Faithfulness and Love

Monthly Archives: November 2014

Wednesday after Epiphany

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At some point of our lives, we may have experienced difficult or challenging situations. These situations are like storms or facing a headwind. When we are facing such moments, how do we respond? Some choose to brave the storm or winds, and try to move on. Some begin to feel low in the doldrums, and may resort to other distractions to try and escape from the situation at hand. But how do we, as Christians respond to such a situation?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said to His disciples: “Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.” Jesus did not just say these words to calm his disciples down, but He also got into the boat with them. When we are facing difficult or challenging situations, Jesus is echoing the same words to us: “Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.” He is not abandoning us, but He is also getting into the boat of our difficulties, so that He can be with us and help us weather out the storm. Are we willing to trust Him and let Him take control of the situation?

Tuesday after Epiphany

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It is often easy to say that we love another person, but how many of us truly mean what we say? Some of us say we love a person, but what we really mean is we merely like the person. Some say that we love a person, but we have reasons, terms and conditions attached to our so called love. How many of us are able to love truly, completely, selflessly, happily and constantly without condition; without any strings attached?

In today’s reading, we are reminded to “love one another since love comes from God and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.” The reading also shows us how great and selfless God’s love is where He “sent into the world his only Son to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away, so that we could have life through him.” Would we be willing and able to love others thoroughly, even those who are challenging or difficult to love, just like the way God loves us all?

Monday after Epiphany

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Whenever we come across someone who claims to have received a message from God, or perhaps a testimony which sounds quite extraordinary, how would you respond? Some may be quite easily taken in by such messages or testimonies, and take the person’s word for it, thinking that the Holy Spirit has touched or spoken to the person. Some may be quite skeptical or doubtful about such messages or testimonies. But how should we as Christians respond to such messages or testimonies?

In today’s reading, John cautions us: “It is not every spirit, my dear people, that you can trust; test them, to see if they come from God, there are many false prophets, now, in the world. You can tell the spirits that come from God by this: every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus the Christ has come in the flesh is from God; but any spirit which will not say this of Jesus is not from God, but is the spirit of Antichrist, whose coming you were warned about.” While there are instances of genuine messages from God, we should not be so easily accepting of just any message. It may be wise and prudent, as the reading tells us, to “test them” thoroughly, cautiously and diligently, so as not to be duped or taken in by those whose intention may be to lead others astray.

Epiphany

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Do you recognise Jesus? Do you know if Jesus is standing in front of you right now? Some of us claim to have seen Jesus. Some claim to have felt His presence. Some call Jesus their friend, saviour, redeemer, and many other titles. But do you really know and recognise Him? Do you know what Jesus really expects of us?

In today’s Gospel, we come across different kinds of people who had some involvement with Jesus. We have King Herod who was known as Herod the Great, because he held a large territory. King Herod was called Great, but he was merely a puppet of the Roman empire and had to “kow tow” or pay homage to the Romans, for his power was dependent on their benevolence. King Herod was constantly living in fear and paranoia, since his power could be taken away from him at any time, at the whims and fancies of the Romans. King Herod had heard about Jesus, but did not know Him. All he knew was that Jesus was a threat to his attempt at holding on to power. Herod did not see Jesus as the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy and did not recognise Jesus as the promised one long awaited by his people. He saw Jesus as a threat to be gotten rid of, but as we later discover, King Herod failed to get rid of Jesus, instead he himself was gotten rid of in the end.

We have the wise men from the East who followed the star and were searching for Jesus. These wise men may not have known Jesus well, but when they finally found Him in a stable, they did pay homage to the baby Jesus and by doing so acknowledged him as the King of kings. Another group of people who recognised Jesus were the shepherds. These shepherds were the poorest of the poor and were considered ritually unclean due to the kind of work they did. But unlike the other Jews, these shepherds recognised Jesus and even, as the Gospel tells us, “hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

Today, Jesus has revealed himself to all of us. Many of us take for granted that we know and recognise Him, but do we really and honestly recognise him? Have we been blinded by our pride and prejudice, our ambitions, our power, our riches, so much so that we think we recognise Jesus but according to our own terms? Are we prepared to humble ourselves like the shepherds and the wise men from the East, and recognise Jesus among the poor, the weak, the lowly, and even those thought to be insignificant? Let us open our eyes and hearts, so that we may truly recognise Jesus in others, and let us bring His love and care to all.

Housekeeping – Holy Family, Christmas Season & New Year

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For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:

28 December 2014 – Holy Family
29 December 2014 – 5th day within the octave of Christmas
30 December 2014 – 6th day within the octave of Christmas
31 December 2014 – 7th day within the octave of Christmas
1 January 2015 – Mary, Mother of God – Solemnity
2 January 2015 – 2 January

2 January

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What sort of behaviour or attitude do we have when it comes to preaching the Good News? Some of us may think that we are doing really well in our ministry and that our ways or methods should be adopted by others. Some may feel proud or conceited about themselves, since they appear to have produced much fruit in ministry. But what sort of attitude or behaviour should a Christian have towards preaching the Good News?

In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist shows us a good example of what being a disciple is all about. When questioned whether he was the Christ or Elijah, he replied that he was not. Instead, he said: “I am, as Isaiah prophesied: a voice that cries in the wilderness: Make a straight way for the Lord.” Moreover, John knew his place and was humble enough to acknowledge that he was merely a servant and not the master. He tells us: “I baptise with water; but there stands among you – unknown to you – the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo his sandal-strap.”

