For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
22 May 2016 – Trinity Sunday
23 May 2016 – Monday of Week 8 Year 2
24 May 2016 – Tuesday of Week 8 Year 2
25 May 2016 – Wednesday of Week 8 Year 2
26 May 2016 – Thursday of Week 8 Year 2
27 May 2016 – Friday of Week 8 Year 2
It is interesting to watch the attitude and behaviour of some people at church. Some are really genuine in their efforts to serve, and we see such people going about performing their duties without trying to attract any attention or showing off. When the time comes to step down and let others take over, such people are happy to let go of their responsibilities and provide the necessary support and encouragement. On the other hand, we also come across people who seem to crave for attention and recognition. Such people go about doing their duties with much fanfare and they find it extremely difficult to let go of their responsibilities. Quite often, such people would give all sorts of excuses when it is time for someone else to take over, and they seem to think that without them, the particular ministry they are in would collapse, or even the church would collapse. But what sort of attitude do you have towards service in church? What sort of attitude is expected of a Christian?
In today’s reading, St. Peter reminds us: “Each one of you has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these different graces of God, put yourselves at the service of others. If you are a speaker, speak in words which seem to come from God; if you are a helper, help as though every action was done at God’s orders; so that in everything God may receive the glory…” The important point to note here is that, ultimately, all that we do is for the glory of God. Are we humble and wlling to give God the glory, or are we still craving and insisting in doing things for our own personal gratification and own glory?
Each and every one of us face temptations daily, in one form or another. Quite often, we may succumb to such temptations if we allow our pride, ego and selfish desires to take control of our lives. This is why, in today’s reading, St. Peter reminds us: “I urge you, my dear people, while you are visitors and pilgrims to keep yourselves free from the selfish passions that attack the soul. Always behave honourably among pagans so that they can see your good works for themselves…” Our time here on earth is short, and we should do our best to avoid giving in to our selfish passions, which would lead us to sin.
Instead, St. Peter reminds us: “You are new born, and, like babies, you should be hungry for nothing but milk – the spiritual honesty which will help you to grow up to salvation – now that you have tasted the goodness of the Lord.” When we were baptised, we tasted the goodness of the Lord and learnt to depend on Him as we grow up to salvation. May we be humble and willing to continue growing up to salvation, depending on the Lord for His help and guidance. Since the nourishment that He gives us is the best and since we have tasted the best, do we still need to look elsewhere?
It is easy to spot a fake, especially if we are quite observant of certain things about what is genuine. For example, we can see that a product is a fake by the type of packaging used, since most fake products would not go through the effort or trouble to use proper packaging for the product. However, from time to time we do get some products which have been packaged in such a way that it looks just like the real thing. This is where we need to be careful about where we buy the product from (such as purchasing from retail outlets which are known and recognised by the company of the product), and look out for certain security features which would tell us that the product is genuine, features which are extremely difficult for others to duplicate.
Likewise, it is also relatively easy to spot fake people, especially by their conduct and behaviour. Some of such people claim to love others, but their love could sometimes be seen to have some sort of hidden intention or agenda: “ada udang di sebalik batu” or “there is a prawn under the stone” are some expressions used on such persons, who love others or are nice to others because there could be some benefit or advantage for them in the long run. That is why, in today’s reading, St. Peter reminds us: “You have been obedient to the truth and purified your souls until you can love like brothers, in sincerity; let your love for each other be real and from the heart.” Some of us could be loving others, but we may be not sincere with our love, especially if we have certain conditions attached to it or we believe we could gain some advantage or benefit. May our love be genuine, sincere and real, and may we learn to love unconditionally, just as God loves all of us unconditionally.
For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
15 May 2016 – Pentecost Year C – Mass of the Day
16 May 2016 – Monday of Week 7 Year 2
17 May 2016 – Tuesday of Week 7 Year 2
18 May 2016 – Wednesday of Week 7 Year 2
19 May 2016 – Thursday of Week 7 Year 2
20 May 2016 – Friday of Week 7 Year 2
Today we celebrate Pentecost, where Jesus finally sends us the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, the one who will teach us everything and remind us of all that Jesus has said. But what does the coming of the Holy Spirit mean to us? What is its significance in our lives?
The coming of the Holy Spirit enables us to overcome our fears. It does not mean we would no longer have any fear, but fear can no longer control us, since the Holy Spirit is in control and will guide us. In the first reading, the apostles were at first fearful, and they hid behind closed doors. When they were filled by the Spirit, they came out from that room to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Also the coming of the Holy Spirit breaks down barriers between us and creates unity among people from diverse backgrounds. The church does not belong to any particular group, since the church is the Church of Christ and all people, regardless of race, color or language are part of it. As St. Paul reminds us in the second reading, we are “children of God”, “heirs of God and coheirs with Christ.” If we live according to the Holy Spirit, then we must not allow prejudice to affect the way we live our Christian lives. This means that since the church is made up of peoples from diverse backgrounds, we must be able to look after the interest of everyone and not only look towards our own interest.
