Faithfulness and Love

Monthly Archives: February 2015

Monday of Week 8 Year 1

Posted on by Posted in 8th, Monday, Ordinary Time, Weekday, Year 1 Leave a comment

In some societies and cultures, a person who has committed a crime may sometimes be ostracised and shunned indefinitely. This is especially if the person had committed a crime so terrible that the consequences of such a crime are being felt by many, long after the person has been convicted and perhaps imprisoned. In some cases, such a person may be sentenced to death and may either be immediately excuted, or is placed on death row, making it a daily ordeal for the person, or for the victims themselves if they survived, or even for the families of the victims, since the parties involved would not know when the person’s time is up and execution would be carried out. However, if you notice here, such a conviction is often following “an eye for an eye” principle, and even if the person may somehow be freed someday, the stigma of being known as a ex-convict may remain. In some cases, the ex-convict may have been imprisoned for such a long time that integration back to society is extremely difficult or even impossible, and we may have heard of cases where such a person would go back to a life of crime, or may commit suicide if the person is unable to cope with being freed.

But how does God deal with us when we commit a crime, when we sin? In the first reading, we come across a God who is quite different from what some of us humans may behave. The reading tells us “To those who repent, God permits return, and he encourages those who were losing hope. Return to the Lord and leave sin behind, plead before his face and lessen your offence. Come back to the Most High and turn away from iniquity, and hold in abhorrence all that is foul. How great is the mercy of the Lord, his pardon on all those who turn towards him!” As we can see, God is a merciful and loving God. He gives us plenty of chances and opportunities to change, no matter how bad or terrible we may have been. If God is willing to do this for us, then perhaps we need to ask ourselves sincerely: we pray the Lord’s Prayer quite often, and when we do, we say: “forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who tresspass against us.” Such words seem easy to say, but do we mean what we say? Are we willing to forgive those who have hurt us, or committed terrible crimes? Let us seek the Lord’s help, and find it in our minds and hearts to forgive, just as God is willing to forgive us.

Pentecost Year B – Mass of the Day

Posted on by Posted in Easter, Mass during the Day, Pentecost, Sunday, Year B Leave a comment

What does it mean to be a Christian? Are we truly united as brothers and sisters in Christ, regardless of our ethnic group, language group, or even social status or background? Sometimes, we come across parishes which are quite divided and segregated along racial and social lines. Each group is more interested only in the affairs, needs and wants of their respective friends and acquaintances within their group. We see people within their group avoiding or minimising contact with people of other groups, due to fear, prejudice, pride, inability to communicate, or for some other reason. Sometimes, when there is a dispute among persons between different groups, we see people taking sides, defending their own group, and finding ways to discredit the other side. It seems as if there is a siege mentality, where the other side is seen as a constant threat that needs to be checked. But is this what being a Christian really all about? Is Christianity exclusive only to certain people?

In today’s First Reading, we are told that the Holy Spirit came and rested on the heads of the disciples, “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech” and also that “there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven, and at this sound they all assembled, each one bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language about the marvels of God.” Notice that the Holy Spirit did not take sides or focus only with a particular group, but instead broke barriers in language so that all could hear and understand the disciples in their own language.

Likewise, today’s alternative Second Reading remind us: “If you are guided by the Spirit you will be in no danger of yielding to self-indulgence, since self-indulgence is the opposite of the Spirit, the Spirit is totally against such a thing, and it is precisely because the two are so opposed that you do not always carry out your good intentions. When self-indulgence is at work the results are obvious: fornication, gross indecency and sexual irresponsibility; idolatry and sorcery; feuds and wrangling, jealousy, bad temper and quarrels; disagreements, factions, envy; drunkenness, orgies and similar things. I warn you now, as I warned you before: those who behave like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. What the Spirit brings is very different: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control. You cannot belong to Christ Jesus unless you crucify all self-indulgent passions and desires. Since the Spirit is our life, let us be directed by the Spirit.” If we are sticking to our guns and sticking only to our respective groups, then how can we belong to Christ Jesus, since we are actually being self-indulgent with only our group?

This is why we cannot be Christians and at the same time be attached or fixated to only a particular group. The Holy Spirit is gifted to all of us, regardless of who we are and where we come from. The second reading tells us that: “There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them. The particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose.” Ultimately, we have to ask ourselves honestly and sincerely: are we Christians only in name, but self-serving in practice? Or are we truly making every effort to be united as one family of God? Are we willing to come out of our comfort zones and reach out to others, especially those who are not so familiar to us, with love and Christian charity? Let us mean what we say when we sing: “We are one in the Spirit, We are one in the Lord. And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”

Housekeeping – 7th Week of Easter

Posted on by Posted in Easter, Housekeeping, Sunday, Weekday Leave a comment

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

17 May 2015 – 7th Sunday of Easter Year B
18 May 2015 – Monday of the 7th Week of Easter
19 May 2015 – Tuesday of the 7th Week of Easter
20 May 2015 – Wednesday of the 7th Week of Easter
21 May 2015 – Thursday of the 7th Week of Easter
22 May 2015 – Friday of the 7th Week of Easter

