Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: 11th

Friday of Week 11 Year 2

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From a young age, we are taught to take care of our bodies. We learn about personal hygiene, and we are reminded to pay attention to certain parts of our bodies which would quite likely smell. We make effort to eat well, so that our bodies would get proper nutrition, and bathe once, twice or even three times a day. All these are good, since neglecting our bodies could lead to medical problems or even relational problems, since people would find it challenging being near to us because of the smell and to some extent, also because of our appearance. But what about our soul? How well do we keep our soul clean? Do we bother about our soul at all?

In today’s Gospel, we are cautioned: “The lamp of the body is the eye. It follows that if your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light. But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be all darkness. If then, the light inside you is darkness, what darkness that will be!” This eye refers to our soul, and when our soul is soiled with sin, our whole being will eventually be engulfed in darkness, causing us to lose contact with God. Are we going to allow ourselves to be consumed with the stench of sin, and tragically lose our eternal inheritance?

Thursday of Week 11 Year 2

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If you observe the way young children play and interact, you would find that, in many cases, such children find it easier to forgive among themselves and move on. From time to time, such children may encounter wrongdoings or misbehaviour, but rather than holding a grudge or getting angry over words and deeds, sometimes for a certain period of time, we could notice that after a while, they would continue playing and having fun, as if nothing had happened. Why is this so? It is because of pride and ego. Such children have not yet developed the level of pride and ego which some of us adults may have.

Today we come across the Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father in the Gospel. I suppose the hardest line to follow is: “And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.” Moreover, the Gospel cautions us: “Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.” If children can and are willing to forgive others quite easily, why do some of us find it so difficult to forgive? When we do wrong or said some unkind words, do we seek forgiveness too, or do we hold on to our pride and ego? Why do we allow our pride and ego to take control of us completely? May we come to realise that forgiveness is not just a one way street, where we expect to be forgiven but we refuse to forgive. Instead, may we learn to forgive others, and be humble enough to seek forgiveness from others. Like children, let us set aside our pride and ego, and learn to be more like our loving God.

Wednesday of Week 11 Year 2

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When we do good things, what is the purpose of us doing so? Do we do good things to show how good we are, or how wonderful or kind we are? Do we do good things to win the admiration of others? Do we expect praise and honour for the good things we do? Or do we do good things to glorify God? What sort of attitude should we have as Christians, when it comes to doing good?

In today’s Gospel, we are reminded: “Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven.” Also, when we are doing good, we should do so in secret, since the Gospel tells us: “…and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.” By doing good deeds in secret, we are not bringing attention to ourselves, but giving God the glory. May we check our motives when doing good, and in all we do, may we give God the greater glory.

Tuesday of Week 11 Year 2

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As Christians, we are often reminded to conduct ourselves or behave or do things in ways very different or totally the opposite of what the world does. For example, we have seen how some people of the world would find ways and means, by hook or by crook, to gain an advantage over others; but as Christians, our goal ought to be towards being with the Lord. Being somebody or successful in the world ought to be not our main concern, but growing in relationship with God is.

Another example of how we Christians ought to be different is when it comes to enemies. No matter how kind or caring we are, no matter how much we have done, we are bound to have people who are not happy with what we say or do, for one reason or another. Some of such persons may even go to the extent of becoming our enemy, bending in finding ways and means to put us down or belittle us. But how do we respond to such persons?

The answer can be found in today’s Gospel: we are to love them just as God loves all of us, regardless of who we are and whether we have been good or bad. Not only that, we are also to pray for our enemies. Can you imagine loving and praying for them, especially when they have said and done so many nasty things towards us? Of course it is not easy, but Jesus is asking us to transcend from the ways of the world, where an eye for an eye and revenge is often used. Instead, we are to be loving, prayerful and merciful; just as God has been to us in many ways. May we learn to follow the ways of Christ, and love all just as God loves us all. Sometimes by doing so, we could cause our enemies to become friends, and show others what it really means to be a Christian.

Monday of Week 11 Year 2

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Are we content with what we have or what we achieved? Or have we become accustomed to looking for more and more? When we want more and more, what happens? We begin to work hard to try and achieve or attain more and more. But what if what we want to achieve or attain is beyond our reach because it belongs to someone else and cannot be given away or sold? Some of us may just let it be, but some of us may resort to doing something unthinkable, even to the point of committing sin, to get what we want. Would you go to the extent of sinning to get what you want, come what may?

In today’s reading, king Ahab wanted Naboth of Jezreel’s vineyard. Naboth had no intention of giving away, or exchanging or selling his vineyard, since the vineyard was ancestral land. So what did Ahab do? He, with the help of his wife Jezebel, had Naboth killed, so that he could take possession of Naboth’s vineyard. What do we see here? We see a classic example of several mortal sins being committed, such as: committing murder, coveting neighbour’s goods, and bearing false witness. Is obtaining such land that important? To some of us, it may not be a big deal, but to Ahab, he had allowed his heart to become poisoned and enslaved with greed, envy, wrath, passion, pride, ego and many other vices.

What about us? Where do we stand? Could some of us already have become like Ahab? Do we value only what we can get or gain here on earth, at the expense of our eternal reward? Would we be in danger of gaining the whole world, but losing our soul?

