Faithfulness and Love

Monthly Archives: January 2015

Tuesday of the 2nd Week of Easter

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Some of us seem to live a life where only our needs, our wants and our expectations matter. We try to achieve wealth, fame, power, popularity and recognition for ourselves. Sometimes in our pursuit for such things, we may have become ruthless or cold in our relationship with others, and some may even resort to different forms of intimidation or tactics to eliminate the competition. “What’s in it for me?” or “What do I gain from this?” are some of the questions some may ask when asked to help or offer assistance to others. But is such an attitude or way of life compatible to being a Christian? What sort of attitude or way of life should a Christian have?

In today’s reading, we are told about the early Christian community and the sort of attitude and way of life they lived: “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. None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them, and bring the money from them, to present it to the apostles; it was then distributed to any members who might be in need.” While living such a life style, way of life, or attitude may seem quite challenging these days, we need to ask ourselves: do we really care about others sincerely and with concern and charity? Or have we become so engrossed with the world and with ourselves, that the individual and individualistic ways have taken over our lives and our values? Are we united with our Christian community, or have we become loners, only thinking about ourselves and our needs?

Let us be mindful that people take notice of what it means to be a Christian by the way we witness to others in our community. May we be examples and not stumbling blocks of what it means to be Jesus’ witnesses, so that others may know we are Christians by our love.

Monday of the 2nd Week of Easter

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When we are faced with persecution or difficult situations, what do we do? Some of us may resort to prayer, and when we pray, what do we say? Some of us may ask God to free us from our persecutors or difficulties experienced, some of us may ask God to change the hearts and minds of those who persecute us or cause us difficulties, but how should we pray to God?

In today’s reading, the community of believers had heard from Peter and John what the chief priests and elders had said. When the community prayed, they asked God to “take note of their threats and help your servants to proclaim your message with all boldness, by stretching out your hand to heal and to work miracles and marvels through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” By praying in this way, the community of believers were not asking God to get rid of their enemies, or deliver them from persecution or difficulties. Instead, the community asked God to help them be bold in preaching and healing, so that God would ultimately be glorified.

What about us? Have we been praying for God’s help so that we could be courageous and determined to preach the Good News? Have we offered ourselves totally to God, so that in all we do, God will be glorified? Let us not be afraid or discouraged, but be bold in our efforts, for God will not abandon us.

2nd Sunday of Easter Year B

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What sort of way of life are you living as a Christian? What sort of lifestyle should a Christian be living? Some of us think that being a Christian means keeping God’s commandments, going to church, avoiding temptations or occasions of sin, praying regularly or even reading the bible consistently. But are these the only sort of lifestyle a Christian should have? Many of the things we do as Christians may seem fine, but what Jesus is trying to tell us in today’s readings is that our lifestyle as a Christian cannot be confined only to between us and God, we cannot live on our own island or in isolation, but we are called to witness our faith in a community and as a community. How we live our lives in community will show others what it means to be a true believer and a witness of Christ to the world.

If we look at the first reading, we discover that the early Christian community “was united, heart and soul; no one claimed for his own use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in common.” The benefit, good, and needs of the community were more important than personal needs or wants. This was how they showed others the meaning of being a Christian, by living as a community instead of living on their own, isolated and separated from anyone and everyone. Are we living as a united community in heart and soul at our church, and even at our housing area? Do we care about the needs of others before our own? Or have we grown more and more individualistic, only thinking about ourselves and keeping to ourselves? If we refuse to live as a community, if we prefer to mind our own business and ignore others, if we are only concerned about ourselves and perhaps those dear to us, then what sort of Christian witnessing are we showing to others?

