Faithfulness and Love

Monthly Archives: April 2016

Friday of Week 13 Year 1

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We sometimes do not realise the gravity or significance of certain words used. Sometimes, even the words used have lost its proper meaning, because some of us may have overused or misused such words. For example, when we use the word “love,” we may not necessarily mean what we say. Instead, what we may actually mean is we “like” or we”enjoy” but since we are so used to saying the word “love,” the meaning may have become lost in translation.

In today’s reading, we hear of Abraham making his steward swear an oath to choose a wife for his son Isaac according to his specific instructions. Then we read of something strange or peculiar: Abraham made the steward put his hand under his thigh to make the oath. Why did Abraham make the servant do so? In ancient times, a person who declares something usually makes an oath with the declaration. The declaration is also known as a testimony. The word “testimony” or to “testify” comes from the Latin word “testis,” which refers to the glans from which the seeds of life come from, and from which each man’s legacy or descendants is spread. So the steward had to reach down and grasp Abraham’s manhood, and then swear an oath upon the seed of Abraham’s tribe, that he would make every effort to adhere to the promise he was to make. This means that a testimony is so grave, so serious and so significant that it involves even the future generation of the one making the testimony.

Seeing the consequences of what a testimony means, are we careful and prudent with any testimonies we make? May we be fully aware of the consequences of making testimonies, and be willing to stake it all when we testify to the Good News, and give glory to God.

Thursday of Week 13 Year 1

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If God were to ask you to give up something to Him, would you do it? Some of us may say that we would be willing to give up our lives for Him, or give up all that we hav to follow Him. But how many of us are really sincere with our words? How many of us would be willing to give up that which we treasure most?

In today’s reading, God tested Abraham by asking him to give up his son as a burnt offering. It would have been agonising and difficult for Abraham to give up Isaac, since it was so difficult for Abraham to have Isaac in the first place. But did Abraham show any reluctance or hesitation? No. Abraham did what God asked of him, and because Abraham was willing to give up his most precious son, Isaac, not only did God spare Isaac’s life, God also said to Abraham: “I will shower blessings on you, I will make your descendants as many as the stars of heaven and the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants shall gain possession of the gates of their enemies. All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, as a reward for your obedience.”

Would we be willing to give up something to God, just as Abraham did? Sometimes, God may be asking us to give up something as He has something even better for us. May we learn to be detached and be docile, and let God be our providence and guide.

Wednesday of Week 13 Year 1

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Casting out devils and evil spirits is not a task which anyone can do, since it requires extensive preparations, including much prayer and fasting. If we are not properly disposed, prepared and ready, it is best we refrain from attempting such things, since we ourselves could be possessed, or cause more complications to others and even to ourselves, or some could be quite badly injured, or even face the possibility of death.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus drove away devils from two demoniacs with little resistance. It is interesting to note that the devils actually pleaded with Jesus to be cast out into a herd of pigs instead of Jesus casting them out and sending them to a fate far worse. Jesus was merciful enough to grant them their request. Jesus is God and He can easily drive devils away. But for the rest of us, we should not straight away jump into conclusions that a person is possessed, since there are certain procedures to be followed and one should consult the bishop of the diocese to determine the next course of action. Ultimately, let us check our intentions. Are we casting out evil spirits to show how great we are, for our personal gratification, or to feed our ego? Or are we truly, humbly and cautiously doing so for the greater glory of God?

Tuesday of Week 13 Year 1

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Every once in a while, we hear of massive natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes, floods, tsunami, raging fires and much more. When such a massive disaster happens, those affected are often urged to make a getaway as quickly as they can. The authorities would even give advice on where persons should run or take cover, so as to minimise casualties or deaths. But sometimes, we get people who don’t want to follow instructions or listen. For example, a massive tsunami happens and people have only moments to run and head for higher ground. Instead of doing so, some people remain where they are and even take a video of the event, only to their peril.

In today’s reading, the angels urged Lot: “Come, take your wife and these two daughters of yours, or you will be overwhelmed in the punishment of the town… Run for your life. Neither look behind you nor stop anywhere on the plain. Make for the hills if you would not be overwhelmed.” However, “the wife of Lot looked back, and was turned into a pillar of salt.” Why did she do so? The reading does not tell us specifically. Perhaps Lot’s wife had become too attached to her old life, and she looked back in regret for what she was losing. Perhaps she was curious and wanted to see whether everything would be totally destroyed. But whatever the reason may be, she had disobeyed God and suffered the consequences.