Being a disciple of Christ means that we are carrying out His command in preaching the Good News to all nations. It means that we are servants and are merely doing our duty. We are doing this not for our personal gratification or to show how capable we are, but for the greater glory of God. May we remain with the Lord and be willing and humble to let Him use us as His instruments.

Mary, Mother of God – Solemnity

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Have you ever paused for a while to ponder what sort of life you are living? A great philosopher, Socrates, once said: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” When we do not take time to take a step back and look at our lives, some of us may begin to find life mundane and some of us may even repeat the same mistakes made by others or even by ourselves, mistakes which could have been avoided if we had properly reflected and noted what has happened.

Today we are given the example of Mary, Mother of God, who as the Gospel tells us, “treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.” In our frantic and frenzied efforts to celebrate this New Year with a bang, we sometimes forget to follow the example of Mary to treasure and give thanks for all the things we have received in the past year and to ponder on where God is leading us. We need to reflect on one’s life because it is only through reflection and prayer that we will understand God’s plan for us. God is our constant guide who continually speaks to us, and if we do not take time to pray and reflect, we may find ourselves moving from one activity to another, possibly aimlessly and without purpose. It is only with prayer and reflection that we can come to recognise God’s presence in many different life’s situations.

As we celebrate this New Year, let us cast off our old ways, our bad habits, our selfishness, and put on the ways of Christ. Some of us like to make New Year resolutions, but making such New Year resolutions is pointless, if we do not evaluate from time to time how far we have progressed, and seek God’s guidance to help us get back onto the right track. Change can come into our lives and in the lives of the community around us, if we are willing to imitate Mary and take time to treasure all these things and ponder them in our hearts. Are we willing to make the change happen this year?

7th day within the octave of Christmas

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How many of us really do have a sense of belonging? Do we consider ourselves as belonging to this world, or do we consider ourselves belonging to God? Some of us may say that we belong to God and look forward with hope of one day returning to be with God, but are we living consistent lives which show that we belong to God? Sometimes, even those who appear to belong to God may have hidden agendas and we need to discern and be diligent and cautious not to fall into their trap and be led astray.

In today’s reading we are told: “Those rivals of Christ came out of our own number, but they had never really belonged; if they had belonged, they would have stayed with us; but they left us, to prove that not one of them ever belonged to us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and have all received the knowledge. It is not because you do not know the truth that I am writing to you but rather because you know it already and know that no lie can come from the truth.” Belonging to Christ means that we stay with Him even when we are facing difficulties and persecution. It is tempting for some to leave or switch sides when trouble comes, but if we persevere and trust in Christ, He will guide us and help us weather out the storm. Also, belonging to Christ means we live a life of truth: no lies; no fakes; no pretenses; being genuine in our love to all. The question is: are we really belonging to Christ, or have we drifted away and become more tuned to the ways of the world?

6th day within the octave of Christmas

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What are you looking for in life? Some people look for riches, property and wealth, thinking that these would bring happiness in their lives. Some people look for titles, positions, power and prestige, thinking that people would look up to them and give them the respect or honour they desire. Some people look for recognition and acceptance from their peers and from others, and would bend backwards trying to attain such recognition. But all these things that some look for, are they all that matter? Will these things really bring us happiness? How long will these things last anyway?

In today’s reading, John cautions us: “You must not love this passing world or anything that is in the world. The love of the Father cannot be in any man who loves the world, because nothing the world has to offer – the sensual body, the lustful eye, pride in possessions – could ever come from the Father but only from the world; and the world, with all it craves for, is coming to an end; but anyone who does the will of God remains for ever.” As we become more and more enticed and focused in the ways of the world, we may begin to lose our focus in God. We begin to think more and more only of ourselves and our needs, and perhaps the needs of our loved ones. Some of us may begin to set God aside in the pursuit of earthly happiness. But can we really find satisfaction and happiness in this world? More often than not, the happiness we experience is only temporary, and then we go off looking elsewhere to bring us back to that temporary high.

Instead of spending so much time, effort and energy in seeking that which is temporary, perhaps we should strive towards that which is eternal. Let us not be so easily deceived into thinking that we can satisfy our cravings here on earth, as St. Augustine reminds us: “Our hearts are restless, until they can find rest in God.”

5th day within the octave of Christmas

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It seems very easy for us to say things in our daily lives. There are times where we say one thing, but mean another. There are times where we say something just to sound good or to sound pleasing or accommodating. But saying without action is meaningless. Time and again we are reminded that “action speaks louder than words” and that we may be hypocritical if we do not mean what we say (or “cakap tak serupa bikin” in the Malay language).

In today’s reading, St. John reminds us: “We can be sure that we know God only by keeping his commandments. Anyone who says, ‘I know him’, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, refusing to admit the truth. But when anyone does obey what he has said, God’s love comes to perfection in him. We can be sure that we are in God only when the one who claims to be living in him is living the same kind of life as Christ lived.” It is easy to say that we are Christians, but are we behaving like Christians? Do our actions and way of life show that we are Christians? Jesus taught us two commandments: love God and love neighbour, and yet even these two commandments seem quite difficult to keep for some. Some find it easier to love God whom they cannot see, touch or come face to face, compared to loving others, some of which could be quite difficult or a challenge to love. And yet, this is what is required of us. We are only deceiving ourselves and others if we do not truly love God and neighbour, since keeping God’s commandments means keeping all of His commandments and not what we wish to pick and choose.

Let us be truthful and genuine in living in Christ, letting Him guide us in our actions. Let us also make every effort to not just call ourselves Christians, but to show that we are Christians by our love. Are we willing to change our ways, come out of our comfort zones and be real in our love to all?