Faithfulness and Love

Monthly Archives: March 2016

Monday of Week 7 Year 1

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How do we know whether a person is wise or not? Is there some sort of clear criteria which could be used to determine whether a person is wise? Unfortunately, there is no clear criteria. Different ethnic groups have different interpretations of what makes a wise person. Even within an ethnic group, what certain individuals claim to be wise could be disputed by others. Moreover, to make it even more complicated, there are different kinds of wisdom to be considered. Some are wise in learning, some are wise in experience, some are street-wise. So can anyone claim to be completely wise, or wise only in certain aspects?

In today’s reading, we are reminded that there is only One who is wise. The reading tells us: “All wisdom is from the Lord, and it is his own for ever. One only is wise, terrible indeed, seated on his throne, the Lord.” Many of us could try to claim to be wise in some specific way, but only God is wise in all aspects and in all ways. Instead of trying to claim to be wise, let us humble ourselves and learn from God’s wisdom, who far surpasses any of our own. Let us submit to His wisdom, since it is He who loves us and provides for us.

Friday of Week 6 Year 1

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What sort of life are we living here on earth? What do we hope to attain? Some of us seem to be more goal-oriented and achievement-centered. We spend much energy and time to reach somewhere in life: such as our career, wealth, status, knowledge or whatever we deem is our priority or has importance. But are these things really that important? Are all these things all there is to life? Have we ever thought about where we are going to, what is the real meaning of our life?

In the 1st reading, we come across a people who had only one purpose in mind, that is to build a town with a tower with a top reaching heaven. Their intention of doing all this is just to make a name for themselves. They want to be remembered for what they achieved on this earth. For them that was going to be their pride and joy. But when people begin to think that they can achieve anything, they may begin to think that they do not need God. They begin to think that they can do anything they please, and achieve all things through their own effort. We have seen throughout history, how some people have built things, even claiming that what they built would last or would not be destroyed, and we have seen the consequences of such arrogance, where not only what was built was destroyed, many lives were lost due to their folly. May we come to realise our limits and how much we really depend on God for many things, and walk humbly in His ways.

Thursday of Week 6 Year 1

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What sort of image of Christ do you have? Some of us may think of Christ as a healer, miracle worker, teacher, rebel against authorities, activist against the unjust status quo, and many other images. In today’s Gospel, Christ asks His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They respond to Him mentioning various prophets that represent important aspects of His mission, but nothing really captures who He really is and how He understands Himself. He tells them that He “must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days.” Christ’s self-image which contains suffering, death, and resurrection, was something which Peter found difficult to accept. Perhaps in his mind, he thought that Christ would be some champion who would save the Jews from unjust authorities. Peter just could not come to terms with a suffering and dying Christ. For this, Peter was criticised harshly by Christ, even addressed as “Satan”, for he was “thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

What about us? Do we have a certain image of Christ which seems rosy and nice? Are we aware of Christ’ true purpose and mission? Some of us try to think of Christ in good terms, with a feel good factor, but Christ came to save us from our sins, and also to teach us how to live as God intended, not according to the way we are comfortable in or the way some others think. Are we willing to set aside our thoughts and expectations, and try to understand and do what God expects of us?

Wednesday of Week 6 Year 1

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Many of us are so used to getting things done quickly, so much so that we do not like to wait. Even if we need to wait, we do not want to wait too long. For example, if we go for a hair cut at the barbers, and we find that there are one or two persons ahead of us, we may decide to wait a while, especially if the barber does a good job in cutting hair. However, if the barber is taking quite some time, especially if the customer the barber is servicing is very fussy or particular about the way his or her hair is being cut, some of us may decide to go look for another barber. How long we are willing to wait when it comes to such circumstances depends on our tolerance level towards waiting time.