Some of us may be thinking or even complaining: “But living as a community is hard! Some people can be so difficult to please. I get hurt with the remarks of others or even the back-biting or politicking that is going around!” The fact is, living in a community is never easy, since we are not dealing with robots, saints or angels here, but with different types of people. Jesus did not assure us that living as a community was going to be a piece of cake or a walk in the park. But what did Jesus say to the disciples in today’s Gospel? He said: “Peace be with you.” Despite the difficulties and challenges in living as a community we may face, Jesus assures us His peace. Peace does not mean that there would be no conflict or that we must agree on everything. Peace means recognising that the risen Lord is in our midst, and knowing that Jesus is present in the community, even though we face difficulties, problems, unhappiness and conflicts. Jesus did not solve all our problems and conflicts we may face in the community. Rather, Jesus gave us something better, that is the power, the ability and the opportunity to forgive. In the Gospel, Jesus breathed his Spirit on his disciples and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven.” When we put on Christ, if we consider ourselves followers of Christ, then we should learn to love and forgive others just as He has done the same for all of us. Forgiveness is necessary because we do not live in a perfect community and also because we too are still not perfect.

Today, let us renew our commitment to be Jesus’ witnesses to the world. Let us learn to do our part to help our community grow into a loving and forgiving community, the kind of community which is united in love as followers of Jesus, and united in love for others around us. It is in this way that others will know we are Christians by our love.

Easter Friday

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We sometimes forget our identity and our purpose as Christians. When times are not so favourable, some of us may be tempted to go back to our old ways, our old habits or our previous life. Some of us may even become lapse in our faith and some even stop going to church or get involved in any church activities, all because some feel as if God is not helping them.

In today’s Gospel, we read: “Simon Peter said, ‘I’m going fishing.’ They replied, ‘We’ll come with you.’ They went out and got into the boat but caught nothing that night.” It seems as if the disciples may have had some doubts whether Jesus would be with them again, or perhaps they were wondering what would be next. Instead of becoming fishers of men, these disciples were going back to being fishermen. But what do we find next? Jesus stood on the shore and helped these disciples to rediscover their identity and purpose. He helped them become aware of His presence by performing the same miracle when He first “caught” them and brought them into His company. After this, “None of the disciples was bold enough to ask, ‘Who are you?’; they knew quite well it was the Lord.”

When we are down in the doldrums, when we feel as if we are heading in all sorts of directions without any real purpose, let us be reminded that Jesus is there to help us and strengthen us. Let us not be so easily discouraged and go back to our old ways. Let us instead focus on Jesus and let Him lead us through the storms in our lives, so that we too would be “fishers of men.”

Easter Thursday

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It is tempting for some of us to take all the credit for a job well done or when a task has been completed successfully. Sometimes the task at hand could have been near completion and before you know it, the original person or persons who had toiled at it have moved on, and another person or other persons get the opportunity to finish it. If we are honest and grateful about our duties and efforts as well as the efforts of those before us, we would give recognition and credit where it is due, but some may try to grab the glory all for himself, herself or themselves. A Malay proverb comes to mind: “Lembu punya susu, sapi dapat nama,” which roughly translated means: “it is the milk from the cow, but the bull takes the credit.”

In today’s reading: “Everyone came running towards Peter and John in great excitement, to the Portico of Solomon, as it is called, where the man was still clinging to Peter and John. When Peter saw the people he addressed them, ‘Why are you so surprised at this? Why are you staring at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or holiness? You are Israelites, and it is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, who has glorified his servant Jesus, the same Jesus you handed over and then disowned in the presence of Pilate after Pilate had decided to release him. It was you who accused the Holy One, the Just One, you who demanded the reprieve of a murderer while you killed the prince of life. God, however, raised him from the dead, and to that fact we are the witnesses; and it is the name of Jesus which, through our faith in it, has brought back the strength of this man whom you see here and who is well known to you. It is faith in that name that has restored this man to health, as you can all see.”

Notice that in the reading, Peter and John had healed the man, but they did not take credit for it. Instead, they gave credit to Jesus because the power to heal comes from Jesus. Peter and John shows us that as Christians, we should not try to exalt ourselves or think that we can do all things through our own efforts. It is Jesus who uses us as His instruments to help and to heal. We ought to think of ourselves as merely servants, doing God’s will and not our own. In a world where some people would try to take credit and show how great they are, we should show example and give glory to God, for all things are made possible through God’s love and providence.

