Faithfulness and Love

Monthly Archives: April 2015

Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels – Feast

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Do you believe that ghosts exists? Some people not only believe, but they would become quite superstitious and wear all sorts of amulets or charms, chant prayers, offer gifts such as fruits and food, avoid going near certain places like the graveyard at night, and do all sorts of other things, in the hope that the spirits would not disturb them. Such people are frightened that the ghost would bring them bad luck or disaster should they encounter one.

For some, ghosts are considered evil or wicked and should be avoided at all cost. But are all spirits evil? No. There are also good spirits which help us in one way or another, sometimes without even us realising that they are present. One such spirit are the angels or archangels, like Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, whose feast we celebrate today. The name Michael means “who is like God.” In Scripture, it was St. Michael who long ago led the battle against Satan (Rev. 12:7-9) and his will is focused and driven toward accomplishing goodness: he is a protector of souls, and wields his sword of righteous justice against Satan. Gabriel means “God is my strength.” In Scripture, He appears to Zechariah (Lk 1:13) and Mother Mary (Lk 1:27-28). Gabriel brought us God’s message of strength in which we draw our hope: God Incarnate was soon to enter history for love of man. Raphael means “God is my health.” Raphael is one of seven angels “who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord” (Tob 12:15). The meaning of Raphael’s name reflects the fact that he touched Tobit’s eyes in order to heal them of blindness.

Though God cannot be seen, yet through these three archangels, He manifests His power and presence. Each angel is sent by God to be our help and our guide, since an angel cannot give instructions on its own accord, but deliver instructions from God to us. May we be docile and humble enough to listen to the angels and archangels, who are there to be our rule and our guide, so that with their help, we could grow closer with our loving Lord.

Monday of Week 26 Year 1

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What do you value most in life? Some people value fame, fortune, recognition, power, wealth, or popularity. Such people would make much effort to achieve what they value, because they want to be seen as the best, the smartest, or even the greatest. If we ponder for a moment, we could realise that we value these things mainly because we are proud of ourselves and are feeding our ego. But all these things that we value are only temporary. We cannot bring them with us when we die. Even while we are still alive, situations could cause us to lose these things; sometimes due to reasons beyond our control. Then what would happen then? What would we do?

In today’s Gospel, we are told: “An argument started between the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Jesus knew what thoughts were going through their minds, and he took a little child and set him by his side and then said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For the least among you all, that is the one who is great.'” Why would a little child be great? It is precisely because the child is docile and dependent on his or her parents, instead of trying to boost one’s ego. We too can be great, not because we are trying to feed our pride and ego, but because we are humbling ourselves and being dependent on God’s help and providence. We are also being great when all we do, we do it for the glory of God, and not for our personal gratification. The question is: are we only looking for greatness among others here on earth, greatness which is only temporary and will be forgotten or fade away? Or have we learnt not to be too concerned about greatness, and continue to do God’s will?

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

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Each and every one of us has got a certain role and purpose as a church. No matter how small, medium or big the role and purpose is, it is necessary and needed. Some of us may feel as if what we are doing in church may seem insignificant or nothing to shout about, but what we often forget is that everything that we do as a church has got a reason, a purpose. The church is the Body of Christ and we could look at the church in reference to the human body. The human body, as we know, has got different parts, and each part has got its own purpose and function. Hands are used for writing, lifting, holding and carrying. Feet are meant for walking. Our eyes are meant for seeing and our ears are meant for hearing. Each part cannot take over the function and role of the other, since each part has been designed specifically for a particular role and function.

The problem that some of us may be facing is when we allow pride, ego, and especially jealousy, to take control of us. When we allow jealousy to rear its ugly head, we become indifferent and blind to the importance and roles of others. We begin to think that whatever we do is the most important, or that we are the greatest, and that our role is indispensable. When others seem to be doing the same thing as we are doing, we begin to feel irritated, threatened and insecure, and we begin to find ways and means to put down or even destroy others so that only our skills and abilities are accepted and recognised. We allow Christ’s mission to be disrupted, when we allow competition to fester in the life of the church.

In the first reading and in the Gospel, we can clearly see how jealousy can cloud our minds, our eyes and our hearts, causing us to lose track of who we are and what is our role and purpose. In the first reading, some of the elders appointed by Moses and who had received the spirit from him felt threatened by others who had not gone through the same selection and yet somehow had received the spirit. What they failed to realise is that God freely gives His spirit to anyone He chooses. Nobody can claim to have a monopoly or control over God, or His Spirit, or Truth. God gives Himself to all. The disciples of Christ in the Gospel also had the same problem. They felt threatened by another man who was able to cast out devils and saw him as a competitor. However, Jesus saw him differently and recognised the gift of the Spirit in this man. This led Jesus to make an important observation: “…no one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us.”