Friday of the 7th Week of Easter

Posted on by Posted in 7th, Easter, Easter 7, Friday, Weekday Leave a comment

Some of us are fortunate to have parents who love us a lot. Sometimes we may not necessary hear our parents say the words “I love you,” but they would go out of their way to show their love. This is especially true among Asian parents, who are usually uncomfortable in using such words, but they would show much love and affection to their children. But do we love our parents in return? There are some who have received much love from their parents when they were young, but when their parents are old and are unable to care for themselves, what happens? How many children are willing to care and love their parents in their golden years? How many children are truly grateful and appreciative towards their parents for the love and sacrifices their parents had showered on them? How many children are really willing to go out of their way to love and care for their parents, just as their parents had done for them when they were young?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asked Peter 3 times whether Peter loved Him. When Jesus was on trial, Peter had denied knowing Jesus but Jesus did not hold that against him. Instead, Jesus was trying to help Peter come to terms with what it really means to love. Love is not just words, since anybody can just say things without meaning it. Instead, love requires action, and in the case of Peter, Jesus had entrusted the care of His sheep to him. Not only that, Jesus reminded Peter: “I tell you most solemnly, when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.” This shows that ultimately, Peter would be expected to love till it hurts, to love even to the point of death.

What about us? Are we willing to love till it hurts, even to the point of death? Are we willing to go through all the effort and trouble to love our parents and care for them as best we can, just as they had done so for us? Sometimes it seems convenient to just do the minimum and get on with our own lives, but are we truly being loving, or are we just trying to shirk our responsibilities? If Jesus were to ask us: “Do you love me?” the way He asked Peter 3 times, what would our honest response be?

Thursday of the 7th Week of Easter

Posted on by Posted in 7th, Easter, Easter 7, Thursday, Weekday Leave a comment

Some of us seem to take offense over issues which we think are big or serious, but sometimes the issue at hand may not necessarily be that big or serious after all, but our minds are sometimes too fixated or closed to see the bigger picture. We begin to squabble over petty things when there are more serious matters to be discussed and addressed. When we are like this, we lose sight of our true purpose as Christians and end up wasting much time and energy over trivial matters.

This was the problem that the scribes, the Pharisees and the Sadducees had with Paul. Just as they were obstinate and refused to change when Jesus was around, they were also equally obstinate with Paul. So Paul decided to shake things up a bit and distract them from their narrow-mindedness. Using a bit of guile, Paul pitted the scribes and Pharisees against the Sadducees by exclaiming: “Brothers, I am a Pharisee and the son of Pharisees. It is for our hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” When he said this, the scribes and the Pharisees ganged up against the Sadducees and a big argument broke over differences of opinion which had nothing to do with the reason why Paul was being arrested and put on trial in the first place. This shows that, the core issue which the scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees had against Paul, was actually not really a big deal after all, since they could be so easily distracted with other things.

What about us? Have we become so consumed, so obstinate or so insistent with our ways or our ideas, that we have become like the scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees? Have we forgotten our primary duty as Christians to proclaim the Good News to all? Ultimately, we need to take a good, hard look at ourselves and realise that the universe does not revolve only around us, and that we have more important tasks or matters at hand for the greater glory of God.

Wednesday of the 7th Week of Easter

Posted on by Posted in 7th, Easter, Easter 7, Wednesday, Weekday Leave a comment

In every community, we do come across people who do things for their own interests. Sometimes such people would try to influence the community to listen to them and follow their lead, even though it may not be in the best interests of the community to do so. If members of the community are not careful or discerning enough, they may inadvertently bring suffering or even destruction to the entire community. We have seen throughout history how certain individuals have betrayed or sold off their community just for some title, position, wealth or power and when such people have gotten what they wanted, they would make themselves scarce and let the community face the consequences.

This is why St. Paul in today’s reading warns us: “Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you the overseers, to feed the Church of God which he bought with his own blood. I know quite well that when I have gone fierce wolves will invade you and will have no mercy on the flock. Even from your own ranks there will be men coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the disciples to follow them. So be on your guard…” As leaders of a Christian community, we need to be discerning and careful not to allow certain individuals to wreak havoc and destruction to the community. This does not mean that we should become paranoid or suspicious of every person or every idea, but we should seek God’s help and wisdom to ensure that all in the community are not led astray or duped into following false or wrong teaching. This requires prayer and listening to God’s promptings, and sometimes it does not take much to smell a rat or identify a wolf in sheep clothing.

Thus, let us not become complacent in our duties as leaders in our Christian community. Ultimately, we should be discerning enough with the help of God, to determine whether certain persons are being true or are being agents of destruction.

Tuesday of the 7th Week of Easter

Posted on by Posted in 7th, Easter, Easter 7, Tuesday, Weekday Leave a comment

Whenever I go to the coffee shop for breakfast or lunch, I come across different sorts of people. Some are at the coffee shop to have a meal before they go to work. Some bring their children for a meal before sending them to school or kindergarten. But I also notice a few uncles and aunties who are at the coffee shop to get together and have a long chat, sometimes a really really long chat. I have observed some uncles and aunties who can spend almost the whole day at the coffee shop (since I sometimes pass by and notice some of them still there engrossed in their conversation). It amazes me how some of these folks can find so much to talk about. But I suppose that some feel as if they have got nothing else better to do, and find comfort and solace with their fellow compatriots in having marathon sessions of sharing juicy bits. But as Christians, what should be our attitude towards utilising our words, our time and our efforts?