Easter Wednesday

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Being crippled can be a difficult and painful experience. One’s ability to live an independent life is lost, and one would need help from others to perform even the simplest task which many of us take for granted. There are different reasons why a person could become crippled. Some are crippled as a result of an accident, some are crippled because of an illness, and some are crippled from birth, like the man in today’s reading.

The man in today’s reading had been crippled from birth, and he had to beg from people to survive. Instead of giving him money, Peter and John gave him something more important and more valuable: they cured him in the name of Jesus Christ and gave him back his freedom and independence. The man began walking and jumping and praising God for he was freed from his crippled state and was able to fend for himself.

In a way, we too could become crippled. When we sin, we are crippling our soul and slowly losing our ability to listen to the voice of God. We slowly become desensitised to what is holy and good, and lose our relationship with God. But all is not lost, for we are given plenty of opportunities to be healed from our crippling state when we seek forgiveness, especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Are we humble and willing to be freed from our crippling state and grow closer to God, or are we still stubbornly refusing to change and remain crippled till it is too late?

Easter Tuesday

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Some of us seem to dwell in our hurts and experiences of disappointments. Some seem to be engrossed or stuck in such a state or are caught up with the past, preferring to wallow in our self-pity, our “poor me” syndrome, our feelings of helplessness and lick our wounds instead of seeking help, learning to come out of it and move on. Such people sometimes appear to have a dark cloud above their heads. Sometimes, such people could be suffering from low self-esteem or low self-worth, but we also come across people who prefer to be in such a state so that they could attract sympathy and comfort from others, to feed their ego or pride in a twisted way, so to speak.

In today’s Gospel, we come across Mary of Magdala who seems to be caught up with the past. Jesus had died and she seemed to be still thinking of what had happened to Jesus and how all her hopes, dreams and expectations had come to a crashing halt. Mary was still weeping, afraid to enter the tomb and not even realising that the duo in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet, were actually angels in white. Even when Mary turned round and saw Jesus standing there, she still did not recognise him. It was only when Jesus said, ‘Mary!’ She knew him then and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’ – which means Master.

Today, Jesus is calling us by name, inviting us to stop dwelling in the past and let Him be our “Master.” What has happened has happened, nothing can change that, but we can choose to learn from the experience and become stronger, and let God transform us into something better, or we can choose to remain as we are. Sometimes circumstances may seem to be not in our favour, or the odds may be stacked against us, but let us be reminded that God has helped His people in the past, and He will help us too, if we are willing to be patient and trust in His providence and love. Let us not weep but rejoice, for God will help us in His time, for His greater glory.

Easter Monday

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It is interesting to see the reaction of people who wake up and do not have anything urgent at hand, compared to people who wake up and realise that there is a pressing task ahead. Those who do not have any urgent matter at hand may likely find it difficult to get out of bed, and they may try to catch a few moments more of sleep. But what if there is a pressing task ahead and due to some reason or another, we have not completed the task? When we realise that the task is still pending, we may likely get out of bed quickly and start cracking on the task. Some of us may even wake up earlier than usual hoping to gain more time to work on the task at hand.

When Jesus rose from the dead, some people “woke up” and realised that an important event had happened and they had an important and urgent task to perform. In the Gospel, the women were filled with awe and great joy and they came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples. The Gospel then tells us: “And there, coming to meet them, was Jesus. ‘Greetings’ he said. And the women came up to him and, falling down before him, clasped his feet. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there.'” Naturally, the women became quite excited and anxious to fulfil the task given to them, and they when on their way quickly to tell the disciples. At the mean time, we also come across some soldiers who were the guards at the tomb. These soldiers went off quickly into the city to tell the chief priests all that had happened. From here, we can see two different groups “waking up” and having urgent news to convey, and from the Gospel, we know the outcome of the story. One group chose to tell the truth, the other chose to spread lies. One group chose to do God’s will, the other was more interested in protecting their own interests and saving their own skin.