Housekeeping – Week 11 Year 2

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For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:

12 June 2016 – 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
13 June 2016 – Monday of Week 11 Year 2
14 June 2016 – Tuesday of Week 11 Year 2
15 June 2016 – Wednesday of Week 11 Year 2
16 June 2016 – Thursday of Week 11 Year 2
17 June 2016 – Friday of Week 11 Year 2

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

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We sometimes come across people who think they are good Christians because they observe and keep God’s laws and the laws of the church faithfully. They think that being a Christian or having a Christian faith means keeping such laws. The problem with such thinking is that when we begin to think of our religion as merely a set of laws, our faith is then based on fear of judgment and punishment from God. Some of us begin to think that if we obey these laws we will be blessed and nothing bad will happen to us, but if we break these laws then we will be punished and cursed. When religion is based on fear, we become judgmental. We begin to judge others by external appearances and behaviour, and we are ready to catch people when they make a mistake and are quick to condemn them or even ostracise them from the community. But is this what Christianity really all about? As Christians, how do we see others? Do we often judge others by appearance, remember their mistakes and use it against them?

In today’s readings, we are reminded of what it really means to be a Christian. In the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that “what makes a man righteous is not obedience to the law, but faith in Jesus Christ.” This means that it is not enough to just follow a set of rules and laws, as our faith is based on relationship with God and the heart of our faith must be love. God relates to us not as a judge waiting to punish us when we have done wrong but as a God who loves us, as St. Paul tells us of his faith: “The life I now live in this body I live in faith: faith in the Son of God who loved me and who sacrificed himself for my sake.”

Moreover, we are also called to mercy instead of judgment. Today’s gospel gives us the beautiful story of Jesus and the sinful woman. In the Gospel, the Pharisee who invited Jesus to his house only saw a sinful woman. This woman is described as one who had “a bad name in town.” For the Pharisee, this woman’s sin was too great and cannot be forgiven, and that she was already condemned and doomed. But Jesus saw the woman differently. He knew that she was a sinner but he also knew she could change if given the opportunity. Mercy and forgiveness creates the opportunity for change, and allows us to leave the past behind. Mercy and forgiveness is how God relates with us and challenges us to also show mercy and forgiveness to others.

Today, may we begin to show mercy, understanding and forgiveness to one another. May we recognise that we are all sinners and acknowledge that we are not perfect. May we admit that we have hurt one another by our pride, ego, and selfishness. But let us not remain trapped by our failings, because God has shown us a way forward through forgiveness and mercy. May we press on in our journey, as we learn to forgive and be forgiven, and let our loving God be our help and guide.

Friday of Week 11 Year 1

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As Christians, we are often tempted to be attracted to wealth, riches and property. The advertisements that we see on television or hear on the radio, the various posters and billboards that we see next to the road, all seem to bombard us with the message that wealth ought to be our ultimate purpose and goal in life. How do we survive and avoid such constant attacks and temptations?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and woodworms destroy them and thieves can break in and steal. But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor woodworms destroy them and thieves cannot break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Jesus reminds us that all the wealth, riches and property in the world are temporary, can be corrupted, can be stolen, and merely illusions. Such riches do not satisfy or bring us happiness, since we will never have enough of it. Instead, we should be focusing more on building a good relationship with God, since being with Him should be our ultimate goal. The question is: are we merely looking for that which is temporary, or are we looking for that which is eternal?

Thursday of Week 11 Year 1

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Whenever we do something wrong, it seems easy for us to ask God for forgiveness. After all, we do not actually see God, but we trust that God would be loving and merciful to us, and forgive us. But forgiveness is not just a one way street or one-sided. The forgiveness we ask from God has got a clause in the fine-print, something which some of us may overlook, ignore or fail to observe.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us: “And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us… ‘Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.'” We ask for forgiveness from God, but some of us find it so difficult or so hard to forgive others, due to our pride, prejudice, ego, or even our arrogance. Let us be humble and willing to forgive others, since God is loving and forgiving to all of us, regardless of who or what we are.

Wednesday of Week 11 Year 1

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Every once in a while, we come across people who are quite tight fisted or stingy or calculative with their wealth and time. Such people expect the church to give them all kinds of things, but they themselves are quite reluctant to give in return. Some even put on a monkey face or sour face when giving, as if they are having their teeth pulled or they are undergoing some sort of extremely painful procedure. I recall with amusement a person asking for a tax-exemption receipt for a small donation, even though the sum donated was quite small and most people would have been embarrassed to ask for such a receipt in the first place.

In today’s reading, St. Paul cautions us: “Do not forget: thin sowing means thin reaping; the more you sow, the more you reap. Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver. And there is no limit to the blessings which God can send you – he will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still have something to spare for all sorts of good works.”

Are we giving because we are being pressured or forced or coerced to? Or are we giving happily and willingly? Are we giving because we want to show off how wealthy, supposingly generous or how great we are? Or are we giving to glorify God? Let us be reminded that God is generous to each and every one of us by being our providence and guide, and what He grants us is far more substantial than what we could ever give.