YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.
THE GOODNEWS:
"Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house.
"Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5: 13 - 16).
Sunday February 8th in the 5th Week in Ordinary Time.
What is the the meaning of Jesus' word in today's Gospel: You are the salt of the earth? You are the light of the world?
What is light?
Think of the sun, moon, stars, 1000 watt electric bulb, 15 watt electric bulb, candle light, etc. They are all lights of different power and intensity. They all do one thing. They produce luminosity around them so that objects in their vicinity can be visible, that is seen with the human eyes.
How do we apply this?
Look no further than in your kitchen.
The light in the ceiling allows you to see the cupboards, pots and pans, water taps, etc.
The salt bottle and shaker are placed in a convenient place as you get ready to cook.
Now you are the salt and the light.
Not in your kitchen but in the school, market place, hospital, etc. What do you do as salt and light in these locations?
Ask Jesus Christ, the Light of the World to give you all you need to be salt and light wherever He places you.
My Patron Saint, John Chrysostom wrote eloquently on how Christians can be the light of the world. I pray to him every morning to show me how to be light of the world each day.
The Church honors the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the Month of February.
"In the Catholic tradition, there is no such thing as "secular" work for a baptized soul.
Everything we do has a purpose and a weight.
Sanctification: Your work is the wood upon which you exercise your love for God.
Imitation of Christ:
By working diligently, you imitate the Person of Jesus, who spent the vast majority of His earthly life in a workshop, not a pulpit."
For Devotional prayer and prayer intentions to the Holy Family, click the link below:
LET'S TAKE SOME BREAK FROM WORK.
THE GOSPEL:
"The Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught.
"He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”
"People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat.
"So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.
"People saw them leaving and many came to know about it.
They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them.
"When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things." (Mark 6: 30 - 34).
Saturday 7th February 2026, in the 4th Week in Ordinary Time.
What does it mean that Jesus is our Good Shepherd?
"Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”
This is one of the most endearing statements of Jesus for me in the entire Gospel.
Jesus the Good Shepherd cares deeply for the welfare of His disciples.
Anyone who cannot describe one or more Bad Shepherd experience in his life is lucky.
We see bad shepherds in the family, classroom, government, workplace, church, etc.
“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”
Psalm 23: "The Lord is my good shepherd" has brought healing and comfort to many people.
Not just Christians. Non-Christians as well.
It is believed that this great Psalm came from David's personal experience of God in his life struggles.
Jesus the Good Shepherd is still with us today. It is in the Eucharist that we experience everything that the Good Shepherd offers.
Jesus says to a mystic:
"Do not the sheep follow the shepherd? Where are the green pastures prophesied by the psalmist king, if not in My Eucharistic presence?" (IN SINU JESU page 55).
The Church honors the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in February.
THE PRAYER OF THE HIDDEN LIFE:
"Lord Jesus, I offer You this day’s work. As You handled the tools of the carpenter’s trade in Nazareth, take my efforts, my frustrations, and my successes into Your sacred hands.
O Virgin Mary, Mother of my soul, watch over me that I may work with love and purity of intention.
St. Joseph, Patron of Workers, teach me to see the Divine Providence in my daily tasks. May the Holy Spirit guide my mind and hands, so that my labor is not merely a job, but a contribution to Your Kingdom.
Everything for You, Most Holy Trinity. Amen."
For Devotional prayer and prayer intentions to the Holy Family, click the link below:
FIRST FRIDAY IN FEBRUARY, 2026.
Dear friends, what will you do if you know with absolute certainty that each of of the 12 Promises of Jesus to the devotees of the Sacred Heart is true?
You will be overjoyed like the man or woman who has won a lottery.
You will say: Merciful God, thank You. Now I can start enjoying the good life.
Jesus promised 12 special favors to all those who will honor His Sacred Heart especially on the First Friday of every month.
HOW: BY ATTENDING MASS AND RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION.