Moreover, the alternative Gospel reminds us that the coming of the Holy Spirit is to “teach you everything and remind you of all I (Jesus) have said to you.” This is because we forget so easily and need to be constantly reminded of our identity as children of God, as brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to be reminded that our life in the Spirit is a life that must be founded on love, and that there is no room for hatred, prejudice, unforgiveness, or selfishness.
Thus, let us give thanks to God for the gift of the Holy Spirit, and allow Him to take control of our lives. Let us always be ready to listen to His promptings and learn to live as brothers and sisters in Christ, children of God. May we let the Holy Spirit transform us, so that we may be united as one and go forth to proclaim the Good News to all the earth.
For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
8 May 2016 – 7th Sunday of Easter Year C
9 May 2016 – Monday of the 7th Week of Easter
10 May 2016 – Tuesday of the 7th Week of Easter
11 May 2016 – Wednesday of the 7th Week of Easter
12 May 2016 – Thursday of the 7th Week of Easter
13 May 2016 – Friday of the 7th Week of Easter
Sometimes at church, we come across faithful who seem to be more comfortable with their own group, such as a particular ministry, or language group, or some other group which share a common interest or practice. While there is nothing wrong with getting involved in a particular group, we need to be careful not to form cliques, where our particular group is more important or all that matters, and we begin to avoid other faithful, just because of some differences such as interests or language which could alienate us from others. After all, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and one family of God, and there is no room for division and distinction in this one family of God.
This is why, in today’s Gospel, Jesus prayed: “Holy Father, I pray not only for these, but for those also who through their words will believe in me. May they all be one. Father, may they be one in us as you are in me and I am in you.” Jesus was concerned not only for his disciples, those that the Heavenly Father had given to His care, but also for others, including those who rejected him and even his enemies. This is also why we cannot only be praying for our loved ones and friends and only help people who are close to us. We are also called to pray for ‘others,’ including our enemies, people who hurt us, those speak ill of us, those who think differently, those who are of a different skin colour or language. In the first reading, we are reminded that, filled with the Holy Spirit, Stephen did exactly this, since he prayed that God would forgive his enemies their sins as he was being stoned.
Today, we are challenged to remain as one family of God. We are challenged to set aside our differences and let God be our help and guide. It is certainly not easy to come out of our comfort zones and unite with others who seem so different from us, but that is what being Christian is all about, to be able to see others as our brother or sister, and to accept them as part of God’s family. May we be humble and willing to let God take charge of our lives, and keep us as one.
For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
1 May 2016 – 6th Sunday of Easter Year C
2 May 2016 – Monday of the 6th Week of Easter
3 May 2016 – Saints Philip and James, Apostles – Feast
4 May 2016 – Wednesday of the 6th Week of Easter
5 May 2016 – The Ascension of the Lord – Mass of the Day
6 May 2016 – Friday of the 6th Week of Easter
Some of us would have experienced, every now and then, the necessity for us to go away from where we presently are to another place where we are needed. Quite often, our duty and responsibility would require us to move on to another kind of duty or responsibility, or to another location where our services are needed. For example, priests and religious are transferred from one location to another, or from one parish to another, to serve the needs of the faithful in different parts of the diocese or even in different countries. Even teachers too are sometimes transferred from one school to another, depending on where their skills and specialties are needed. For some, it seems difficult and painful to move on, especially when we have become quite comfortable with where we are and with the people we are familiar with, but life is such that sooner or later, we would need to go.
This is why we could understand how the disciples must have felt when Jesus, after His resurrection, had to leave and return to His Father. His first departure when He died was already devastating enough, and now a second departure? It must have been unthinkable and disconcerting for the disciples to lose Jesus, this time for an unknown period of time. But why did Jesus leave? He left so that He could send the Holy Spirit to the disciples, giving them the strength, courage and that extra oomph to become His witnesses to the ends of the earth. This would not have been possible if Jesus had remained with His disciples, since they would still have clung close to him and not have been able to move off on their own.
So what can we learn from this? Many of us try to help others, accompany them, or even offer solutions to their problems, but we sometimes do not know when to stop. We give so much time and effort to help people that we fail to allow God to help them. Some of us even begin to act as if we are God and without us, people would go astray and there would be chaos. If such people whom we are helping become so dependent on us, then there is no need for them to seek God’s help, since we would have become like their ‘saviour.’ So, we must ‘leave’ like Jesus, so that the Holy Spirit could come and touch the lives of these people. This does not mean that we are trying to shirk our responsibilities, but what we are doing is to allow space for God to work in our lives and the lives of others, so that we and they could learn to grow in His love and care, and let Him be our guide.
Today, let us learn to know when and how to let go, and have greater faith and trust that God will take care of things. Even though Jesus has already ascended, even though He has already ‘left’ us, He is still present with us in a very special way: in the Body and Blood of Christ. May we be humble and docile enough to let God take control, so that we can be His witnesses for His glory.