So what does this all mean? It means that we must remember that we are all part of Christ’s Body, and each and every one of us are necessary and important. We must not see each other as competitors. Instead, we must encourage the gifts, talents and contributions of others, since all of us have one common mission, that is to build God’s Kingdom and not our own kingdom. After all, what and who are we trying to ultimately prove? Thus, if we have been jealous of others in the community, if we have been an obstacle to others, or if we have failed to give encouragement, then we must make effort to change, and not expect others to change to suit us. This is what Jesus was trying to tell us in the Gospel when he said: “if your hand, foot or eye should cause you to sin, cut it off.” Let us stop all this nonsense and ridiculous waste of time and energy in blaming others and start taking responsibility for our actions and for the problems we have brought to our church community. May we learn to focus more on doing God’s will and giving Him the glory, instead of trying to gain glory and gratification for ourselves.

Housekeeping – Week 25 Year 1

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

20 Sept 2015 – 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
21 Sept 2015 – Saint Matthew, Apostle, Evangelist – Feast
22 Sept 2015 – Tuesday of Week 25 Year 1
23 Sept 2015 – Wednesday of Week 25 Year 1
24 Sept 2015 – Thursday of Week 25 Year 1
25 Sept 2015 – Friday of Week 25 Year 1

Friday of Week 25 Year 1

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When we associate with a leader, many of us would want to associate with a person who is destined to become even more important, or a person who has a great track record, or a person who is a winner, or even a person who can produce results which could benefit us. How many of us would associate ourselves with a person who is going to be mocked, persecuted or even put to death? According to the ways of the world, such a person is considered a loser or a person who would only bring disaster to us, and should be avoided at all cost. However, what do we Christians think a leader should be like?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us: “‘The Son of Man’ he said ‘is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.'” If we look at what Jesus just said from a worldly point of view, it certainly does not sound very exciting or wonderful, since such a leader would end up dead, and raised up on the third day? The world would laugh and claim that such a thing is impossible. But Jesus proved the world, and also us, that He did die and He rose again, as His purpose as a leader was not to gain recognition from the world, but to save us from our sins. The kind of leadership Jesus taught us is called a servant-leader, where we serve others, even to the point of death, not for our personal glory or gratification, but for the glory of God.

Today we as Christians are called by Jesus to follow His example and His leadership style. We are called to take up our cross and follow Him, for it is through Him that we receive the gift of salvation. Ultimately, we have a choice: to follow the ways of the world and its ideas of leadership, or to follow the ways of Christ, and let Him be our help and guide.

Thursday of Week 25 Year 1

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It is certainly an unpleasant feeling when we have done something wrong and we live in constant fear that what we had done would somehow come back to haunt us. Those who may have committed some serious sin would constantly be on the look out, be paranoid and worry that the truth may be revealed. But as the Malay saying goes: “Sepandai-pandai tupai melompat, akhirnya jatuh ke tanah juga.” Roughly translated into English, that would be: “No matter how clever the squirrel is able to hop or jump, it would eventually fall to the ground.” In other words, we can run but we cannot hide for long, since the truth could come back and hit us in some way.

In today’s Gospel, King Herod had respected and feared John the Baptist as a great prophet and servant of God. However, out of impulse and a desire to please his family and friends, King Herod had John beheaded.  Now his conscience is pricked when he hears that some think that the Baptist has risen.  As a result, King Herod wanted to see Jesus more out of curiosity, anxiety and fear than out of a sincere desire to know Jesus.

Are we living in constant fear? God’s grace frees us from the tyranny of fear and sin, and enables us to reject what is wrong and to choose to do what is good. May we be willing to walk in God’s ways, and remain free from any fear and anxiety while depending on His love and providence.

Wednesday of Week 25 Year 1

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If you suddenly discover that you have some urgent matter to accomplish, or some important assignment which would determine your grades in school or university, or some significant task which had been assigned to you and you had completely forgotten about it, what would you do? Surely you would frantically put in extra effort and work at a feverish pace, hoping to get the job done before the deadline comes. Some of us would even be willing to forgo meals, sleep and other things to gain extra time. But how many of us would do the same when it comes to proclaiming the Good News? Do we consider proclaiming the Good News urgent and important enough that we are willing to make sacrifices to accomplish such a task? Or have we become complacent, thinking that we have all the time in the world or we feel it is not that urgent?