What about us? Just as the local authorities may have issued a warning and given instructions to help us get to safety, God is constantly giving us opportunities to follow His instructions, so that our souls would be safe. One instruction that we are being constantly reminded is to remain in good terms and good relationship with God, especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. But how many of us are taking heed of such instructions? May we not procrastinate or look back, only to find ourselves in a difficult situation, and risk jeopardising our eternal future.

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

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When we come to church, we come not as strangers or foreigners, but we come because we are supposed to be brothers and sisters in Christ. But the question is: are we really brothers and sisters in Christ? Look around you… do you sit with strangers, or quite likely, do you sit only with people you know, or are familiar with? Do you know the persons on your right and left? Perhaps if they are your family members, friends or relatives, you would know them. But what about the persons in the front pews, or the persons at the back pews, or even the persons a few pews away? Do you know all of them? Or do you know most of them? Or do you know some of them? Or perhaps you don’t know them at all? We sometimes hear people complaining that the church seems cold and unwelcoming, since they feel as if they come and leave as strangers. The question is: Who do you think should do the welcoming? Do we blame the priest alone? Or should we blame the hospitality ministers?

So who should do the welcoming? The answer should be obvious: It should be each and every one of us. If each and every one of us can show hospitality to just one other person, we will become living witnesses of love and hospitality. What is hospitality? Hospitality means paying attention to another person and making the person feel at home. We want others to pay attention to us, and we get angry, upset and hurt when we are ignored, when others don’t listen to us or treat us as if we do not exist. But do we pay attention to others just as we expect others to pay attention to us?

Hospitality should transform us from being self-centered to being other-centred. St. Paul tells us in the second reading: “When we were baptised in Christ Jesus we were baptised in his death; in other words, when we were baptised we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life.” This living a new life means we are not merely individuals but members of the community, brothers and sisters in Christ. Hospitality also means that we need to break down barriers created by prejudice and suspicion. Life in Christ means that every person is a member of my family and my friend. Jesus reminds us: “Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me.” What is Jesus telling us here? What he is saying is that we are all to live as one family, as brothers and sisters in Christ, as members of the community called to love, compassion, forgiveness and reconciliation.

Today, let us welcome each other with open hands and open hearts. When we welcome each other, we are also welcoming Jesus, as Jesus in the Gospel tells us: “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me; and those who welcome me welcome the one who sent me.” The Shunammite woman in today’s first reading had no son and her husband is old, and because she was welcoming to Elisha, God gave her a son. In the Gospel, Jesus assures us: “Anyone who welcomes a prophet will have a prophet’s reward; and anyone who welcomes a holy man will have a holy man’s reward. If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.” May we learn to be truly and sincerely hospitable to all, so that all may know that we are Christians by our love, for the greater glory of God.

Friday of Week 12 Year 1

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What would you do if you are already an 80 years old lady and a priest were to say to you that you would soon have a child? Quite likely you might respond: “Come on father… Don’t be silly. I am too old to conceive.” Some of you would laugh and think that the priest is joking. Some of you may even think that the priest has lost his marbles (in other words, gone crazy), and some of you might even avoid speaking to the priest for a while, hoping that he would not say such things again.

But the irony of ironies is: such things can happen. In today’s reading, such a thing did happen. Abram was told that his wife Sarah would conceive and bear him a son. Abram thought that God was joking as he was already 99 years old and his wife Sarah was also quite elderly. But as it turns out, God was not joking at all. Abram did have a son, and the son became known as Isaac, whom God chose and established a Covenant with.

Now, before any of you begin hitting the panic button and worry that God might pull a prank on you and make you conceive, the main point that we can gather from today’s reading is not so much about having babies, but having trust and confidence in God, no matter how challenging or unlikely the odds may be. If God could enable a person so old as Sarah to conceive, just imagine what wonders God could do for us, if we depend on Him and let Him be our help and guide. Let us not doubt any longer, for when it comes to God’s help and providence, it is certainly not a laughing matter.

Wednesday of Week 12 Year 1

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At some point of our lives, some of us may have encountered doubt. Some of us doubt about where we are heading in life, some doubt about our abilities, and some of us even begin to doubt about whether God cares. In our doubt, some of us may have the tendency to look inwards at ourselves, and we begin to ask questions centered on ourselves. The danger of muddling in such doubt is that, for some of us, we may remain stuck in our inward selves, constantly wondering and pondering, and we seem to be not getting any answers or solutions to such doubt.

In today’s reading, Abram seemed to be having such doubt and began looking inward. The reading tells us that Abram wondered and questioned: “What do you intend to give me? I am childless and You have given me no descendants!” But God did not let Abram remain stuck in a rut. God took Abram “outside” to look up at heaven and count the stars, to help Abram come out of his introspective and narrow-looking attitude, so that Abram could see further and believe deeper.

