10th August 2025
8th Sunday after Trinity (Year C) ​
FIRST READING: Genesis 15.1–6
The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’ But Abram said, ‘O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.’ But the word of the LORD came to him, ‘This man shall not be your heir;no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.’
The Lord brought Abraham outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.
​
​RESPONSORIAL PSALM from Psalm 33
(R.) Happy are the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
1. Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just;
for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
They are happy, whose God is the Lord,
the people he has chosen as his own.​​
​
2. The Lord looks on those who revere him,
on those who hope in his love,
to rescue their souls from death,
to keep them alive in famine.​
​
3. Our soul is waiting for the Lord.
The Lord is our help and our shield.
May your love be upon us, O Lord,
as we place all our hope in you.​
​​​
​​SECOND READING: Hebrews 11.1–3, 8–16
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from what is invisible.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place he would receive as an inheritance. He went, not knowing where he was going, and lived in the promised land as a foreigner, looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
By faith he and Sarah, though old and barren, received the promise of countless descendants, as many as the stars in heaven.
They all died in faith, not having received the promises, but seeing them from afar. They confessed they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth, seeking a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
​
​GOSPEL: Luke 12:32-40
​Jesus said to his disciples,‘Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those servants. But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready,for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’
​
“Ready and Fearless”
In Luke 12:32-40, Jesus says, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” He calls His disciples to hold their possessions lightly, to give generously, and to keep their hearts ready, like servants waiting for their master’s return.
This passage teaches us that true readiness is not anxious watching but confident hope. When we live with our eyes fixed on the Kingdom, fear loosens its grip, and generosity flows freely. We become servants awake with love, ready to welcome Christ at any hour.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
Keep me awake in faith and love today.
Free me from fear,
and make me ready to welcome You,
whenever You come.
Amen.
Short Scripture
“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning” (Luke 12:35)
​
17th August 2025
9th Sunday after Trinity (Year C) ​
FIRST READING: Jeremiah 23: 23-29
Am I a God near by, says the LORD, and not a God far off? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD. I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ How long? Will the hearts of the prophets ever turn back – those who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart? They plan to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, just as their ancestors forgot my name for Baal. Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? says the LORD. Is not my word like fire, says the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
​​​​
​RESPONSORIAL PSALM from Psalm 40
(R.) Lord, come to my aid.
1. I waited, I waited for the Lord
and he stooped down to me;
he heard my cry.​​
​
2. He drew me from the deadly pit,
from the miry clay.
He set my feet upon a rock
and made my footsteps firm.​
​
3. He put a new song into my mouth,
praise of our God.
Many shall see and fear
and shall trust in the Lord.​
​​​
​​SECOND READING: Hebrews 11.29–34, 39–12.2
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace. And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets – who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
​
GOSPEL: Luke 12:49-56
​Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’
He also said to the crowds, ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, “It is going to rain”; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, “There will be scorching heat”; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?’’
​
“The Fire of Truth”
In Luke 12:49-56, Jesus says, “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” He speaks of division – even within families – as people respond differently to His message. He calls out the crowds for interpreting the weather but failing to read the spiritual signs of their time.
This is a challenging passage. Jesus’ coming brings peace, but it is a peace born through truth, and truth divides before it heals. His fire purifies and exposes. As disciples and leaders, we are called to speak truth with love, knowing it may unsettle, but trusting that God’s fire refines for His kingdom.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
Kindle Your fire within me today.
Give me courage to speak truth with love,
and faith to trust Your purifying work
even when it brings division.
Amen.
Short Scripture
“I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49)
24th August 2025
10th Sunday after Trinity (Year C) ​
FIRST READING: Isaiah 58.9–14
You shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in. If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honourable; if you honour it, not going your own ways, serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. ​
​
​RESPONSORIAL PSALM from Psalm 103
(R.) Bless the Lord, O my soul.
1. Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.​​
​
2. He forgives all your sins
and heals all your infirmities;
He redeems your life from the grave
and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness.​
​
3. He satisfies you with good things,
and your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.
The Lord executes righteousness
and judgement for all who are oppressed.​
​​​
​​SECOND READING: Hebrews 12.18–29
You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. (For they could not endure the order that was given, ‘If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death.’ Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ‘I tremble with fear.’) But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.’ This phrase, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of what is shaken – that is, created things – so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire.
​​GOSPEL: Luke 13:10-17
​Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years.
She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are set free from your ailment.’
When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, ‘There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.’
But the Lord answered him and said, ‘You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?’ When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.
​“Set Free on the Sabbath”
In Luke 13:10-17, Jesus heals a woman who had been bent over for eighteen years. When the synagogue leader criticises Him for healing on the Sabbath, Jesus calls him a hypocrite, saying, “Ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”
This passage reminds us that God’s compassion is never constrained by human rules. True holiness is shown not in rigid observance but in setting people free. As disciples and leaders, we are called to be people through whom Christ’s liberating love flows – even when it challenges accepted norms.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
Help me to see with Your eyes of mercy.
Make me an instrument of Your freedom today,
bringing hope and healing wherever I go.
Amen.
Short Scripture
“Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” (Luke 13:12)
​
31st August 2025
11th Sunday after Trinity (Year C) ​
FIRST READING: Hebrews 13:1-8,15-16
Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. Let marriage be held in honour by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?’ Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
GOSPEL: Luke 14:1, 7-14
​On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honour, he told them a parable. ‘When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honour, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, “Give this person your place,” and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, “Friend, move up higher”; then you will be honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’​
​
“Choosing the Lowest Place”
In Luke 14:1, 7-14, Jesus watches guests choosing the places of honour at a banquet. He teaches them to take the lowest place so that the host may invite them higher, for “all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” He then tells the host to invite the poor, crippled, lame, and blind – those who cannot repay – for such generosity will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.
This passage reminds us that humility and hospitality are at the heart of the Kingdom. True honour is not self-given but comes from God. True generosity gives without expecting anything in return. As disciples, we are called to live with humble hearts and open hands, serving those who cannot repay us.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
Teach me to choose the lowest place today.
Give me a humble heart and generous spirit,
that I may serve others as You served me.
Amen.
Short Scripture
“For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 14:11)
​