In the 2nd month of the year 2026, we look at Promise #2.
#2. "I will give peace in their families."
Peace in the family is the foundation of health and prosperity. Do not doubt this.
Moreover, if there is peace in the family, there will be peace at work and school, peace in the nation and peace on earth!
What is Peace? Peace is the calmness, tranquility, deep security you feel in the depth of your heart, soul and mind because you know that in spite of the apparent turbulence, All is well.
All is well because Jesus is in control of the world and everything that affects you.
"It is I, Do not be afraid."
"Fear is useless. All you need is trust."
You come to appreciate this peace most when civil war is raging in your family, health, finances, job, your possessions and tools.
All things fall apart and the center can no longer hold.
Enters the Peace of Christ.
This is the peace that Jesus promises us today.
Jesus is our peace. He is the Prince of Peace.
Would you accept today His generous offer of peace in your family?
Father, in Your will is our peace!
The Church honors the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in February. The Holy Family is the model of the family in peace, faith, love and security..
A family that prays together stays together.
Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus this Friday by attending Holy Mass and receiving Holy Communion.
For the 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Prayers and Prayer Intentions click the link below:
For Devotional prayer and prayer intentions to the Holy Family, click the link below:
MEMORIAL OF ST PAUL MIKI, SJ & COMPANION MARTYRS.
"King Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread,
and people were saying,
“John the Baptist has been raised from the dead;
that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”
Others were saying, “He is Elijah”;
still others, “He is a prophet like any of the prophets.”
But when Herod learned of it, he said,
“It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.”
Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
Herodias had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers,
and the leading men of Galilee.
His own daughter came in and performed a dance
that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
“Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”
He even swore many things to her,
“I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom.”
She went out and said to her mother,
“What shall I ask for?”
Her mother replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”
The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request,
“I want you to give me at once on a platter
the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner
with orders to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter
and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb." (Mark 6: 14 - 29).
Friday, February 6th 2025 in the 4th Week of Ordinary Time is the Memorial of St Paul Miki, SJ and companion martyrs.
February 6th is the First Friday in February 2026.
We honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
St Paul Miki was a Japanese Jesuit seminarian. He was crucified with 25 other companion martyrs. St Paul Miki faced death courageously in Nagasaki, Japan in 1597 and thus were the first Christian martyrs in East Asia.
The bloody persecution of the Church in Japan wiped out the Church in Japan and seemed to have obliterated the missionary efforts of St Francis Xavier, SJ and others. The mystery of Divine Providence is inscrutable! The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christianity, says Tertulian.
In today's Gospel from Mark 6: 14 - 29,we see bloody Herod chop off the head of a prophet: John the Baptist. Why?
Herodias believed that John the Baptist went too far in reproaching King Herod for marrying her. She loved her title of queen and bride of the king too much and became attached to the luxury and privileges that came with it. She conspired with her daughter Salome to have John the Baptist beheaded.
So it is a bloody day on this Memorial of St Paul Miki and his companion martyrs.
The Church honors the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the Month of February.
THE PRAYER OF PROTECTION:
"Visit, we beseech Thee, O Lord, this dwelling,
and drive far from it all snares of the enemy;
let Thy holy Angels dwell herein to preserve us in peace;
and let Thy blessing be always upon us.
O Virgin Mary, Mother of Orphans and Refuge of the Sinful, cover us with thy mantle.
St. Joseph, Patron of a Happy Death, guard our slumber.
Lord Jesus, be our light in the darkness.
"Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. For Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, God of truth."
For Devotional prayer and prayer intentions to the Holy Family, click the link below:
MEMORIAL OF ST AGATHA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR.
"And he called to him the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.
He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff;
no bread, no bag, no money in their belts;
but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.
And he said to them,
"Where you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place.
And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them."
So they went out and preached that men should repent.
And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them." (Mark 6: 7 - 13).
Thursday 5th February 2026, in the 4th Week in Ordinary Time.
