Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection October 23, 2025
Thursday – 29th Week in Ordinary Time
23rd October 2025 (Thursday)
Psalter: Week 1
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Romans 6:19-23
Brethren: I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6 (R. Psalm 40:5ab)
R/. Blessed the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and be found in him.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel: Luke 12:49-53
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five 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.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Thursday – 29th Week in Ordinary Time
Main Point: Living for God will certainly contrast with those who live for the world and evil. This will lead to opposition and division
1. Love for Christ and following him calls for a radical and committed stand. It involves a life of righteousness for sanctification. It will transform persons into slaves of God. But this slavery is something meritorious and dignified. It endows them with new freedom. Such conviction and commitment, such freedom and purity are in direct contrast to the impurity and iniquity of sin.
2. This contrast will automatically land the followers of Christ into situations of opposition, division, and loss of peace. It is not that they make themselves causes and agents of division and unrest.
3. It is caused by the resistance and refusal of those who oppose them. In a world of duplicity, when men of God live with integrity, for sure it would cause division and disturbance. When convictions are upheld in contrast to compromises, for sure there will be division and loss of peace.
4. When some are on fire with love for Christ, it will automatically disturb those who are tepid and whose fire is under ashes. A true follower of Christ cannot side with the false values of a mediocre man. A fundamental option for Christ will certainly put one at odds with the rest.
5. One need not feel bad or guilty about it. Such division and disturbance are not negative that are consequences of evil and inauthentic lives. The division and discord caused by fidelity to Christ are the natural outflows of the unswerving adherence to him. In the name of maintaining peaceful and undisturbed relationships, one should not give up values and fall to compromises.
My Practice: Many play safe because they do not want to get into any trouble and be disturbed. They want to be in peace. But they do not realize that such peace is only false and not godly. A peace that comes because of compromise is a cheap peace!
