do to us. This means exercising social responsibility — caring for others, respecting their rights, and cooperating to work for the common good and the happiness of all.

Secondly, we are called to love tenderly, which means showing mercy to those who have failed us. The Prophet Hosea continually reminds us of the tender love of God toward His rebellious people. God was always ready to forgive and relent, even when the people remained ungrateful and continued to grieve His heart. The Lord said, “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.” (Hos 11:8-9) We, too, are called to exercise mercy and compassion for those who fail us, because we ourselves have received God’s mercy and unconditional forgiveness.

Thirdly, we are called to walk humbly. The Prophet Isaiah constantly urged his people, particularly the kings, to cling to God in faith and trust when facing their enemies. Humility is the gateway that allows God to enter our lives; without it, there can be no true faith. St. Peter exhorts us, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Pt 5:5-7)

This humility is precisely what the Assyrians showed when they heard the preaching of Jonah. The prophet had been reluctant to obey God’s command to go to Nineveh and preach repentance. He disliked the cruel, mighty Assyrians and wanted nothing more than to see them destroyed. Yet, after a futile attempt to run away from God’s call, he went to Nineveh and preached the Word. To his surprise, the people, the king, and his officials repented. They put on sackcloth, fasted, and turned away from their evil deeds.

Sometimes, those outside the faith appear more disposed to the Word of God than we are. Those of us who have been in ministry for a long time can easily become jaded. We risk treating sacred things without respect or reverence simply because we deal with them so often. An Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, or even a priest, can lose a sense of the sacred when handling and distributing the Eucharist daily. Ironically, those who are still seeking the truth are often more sensitive to the sacred and pay closer attention to the Word of God when it is preached.

In the same way, Jesus lamented that “the Queen of the South will rise up with this generation and condemn it.” The Queen of Sheba heard of the fame and wisdom of Solomon. Although Solomon was wise, he did not always live out what he taught — yet the Queen of Sheba still honoured him. How much more, then, should we welcome Jesus, who is the very wisdom of God in person, the Word incarnate?

Yet, we are not ready to accept the Lord and His teachings, or to seek repentance and live the life of Christ. Instead, we cover up our reluctance by asking questions, much like the scribes and Pharisees who constantly demanded signs. We demand proof of Jesus and His resurrection, but the truth is that no amount of proof will suffice if our hearts are not disposed to believe. The Lord replied, “It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign! The only sign that it will be given is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” The people simply refused to recognise Him because they had already made up their minds. They were only looking for reasons to prove Him wrong, closing themselves off to what the Lord wanted to give them.

In truth, we have all the evidence we need, but we often choose to ignore it. We have the life, passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord. We have the testimonies of the Apostles, their preaching, and the martyrs who died for the faith. We have the witness of saints, missionaries, priests, religious, and holy lay faithful who have vouched for Christ’s saving presence in their lives. We have countless people who recount the power and mercy of God experienced through reconciliation and physical, psychological, or emotional healing. Such testimonies spanning over the centuries should be more than enough for us to believe.

So, what must we do to rid our lives of this hypocritical love of God? The psalmist advises us, “A sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me, and I will show God’s salvation to the upright.” We must intentionally recall the wonderful miracles and signs of God’s love in our lives. This was exactly what the Lord sought in His appeal to Israel to repent when He cried out, “My people, what have I done to you? How have I been a burden to you? Answer me. I brought you out of the land of Egypt, I rescued you from the house of slavery; I sent Moses to lead you, with Aaron and Miriam.”

Had they forgotten what the Lord did for them during the Exodus, as they journeyed through the desert and claimed Canaan as their promised land? We, too, must cling to the promises of God. We must remember what He has done for us and recall those moments when we personally encountered His mercy and love. Only when we remember can we truly respond in genuine love, justice, charity, and humility.

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. 

 

THE PROCESS OF GROWTH IN THE COMMUNITY

20260719 THE PROCESS OF GROWTH IN THE COMMUNITY

 

19 July 2026, Sunday, 16th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

Wisdom 12:13,16-19

You will grant repentance after sin

There is no god, other than you, who cares for every thing,

to whom you might have to prove that you never judged unjustly.

Your justice has its source in strength,

your sovereignty over all makes you lenient to all.

You show your strength when your sovereign power is questioned

and you expose the insolence of those who know it;

but, disposing of such strength, you are mild in judgement,

you govern us with great lenience,

for you have only to will, and your power is there.

By acting thus you have taught a lesson to your people

how the virtuous man must be kindly to his fellow men,

and you have given your sons the good hope

that after sin you will grant repentance.

How to listen

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 85(86):5-6,9-10,15-16

O Lord, you are good and forgiving.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving,

  full of love to all who call.

Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer

  and attend to the sound of my voice.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving.

All the nations shall come to adore you

  and glorify your name, O Lord:

for you are great and do marvellous deeds,

  you who alone are God.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving.

But you, God of mercy and compassion,

  slow to anger, O Lord,

abounding in love and truth,

  turn and take pity on me.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving.

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Second reading

Romans 8:26-27

The Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words

The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God.

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Gospel Acclamation

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!

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Gospel

Matthew 13:24-43

Let them both grow till the harvest

Jesus put another parable before the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’

  He put another parable before them: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.’

  He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.’

  In all this Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables; indeed, he would never speak to them except in parables. This was to fulfil the prophecy:

I will speak to you in parables

and expound things hidden since the foundation of the world.

Then, leaving the crowds, he went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us.’ He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!’