Today is the Feast of St Agatha, Virgin and Martyr.
Agatha died at the age of 20 in 251 AD under the persecution of Emperor Decius.
Along with Saints Agnes and Lucy, she is mentioned in the Roman Canon in Eucharistic Prayer 1.
Agatha is the patron saint for these causes and more:
Breast cancer, sterility, nurses, rape victims, single lay women and so on. (Source: Laudate).
In our Gospel today, Jesus trains His disciples in trusting Divine Providence in their mission.
This mission is like no other job. It is Opus DEI (the Work of God). Therefore it must succeed.
The fiends of Hell would work very hard to destroy the foundation. They will not succeed.
So it is very important that the student apostles understand this truth at the outset.
So they went out and preached that men should repent.
"And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them." (Mark 6: 7 - 13).
The Church honors the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in February.
"In the Holy Family, we see a mirror of the Trinity: the Father's authority in Joseph, the Spirit's overshadowing grace in Mary, and the Word made Flesh in Jesus.
The Nazarenes missed the "mighty deeds" because they were looking for a King of Earthly Power, rather than the King of Divine Order.
"O St. Joseph, through the power of the Holy Spirit, help us to find God in our daily tasks and to never lose sight of Jesus in the midst of the familiar."
For Devotional prayer and prayer intentions to the Holy Family, click the link below:
IS HE NOT THE CADRPENTER?
THE GOSPEL:
"Jesus departed from there and came to his native place,
accompanied by his disciples.
When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,
and many who heard him were astonished.
They said, “Where did this man get all this?
What kind of wisdom has been given him?
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!
Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,
and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?
And are not his sisters here with us?”
And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and among his own kin and in his own house.”
So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,
apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
He was amazed at their lack of faith." (Mark 6: 1 - 6).
Wednesday February 4th in the 4th Week in Ordinary Time.
Imagine yourself a native of Nazareth. An age mate of Jesus of Nazareth. You knew Him as the village carpenter for over 15 years.
A bachelor. Nice and polite. Suddenly his carpentry shop was closed.
Where is Jesus, the Village carpenter?
One person says they heard he is in Carpanaum. In Naphtali. Sometimes even in Jerusalem.
What was he doing?
Teaching people from the Torah. Healing the sick. Casting out evil spirit.
Then one Sunday, the Man Jesus appears himself in the village Synagogue.
As is the custom,Jesus was invited to share a word with the congregation.
How do you react to the wisdom, teaching authority and mastery displayed by Jesus before your eyes?
Then people started talking about miracles and strange powers of Jesus they have heard of.
The people in the Synagogue on this occasion were mean-spirited.
Jesus paid them back in their own coin.
He performed very few miracles there.
Familiarity breeds contempt. Beware of this.
The Church honors the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the Month of February.
THE PRAYER OF Protection Of A Family:
"Visit, we beseech Thee, O Lord, this dwelling,
and drive far from it all snares of the enemy;
let Thy holy Angels dwell herein to preserve us in peace;
and let Thy blessing be always upon us.
O Virgin Mary, Mother of Orphans and Refuge of the Sinful, cover us with thy mantle.
St. Joseph, Patron of a Happy Death, guard our slumber.
Lord Jesus, be our light in the darkness.
"Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. For Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, God of truth."
For Devotional prayer and prayer intentions to the Holy Family, click the link below:
THE FEAST OF ST BLAISE, BISHOP AND MARTYR AND ST ANSGAR, BISHOP.
THE POWER OF FAITH.
Fear is useless. All you need is Faith.
THE GOSPEL:
"When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
"One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,
“My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.”
He went off with him and a large crowd followed him.
"There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had.
Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak.
She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”
"Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked,
“Who has touched my clothes?”
But his disciples said to him,
“You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, Who touched me?”
And he looked around to see who had done it.
"The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling.
She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”
"While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said,
“Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?”
"Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official,
“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”
"He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
"When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them,
“Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.”
And they ridiculed him.
"Then he put them all out.
He took along the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was.
He took the child by the hand and said to her,
“Talitha koum,”
which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat." (Mark 5: 21 - 43).
Tuesday February 3rd in the 4th Week in Ordinary Time is THE FEAST OF SAINTS Blaise (+ 316). Armenian. Martyred under Emperor Licinius. Blaise is known for his cures of throat ailments.
St Ansgar: (801 - 865). French. Worked in Germany, Denmark and Sweden. Known as the Apostle of the North for his great success in evangelizing these nations.
BLAISE BISHOP AND MARTYR AND ANSGAR, BISHOP.
The Gospel today from Mark 5: 21 - 43 confirms our belief in the power of faith to heal and move the mountains of human illness, ignorance and poverty.
Do you believe this?
Those who exercise this innate faith
can help human beings to get victory and healing over the mountains of sicknesses, poverty and ignorance that crush the human spirit.
If you have tiny pressure, your faith will be tiny. Big pressure creates big faith.
You will be motivated like this woman afflicted with hemorrhage to travel far and wide in search of Jesus.
This woman had squandered her money on specialist physicians without getting better.
At last, at an opportune moment (the hour of Divine Providence), a friend suggested she seeks out a Jewish Rabbi who is reputed to be a healer.
The lady heard this recommendation and accepted the message.
By faith the woman afflicted with hemorrhage, traveled to Israel where she caught up with Jesus.
She sneaked behind Jesus, touched the hem of the garment of Jesus and was healed instantly.
Jesus was so impressed that He praised her faith.
By faith, Jairus the synagogue official sought out Jesus to heal his daughter who was at the point of death.
By faith Jairus believed Jesus when he was told:“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”
Jesus followed Jairus to his house and uttered Talitha Kumi over the little girl and raised her from the dead.
It is by faith that all heroes of Israel listed in Hebrews 11, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, David, Daniel, Judith, Esther, etc were able to perform incredible exploits.
You too can heal yourself and others through faith.
Faith comes from hearing. Hearing the word of God which is truth.
Read and meditate on God's word every day.
The Church honors the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the Month of February.
"May Nazareth teach us what family life is, its communion of love, its austere and simple beauty, and its sacred and inviolable character. Let us learn from Nazareth that the formation received at home is gentle and irreplaceable. Let us learn the prime importance of the role of the family in the social order." (Pope St Paul VI).
For Devotional prayer and prayer intentions to the Holy Family, click the link below:
THE FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD.
"When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
-and you yourself a sword will pierce-
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him." (Luke 2: 22 - 40).
In the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, we have a new opportunity to encounter Jesus anew as the great Light of the World.
Monday 2nd February 2026 in the 4th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord.
Forty days after the Nativity of Jesus Christ, Mary and Joseph presented Him in the Temple in obedience of faith.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the holy Prophet Simeon and the Prophetess Anna appeared in the Temple in obedience of faith to bear witness to the faithfulness of God to His promise.
Brethren, in the celebration of the Presentation of the Lord, let us renew our faith in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar so that we can experience the transformative encounter with Jesus who is very eager to embrace us with His merciful love.
The story of the Presentation of the Lord should be a familiar one to us especially if we say the Rosary.
We reflect on the Mystery of the Presentation in the 4th Joyful Mystery. Forty days after the Birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph presented the Infant Jesus to His Father in the Temple in accordance with the Law. They did so with turtle doves which is the obligatory offering of the Poor.
I am struck by the providential presence of Simeon and Anna, the Prophetess.
When I say the 4th Joyful Mystery, I pray for the grace to grow in Trust, Obedience and Surrender.
The Church dedicates February to the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as a way to contemplate the hidden life at Nazareth and to present their home as the model and “school of virtue” for every Christian
family,
For Prayers and Prayer intentions click the link below:
