For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
27 April 2014 – 2nd Sunday of Easter Year A
28 April 2014 – Monday of the 2nd Week of Easter
29 April 2014 – Tuesday of the 2nd Week of Easter
30 April 2014 – Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Easter
1 May 2014 – Thursday of the 2nd Week of Easter
2 May 2014 – Friday of the 2nd Week of Easter
Sometimes in life, we get someone who is willing to talk sense or reason out with others for us. Such people know that it is important to have a balance of head knowledge and heart knowledge, so that we would make choices with some clarity and without prejudiced eyes. One such person in today’s reading is a Pharisee called Gamaliel, who was a doctor of the Law and respected by the whole people. Even though the Pharisees were filled with jealousy, Gamaliel was wise enough to caution the Pharisees concerning the apostles: “If this enterprise, this movement of theirs, is of human origin it will break up of its own accord; but if it does in fact come from God you will not only be unable to destroy them, but you might find yourselves fighting against God.”
If someone or some people were to go about doing good things and giving glory to God, would we stop them? Sometimes, because such people are doing better than us or they do not belong to our community, we may become jealous of their success and achievements. What some of us fail to realise is that what they are doing is not necessarily for their own glory, but for the Glory of God. If we begin to find ways and means to belittle them or stop them, then we too may become like the Pharisees, who were blinded with jealousy, anger and pride. Ultimately, we may end up being guilty of building our own kingdom when we think that only we can do good and others are prohibited from doing so. Have some of us become so conceited or proud? Aren’t we all working in the vineyard of the Lord for His greater glory?
Who do you obey? Do you obey God’s laws? Or do you obey man’s laws? Sometimes we may be asked to do something which is according to man’s laws, but by doing that something, we are breaking God’s laws. On the other hand, we may be obeying God’s laws, but that could cause us to be unpopular or persecuted because we are not going with the flow or joining the crowd. Man’s laws are not always just, not always fair, not always right, not always proper, and yet, some of us still obey them, because some of us think that by doing so, we would save our own skin, or perhaps gain an advantage or promotion, or maybe gain respect or recognition from other people.
Today’s reading reminds us that “obedience to God comes before obedience to men.” Ultimately we need to decide and check our conscience. Are we doing the right and proper thing to remain in good relationship with God? Or are we doing things to please people? Are we looking for eternal rewards, or are we merely satisfied with temporary rewards here on earth? Let us choose wisely for our eternal future.
People get jealous for different reasons. Some are jealous in a joking or playful manner: they say they are jealous but they say it in jest. Some are jealous but they do not allow jealousy to get into their head and control them; instead they use their ‘jealous’ energies to do something positive or good. Others are jealous and allow their jealousy to control their thoughts, feelings and emotions; a good example of this kind of jealousy is found in today’s reading, where: “The high priest intervened with all his supporters from the party of the Sadducees. Prompted by jealousy, they arrested the apostles and had them put in the common gaol.”
When we allow jealousy to take control of our lives, we become slaves to our passion and pride. We see others doing God’s work or doing good deeds as a threat to our popularity and power. Great crimes and heinous deeds have been committed as a result of this unhealthy form of jealousy. Have some of us become like the high priest and all his supporters from the party of the Sadducees; jealous of the gifts and abilities of others and refusing to admit or acknowledge God’s gifts to them? Or have we learnt to be humble and content, praising God for the gifts of others and the gifts bestowed on us?
Are we generous with our time and our possessions? Some of us may be making much effort to own more and more things, money, property, etc., but are we clinging to these items only for ourselves and perhaps for our immediate family members? Today’s reading tells us: “The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed for his own use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in common.”
Looking at society today, we find that more and more of us may be becoming individualistic. What is ours is ours and some of us may find it difficult to share. Our rights seem to be more important than the needs for the common good. However, if we persistently demand for our rights, we may face the danger that nothing will be left. Could we ever become just like the early disciples? Perhaps, due to our present circumstances, we may not be able to live exactly like the early disciples. But perhaps we could learn from their attitude towards possessions. Possessions are meant to be shared as far as possible, not to be hoarded for ourselves. After all, we know that we cannot bring our possessions with us when we die. Are we able to change our attitude on possessions from one of hoarding and attachment, to one of sharing and detachment?
