Author Archives: gubahan

We know that our primary duty as Christians or followers of Christ is to proclaim the Good News. Sometimes we may have become distracted or diverted from our duty, due to various circumstances, such as family matters, sickness, a recent loss of a family member, issues at work, issues at church, and so on. However, such various circumstances ought to be seen as learning experiences to depend more on God’s providence and not on our own strength.

In today’s reading, St. Paul did not lament about being in chains despite his innocence, but he took the opportunity to proclaim the Kingdom of God despite wearing those chains. St. Paul stayed focused on Jesus, doing His will, and depending on His providence instead of his own strength, and avoided wallowing in his predicament or unfortunate situation.

What about us? Would we be humble and willing to stay focused on Jesus and do His will, come what may? May we not allow ourselves to be distracted by the ways of the world or by the situation we are in, and focus on the ways of Christ, as we continue to depend on His providence and love.

For a message to be clear, accurate and effective, a person must not only get the facts right and accurate, but also the person must receive such facts from a reputable source. This is because, as we know, all sorts of so called facts are circulating around, and much of such so called facts could turn out to be mostly true but with some slight inaccuracies; or entirely false, or even true but needing additional support to make such facts rock solid.

In today’s reading, we come across Appolos who “though he had been given instruction in the Way of the Lord and preached with great spiritual earnestness and was accurate in all the details he taught about Jesus, he had only experienced the baptism of John.”Appolos may have had his facts accurate, but he needed additional coaching and instruction about the Way from Priscilla and Aquila, so that he had a reputable source to depend on and refer from. Not only that, the reading also tells us that Appolos “was able by God’s grace to help the believers considerably by the energetic way he refuted the Jews in public and demonstrated from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.” This shows that, not only does a person need to have accurate facts with reference from a reliable and reputable source, the person also needs God’s grace to make such facts rock solid.

What can we learn from this? We can realise that at the end of the day, mere facts alone are insufficient. We need supporting evidence to reinforce the facts, and such supporting evidence comes from reliable and reputable sources. However, this is not enough. We also need God’s help, so that the facts being preached are ultimately from His grace and for His glory.

Some of us find it difficult to let go of control. We want to be in charge of our destiny and to build our lives according to certain ideals which we may have, some of which may have been influenced by our family, friends, peers and society. However, as followers of Christ, we cannot always have control, especially when it comes to where we are supposed to serve. This is because we are to serve where the Holy Spirit leads us, where we are most needed, not where we would be comfortable in, or where it would be convenient to us.

In today’s reading, we are told that Paul and Barnabas “travelled through Phrygia and the Galatian country, having been told by the Holy Spirit not to preach the word in Asia. When they reached the frontier of Mysia they thought to cross it into Bithynia, but as the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them, they went through Mysia and came down to Troas. One night Paul had a vision: a Macedonian appeared and appealed to him in these words, ‘Come across to Macedonia and help us.’ Once he had seen this vision we lost no time in arranging a passage to Macedonia, convinced that God had called us to bring them the Good News.”

As we can see from the reading, Paul and Barnabas had no control over where they were being told to preach, and that they had to change course according to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Yet, Paul and Barnabas were willing to be humble, docile and obedient, going where they were told to go, and not according to where they pleased.

What about us? Would we be willing to let go of control and let God lead us? Would we be willing to listen to God’s promptings and do His will, not ours? May we, like Paul and Barnabas, be docile and humble enough to go where we are told, so that we could be used as His instruments to bring the Good News to others, and to glorify Him.

Among the many sins a person could commit, one which is quite dangerous and could lead to even greater sins, is the sin of jealousy. A person can become engulfed in jealousy due to thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, concern, and envy over relative lack of possessions, status or something of great personal value. As a result, a person who is jealous could become blinded in pursuing what one lacks, even to the point of committing great evil or despicable acts.

In today’s reading, we are told: “When they saw the crowds, the Jews, prompted by jealousy, used blasphemies and contradicted everything Paul said.” Not only that, the Jews were so jealous that they “worked upon some of the devout women of the upper classes and the leading men of the city and persuaded them to turn against Paul and Barnabas and expel them from their territory.” Great evil was committed, just because the Jews were jealous that Paul and Barnabas were attracting a bigger crowd than they could muster.

What about us? Have we allowed jealousy to run our lives and blind us to what is true? Have we become so jealous that our pride and ego is more important than doing the will of God? May we take caution and guard ourselves against being blinded with jealousy, since all we say and do ought to be for the glory of God.