Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Also Read: Mass Readings for 03 August 2025
First Reading: Ecclesiastes 1: 2; 2: 21-23
The Tale of the Toil!
What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labour under the sun? (22)
The Book of Ecclesiastes is traditionally believed to be written by King Solomon. He expresses that life is meaningless without God. He raises rhetorical questions to stress the importance of God’s presence in our lives. Being the richest man on earth at his time, he would have known that only when we have God, all wealth, wisdom, and power is worth it!
We praise God for giving us the greatest wealth, HIS SON JESUS Christ! Indeed, we are the wealthiest when we have Christ! In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 90: 3-6, 12-14 and 17
The Heart of Wisdom!
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Relent, Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. (12-14)
Lord, teach us to gain a heart of wisdom, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
Amen!
Second Reading: Colossians 3: 1-5, 9-11
The Renewed Mind!
Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. (9-11)
Christ is all and in all; therefore, we are one! Since we have now taken off our old self and are being renewed in the image of the Creator God, we must be on guard in our practices! In our daily living we must refine our habits, thoughts, and actions! We will find our tribe in unexpected ways, the support or cooperation we seek in walking this new path will mysteriously appear through mystical means!
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Alleluia: Matthew 5: 3
Alleluia, Alleluia!
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 12: 13-21
“Blessed to be a Blessing!”
Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” (15)
The rich man thought of storing the surplus for himself! Christ warns us about greed here! We are blessed to be a blessing! We are all blessed with surplus! We must discern our “surplus” – it could be time on our hands, talent to play an instrument, or skill to use words, or any such gift! Let us not be greedy in keeping these to ourselves! We also note that greed is equalled to foolishness here!
Let us be truly wise! Let us share and be Blessed in return! In Jesus’ name, Amen!
