Faithfulness and Love

Monthly Archives: November 2015

Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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When we pray to God, what do we normally say or ask for? Some of us may start asking for all sorts of things, some would ask for good health, some would ask for peace and happiness in the family, some would even be pleading with God for His help and deliverance, especially when they are in a desperate time of need or in danger.

But today’s reading surprises us with a different way of praying. Instead of starting with a tirade of supplication or petitions or even pleas, Azariah praised God for His mercy and even admitted that the sins of his peope had caused them to be in the situation they were in. Azariah even continued by asking God to accept their contrite and humble hearts as an offering, and asked God to “Grant us deliverance worthy of your wonderful deeds, let your name win glory, Lord.” If we observe what Azariah said, we can see that ultimately, he was putting his companions and he at the mercy of God, and he was confident that no matter what happened in the end, it would be for the glory of God.

What about us? Do we pray in such a way that ultimately, it would be for the glory of God? Or have we been praying to satisfy our needs and wants? May we come to realise that at the end of the day, all that we have, all that we ask for, is meant to glorify God.

Monday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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We all know what anger is, and we’ve all felt it: whether we have experienced it as a fleeting annoyance or as a full-fledged rage, we have either been angry or experienced the anger of others at some point of our lives. Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems: problems at work, in our personal relationships, and in the overall quality of our life. Anger can make us feel as though we are at the mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion. That is why we need to learn and know how to handle or manage anger well, otherwise it may lead to undesirable or even disastrous consequences.

In today’s reading, we see an example of how anger almost led to disastrous consequences. In the reading, the king of Aram sent the king of Israel a letter asking him to cure his servant Naaman of his leprosy. The letter was actually meant for the king of Israel to refer Naaman to the prophet Elisha, but instead of trusting in God’s providence and having confidence that God’s prophet Elisha could solve the problem, the king of Israel tore his garments, ranted and vented, in other words, he gave in to his anger, thinking that the king of Aram was trying to make an excuse to pick a quarrel with Israel. But fortunately for the king of Israel, Elisha pacified him and assured him that all would be well, and from the reading, all was indeed well, as Elisha had helped to have Naaman cured with God’s help.

Sometimes, we too may have experienced anger and temporarily lost our heads, forgetting that God can help us solve things, and we begin to fret and worry, trying to find a solution and getting more and more agitated or worse, even more angry. The king of Israel, in a way, had a friend in Elisha, who reminded him that ultimately, God is in control and He can help. Likewise, sometimes we come across people who could be a friend to us and remind us that God is in control, just like Elisha, and it is up to us to recognise and be humble enough to let God take over. Are we willing to calm down and let God do what is best for us?

Friday of the 2nd Week of Lent

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Intelligent, successful, and attractive people could seem intimidating. They force us to hold a mirror to ourselves, and by doing so, we could end up being disappointed, or jealous, or even inspired toward personal growth. When we allow ourselves to have feelings of insecurity, fear, concern and anxiety over an anticipated loss or status of something of great personal value, when we begin to feel intimidated by such persons, we begin to allow jealousy to take over us. When that happens, we begin to experience anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness and disgust. People get jealous for different reasons. Some are jealous in a joking or playful manner: they say they are jealous but they say it in jest. Some are jealous but they do not allow jealousy to get into their head and control them; instead they use their ‘jealous’ energies to do something positive or good. Others are jealous and allow their jealousy to control their thoughts, feelings and emotions.

In today’s reading: “Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons, for he was the son of his old age, and he had a coat with long sleeves made for him. But his brothers, seeing how his father loved him more than all his other sons, came to hate him so much that they could not say a civil word to him.” From the reading, we can clearly see how jealousy can cause us to behave in a crazy manner. Just because Israel loved Joseph more, the other brothers hated him so much that they could not say a civil word to him. They even tried to kill him but fortunately, one of the brothers named Reuben had some sense and prevented them from doing so.

What about us? Are we allowing jealousy to control our lives and actions? Are we not aware that God has given each and every one of us different gifts, different abilities or talents, different purposes? May we keep jealousy at arms length and avoid ourselves from being infected by its poisonous embrace, and may we remain humble and grateful to God for making us who we are, as well as who others are, and in all things give Him the glory.