What about us? When we “wake up” and come to realise of an important matter, are we willing to face the facts, face the truth, admit our failings or wrongdoings if any, seek forgiveness where necessary and move on? Or are we trying to avoid and hide the truth? The truth may hurt at times, but we can choose to get over it and be at peace, or we can choose to live in denial, live in fear, and suffer the consequences.

Easter Sunday

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Circumstances sometimes bring out different outcomes to different people. Different people take good or bad news in a different way, and by observing how they react or response, we could learn more about others and learn from the experience, so that, hopefully, we would know what to do if we were involved in such a situation. Even in our faith journey, whether we can grow in faith or remain as we presently are depends on our response to certain situations. In today’s Gospel, we see three different characters responding quite differently to the tomb that first Easter morning.

The first character we come across is Mary of Magdala who came to the tomb while it was still dark. She sees the stone which covered the tomb has been moved away and does not enter. Perhaps, she was afraid, perhaps she was unsure what to expect, but instead of entering the tomb, she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. Sometimes we too are like Mary of Magdala. Instead of going further to discover what has happened, we choose to run away. We are not prepared to go further or deeper because we fear that we may not find what we were expecting or we fear that we would not be prepared to face what is inside. But unless we take the risk and enter the tomb, we will always be standing outside speculating, wondering, guessing, never knowing the truth, as we see in what Mary of Magdala said in the Gospel: “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don’t know where they have put him.” Some people go through life without making important decisions; or they stay clear of commitment; or they fear going deeper into any relationship because they are fearful or are not prepared to face the changes that may take place. But unless we are prepared to take the risk, unless we are prepared to make the commitment, unless we are prepared to go deeper or further, we will always remain outside fearful, doubtful and uncertain.

Next we come across Peter. He and the other disciple run to the tomb upon hearing the news from Mary of Magdala. He is slower than the other disciple. Perhaps it is his age and he is unable to run that fast anymore (“no more spring chicken” as some may say) or perhaps he is also fearful of what he may find at the tomb. Even when Peter entered the tomb, he seemed clueless and confused as to what had happened, since the Gospel tells us: “Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead.” Some of us may be like him, we hesitate, postpone, procrastinate, take it slow and easy or even drag our feet. We do this because we fear the truth which may challenge our status quo; we fear the pain, lost of face or embarrassment it may bring because our faults and our limitations may be exposed; we are afraid or are not prepared to face our weaknesses or shortcomings. Perhaps Peter may have been thinking: What if Jesus had actually risen? Would Jesus punish or reprimand him for not being faithful or confront him with his betrayal? Then upon seeing inside the tomb, Peter could have found it difficult to comprehend what was going on; or he could have been worried and bewildered as to what had happened to Jesus. For some, it seems better to pretend as if nothing had happened; to sweep it under the carpet and hope no one knows or finds out; or to be blind to the truth and continue living in our own world. But unless we are ready and willing to admit our faults and face up to our failures and move forward, there can never be growth, there can never be change or improvement, we could be stuck in a rut, we could be stagnant in our faith and our relationship with God.

Finally, we come across the disciple whom Jesus loved. His name is not mentioned because he represents and shows what a disciple should be, a disciple who is prepared to take risks, who is not afraid and willing to put one’s trust in God’s providence, who is willing to make a commitment, who is ready to face the truth, make the change and move forward. We are told in the Gospel that when he entered the empty tomb, “he saw and he believed.”

As we celebrate Easter Sunday, let us ask ourselves honestly: what sort of a disciple have we so far become? Are we like Mary Magdalene? Are we like Peter? Or have we become more like the disciple whom Jesus loved? The fact is: Jesus has risen, but there are still some who are not aware or are unwilling to acknowledge or admit this fact. What about you? Are you still crippled or paralysed by your fears and are fearful or reluctant to enter the tomb? Or are you prepared to take the risk, change your perception or ways, and make a firm commitment to become true followers of Jesus?