 

THE PROCESS OF GROWTH IN THE COMMUNITY

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [WIS 12:13,16-19, ROM 8:26-27, MT 13:24-43 OR MT 13:24-30]

Preceding the Parable of the Wheat and the Darnel is the Parable of the Sower. This earlier parable explains why the proclamation of the Good News bears different fruits in the hearts of its hearers. The same seed — the Word of God — is sown, but as the Parable of the Sower reminds us, the outcome depends heavily on the soil, which represents the receptivity of the audience. However, this is not just a matter of our personal response; it also depends on divine grace, where the seed falls, and our inherent capacity to receive the Word.

It is within this context of personal growth that we are invited to reflect on our growth as a community. People often mistakenly think the Christian community is an ideal utopia where everyone perfectly loves and cares for one another. This ideal is beautifully described in the Acts of the Apostles, which highlights how the early Christians “who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people” (Acts 2:44-47; 4:32). Yet, this perfect harmony did not last long. Selfishness and dishonesty quickly crept in, as seen in the story of Ananias, who secretly kept back some of the proceeds from his property sale (cf. Acts 5:1-5).

Clearly, in any Christian community, while some members are exceptionally generous, caring, patient, and encouraging, others remain spiritually weak and attached to the world. We are all at different stages of spiritual growth and possess various moral weaknesses shaped by our individual upbringing. Not all of us receive the Word of God the same way, nor do we all fully grasp its depth and richness. Therefore, we must remain cognisant that we are all operating at different levels of spiritual maturity. This maturity is not determined by the number of years we have spent in the faith, but by the depth of our response to His Word — which is heavily influenced by our environment, family, friends, and life responsibilities.

A mature Christian is not someone who lives in a paradisaical illusion where everyone is loving, and selfishness and injustice do not exist. Rather, a mature Christian is someone who lives realistically in a flawed community, striving alongside others to live according to the Gospel by the grace of God. This is the core lesson of the Parable of the Darnel and the Wheat. In the Kingdom of Heaven, God offers us His Word through Christ, but the enemy comes to sow disorder. Consequently, goodness and evil coexist within every one of us and within our communities, becoming more obvious as we allow them to grow. Yet, God intentionally allows both good and evil to exist side-by-side for a time. As the master tells his servants regarding the weeds: “You might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”

Growth in holiness does not exist in a vacuum. We can never truly know if we are holy or spiritually mature until we are tested. Even Jesus, after spending forty days fasting in the desert, was tempted at the end of His retreat. Through this experience, Jesus proved that His time in prayer with the Father had made Him strong enough to resist the Evil One. He was judicious in uncovering the hidden motives behind the Devil’s suggestions to turn stones into bread, test the Father by jumping from the temple pinnacle, or bow down in worship. Similarly, it is through life’s trials, challenges, and difficulties that we discover if we have truly grown in Christian maturity. Without being tested by suffering and worldly temptation, we cannot claim true spiritual growth.

For those who falter while trying to live out the Gospel, there is no need to fall into despair or self-condemnation. The first reading assures us that God is always merciful and ready to forgive. The greatness of God lies not merely in His sovereign power, but in the fact that His omnipotence is always tempered by mercy. As the Book of Wisdom says: “There is no god, other than you, who cares for everything, to whom you might have to prove that you never judged unjustly. Your justice has its source in strength; your sovereignty over all makes you lenient to all. You show your strength when your sovereign power is questioned, you govern us with great lenience.” In the Responsorial Psalm, the psalmist sings praises, saying: “O Lord, you are good and forgiving, full of love to all who call. Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer and attend to the sound of my voice. But you, God of mercy and compassion, slow to anger, O Lord, abounding in love and truth, turn and take pity on me.”

God deeply understands human weakness. In Christ Jesus, who assumed our humanity, He knows intimately what it means to be tempted, to suffer injustice, and to bear the consequences of sin. As St. Paul wrote: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21). For this reason, the author of Hebrews encourages us: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:15-16).

The Lord knows that as long as we try our best with the grace we are given, our spiritual growth may appear insignificant and slow at first, but it will flower in due time. We must practice patience when seeking growth in holiness, as patience is a distinct sign of persevering faith and humility. Like the mustard seed, which “is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.”

Conversely, if we do not take the evil within us seriously, it will eventually destroy us. In Scripture, yeast often symbolises corruption or evil that spreads silently. Like leaven, evil can grow from strength to strength, hidden within the dough. This is the meaning of the Parable of the Leaven: “The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.” Yet, yeast can also symbolise the goodness within us that can pervade and permeate the entire world. As a transforming agent, if we allow the Word of God to live in us, we will see the active, transforming power of Christ at work in our lives and in the world.

Therefore, instead of feeling discouraged by sin and scandals within the community, we should recognise that God’s grace is far greater than the power of sin. When we feel that the Church has failed us, or that the grace of Christ is not powerful enough to transform our lives, St. Paul reminds us to pray to the Holy Spirit, who “comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God, who knows everything in our hearts, knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God.” Truly, God knows our hearts better than we know them ourselves.

We only need to surrender our sins to Him and seek repentance. The Book of Wisdom invites us to exercise patience toward those who fail in the Christian life, simply because God is so remarkably patient with us: “By acting thus you have taught a lesson to your people how the virtuous man must be kindly to his fellow men, and you have given your sons the good hope that after sin you will grant repentance.” Let us never give up on ourselves when we sin against God, nor give up on others who fail us. As long as we are on this earth, God provides the opportunity and grace to repent. At the same time, let us not take His mercy and patience for granted, bearing in mind that at harvest time, an inevitable judgment awaits us all.

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.