In today’s Gospel, we are told: “Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing for the journey: neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money; and let none of you take a spare tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there; and when you leave, let it be from there. As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as a sign to them.’ So they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the Good News and healing everywhere.”

Notice that Jesus instructed the Twelve to bring nothing for the journey, as He did not want them to be encumbered or burdened with things, and He wanted them to go forth in haste and urgency to preach the Good News and heal. If we are Christians, followers of Christ, shouldn’t we too be taking our task of preaching the Good News seriously? Or have we become comfortable with resting on our laurels, taking our time and enjoying life?

Tuesday of Week 25 Year 1

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Sometimes we come across people who try to throw their weight around and claim that they have a special relationship or friendship with the bishop or parish priest, especially if it involves blood or family relationship. Such people think that, just because they are related to the bishop or parish priest in some way, they have the right to demand certain benefits, special treatment, or perks. But as Christians, do we have a right to demand such things? What sort of attitude should we have?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” To Jesus, having a special friendship, relationship or even familial relationship with Him is not good enough. As Christians, we should not only hear God’s word, since anyone could do that and still not do anything. What is more important to Jesus is that we not just hear God’s word, but also act upon it. That is why we should not get caught up with mere relationships, no matter how close we may claim to be with Jesus, but we should be focusing more on hearing God’s word and sharing it with others.

Saint Matthew, Apostle, Evangelist – Feast

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Every once in a while, we come across people who try to show their authority or their importance in church. Such people go through great effort to tell others how important they are, or how close they are to the bishop or parish priest, or how vital they are to keep a certain church ministry functioning. Some of us find such people quite obnoxious, since they seem to be trying so hard to be in the limelight and they make a big show on whatever they do. But as Christians, what sort of attitude should we have towards our role and responsibility in a ministry or as a church?

In today’s reading, St. Paul reminds us: “I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together… Each one of us, however, has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. To some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ.”

As Christians, our duty is to serve in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience, as St. Paul reminds us. If our motivation is to draw attention to ourselves while we serve, then are we serving the Lord, or are we actually serving ourselves? Let us check ourselves and be reminded that ultimately, all that we do ought not to be for our personal glorification or gratification, but for the glory of God.

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

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It is not easy to build a relationship or gain friendship. It takes time for a relationship and friendship to become strong and mature. However, there are two attitudes which can destroy relationship and friendship. What are the two attitudes? They are jealousy and ambition, as they can cause soured relationships, rifts and disharmony. As St. James warns us in the second reading: “Wherever you find jealousy and ambition, you find disharmony, and wicked things of every kind being done…”

Relationships and friendships breakdown, deteriorate or even disintegrate because we develop feelings of jealousy against one another, and this is often fueled by ambition for power and status. What is the cause of jealousy and ambition? St. James in today’s second reading gives us a clue: “Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Isn’t it precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves? You want something and you haven’t got it; so you are prepared to kill. You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force.” Moreover, in today’s gospel, we see the disciples of Jesus fighting among themselves over the issue of power. They were arguing over which of them was the greatest.

Why do we need to be jealous and ambitious? Why do we need to be the greatest? It is precisely because we are insecure; we are not comfortable with ourselves; we feel that we are not good enough and that others are better off than us; we feel that others threaten our status and position; and all these could lead us to become more and more jealous until we come to a point where jealousy consumes us, and we become more interested in working towards the downfall of others. Jealousy leads us to gossip and slander, and we end up wasting all our time and energies in our petty squabbles and in our scheming, instead of building God’s kingdom.

So what do we need to do to break the deadly and poisonous grip of jealousy in our lives? We need to put a stop to all the nonsense we are doing immediately, no ifs, maybes or buts. We cannot go on being jealous, as it will only lead us to our ruin. Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel: “If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.” This means we should strive towards serving with humility, we should strive to work with one another in building God’s kingdom, and we should strive towards a conversion of heart. This can come about if we pray earnestly for ourselves, for one another, and for the community. But prayer alone is not enough. We must be prepared to change our ways and heal our relationships with one another, instead of continuing to point fingers at one another and hurting each other with our words and deeds. May we let the Lord be our guide and strength, and release us from our jealousy, so that in all we do, His name be glorified.