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Friday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 : Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

There is an appointed time for everything,
and a time for every thing under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.

What advantage has the worker from his toil?
I have considered the task that God has appointed
for the sons of men to be busied about.
He has made everything appropriate to its time,
and has put the timeless into their hearts,
without man’s ever discovering,
from beginning to end, the work which God has done.

Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 144:1b and 2abc, 3-4

R. (1) Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
my mercy and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I trust.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
LORD, what is man, that you notice him;
the son of man, that you take thought of him?
Man is like a breath;
his days, like a passing shadow.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!

Alleluia : Mark 10:45

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : Luke 9:18-22

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude,
and the disciples were with him,
he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah;
still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”
He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.

He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

 Message from the Readings

Today’s readings proclaim a timeless truth:
Life changes in seasons — but God remains constant.
• Ecclesiastes teaches that every moment has purpose.
• The psalm reminds us that God is our steady Rock.
• Jesus reveals His identity and mission, showing that His love is present in every season — joy, sorrow, sacrifice, and resurrection.
The message is clear: God is working in every season of your life, shaping it with eternal meaning.

Reflection for the Day

Ecclesiastes offers one of Scripture’s most comforting passages:
“There is an appointed time for everything.”
A time to weep — and a time to laugh. A time to mourn — and a time to dance. A time to plant — and a time to uproot.
Life is not random. Every season — even the difficult ones — is held in God’s hands.
The writer adds:
“He has made everything appropriate to its time.”
This does not mean everything is easy. It means everything is purposeful.
Psalm 144 deepens this truth:
• God is our Rock when life feels unstable.
• God is our Fortress when we feel vulnerable.
• God is our Shield when we feel attacked.
Even when seasons shift, His love does not.
Then Jesus asks the most important question:
“Who do you say that I am?”
Peter answers with clarity: “The Christ of God.”
Jesus then reveals that His mission includes suffering, rejection, death — and resurrection. This teaches us that even the darkest seasons can lead to new life.
Today’s readings invite us to three movements:

1. Accept the season you are in.
   God is present in it — even if it feels difficult.
2. Anchor yourself in God’s stability.
   He is your Rock when life feels uncertain.
3. Confess Christ boldly.
   Let your faith shape how you walk through every season.
   Let today be a day of trust, surrender, and renewed confidence in God’s timing.

 Prayer for Today

Lord Jesus, thank You for being present in every season of my life.
Teach me to trust Your timing, to rest in Your strength, and to follow You faithfully through joy and sorrow, through planting and uprooting, through silence and speaking.
Help me confess with Peter: You are the Christ of God.
Make my life a witness to Your love in every season.
Amen.