In a way, God is inviting and leading us too to come out of our inward looking, and begin looking outside at the heavens and count the stars. Let us not doubt any longer, but come to realise that we are in God’s hands, and that we must remain in faith, trust and confidence in His care and providence.

Tuesday of Week 12 Year 1

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In this world, some people seem to be only more concerned about themselves. They practice “survival instinct” or “survival of the fittest,” and they try to grab as much as they can. Such attitude and behaviour can lead to greed and selfishness, since not only are they grabbing all they can, some would even go so far as to deprive others of their basic needs, so that such persons would benefit or prosper even more. Could some of us Christians be having such behaviour or attitude?

In todays’s reading, we see an example of having a “survival instinct.” In the reading, Lot and Abraham had a dispute as there seemed not enough place for both of them to co-exist. Abraham was older, but he was generous enough to let his nephew Lot to choose which part of the land to take. Using survival instinct, Lot quickly chose the choice lands (in other words, the part which seemed better or richer in resources). But because of his generosity and his giving way to Lot, God blessed Abram and his land.

As Christians, would we be willing to give way to others and not let our “survival instincts” take control of us? Sometimes what we may be letting go may turn out to be for the better. Would we be willing to check our “survival instincts” and let God be our help and guide?

Monday of Week 12 Year 1

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It is not easy for some of us to move from one place to another. This is because over the years, we may have accumulated many things, made many friends, and become accustomed to the place we are at. For some of us, we may have become older, perhaps a little less mobile due to age or illness. But sometimes, it is good and necessary for us to leave and move on. For some of us who are priests or religious, moving on gives us opportunities to experience new places, discover new things in a new mission or environment, and also give our former mission or parish a chance to grow and transformed with new leadership.

In today’s reading, “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name so famous that it will be used as a blessing.” In a way, the Lord was giving Abram an opportunity for greater and better things, and by obeying and going to where the Lord wanted him to go, Abram received much blessings from the Lord. What about us? Would we be willing to go when the Lord calls us to go some place? May we willing to go to where the Lord leads us, and let Him be our providence and guide.

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

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Some of us may have heard stories of Christian missionaries going to distant lands to preach the Good News. Some of us may have been influenced by the movies or television, of the adventure and excitement of these Christian missionaries who overcame the odds, climbed mountains, crossed valleys and rivers, and successfully established Christian missions wherever they went. But more often than not, such movie or television scenes do not reflect the reality faced by Christian missionaries. The reality is that being a Christian missionary is a tough and thankless job. Jesus never promised us that it would be easy or smooth sailing, but warned His disciples and us too, that they will face persecution, and face many obstacles, such as objections from family and friends, criticisms, jealousy of others, stubbornness of those we are trying to reach out to, and many more other obstacles. What happens when we are faced with so many obstacles? We are tempted to be discouraged and tempted to give up. This causes some of us to not even want to try, as some are afraid of failure even before they have begun. When we are discouraged, we may be prevented from beginning Christ’s mission. Sounds like a dready and hopeless situation, isn’t it?

But wait! All is not lost. Today’s readings give us lots of hope, assurance and encouragement. God is not saying that all will be well, or that He will solve all our problems, remove all obstacles, and make life easy for us. As witnesses for Jesus Christ, we are sure to meet with opposition, encounter rejection, and face much criticism from others. Why, even Jesus Himself was also rejected by His own people. So what is God’s message for us? God’s message is: “Do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid, for as today’s Gospel tells us: “everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear.” Do not be afraid of any obstacle or person who seems to stand in the way of your mission in doing God’s will, because as the first reading reminds us: “the Lord is at your side, a mighty hero” and He will deliver you.

So what does this mean? It means that we need to take courage. Courage does not mean we believe and rely on our own strengths and capabilities. Courage means we know and trust that God loves us and that we are precious in His eyes. Jesus uses the example of the two sparrows which can be bought for the price of a penny. The penny and the sparrows may seem small and worthless, but in the eyes of God, each sparrow is precious enough for God to take notice. What more of us? Jesus tells us in the Gospel: “You are worth more than hundreds of sparrows… so there is no need to be afraid!”

So let us take heart, do not be afraid, and not be discouraged. In today’s second reading, St. Paul assures us: “If it is certain that through one man’s fall so many died, it is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift.” Let us courageously declare Jesus in the presence of all people, and no matter what happens, may we always remember that we are precious in God’s eyes. May we never end up regretting not trying in the first place, but be bold in our efforts, and glorify God in all we say and do.