Thursday of the 2nd Week of Lent

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How much do you really trust the people around you? Do you have absolute 100% trust and confidence in certain persons or even most persons? Do you have 75% trust and confidence? Or do you have little trust and confidence in others? Some of us may have put a lot of trust and confidence on a person or certain persons, but it is not easy to determine whether a person or certain persons would be trustworthy, dependable, loyal or reliable. We have seen cases of persons who turned out to be traitors or unreliable. So when we deal with persons, we are taking a risk, because we do not know what sort of persons we are dealing with and it takes much time to build trust and confidence towards such persons.

That is why today’s reading reminds us: “The heart is more devious than any other thing, perverse too: who can pierce its secrets?” Also, the reading reminds us: “A curse on the man who puts his trust in man, who relies on things of flesh, whose heart turns from the Lord… A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord, with the Lord for his hope.” When we trust God, we know that He will care for us and not betray us, but trusting in people requires much discernment and care, to ensure that we are not taken for a ride, tricked or cheated. This does not mean we should avoid trusting people, but it means that our full trust and hope should be in the Lord, and when comes to trusting and confidence in people, Sirach cautions us: “Let those who are friendly with you be many, but let your advisers be one in a thousand. When you gain friends, gain them through testing, and do not trust them hastily. (Sir. 6:6-7)”

Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Lent

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I remember a time when life was so much different in the old days. In those days, many of the things we are so used to having nowadays did not exist, or were still quite new and not so advanced in usage and function, or were even too expensive to own. For example, we are so used to handphones and things like texting, whatsapp, viber, skype, facebook and so many conveniences which have changed the way people communicate today. In the old days, handphones were too bulky to carry around easily, or in some places did not exist, and people could communicate only by using a dialing phone at home if they were fortunate to have one, or face to face.

While it may seem as if such ways of communicating back then were inconvenient, the good thing about then is that, to a certain extent, we could build better relationships and friendships as we communicated, since more often than not we communicated face to face, and we could get a better and clearer understanding of the other person, since we could also observe things like body language, facial expressions and other cues.

The problem is, as we progress and attain more and more conveniences, we begin to be less and less tolerant towards pain, suffering, waiting, discomfort and other experiences. But are such pain, suffering, waiting, discomfort and other experiences good or bad? Even though initially such experiences may seem to be bad, we could actually learn and benefit from them, since such experiences help us to slow down, to take care, and to look at life in a different way.

In today’s reading, the prophet Jeremiah asked the Lord to deliver him from his adversaries and from suffering. Likewise in the gospel, James and John wanted the glory, but Jesus asked them if they could take the suffering as well. The suffering that the prophet Jeremiah endured, and the suffering that James and John would face, may seem bad, but actually we can see goodness in such suffering, since such suffering reminds us of who we are, and how much we really need to depend on God and in His care and providence. Such suffering is what is known as “redemptive” suffering, since it is through suffering that Jesus brought about redemption, not just our redemption, but also the redemption of the world. Are we prepared, as Jesus said in the Gospel: “to drink of the cup that I am going to drink?” Are we prepared to remain joyful and hopeful in the Lord, even though we experience pain, suffering, waiting, discomfort and other similar experiences?

Tuesday of the 2nd Week of Lent

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As humans, personal hygiene is a very important part of living. If we do not keep our bodies clean, we could contract various diseases, we could smell or look dirty and unkempt, we could even be shunned or avoided by others due to the condition we are in. For example, in some countries where the weather is cold and some people do not bathe regularly, such persons would use quite a bit of perfume to hide their body odour, but the perfume used could in itself be overwhelming or nauseating for others. I recall some friends telling me that boarding a bus full of such people, or even if a few of such people are present, could be a choking experience, and these friends even commented that they would walk to their destination rather than taking the bus. In a similar way, our soul could become dirty and emit a nauseating stench when we sin, if we do not take care of our soul and seek forgiveness regularly through the Sacrament of Confession.

That is why, in today’s reading, God is inviting us: “Come now, let us talk this over, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing to obey, you shall eat the good things of the earth. But if you persist in rebellion, the sword shall eat you instead.” God is giving us many opportunities to change our ways, seek forgiveness, and get our soul clean again. The question is: are we still procrastinating or thinking that we have plenty of time to do so; or have we become proud, egoistic and arrogant, thinking that we do not need God and would prefer to remain dirty, soiled and reeking with stench? God is patient and merciful with us, but our time here on earth is short. Ultimately, whether we end up with God or away from God very much depends on us.