In today’s reading, Paul tells us: “But life to me is not a thing to waste words on, provided that when I finish my race I have carried out the mission the Lord Jesus gave me – and that was to bear witness to the Good News of God’s grace.” While there is nothing wrong with catching up with friends and talking about matters at hand, we should also not lose sight of our purpose and goal as Christians, as Paul has shown us. May we ultimately use our words and actions wisely for the glory of God.

Monday of the 7th Week of Easter

Posted on by Posted in 7th, Easter, Easter 7, Monday, Weekday Leave a comment

In recent times, we have seen increased persecution among our Christian brethren in many different countries. Often the persecution stems from just being a Christian, and such persecutors are only interested in either forcing these Christians to convert to another faith, or to wipe them out from where they are. We have seen how, in some cases, the property and belongings of our Christian brethren have been seized and sold to further the cause of the persecutors. So it seems like the persecutors are committing such heinous acts not only in the so-called name of their religion, but also out of greed and jealousy. In the face of such vile acts, how do we Christians respond?

In today’s gospel, Jesus assures us: “I have told you all this so that you may find peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but be brave: I have conquered the world.” Jesus already knew that as Christians, we would have challenges, difficulties and trouble, since our ways are in contrast with the ways of the world. But Jesus is also assuring us of His peace and to be firm and steadfast in our faith in Him. Despite all the turmoil that we are facing around the world, let us not be disheartened or give up, since as Jesus tells us, He has conquered the world. Let us be patient and remain in Jesus, for He will save us and lead us to victory.

7th Sunday of Easter Year B

Posted on by Posted in 7th, Easter, Easter 7, Sunday, Year B Leave a comment

Every once in a while, I get people coming up to me asking me to bless their car, their rosary, a picture of some saint, the crucifix that they would like to wear or they would like to gift to someone, a statue of Mary or some saint, some holy medal attributed to Mary or some saint, or even their house or workplace. Sometimes, I have people young and not so young coming to me asking me to bless them because it is their birthday, or their wedding anniversary, or they are hoping to conceive, or they are sick, about to go for some important treatment or feeling troubled, or they are about to take an examination, or to bless their children, or for some other reason. But the question is: What exactly is a blessing? Do you know why you ask for a blessing? Some people do not seem to really understand what a blessing means, and some people may think that it is a means of protection from evil or a means to obtain good luck, like a talisman or a good luck charm. But this understanding of what a blessing is, is wrong. It becomes a form of superstition, since the blessing ends up appearing to be some form of magic (like murgaga or hokus pokus).

So what exactly is a blessing? A blessing, as today’s Gospel reminds us, is a form of consecration. In the Gospel, Jesus prayed a prayer of blessing, where He said: “Consecrate them in the truth, your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world, and for their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth.” A consecration means the person or object now belongs to God. It means the person or item is moved away from the world and towards God, as the person or item is set apart for God, and the fate and the life of the person or object is now in the hands of God, to be dealt with according to His will. When something or someone is consecrated to God, the object or the person is now set apart to carry out the mission of Jesus Christ, which is to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to give glory to God in all things.

So what does this all mean? It means that, when a house is blessed, the family in that house must give glory to God by living a life of unity, charity and love. When a sick person is blessed, he or she gives glory to God through his or her sickness, regardless of whether he or she recovers or not. When a person asks for blessings before an important exam, the person is saying that he or she will do his or her best and give glory to God, regardless of whether he or she does well in the examination or not. When holy medals and rosaries are blessed, these objects become symbols reminding us to give glory to God through our prayers, through our deeds, and through the way we live our lives each day. When vehicles and workplaces are blessed, we are saying that such vehicles or workplaces would be used in an honest and proper way, for the good of all and for the glory of God.  So as we can see, asking for a blessing is not a small matter or a laughing matter or for play play. Are we prepared to carry out what the blessing requires?

Let us be reminded that God does not force us to have a relationship with Him, and we should love freely and willingly. Instead, God is inviting us to enter into a loving relationship with Him, as the second reading reminds us: “God is love and anyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in him.” When we ask for a blessing for whatever reason, let us be prepared to consecrate our entire lives to God, so that we may live in His love and allow Him to live in us. Are we really, truly and happily prepared to do this for the greater glory of God?

Housekeeping – 6th Week of Easter & Ascension

Posted on by Posted in Ascension, Easter, Housekeeping, Sunday, Weekday Leave a comment

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

10 May 2015 – 6th Sunday of Easter Year B
11 May 2015 – Monday of the 6th Week of Easter
12 May 2015 – Tuesday of the 6th Week of Easter
13 May 2015 – Wednesday of the 6th Week of Easter
14 May 2015 – The Ascension of the Lord – Mass of the Day
15 May 2015 – Friday of the 6th Week of Easter