Author Archives: gubahan

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us: “‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’” Why would Jesus consider a little child as being part of the Kingdom of God?

Children are seen as weak and vulnerable in the eyes of society. Yet such weakness and vulnerability is seen as important elements for one to be part of the Kingdom of God. When one is weak and vulnerable, one would trust God more, just as a little child trusts his or her parents for care and security. So when we look at the sort of qualities a little child has, we can begin to understand what Jesus is trying to tell us. Jesus is telling us that we should become like little children, always depending on God’s providence. When we become like little children, we learn to let go of our pride, ego, and prejudices, and grow closer towards being part of His Kingdom.

One of the challenges that some of us face is to control our tongue and know when to speak and when to keep quiet. When we see someone doing something which we perceive to be wrong, we have the strong urge to talk to another person about it (in other words, to gossip with someone else), or swiftly condemn the person with so called righteous indignation. However, how many of us are willing to take the trouble to check the facts carefully, and if really found to be true beyond reasonable doubt, are willing to approach the person to address the issue? Or do we conveniently lash out or condemn the person, thinking that we are right in doing so?

In today’s reading, St. Paul cautions us: “So is the tongue only a tiny part of the body, but it can proudly claim that it does great things. Think how small a flame can set fire to a huge forest; the tongue is a flame like that. Among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a whole wicked world in itself: it infects the whole body; catching fire itself from hell, it sets fire to the whole wheel of creation. Wild animals and birds, reptiles and fish can all be tamed by man, and often are; but nobody can tame the tongue – it is a pest that will not keep still, full of deadly poison. We use it to bless the Lord and Father, but we also use it to curse men who are made in God’s image: the blessing and the curse come out of the same mouth. My brothers, this must be wrong.”

From the reading, we can clearly see that the tongue may be tiny, but it can cause a lot of damage to oneself and to others, if we do not learn to control it properly and speak only when and where necessary. May we strive towards keeping our tongue under continuous check, so that we may use it properly and correctly to build ourselves and others, and give God the glory.

It is easy for us to become complacent in life. When times are good and we seem to be dong well, we may begin to think that nothing is going to happen to us and we carry on our merry way. But the reality is that what seems to be good and well could very quickly escalate into a dangerous or deadly situation. Many things can happen so quickly that we may not be ready or prepared for it. If we are suddenly put in such a situation, would we be ready physically and especially spiritually for it?

In today’s Gospel, we are reminded: “Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap. For it will come down on every living man on the face of the earth.” The Gospel is not trying to scare the living daylights out of us, or make us paranoid. Instead, we are being reminded that our time on earth is short and we are merely pilgrims here. Instead of becoming complacent in life, we should make effort to grow closer in relationship with God. Are we slowly and surely making effort to do so, so that we would be with our loving God?

I remember years ago when I had just been ordained a priest and I was invited to a wedding dinner. Normally, I would hesitate to go for wedding dinners, because they rarely begin on time, and follow “Malaysian Time” which could drag on for hours waiting before things get started. But since I knew the families well even from the time I was a seminarian, I agreed to attend the wedding dinner. When I arrived at the restaurant, I quickly looked for a place away from the main table, so that I could take leave unassumingly without anyone noticing, when the need arises.

However, before I could warm a seat at a table quite some distance from the main table, the father of the bride spotted me. Just my luck, he caught me in the arm and said, “Father, this is not a suitable place for you, move up to the table next to the main table.” I felt humbled and a little embarrassed as the father of the bride firmly held my arm and escorted me to the proper place, and I was taken aback that my name was even printed on a label at the seat reserved for me, where I could get a good view of the proceedings.

This experience is exactly what happened in the Gospel today, where Jesus said, ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you both may come and say, “Give up your place to this man.” And then, to your embarrassment, you would have to go and take the lowest place. No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say, “My friend, move up higher.” In that way, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’

At the end of the day, I realised that what Jesus taught us in today’s Gospel is very real even today. When we try to show off or tell people how great or capable we are or when we look for titles or honour, we may actually end up eating humble pie. May we learn to remain humble in all we say and do, and give God the glory.

Do we eat to live or do we live to eat? If we say that we live to eat, that means we want to enjoy food and other attractions of the world as much as possible. Some may think that the world is all there is, and after that, they would cease to exist. So such persons would enjoy what this world has to offer to the fullest while they still can. On the other hand, if we eat to live, then we know that our lives on this earth are only temporary, and the choices we make would have eternal consequences. So we try our best to strike a balance in living in this world, with our focus in the next.

In today’s reading, we are cautioned: “The unspiritual are interested only in what is unspiritual, but the spiritual are interested in spiritual things. It is death to limit oneself to what is unspiritual; life and peace can only come with concern for the spiritual. That is because to limit oneself to what is unspiritual is to be at enmity with God: such a limitation never could and never does submit to God’s law. People who are interested only in unspiritual things can never be pleasing to God.”

The question is: are we still going after unspiritual things here on earth, by living to eat and concerning ourselves only with this world, thinking that this world is all there is? Or have we made more effort to strive for more spiritual pursuits, by eating to live so that we could grow closer to God? May we come to realise what is really important in the end, and strive more towards what is spiritual, for our eternal good.

Life as Christians is never easy. We face all sorts of challenges and difficulties, especially since we may need to take a stand or a position which is contrary to the ways of the world. For example, at work we may be asked to promote goods or services which may bring in huge profits and possibly a big bonus or a big pay raise or even a promotion, but such goods or services may be at odds with the teachings of our faith. When this happens, would we being tempted to go astray from God’s ways to the ways of the world? The ways of the world have many attractions and benefits which try to lure us into alienating ourselves from God, and that is why we need to take courage and try hard to avoid going astray. When we fall into temptation, it is not the end yet, since God gives us many opportunities to seek forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, change our ways, and remain in God’s path.

In today’s reading, the prophet Baruch gives us a message of hope: “Take courage, my children, call on God: he who brought disaster on you will remember you. As by your will you first strayed away from God, so now turn back and search for him ten times as hard; for as he brought down those disasters on you, so will he rescue you and give you eternal joy.” Baruch reminds us not to give up or give in to despair, but to keep on trusting in God and walk in His ways, trusting and knowing that He will help us. Even though we may be facing challenges, ridicule and persecution for holding steadfast to our faith, we know that God will not abandon us. Are we willing to be humble and patient in our journey towards eternal joy with Him?