Are you born again? Has you life changed from your old self to a new self? In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us: “I tell you most solemnly, unless a man is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” At baptism, we were transformed from our old identity, to a new identity filled with the Spirit and given new life.
However, some of us may be baptised and supposingly born again, but the way we live our lives do not seem to bear witness that we have really changed. Some of us continue to behave as we were before, doing things as we have been doing. Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel: “‘I tell you most solemnly, unless a man is born through water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God: what is born of the flesh is flesh; what is born of the Spirit is spirit.” We may be born of the flesh, but have we really been born of the Spirit? Have we become witnesses and joyful proclaimers of the Good News, or have we been complacent and unappreciative of the gift God has given us? The greatest gift of all has been given to us; are we still looking elsewhere?
What sort of community do we live in? Is our community united? Do we live in harmony, joy, happiness, peace, goodwill, etc. in our community? Do we care and share and love each other genuinely as a community? Today’s first reading tells us of a community which “remained faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.” Does such a community still exist today?
As we read more and more about the early Christian community, we can discover that the early Christian community was not perfect. Till today no Christian community is perfect. We continue to hurt and be hurt by others, because we are not perfect. However, the difference between a Christian community and other “communities” is this: as a Christian community, we are able to forgive others and to receive forgiveness from others. Sometimes some of us try to look for God on our own. But God is present in the midst of the community, no matter how broken or sinful the community members may be. If we keep away from the community, we keep away from God.
Thus, let us make more effort to love and grow in faith in our community. Let us not shy or run away from our community, since Jesus reminds us “where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Our community may not be perfect, but together, we can grow in love and relationship with each other and with our risen and loving Lord, Jesus Christ.
For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
20 April 2014 – Easter Sunday
21 April 2014 – Easter Monday
22 April 2014 – Easter Tuesday
23 April 2014 – Easter Wednesday
24 April 2014 – Easter Thursday
25 April 2014 – Easter Friday
How much do we value our faith? Some of us are Catholics in name, but are we Catholics in practise? If we are interrogated or persecuted, would we still remain firm in faith, or would we run away? If we are sentenced to die, would we remain steadfast till the end, or would we chicken out to save our own skin?
Today’s reading tells us of Peter and John, who were talking to the people, much to the extreme annoyance of the priests, who were accompanied by the captain of the Temple and the Sadducees. Peter and John were arrested and interrogated, but they were ever willing to proclaim the Good News when they said: “For of all the names in the world given to men, this is the only one by which we can be saved.” Such courage and perseverance has been demonstrated throughout the centuries, where many men and women have offered their lives and gone forth, just as Peter and John did, to proclaim the Good News to all nations.
Today, we are constantly reminded and encouraged to go forth and proclaim the Good News. Are we doing our part for the greater glory of God?
When something absolutely amazing and outstandingly wonderful happens, some of us may become dumbfounded. We may become gobsmacked, utterly astonished, astounded, bewildered or absolutely stunned, unable to say or do anything. This is what happened to the disciples when Jesus made His appearance. Perhaps in some of their hearts, they thought they were seeing a ghost. Some may have thought they were dreaming or seeing a vision. Nevertheless, it must have been an indescribable feeling when they saw Jesus. To pacify them and to show that He was for real, “He said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ And they offered him a piece of grilled fish, which he took and ate before their eyes.”
If Jesus were to appear to us in the same way as He did to the disciples, would our joy be so great as well? Would we take up the challenge to be His witnesses and go forth and preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins to all the nations? Sometimes in our daily living, we may have forgotten or played down our duty to proclaim the Good News. Jesus Christ is risen and He now commands us to go forth and proclaim the Good News. Do we still need further convincing?