However, in today’s reading, Noah had to wait for 40 days of rain, another 7 days for the water to subside, and then another 7 days for the surface of the earth to dry up. Likewise, the blind man in today’s Gospel had to wait before his sight was fully restored. What does this tell us? It tells us that ultimately, everything happens in God’s time and we have to trust in God and wait. Some things take time, and we need to learn to be patient and carry on waiting. Are we willing to leave it in God’s hands, wait with patience and hope, and let God do what is best for us?

Tuesday of Week 6 Year 1

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When we speak of yeast, we normally speak of a kind of substance which enables bread to expand and rise, making the bread more pleasing to look at and eat once baked. In today’s Gospel, Jesus warned us of a “yeast” which is a little different. What sort of yeast is Jesus trying to tell us? Jesus was speaking about a kind of “yeast” that was both religious and political which we should watch out for. This “yeast” refers to “attitude”; and the “attitude” of the Pharisees and the “attitude” of Herod could corrupt one’s “attitude” as a Christian.

The “yeast” of the Pharisees is narrow-minded religious exclusivism. It is an attitude that says only those who believe and behave like the Pharisees are saved, everyone else is damned or are of no consequence. The “yeast” of Herod, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of the Pharisees. Herod was prepared to water down the Jewish faith to suit his purposes. Herod was only interested in preserving His political power, and was not the least bit interested in doing the will of God.

What about us? Have we been corrupted or infected with the “yeast” of the Pharisees and the “yeast” of Herod? Have we been behaving as religious extremists like the Pharisees, thinking that our beliefs and way of doing things is the only way? Or have we become so worldly in our behaviour and conduct, only interested in protecting our power, position and prestige, and watering down our faith or even totally ignoring the ways of God? May we take caution and not be infected or corrupted by such “yeast,” and in all things do with love and moderation, for the glory of God.

Monday of Week 6 Year 1

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Why do we do things or offer our services in church? Do we do such things and services to serve God? Or do we do such things and services to gain recognition, admiration and to feed our pride and ego? When we do something for church, do we expect praise and recognition from others, especially from the clergy, or do we give thanks to God for the privilege to serve? Also, do we give our best for the church, or do we give only what we can spare?

In today’s reading, we come across two brothers, Cain and Abel. The reading tells us: “The Lord looked with favour on Abel and his offering. But he did not look with favour on Cain and his offering, and Cain was very angry and downcast. The Lord asked Cain, ‘‘Why are you angry and downcast? If you are well disposed, ought you not to lift up your head? But if you are ill disposed, is not sin at the door like a crouching beast hungering for you, which you must master?'” Cain was angry and jealous because his brother Abel had received the Lord’s favour. It appears as if Cain had given his offering, but with the intention of getting affirmation or recognition from God. That is why Cain was very angry and downcast, since if we are sincere in offering to God without strings attached, it would not matter whether our offering is looked with favour or not. So, in a rage, Cain killed Abel, thinking that getting rid of the competition would give him sole access to God’s favour.

What about us? Have we become like Cain, expecting fame, recognition and affirmation from others for what we have done or contributed. Are we feeding our pride and ego when we offer our services to the church? May we take caution and not become so proud and conceited. Instead, may we do all things with humility and gratefulness, for the glory of God.

Friday of Week 5 Year 1

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Have you heard of a being named S. A. Tan? Perhaps you may have seen horror stories at the movies, or read books about him, but few of us have seen him face to face. Some of us may have experienced his presence, and many of us could have experienced him luring us and tempting us to sin. Indeed, S. A. Tan is not a pleasant being to be with, even though he may appear to be deceptively so, since he has hidden and cruel intentions, and we would need to constantly and consistently watch out for the traps he has laid out to ensnare us.

In today’s reading, we read about one of the many ways S. A. Tan uses to try and ensnare us and tempt us to sin. S. A. Tan, in the form of a serpent, tempted the woman to eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden. He even had the sneakiness and gall to assure the woman: “No! You will not die! God knows in fact that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.” With such lies and deceitful words, both the man and woman were equally guilty in falling into Mr. S. A. Tan’s trap by eating the fruit.

