St Mary's Cathedral Parish

03/06/2026

03/06/2026

READINGS FOR JUNE 3, 2026

MEMORIAL OF SAINT CHARLES LWANGA AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS

LECTIONARY: 355

FIRST READING
2 Mc 7:1-2, 9-14

We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors.

A reading from the second Book of Maccabees

It happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested
and tortured with whips and scourges by the king,
to force them to eat pork in violation of God’s law.
One of the brothers, speaking for the others, said:
“What do you expect to achieve by questioning us?
We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors.”

At the point of death he said:
“You accursed fiend, you are depriving us of this present life,
but the King of the world will raise us up to live again forever.
It is for his laws that we are dying.”

After him, the third suffered their cruel sport.
He put out his tongue at once when told to do so,
and bravely held out his hands, as he spoke these noble words:
“It was from Heaven that I received these;
for the sake of God’s laws I disdain them;
from him I hope to receive them again.”
Even the king and his attendants marveled at the young man’s courage,
because he regarded his sufferings as nothing.

After he had died,
they tortured and maltreated the fourth brother in the same way.
When he was near death, he said,
“It is my choice to die at the hands of men
with the God-given hope of being restored to life by him;
but for you, there will be no resurrection to life.”

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 124:2-3, 4-5, 7b-8

R. :

℟. (7) Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.

Had not the LORD been with us—
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive
When their fury was inflamed against us.

℟. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.

Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept
the raging waters.

℟. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.

Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

℟. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.

ACCLAMATION BEFORE THE GOSPEL
Matthew 5:3

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are the poor in spirit;
theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Mt 5:1-12a

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
”Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

WEEKDAY READINGS

FIRST READING
2 Tm 1:1-3, 6-12

Stir into a flame the gift of God that you have through the laying on of my hands.

A reading from the second Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy

Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God
for the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
to Timothy, my dear child:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I am grateful to God,
whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,
as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day.

For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God.

He saved us and called us to a holy life,
not according to our works
but according to his own design
and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,
but now made manifest
through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,
who destroyed death and brought life and immortality
to light through the Gospel,
for which I was appointed preacher and Apostle and teacher.
On this account I am suffering these things;
but I am not ashamed,
for I know him in whom I have believed
and am confident that he is able to guard
what has been entrusted to me until that day.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 123:1b-2ab, 2cdef

R. :

℟. (1) To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.

To you I lift up my eyes
who are enthroned in heaven.
Behold, as the eyes of servants
are on the hands of their masters.

℟. To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.

As the eyes of a maid
are on the hands of her mistress,
So are our eyes on the LORD, our God,
till he have pity on us.

℟. To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.

ACCLAMATION BEFORE THE GOSPEL
Jn 11:25a, 26

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me will never die.

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Mk 12:18-27

He is not God of the dead but of the living.

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,
came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying,
“Teacher, Moses wrote for us,
If someone’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child,
his brother must take the wife
and raise up descendants for his brother.
Now there were seven brothers.
The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants.
So the second brother married her and died, leaving no descendants,
and the third likewise.
And the seven left no descendants.
Last of all the woman also died.
At the resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be?
For all seven had been married to her.”
Jesus said to them, “Are you not misled
because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?
When they rise from the dead,
they neither marry nor are given in marriage,
but they are like the angels in heaven.
As for the dead being raised,
have you not read in the Book of Moses,
in the passage about the bush, how God told him,
I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob?
He is not God of the dead but of the living.
You are greatly misled.””

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

03/06/2026

SAINT OF THE DAY FOR JUNE 3, 2026

SAINT CHARLES LWANGA AND COMPANIONS
(d. between November 15, 1885 – January 27, 1887)

One of 22 Ugandan martyrs, Saint Charles Lwanga is the patron of youth and Catholic action in most of tropical Africa. He protected his fellow pages, aged 13 to 30, from the sexual demands of the Bagandan ruler, Mwanga, and encouraged and instructed them in the Catholic faith during their imprisonment for refusing the ruler’s demands.

Saint Charles Lwanga first learned of Christ’s teachings from two retainers in the court of Chief Mawulugungu. While a catechumen, he entered the royal household as assistant to Joseph Mukaso, head of the court pages.

On the night of Mukaso’s martyrdom for encouraging the African youths to resist Mwanga, Saint Charles Lwanga requested and received baptism. Imprisoned with his friends, Charles’ courage and belief in God inspired them to remain chaste and faithful.

For his own unwillingness to submit to the immoral acts and his efforts to safeguard the faith of his friends, Charles was burned to death at Namugongo on June 3, 1886, by Mwanga’s order.

When Pope Paul VI canonized these 22 martyrs on October 18, 1964, he also made reference to the Anglican pages martyred for the same reason.

