For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
1 Nov 2014 – All Saints Day
2 Nov 2014 – All Souls Day
3 Nov 2014 – Monday of Week 31 Year 2
4 Nov 2014 – Tuesday of Week 31 Year 2
5 Nov 2014 – Wednesday of Week 31 Year 2
6 Nov 2014 – Thurssday of Week 31 Year 2
7 Nov 2014 – Friday of Week 31 Year 2
From the time we were born, till the moment we are about to leave this earth, we would have journeyed to many different places. Few people remain in the same location all their lives. Today’s situation and employment prospects often causes people to move from one place to another, as they try to make a living. But wherever we are presently located, is this our true home? Are we truly happy? What would be our ideal home? Could we ever find an ideal home here on earth?
As Christians, St. Paul in today’s reading reminds us that our home on earth is only temporary. He tells us: “For us, our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the saviour we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body. He will do that by the same power with which he can subdue the whole universe. So then, my brothers and dear friends, do not give way but remain faithful in the Lord.” Are we preparing ourselves to return to our true homeland? In our quest for happiness, we may have invested much time and effort in building our temporary home here on earth. Perhaps we should consider our priorities and not neglect in preparing to return to our permanent home.
There are some people in this world who are quite self-righteous. They think that they are holy, ok, faultless and have no qualms about putting others down or complaining about the weaknesses or sins of others. Sometimes even at confession, these people would go into a tirade of what other people did instead of confessing what they did. When confronted and asked about why they are coming to confession, they would try to avoid the question and continue condemning others. The scribes and Pharisees in today’s Gospel are examples of such people. Instead of having compassion and mercy towards others, they complained about Jesus: “‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.'”
Instead of going into a heated discussion with these scribes and Pharisees, Jesus chose to expose their hypocrisy and folly through parables. He gave two parables, one concerning the lost sheep, the other concerning the lost drachma. People would usually not have bothered about losing one sheep when they had another 99. In the same way, people would usually not be too concerned about losing one drachma when they still have another 9. But to the people in today’s Gospel, every sheep and every drachma was extremely valuable. The man who lost a sheep and the woman who lost a drachma were possibly quite poor, and losing even one could be disastrous. This is why they took so much effort and trouble to find that one lost sheep and drachma.
In the same way, God treats every one of us as extremely precious. He does not want any one of us to be lost. If we do get lost from time to time, God would come looking for us. When we are repentent and seek forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we have an opportunity to clean our souls and grow in relationship with God. When we do so, there would be “rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner,” as Jesus said in today’s Gospel. Are we willing to admit our sins, and seek forgiveness at confession, so that we could grow closer to God? Or have we become more and more self-righteous like the scribes and Pharisees, only condemning others and refusing to admit or acknowedge our guilt until it is too late?
Are we assured a place in heaven when we die? Some people think that just because they are baptised and go to church but do nothing else, they still automatically qualify for heaven. There are people who think no matter how good or bad they may have been, they are already assured heaven. Some think that nothing they say or do will have any effect on getting to heaven, since it is through the grace of God that we would be with Him. But is this really the case for Chrstians?
St. Paul in today’s reading tells us: “continue to do as I tell you, as you always have; not only as you did when I was there with you, but even more now that I am no longer there; and work for your salvation ‘in fear and trembling.’ It is God, for his own loving purpose, who puts both the will and the action into you. Do all that has to be done without complaining or arguing and then you will be innocent and genuine, perfect children of God among a deceitful and underhand brood, and you will shine in the world like bright stars because you are offering it the word of life.”
When we are working for our salvation ‘in fear and trembling,’ we are actually showing that our faith in God is genuine and real. Our works are not decisive in our salvation. They are evidence of God’s saving work in us. James in his epistle reinforces this need to show our faith as we are reminded: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:14-17). So, let us not be idle or indifferent in our faith. If we say we have faith, then we should show our faith through our actions, so that all may see and give glory to God.
In this world, people often look for recognition, riches, fame, titles, and popularity. There are people who would go through great effort to become a somebody and avoid ending up as a nobody. We see how some people may even resort to underhanded tactics to get what they one. The self becomes more important and sometimes others are used, abused and discarded to achieve one’s own purpose. The question is: how long can we dance in this charade? How long would such popularity and fame last? All of us will grow old and leave this world one day. What would become of us then?
In today’s reading, St. Paul tells us about Jesus: “His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.” Even though Jesus was God, he chose humility and to serve others, even to the extend of being put to death. Despite of Him being omnipotent (all powerful) and omniscience (all knowing), He did not use and abuse His divinity, rather He chose to become one of us to save us. Would we be humble and willing to learn from our Servant King, and grow to be more like Him?
In this world, we are often encouraged by our family, teachers, lecturers and peers to be the best we can be. Though there is nothing inherently wrong with being the best you can be, the danger is we could become self-centered, proud, conceited or ruthless in our efforts. Instead of giving glory to God during the process of being the best one could be, a person may instead begin to glorify oneself, thinking that he or she achieved without any outside help, or as some may say, the person begins to think that he or she is self-made.
