20251026 REMAINING FAITHFUL TO OUR VOCATION AND MISSION IN LIFE
26 October 2025, Sunday, 30th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Ecclesiasticus 35:12-14, 16-19 |
The humble man's prayer pierces the clouds
The Lord is a judge
who is no respecter of personages.
He shows no respect of personages to the detriment of a poor man,
he listens to the plea of the injured party.
He does not ignore the orphan’s supplication,
nor the widow’s as she pours out her story.
The man who with his whole heart serves God will be accepted,
his petitions will carry to the clouds.
The humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds,
until it arrives he is inconsolable,
nor will he desist until the Most High takes notice of him,
acquits the virtuous and delivers judgement.
And the Lord will not be slow,
nor will he be dilatory on their behalf.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 33(34):2-3,17-19,23 |
This poor man called; the Lord has heard him.
I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The humble shall hear and be glad.
This poor man called; the Lord has heard him.
The Lord turns his face against the wicked
to destroy their remembrance from the earth.
The just call and the Lord hears
and rescues them in all their distress.
This poor man called; the Lord has heard him.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;
those whose spirit is crushed he will save.
The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants.
Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.
This poor man called; the Lord has heard him.
Second reading |
2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18 |
All there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me
My life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing.
The first time I had to present my defence, there was not a single witness to support me. Every one of them deserted me – may they not be held accountable for it. But the Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt11:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
Or: | 2Co5:19 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself,
and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 18:9-14 |
The tax collector, not the Pharisee, went home justified.
Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else: ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.” The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’
REMAINING FAITHFUL TO OUR VOCATION AND MISSION IN LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [SIR 35:12-14, 16-19; PS 34; 2 TIM 4:6-8, 16-18; LK 18: 9-14]
Towards the end of his life and ministry, St. Paul wrote, “My life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith.” How many of us will be able to make the same claim at the end of our sojourn on this earth? Will we be ready to say that we have done our best in this life–struggled through all its challenges and finished the journey with a clear conscience–and most of all, that we have remained faithful to God, true to our loved ones, to those under our care, and to our vocation in life? Indeed, if we want to live well, we must be prepared and know our ultimate outcome. To arrive at our destination, we must begin the journey right.
But what is the goal of life on earth? Happiness is more than simply living for this world. The ultimate goal and hope for us is eternal life with God. Only God can satisfy the human heart, and only in Him can we find true rest and peace. If some of us find life miserable and empty, lacking motivation and perseverance–especially in times of difficulty–it is because we live only for this world. Today, we have lost sight of eternity and the life to come. Many people, including Catholics, rarely think about life after death. We are concerned only with finding happiness in this life. We seek pleasure, honour, glory, and power, oblivious to the many who suffer and die in wars, famine, hunger, and social injustice. It is ironic that mass destruction is often caused by leaders who claim to be devout and faithful Christians but act contrary to the Gospel. How can we face God at the end of our lives knowing we have caused so much suffering to humanity and to those under our care?
Unlike many of us today, St. Paul and the early Christians were deeply conscious of life beyond this earth. Their hope of eternal life gave them the strength to remain steadfast in faith even amid suffering. Conscious that eternity far outweighs this brief earthly existence, they lived responsibly in the present with heaven in mind. Only a firm conviction of this greater hope gave them the fortitude to persevere. Inspired by this same hope, St. Paul could say with confidence at the end of his life, “All there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day–and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his appearing.”
This hope can only be sustained by faith in God’s fidelity. Although many claim to have faith, in the face of trials and tribulations they panic and behave like those without faith. But if our faith in God is firm, we will know that He is always with us, even in our difficulties. We will not become resentful, despairing, or vengeful. This was St. Paul’s attitude even when he was abandoned by his collaborators. He shared his struggles with gratitude, not bitterness. He said, “The first time I had to present my defense, there was not a single witness to support me. Every one of them deserted me–may they not be held accountable for it. But the Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me and bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
This too was the experience of the psalmist: “The humble shall hear and be glad. The Lord turns His face against the wicked to destroy their remembrance from the earth. The just call and the Lord hears and rescues them in all their distress. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is crushed He will save. The Lord ransoms the souls of His servants. Those who hide in Him shall not be condemned.” Truly, the Lord is always with the humble.
In the Book of Wisdom, we are reminded that the Lord hears the cry of the poor: “The Lord is a judge. He shows no respect of personages to the detriment of a poor man; He listens to the plea of the injured party. He does not ignore the orphan’s supplication, nor the widow’s as she pours out her story. The man who with his whole heart serves God will be accepted; his petitions will carry to the clouds. The humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds–until it arrives he is inconsolable, and the Lord will not be slow, nor will He be dilatory on their behalf.” God is faithful to those who trust and rely on Him.
All that is required of us is humility to receive His blessings. The real obstacle to grace is thinking that we can earn God’s acceptance through good deeds and effort alone. The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector teaches us the importance of humility in how we see ourselves and how we approach God. It would be a mistake to think that Jesus praised the sinner and condemned the Pharisee simply because He said, “This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not.”
In truth, the Pharisee was a good man. He did more than what was required of a Jew. Instead of fasting once a year at the Feast of Atonement, he fasted twice a week. Instead of tithing only what was required, he gave a tenth of everything he acquired. He was faithful to God and careful not to be defiled by impurity. Certainly, God would have been pleased with his sincere efforts to remain faithful. The Pharisee reflects many of us Catholics who are regular churchgoers and active in parish ministries, or who devote time to social and humanitarian work. Yet we may be tempted to think we are better than others who are less active or not churchgoers at all.
The danger of such an attitude is that we begin to credit ourselves for our goodness. We become self-righteous, proud, arrogant, and intolerant. We think too highly of our achievements and lose the spirit of gratitude. Instead of giving glory to God for what we are and for what we are able to do, we attribute our success to ourselves. This self-sufficiency causes us to lose love for God and compassion for others who struggle. A person who relies only on himself becomes egoistic and self-centred, devoid of love and compassion in his heart.
On the other hand, we must be careful not to misunderstand why the tax collector was praised. Jesus was not congratulating him for betraying the Jewish faith by working for the Roman conquerors, nor for failing to observe the law. The irony today is that often the tax collector is admired, while the good and God-fearing person is seen as out of touch. Immorality and rebellion seem fashionable, especially among the modern generation, who feel “cool” when defying societal norms. Whatever society upholds, they deliberately go the opposite way, seeking to prove their independence and freedom. They may feel proud when engaging in behaviours such as drug use, excessive drinking, smoking, vaping, cohabitation, pornography, or promoting ideologies contrary to moral and spiritual values. Yet we cannot imagine Jesus praising a sinner today for such actions.
What is truly praised is our recognition of sin and sincere sorrow for it. When we genuinely desire to repent, God comes to our aid, granting us His grace to find new life. The Lord commended the tax collector for acknowledging his unworthiness before the temple and God, humbly praying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Jesus reminds us, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.” Humility, therefore, is essential to fulfilling our vocation in life. When we are humble, we will have the strength to overcome all the trials of life. God will come to our assistance when we implore Him for help. Just as He gave Jesus the strength to endure the Passion, so too He gave St. Paul the grace to complete his mission to the Gentiles. We too must walk this path of humility if we were to truly live our vocation to the fullest and complete our race. With faith, we too can declare, “I will bless the Lord at all times.”
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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