REFLECTION

Like Saint Charles Lwanga, we are all teachers and witnesses to Christian living by the examples of our own lives. We are all called upon to spread the word of God, whether by word or deed. By remaining courageous and unshakable in our faith during times of great moral and physical temptation, we live as Christ lived.

02/06/2026

READINGS FOR JUNE 2, 2026

TUESDAY OF THE NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

LECTIONARY: 354

FIRST READING
2 Pt 3:12-15a, 17-18

We await new heavens and a new earth.

A reading from the second Letter of Saint Peter

Beloved:
wait for and hasten the coming of the day of God,
because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames
and the elements melted by fire.
But according to his promise
we await new heavens and a new earth
in which righteousness dwells.

Therefore, beloved, since you await these things,
be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.
And consider the patience of our Lord.

Therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned,
be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled
and to fall from your own stability.
But grow in grace
and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
To him be glory now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 90:2, 3-4, 10, 14 and 16

R. :

℟. (1) In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Before the mountains were begotten
and the earth and the world were brought forth,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

℟. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.

℟. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Seventy is the sum of our years,
or eighty, if we are strong,
And most of them are fruitless toil,
for they pass quickly and we drift away.

℟. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Let your work be seen by your servants
and your glory by their children.

℟. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

ACCLAMATION BEFORE THE GOSPEL
See Eph 1:17-18

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to his call.

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Mk 12:13-17

Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent
to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech.
They came and said to him,
“Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man
and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion.
You do not regard a person’s status
but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?
Should we pay or should we not pay?”
Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them,
“Why are you testing me?
Bring me a denarius to look at.”
They brought one to him and he said to them,
“Whose image and inscription is this?”
They replied to him, “Caesar’s.”
So Jesus said to them,
“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God.”
They were utterly amazed at him.

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.

All reply:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

02/06/2026

SAINT OF THE DAY FOR JUNE 2, 2026

SAINTS MARCELLINUS AND PETER
(d. 304)

Marcellinus and Peter were prominent enough in the memory of the Church to be included among the saints of the Roman Canon. Mention of their names is optional in our present Eucharistic Prayer I.

Marcellinus was a priest and Peter was an exorcist, that is, someone authorized by the Church to deal with cases of demonic possession. They were beheaded during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian. Pope Damasus wrote an epitaph apparently based on the report of their executioner, and Constantine erected a basilica over the crypt in which they were buried in Rome. Numerous legends sprang from an early account of their death.

REFLECTION

Why are these men included in our Eucharistic prayer, and given their own feast day, in spite of the fact that almost nothing is known about them? Probably because the Church respects its collective memory. They once sent an impulse of encouragement through the whole Church. They made the ultimate step of faith.

01/06/2026

DAILY MASS READINGS (June 1, 2026)

Monday of the 9th Week in Ordinary Time/MEMORIAL OF ST. JUSTIN, MARTYR
(Year II, Red)

1ST READING (2 PETER 2:1-7)
A reading from the 2nd Letter of St. Peter

Beloved:
May grace and peace be yours in abundance
through knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

His divine power has bestowed on us
everything that makes for life and devotion,
through the knowledge of him
who called us by his own glory and power.
Through these, he has bestowed on us
the precious and very great promises,
so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature,
after escaping from the corruption that is in the world
because of evil desire.
For this very reason,
make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,
virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control,
self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion,
devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love.

- The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (PSALM 91:1-2, 14-15B, 15C-16)
R. (see 2b) In you, my God, I place my trust.

1.) You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
Say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

R. In you, my God, I place my trust.

2.) Because he clings to me, I will deliver him;
I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in distress.

R. In you, my God, I place my trust.

3.) I will deliver him and glorify him;
with length of days I will gratify him
and will show him my salvation.
R. In you, my God, I place my trust.

ALLELUIA (Cf. REVELATION 1:5AB)
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus Christ, you are the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead;
you have loved us and freed us from our sins by your Blood.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL (MARK 12:1-12)
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark

Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes,
and the elders in parables.
"A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it,
dug a wine press, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey.
At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants
to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard.
But they seized him, beat him,
and sent him away empty-handed.
Again he sent them another servant.
And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully.
He sent yet another whom they killed.
So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed.
He had one other to send, a beloved son.
He sent him to them last of all, thinking, 'They will respect my son.'
But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'
So they seized him and killed him,
and threw him out of the vineyard.
What then will the owner of the vineyard do?
He will come, put the tenants to death,
and give the vineyard to others.
Have you not read this Scripture passage:

The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?"

They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd,
for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them.
So they left him and went away.

- The Gospel of the Lord.

