July 18, 2025 Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: Exodus 11:10-12:14; Matthew 12:1-8
Every task, no matter how small or sacred, requires attention to process and precision. This is true in all areas of life, even in something as simple as cooking. The same principle applies in today’s reading, where the Lord gives Moses and Aaron clear instructions regarding the preparation and celebration of the first Passover.
Dates are fixed, preparation from the 10th to the 13th of Nisan, and celebration on the 14th. Every detail is given, from the selection of the lamb to the number of people sharing the meal, and even the method of consumption. The blood of the lamb, a sign of life, is to be sprinkled on doorposts and lintels. This sacred act becomes a sign of deliverance and foreshadows Christ’s sacrifice, where His own blood will be shed for the salvation of all.
The sacredness of the offering is underlined by the instruction to burn any leftovers the next morning. This reminds us of other sacred remnants, the twelve and seven baskets of leftover bread after Jesus’ miracles, and the consecrated hosts preserved in the tabernacle after every Holy Mass. God’s intervention in human history is to be remembered with reverence and gratitude. The institution of the Passover becomes a perpetual ordinance, just as Jesus commanded at the Last Supper: “Do this in memory of me.”
In the Gospel, Jesus confronts the Pharisees who accused His disciples of breaking the Sabbath law. Their rigid interpretation of the law overshadowed the deeper values of compassion and mercy. The disciples had acted out of hunger, a basic human need. Jesus defends them by reminding the Pharisees of what God truly desires: “Mercy, not sacrifice.” He proclaims that “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath,” asserting His divine authority while reorienting the law toward love and human dignity.
Call to Action: True learning should lead to greater humility before God, not pride. Let us examine ourselves today: Does my knowledge deepen my humility, or inflate my ego?
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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