Monthly Archives: December 2014

When we offer our services or talents to others, do we expect something in return? Some of us may expect others to be grateful to us; some of us may expect others to be nice to us or treat us favourably in return (like a “I scratch your back, you scratch mine” mentality); some of us may begin to feel proud, thinking that our ability to offer such services or talents is due to our own effort or our own capabilities. But what if we do not get a favourable response or the kind of response we expect from the other person; or the other person seems not grateful or thankful to us, or the other person does not respond in any way whatsoever? Would we become angry, upset, or fed up towards others? Or would we be humble enough to offer all we have done to God and give Him the glory?

In today’s reading, we come across two brothers, Cain and Abel. The reading tells us: “The Lord looked with favour on Abel and his offering. But he did not look with favour on Cain and his offering, and Cain was very angry and downcast. The Lord asked Cain, ‘‘Why are you angry and downcast? If you are well disposed, ought you not to lift up your head? But if you are ill disposed, is not sin at the door like a crouching beast hungering for you, which you must master?'” Cain was angry and jealous because his brother Abel had received the Lord’s favour. As a result, in a fit of rage, Cain killed Abel and tried to cover up the deed or pretend he did not know anything about it. But as we know, we can run but we cannot hide; we can pretend but God sees and knows all we have done, even if we have been able to prevent others from knowing the truth. The question we need to ask ourselves is this: are we offering our gifts, our services or talents for the glory of God and to build His Kingdom? Or are we doing things just to please others, to show off, to look good, and possibly for our own personal gratification and to build our own kingdom?

Some of us may be quite easily duped or tempted into doing something wrong, especially when the reward or prize seems to be quite lucrative. Mr. S. A. Tan is quite clever and adept in knowing our weaknesses, and he would find ways and means to try and distract us and tempt us into committing such acts by feeding our ego, our pride and our selfishness.

In today’s reading, this is exactly what happened. Mr. S. A. Tan, in the form of a serpent, tempted the woman to eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden. He assured the woman: “No! You will not die! God knows in fact that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.” Such lies and deceitful words, and yet both the man and woman were equally guilty in falling into Mr. S. A. Tan’s trap by eating the fruit.

What about us? Do we have a weakness which Mr. S. A. Tan is trying to exploit to tempt us into sinning? Are we making efforts to resist and are we seeking God’s help fervently and humbly? Sometimes we try to fight such temptations on our own, but we must remember that our foe is not just some ordinary being. If we are to overcome such a foe, we need to remain in good relationship with God and continuously seek His help, guidance and protection. Let us not play play with such a dangerous and deadly foe, since it is only with God’s grace and strength that we have the means to avoid his poisonous and deadly attacks.

Many of us are so used to getting things done quickly. Some of us complain when there is a traffic jam and we fume while we wait for the vehicles in front of us to hurry up and go. Some of us get agitated when the internet is slow, even if it is only for a little while due to some issue that is being addressed. At work, some of us may have experienced our boss breathing down our necks, expecting us to complete a task or report quickly. Some of us may have become quite impatient with certain family members or with our children, when they take time to get dressed or when they seem slow in finishing a meal. It seems like as we become more and more modernised and progressive, we may have become more and more impatient and demanding. Life, for some, could be quite stressful, when others expect us to hurry and we in turn expect others to do the same.

However, when it comes to our prayer life and communication with God, we are reminded that God does not follow our rules or our ways. When we ask something from God, He does not always grant it to us immediately, pronto, expresso. Sometimes, we find ourselves having to wait, since ultimately, God decides what is best for us. When we don’t get what we want or ask for, how many of us are humble and willing to be patient and persistent in our prayer? Would we become impatient and start looking elsewhere to get what we want?

In today’s Gospel, we come across a Syrophoenician pagan woman who begged Jesus to cast the devil out of her daughter. Even though Jesus did not seem to immediately grant her her wish, she was humble enough to be patient and persistent in begging Jesus for His help. In the end, due to her immense faith in Jesus, Jesus granted her her wish. What about us? In a world which is becoming more and more obsessed in frantically rushing through things and tasks, are we willing to be patient and persistent in our prayer and in seeking God’s help? Let us maintain full trust and confidence in God, knowing that He will guide us and care for us.

We sometimes come across people who have taken certain God’s laws such as dietary laws to the extreme. Such people begin to focus more on whether it is “kosher or not” to eat something, or whether it is “halal or haram” (Malay for ‘allowed or forbidden to be eaten.’) But what some of these people may fail to realise is that by focusing so much on such dietary laws, they may neglect, ignore or fail to observe more important aspects of God’s laws such as love, mercy, compassion, justice, fairness and many others. They may appear to be pious in what can or cannot be consumed, or even how they look in public, only to be hypocritical in their behaviour and conduct.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us: “Can you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot make him unclean, because it does not go into his heart but through his stomach and passes out into the sewer? It is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.” Are some of us only concerned about the externals and choose to behave as we please? Some of us may appear to be holy, but our hearts may be twisted or hide nasty or cruel intentions. Let us take heed and be honest with ourselves, and make every effort to shy away from all that drives us away from our relationship with our loving God.

How much do we love God? Some of us say that we love God a lot. But what about others? Do we love others as much as we love God? Do we follow God’s commandments in loving God and loving others? How many of us can claim to be truly loving God and others? Or could we be guilty of loving God and others when it is beneficial or convenient to us?

In today’s Gospel, we come across the Pharisees and some of the scribes who thought that loving God means following their traditions and way of life. These people were so extreme in following their own rules and regulations, so much so that they were even willing to circumvent or bypass the true meaning of God’s laws, for the convenience and observance of their own. This is why Jesus scolded them when He exclaimed: “It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture: This people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me. The worship they offer me is worthless, the doctrines they teach are only human regulations. You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.”

What about us? Are we just as guilty in making up laws and regulations which befits us, and make God’s word null and void for the sake of our tradition which we have handed down? Let us be mindful and careful not to become like these Pharisees and scribes, who do things only to appear to be good and holy. Let us instead follow the example of Jesus, who loves us all and does all things for the greater glory of God.

It seems strange and unfortunate that we sometimes come across some people with quite low self-esteem. Such people think that they are not good, or hopeless, or worthless, or lacking in one way or another. When a person has got low self-esteem, such a person may try to cover it up by bearing down at others, in an attempt to hide their true self and possibly to boost their ego. Some people with low self-esteem may try to put the blame on others, thinking that they have gotten to such a state because of others. Some keep to themselves and prefer to lick their wounds and remain in their present state, rather than making effort to do something about it. Some even try to show off to others how good they seem to be, hoping to gain some popularity or recognition from others, in an attempt to hide their low self-esteem. The question is: are we not aware of how important and valuable we are? Do we not know that we are made in the image and likeness of God, and thus we should have no reason and no excuse to belittle ourselves and remain in such a state?

In today’s reading, we are reminded that whatever God had made, “God saw that it was good.” If that is the case, then each and every one of us is good, because God does not make mistakes. We are good in different ways, as each and every one of us are made to be different, to be special, to be unique. Thus, let us put aside our fears, our worries, our low self-esteem, and continue to do our best and shine, so that in all we do, we bring glory to God.