Monthly Archives: June 2015

Many of us know that the church can never be a democracy, where the opinions and votes of the faithful are important. This is because there are fundamental matters concerning faith and morals that cannot be changed to suit certain people, and if we are to dwell in the opinions of everyone, then we would find it impossible or extremely difficult to make decisions, sometimes decisions which may not be popular or difficult for some to accept. This is because different people would think that their opinion is what matters, and this would lead to disagreements, which may eventually lead to conflict, chaos and disunity.

In the first reading, the early Christian community faced a problem, because some of them believed that they should still follow Jewish customs, for example circumcision and prohibitions towards certain foods. This is because to them, Jesus was a Jew and had also followed Jewish ways and rituals. But there was also another group of Christians who recognised that Jesus was not merely another Jewish teacher wanting to reform his religion, but He was the Son of God who came to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God, where customs and rituals which separated and differentiated one race from the other could no longer be barriers to Christian brotherhood. Towards the end of the reading, we are told that a decision was made, where the Gentile converts should “not be saddled with any burden beyond certain essentials.”

This is where Christian communities throughout the centuries continued to survive and grow with guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to the church and to each of us believers. As Jesus tells us in the Gospel: “I have said these things to you while still with you; but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.” His presence enables us to experience peace in our decisions even in the midst of chaos and problems, because through His guidance, we can still come to a common decision that reflects the will of God, in spite of all our personal opinions and ways of thinking. Without the Holy Spirit, the Church and unity would not be possible.

At the end of the day, our decisions must always be made with reference to the Church and the community as a whole. Some of us may be tempted to think that my opinion is the best and the most important of all, but what matters most is not this or that opinion or even the opinion of the majority, but the will of God that we must search for with guidance of the Holy Spirit. May we continue to discern carefully and listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, for the benefit and good of the entire Church and community, and for the glory of God.

Most of us would be quite familiar with the Synoptic Gospels, that is, the Gospel of Matthew, Mark and Luke. One common theme which could be found among these Gospels is the theme of ‘love’, where the Gospel writers repeat the key teaching of the Old Testament covenant that is to love God and love our neighbour as ourselves. The key point made here is that our love for neighbour must be similar to our love for ourselves. On the other hand, today’s Gospel is from the Gospel of John, and we are told: “I give you a new commandment: love one another; just as I have loved you, you must also love one another.” Many of us are familiar with God’s commandment to love, so what is so ‘new’ about this commandment as stated in the Gospel of John?

The ‘newness’ stems from the fact that our love for one another is not based on the criteria that we love ourselves: “love our neighbour as ourselves”, but the criteria is now that Jesus loves us: “just as I (Jesus) have loved you, you must also love one another.” Our ‘love’ for ourselves is often inadequate and incomplete, and no longer becomes a standard by which we love others, but Jesus’ love for us is what enables us to love. This is because God’s love is perfect, since God is love.

If we are to be Jesus’ disciples, then we must learn to love the way He loves us. We need to show our love through our words and deeds, taking Jesus’ love as our guide and standard. When we do so, then as the Gospel tells us: “By this love you have for one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples.” But we realise that Jesus’ love is a high standard which is not so simple to attain as it sounds, because we are not God. That is why we must continue to support, encourage and pray for each other, following the example of Paul and Barnabas in the first reading where “They put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith.”

Today, let us pray that we will have the strength, patience, perseverance and courage to love one another as Christ loved us. Love is not a sign of weakness or defeat. It is an act of courage that rejects a culture of hatred, pride and prejudice prevalent in the world today. May we take Christ as our example and learn more and more to be like Him in His love for all of us.

Being a Christian disciple is challenging and even disheartening for some. It is not easy trying to live Christian values when the world promotes values contrary to the Gospel. For example, in business, we are told that honest and good people will never be successful, since many in the world believe that to be rich and powerful, one must be prepared to lie, be dishonest, cheat and be involved in corruption. Also, the world seems to tell us that we must be nice to our friends and to those who can help us or are beneficial to us in some way, but we are cautioned to be wary of our enemies. As Christians, we are not supposed to make any distinction between friend and enemy, since Christians are called to love their enemies. But this is something the world is unable to accept, since it would appear as if we are freely allowing our enemies to win and take advantage of us.

In today’s readings, we are reassured and comforted that remaining steadfast to Christian values is the way to go. In the first reading, Paul and Barnabas had enemies who spread lies about them and opposed them, and these enemies managed to get Paul and Barnabas expelled from the town. But the reading does not end on a disheartening note. Instead, we are told that “the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.” How is it possible for Paul and Barnabas to remain joyful even though they had been expelled from the town and it appears as if their enemies had won? It is precisely because these disciples knew that what they were doing is not for their own personal gratification or glory, but for the glory of God. The second reading tells us of the destiny of those who have suffered or died for the sake of the Gospel. They went through sufferings and persecutions, and because they remained faithful, they will no longer experience suffering, hunger or thirst “because the Lamb will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water. God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.” We are also reminded that as Christians, we cannot make every one happy, but we should follow our conscience and do what is right. To follow our conscience to do what is right is what it means to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd, as Jesus in today’s Gospel reminds and assures us: “The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me.”

It is certainly not easy and a challenge being a Christian. Jesus did not promise us an easy life or that he would take away all our problems and sufferings in this life. To be his disciple, we must be prepared to face the same fate as Jesus did, and be ready to endure hardships and persecutions. What Jesus promised us is that He will be our shepherd; will never allow us to despair; will give us the courage and strength to bear the cross; and will lead us to ‘restful waters’ and remain in His love and care. Are we willing to endure temporary suffering and hardship, for eternal joy and peace?