Faithfulness and Love

Monthly Archives: June 2016

Tuesday of Week 26 Year 1

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In our efforts to preach the Good News, we may come across resistance and opposition. The reaction of a good Christian is not to get angry with those people who oppose and resist us, but to have more patience with them. The task of a disciple of Jesus is not to destroy but to build up. We must temper our tendency to return evil for evil. But being patient to such people is not so easy. This is because some of us are used to quick results, and we expect our ministry to flourish after a certain time. But the reality is, God’s ways are not our ways, and sometimes our efforts may not bear fruit as we expect. Then what happens?

In today’s Gospel, we see an example of expecting quick results in ministry, where the brothers James and John said to Jesus: “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” This is because the people of the Samaritan village did not receive them well. But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went off to another village. Jesus showed His disciples, and us too, that using force or threats is not the way to preach the Good News. At the end of the day, we are required to do our part, the rest we leave it in the hands of the Lord.

Thursday of Week 25 Year 1

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Whenever we attend a meeting, some items on the agenda may be important and need to be acted upon quickly. Other items may seem not so important, and we sometimes clssify such items as KIV or Keep in View. We may “sit” on such items for a while, or in other words, not take any action, as we deliberate about how to go about dealing with such items. But the fact is, sooner or later, we would need to do something. Sometimes, in our busyness or in our enthusiasm in getting other tasks done, we may even forget to address such items, only to later discover that the issue or situation has become even more critical, and we may end up having more difficulty or challenges in dealing with such items, since we may have KIV them for too long.

In today’s reading, the Israelite exiles returned to Jerusalem to build the Temple. Their task was to complete the building of the Temple, but many other issues and tasks cropped up along the way, and they forgot how urgent it was to build the Temple, causing it to be KIV as they dealt with other matters. The prophet Haggai was called to remind the people of the building of the Temple, and his message was for the people to reflect for themselves and see how things had gone for them. The prophet Haggai reminded the people that now was not the time to become distracted with other matters, or to KIV the building of the Temple, but instead the people should finish the task.

What about us? Do we KIV when it comes to urgent matters concerning our faith and relationship with God. Do we put God first, or have we allowed many other issues to overwhelm us, and distract us from maintaining a good relationship with God, and end up putting God in KIV? May we come to our senses and put God back in the center of our lives, while we have time and opportunities to do so.

Wednesday of Week 25 Year 1

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During our parents time, when they were young, life was not as easy and convenient as it is nowadays. Back then, people had to struggle to survive, some would have experienced the horrors of war, life was full of uncertainty, especially if one was living under colonial rule, and many challenges and difficulties lay ahead. But people did their best to remain sane and cheerful, and go through life as best they could. In contrast, how many of us appreciate what our parents went through so that we could live better, more peaceful and happier lives? How many of us give thanks for the sacrifices and perseverances of our parents, so that we could be where we are today?

In today’s reading, Ezra looked at his people and remembered how they were sent into exile. They had sinned against the Lord and were punished by being conquered by their enemies, and sent into captivity and slavery. But the Lord was merciful and now a remnant has come back to rebuild the Temple. Ezra remembered the past and he was taking nothing for granted in the present, and was grateful and thankful to God for His love, care and mercy.

What about us? Are we taking things for granted for the many good things and peaceful lives we have today? Do we show gratitude and thankfulness for the many sacrifices made by those who have gone before us? May we always remain grateful and humbled, and never forget to let God be in the central of our lives. Otherwise we may face the danger that when we have too much of everything, we become proud and arrogant, and our relationship with God could be reduced to almost nothing.