REFLECTION: The Parable of the Tenants is similar to the Prophet Isaiah's Song of the Vineyard (Isaiah 5). The landowner is God, while the vineyard symbolizes Israel. The tenants are the Jewish leaders, while the servants of the landowner are the prophets of God. Just as the tenants beat and killed the servants, so the Jewish leaders persecuted the prophets because they refuse to believe that the Lord has a message for them. Finally the landowner sends his son into the vineyard, but they also seized and killed him outside that place. This prefigures the Passion and Death of Jesus from inside Jerusalem to outside on top of Mount Calvary, where he is crucified and died. Jesus also quoted Psalm 118:22 to the chief priests, elders, and scribes, wherein the builders, which are they, will reject the stone, Jesus, but it shall become the cornerstone, the spiritual foundation of the Church.

God's Kingdom has come, but has not yet been fulfilled. His people did not heed his message, so he punished them a lot of times, but then he had mercy. Yet because they did not recognize salvation brought by his Son Jesus, he allowed the Romans to destroy Jerusalem including the Temple in 70 A.D. Going back to the parable, the landowner entrusts the vineyard to new tenants. This means that God entrusts the world in our hands, and as Christians, he entrusts us the Church, the mission partaken by both the shepherds and the laity. Are we really loyal to his message? Are there times wherein we aren't faithful to the mission the give gives us? So as we journey down this road, let us be the tenants of the Lord by being trustworthy and loyal in bearing the fruit of goodness, love, and mercy. Let us also avoid infidelity, meaning in Filipino "pagiging pabaya at tiwali", because it can lead us to commit sin, disobey God, and losing his grace.

01/06/2026

SAINT OF THE DAY: June 1
Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr

Saint Justin, a well-educated philosopher of Roman descent from Flavia Neapolis, initially sought ultimate wisdom through Greek philosophy, particularly the teachings of Plato. However, after a transformative conversation with an old man who demonstrated that human philosophy alone lacks the fullness of truth without divine revelation, Justin embraced Christianity. He recognized that true happiness and knowledge of God were found by uniting philosophical reasoning with the teachings of the Old Testament prophets and Jesus Christ. Following his conversion, he dedicated his life to teaching in Rome and writing influential defenses of the faith, such as his Apologies to the Roman Emperor and Senate, and the Dialogue with Trypho, which provided vital early descriptions of Christian worship and theological reasoning.

Justin's bold and articulate defense of Christianity eventually led to his arrest during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, following a public debate with a rival philosopher. When hauled before the prefect Rusticus and threatened with torture, Justin steadfastly refused to sacrifice to pagan gods, expressing his unwavering hope for salvation through Jesus Christ. Around the year 165, Justin and six companions were scourged and beheaded, earning him the title of Saint Justin Martyr. He is remembered as a heroic figure who fearlessly used his intellectual gifts to counter ignorance and spread the Gospel, serving as an enduring example of courage and commitment to the truth.

mycatholic.life

Let us pray:

O God, who through the folly of the Cross wondrously taught Saint Justin the Martyr the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, grant us, through his intercession, that, having rejected deception and error, we may become steadfast in the faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.

31/05/2026

Trinity Sunday:

Today we celebrate the mystery at the heart of our faith: One God in Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Father creates us in love, the Son redeems us through His sacrifice, and the Holy Spirit guides and strengthens us each day.

As we honour the Holy Trinity, may we be drawn deeper into God's perfect communion of love and be inspired to reflect that love in our families, parish, and community.

"Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit." Amen.

31/05/2026

READINGS FOR MAY 31, 2026

THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

LECTIONARY: 164

FIRST READING
Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9

The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God.

A reading from the Book of Exodus

Early in the morning Moses went up Mount Sinai
as the LORD had commanded him,
taking along the two stone tablets.

Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with Moses there
and proclaimed his name, “LORD.”
Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out,
“The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.”
Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.
Then he said, “If I find favor with you, O Lord,
do come along in our company.
This is indeed a stiff-necked people;
yet pardon our wickedness and sins,
and receive us as your own.”

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56

R. :

℟. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!

Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
and blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.

℟. Glory and praise for ever!

Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.

℟. Glory and praise for ever!

Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

℟. Glory and praise for ever!

Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

℟. Glory and praise for ever!

SECOND READING
2 Cor 13:11-13

The grace of Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

A reading from the second Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians

Brothers and sisters, rejoice.
Mend your ways, encourage one another,
agree with one another, live in peace,
and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the holy ones greet you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

The word of the Lord.

ACCLAMATION BEFORE THE GOSPEL
cf Rv 1:8

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
to God who is, who was, and who is to come.

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Jn 3:16-18

God sent his Son that the world might be saved through him.

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.