What about us? Are we so easily allowing ourselves to be lured into S. A. Tan’s trap? S. A. Tan will constantly try to exploit our ego, our pride and our weaknesses to tempt us into sinning. Are we making efforts to resist and are we seeking God’s help fervently and humbly? We must remember that our foe is not just some ordinary being, and we need to remain in good relationship with God and continuously seek His help, guidance and protection, if we are to overcome such and ancient and deadly foe. Let us not be caught off-guard, and remain in the Lord, so that we would not fall into S. A. Tan’s deadly clutches.

Thursday of Week 5 Year 1

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It has become easy and convenient for many of us to get things done quickly. We have become so used to efficiency and instant this or that, that we may have become less and less tolerant or impatient when things don’t go our way or we have to wait for something to be completed. However, when it comes to our prayer life and communication with God, God does not follow our rules or our ways. Quite often, we find ourselves having to wait, since ultimately, God decides what is best for us. When we don’t get what we want or ask for, are we humble and willing to be patient and persistent in our prayer? Would we become impatient and start looking elsewhere to get what we want?

In today’s Gospel, we come across a Syrophoenician pagan woman who begged Jesus to cast the devil out of her daughter. Jesus did not seem to immediately grant her her wish, but she was humble enough to be patient and persistent in begging Jesus for His help. In the end, due to her immense faith in Jesus, Jesus granted her her wish. What about us? Are we willing to be patient and persistent in our prayer and in seeking God’s help? Are we willing to let God guide us and care for us, according to His time and for His glory?

Wednesday of Week 5 Year 1

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For some religions, there are certain restrictions to what can and cannot be eaten. Some of such religions would specify whether it is “kosher or not” to eat something, or whether it is “halal or haram” (Malay for ‘allowed or forbidden to be eaten.’) However, we sometimes come across followers of such religions who focus so much on such dietary laws, that they neglect, ignore or fail to observe more important aspects of God’s laws such as love, mercy, compassion, justice, fairness and many others. They may appear to be pious in what can or cannot be consumed, or even how they look in public, only to be hypocritical in their behaviour and conduct. For example, such persons would avoid eating in a shop which does not have a sign to say that the food sold in such a shop can be eaten by followers of a certain religion, but they seem to turn a blind eye or are ignorant of the corruption, injustice or other malpractices happening around them.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us: “Can you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot make him unclean, because it does not go into his heart but through his stomach and passes out into the sewer? It is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.” Some of us may appear to be holy and focus on external practices, but our hearts may be twisted or hide nasty or cruel intentions. Let us take heed and be honest with ourselves, and make every effort to shy away from all that drives us away from our relationship with our loving God.

Tuesday of Week 5 Year 1

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Some of us may have been guilty of being scrupulous in our way of life. What does scrupulous mean? It basically means that a person is very concerned to avoid doing wrong, and the person would come up with all kinds of laws or restrictions to prevent any possible wrong the person thinks could be commited. One example of being scrupulous would be the way some Jews live their lives even today. During the sabbath, some hotels would have the elevators stop and open at every floor, so that such Jews would not need to push the elevator floor button, since to such Jews, even pushing the elevator floor button is considered work, and they believe that no work can be done during the sabbath, no matter how minute the task may be.

In today’s Gospel, we come across another example of being scrupulous in the Pharisees and some of the scribes, who thought that loving God means following their traditions and way of life. These people were so extreme in following their own rules and regulations, so much so that they were even willing to circumvent or bypass the true meaning of God’s laws, for the convenience and observance of their own, for they were more concerned about avoiding doing wrong. This is why Jesus scolded them when He exclaimed: “It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture: This people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me. The worship they offer me is worthless, the doctrines they teach are only human regulations. You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.”

What about us? Are we guilty of being scrupulous? Let us be mindful and careful not to become like these Pharisees and scribes, who do things in such a scrupulous manner, only to appear to be good and holy. Let us instead follow the example of Jesus, who loves us all and does all things for the greater glory of God.