In today’s reading, St. Paul reminds us: “be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind… There must be no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, So that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead.” What St. Paul tells us is in contrast with the ways of the world, where me, myself and I is more important. When we only think of our needs, we begin to pursue only that which is for our success and happiness, and eventually there is no place for others, even no place for God in our lives. In the end, we may be building our own kingdom, instead of God’s Kingdom.
Do you know what happens to you when you die? Do you know what will happen to your body? What about your soul? We know that our bodies will decay over time, unless it is for the glory of God that our body remains uncorrupted, like what has happened to the bodies of certain saints. But for most of us, our bodies “were made from dust, and to dust we will return (Gen 3:19).” But what about our soul? Have we considered what would happen to our soul?
Death is inevitable. We can try ways and means to prolong our lives, but eventually and inevitably, we will die. Some of us may begin to worry about what would happen to us and our loved ones when we die. We wonder whether we would be with God in heaven, or whether we might be condemned to hell. We wonder whether we may end up in purgatory for a while. But all these unnecessary questions are based on unnecessary anxiety. Why do we allow ourselves to be occupied or crippled with anxiety? After all, we should note what St Paul in the second reading reminds us: “Hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us… but what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Having died to make us righteous, is it likely that he would now fail to save us from God’s anger?”
We must remember that our loved ones are now in the hands of God. We believe that God will care for them. Therefore we should place our trust and our hope in the promise of God. Instead of worrying or fretting, let us do our part and try to live lives according to the values of the Gospel, and leave our lives and the lives of those who have gone before us in God’s care.
What is a saint? Some people think that a saint is a person who has super powers, with abilities above and beyond mere mortals. Some people think that a saint is an extremely holy or pious person, always praying and preaching the Gospel. Some people think that a saint never makes mistakes or rarely sins. Others think that a saint is someone who has done heroic deeds or lived and died in a heroic way. But are saints made up of only certain qualities, attributes, capabilities or strengths? Are there other factors which could be considered in the equation?
Today’s Gospel tells us that one can be happy despite all sorts of difficulties, problems, or persecution we may face. It may seem extremely difficult or impossible for most of us mere mortals to be happy in such circumstances, but this is where our happiness differs from what the world thinks of as happiness. According to worldly view, happiness is for oneself, or perhaps for one’s family, loved ones and friends. But from a Christian view, our happiness is rooted in the fact that, God unconditionally loves all of us and that nothing – sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war or even death – can take that love away. So, one aspect of saintliness is to be humbly aware of God’s love for us, and His love is not meant only for ourselves, but to be diligently, enthusiastically and warmly shared with all.
St. Paul tells us in the second reading that we are beloved children of God, and that is our true identity, our source of joy and strength. The second reading also tells us that we have hope of being with God and seeing Him as He really is, and so we must purify ourselves and must try to be as pure as Christ. So, another aspect for saintliness is to be joyful and hopeful, even in the midst of trials and sufferings, like the martyrs whose robes were washed clean by the blood of persecution, as the first reading tells us. This joy and hope is not meant to kept within ourselves, but for all to witness, so that glory is given to God.
If we look at some of the aspects of saintliness mentioned, we can begin to realise that it is not difficult or impossible to be a saint. What is important is we learn to grow in humility and dependence in God’s love, care and providence, and learn to love others just as God love us unconditionally. We cannot grow in holiness and closer to God overnight. It takes time, patience, lots of effort, and plenty of humility and cheerfulness. Ultimately, we depend on God’s grace, strength and loving power to transform us, for His greater glory.
For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
26 Oct 2014 – 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
27 Oct 2014 – Monday of Week 30 Year 2
28 Oct 2014 – Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles – Feast
29 Oct 2014 – Wednesday of Week 30 Year 2
30 Oct 2014 – Thurssday of Week 30 Year 2
31 Oct 2014 – Friday of Week 30 Year 2
Stubborn people are often difficult to change. Such people are often fixed in their mindset, that other ideas or possibilities would not be able to get into their heads. Even though other ideas or possibilities may turn out to be a better way, or a more efficient way of doing things, or a more meaningful approach, such people would stick to their guns and refuse to listen. Some of them would rather see the project or task die or be shoddily completed or completed late, as long as their way of getting done is used and unchallenged. This, of course, is a form of pride, and a wastage of talent, resources and abilities.
In today’s Gospel, we see the stubbornness of the Pharisees who insisted that absolutely no work can be done during the Sabbath. Jesus challenged them by healing a man with dropsy, and then questioning their stubbornness and motives when he said: “Which of you here, if his son falls into a well, or his ox, will not pull him out on a sabbath day without hesitation?” Naturally, the Pharisees could find no answer to Jesus’ accusation. Instead of reconsidering their position, or even having a tinge of mercy, love or care for others, the Pharisees chose to remain stubborn or obstinate.
What about us? Have we been stubborn at times? Some of us may be extremely stubborn, refusing to accept anything other than our own ideas, our own views, our own perceptions or our own ways. When we allow ourselves to become like that, we are only nurturing our pride and we may be shutting ourselves out of God’s guidance. Let us look honestly at ourselves, and rid ourselves of such stubbornness, so that we would to live humbly and happily in God’s guidance and providence.