Chair of Saint Peter, The Apostle – Feast

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Those of us who have worked in the business world would know that management and marketing skills are much needed. It is not enough for us to just have a good product, it is also necessary to know how to market and sell the product, so that the company would make money and rake in profits. If the management and marketing is done effectively, and certain targets have been met, then employees would stand a good chance of getting an increment or bonus.

The church too has got certain management and marketing principles which can be found in today’s reading, but for a different purpose. In the reading, St. Paul reminds us: “Be the shepherds of the flock of God that is entrusted to you: watch over it, not simply as a duty but gladly, because God wants it; not for sordid money, but because you are eager to do it. Never be a dictator over any group that is put in your charge, but be an example that the whole flock can follow.” In the case of the church, the goal is not to make money and rake in profits, but to care for God’s people and proclaim the Good News to all.

But such a task is not easy because of human frailty and weakness. This is where we need to depend on the grace of God, and to pray for the Holy Father, church leaders and even for ourselves, that we would be humble and willing to persevere in our efforts to be witnesses of God’s love and presence in the world, so that others will come to know who is Jesus Christ.

Friday of the 1st Week of Lent

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Do any of us hold grudges in our hearts? Do we have an unforgiving attitude? Sometimes I come across people who come for confession and say that they are unable to forgive a friend or family member who has hurt them or betrayed their trust. Why are such people unable to forgive? Could it be because of their wounded pride? Could it be because their ego is preventing them from forgiving and reconciling? Whatever the reason is, we should remember that at some point of our lives, we too could have hurt others, and when that happens, do we seek forgiveness with humility and sincerity? Or do some of us think that we are ok, that we have done nothing wrong, and everyone else owes us an apology?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us: “If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.” The scribes and Pharisees were known to have a self-righteous attitude, thinking that everyone else are sinners and anyone who is not like them or follow their ways is condemned. Have some of us become like the scribes and Pharisees, expecting others to be humble and kow tow to us and follow our example? May we come to realise our folly, our self-righteous attitude, our pride and ego, and make amends with God and with others. Otherwise, we may find ourselves “thrown into prison… and will not get out till you have paid the last penny.”

Thursday of the 1st Week of Lent

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Many of us would have prayed to God for help, for things, for health, and for many other reasons. But if we consider for a moment what we are praying for: are we praying for our needs, or our wants, or to fulfil our desires? Is what we are asking for really good for us? Or is what we are asking for merely to satisfy our pride, our prestige or our ego? Sometimes what we are asking for may seem deceptively good, but in reality, in may turn out to be not so good for us after all.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus assures us: “If you, then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” This assurance sounds like a blank cheque where God would give us anything which we ask, as long as it is good and we ask. But if we observe the text carefully, we would begin to understand that the word “good” does not refer to our interpretation or expectation of “good,” but according to God’s choice and providence. This means that God would, for His glory, give us what is good, not to satisfy our pride, ego or personal gratification. May we discern carefully what we ask for, and have full trust and confidence that God would grant us the good that we truly need, so that in all things, we would give Him the glory.

Wednesday of the 1st Week of Lent

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Jews and Ninevites were sworn enemies during the time of the Prophet Jonah. The Ninevites (a.k.a. the Assyrians) were Israel’s most hated enemy, as they were the ones responsible for wiping out the northern Kingdom of Israel, and continuing to harass the Southern Kingdom of Judah. And now Jonah, a Jewish prophet, was sent to this pagan nation to preach about destruction in 40 days time. Such a deed would have been revolting, shocking or disgusting to the Israelites. Just imagine: a Jewish prophet helping the enemy to repent and change their ways? Absolutely incomprehensible! But that is exactly what happened: Jonah went and warned the Ninevites about their impending disaster and doom, and today’s reading tells us that the Ninevites actually repented with fasting, penance and prayer. Even more shocking, God actually relented and did not inflict on the Ninevites the disaster which He had threatened.

What does this tell us? God is impartial; God’s mercy and compassion is for all, not exclusive or restricted only to a certain people or to a certain group. The Israelites thought that God would only care for them and destroy all others, but today’s reading shows us otherwise. As long as we are willing to show our repentance by taking our penance seriously, God would be merciful to us just He had done for the Ninevites. Are we willing to learn from the Ninevites, and make every effort to repent and seek forgiveness, especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation? May we not waste the many opportunities given to us to return to the Lord and walk in His ways.