Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: 13th

Monday of Week 13 Year 1

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If we are told by Jesus to let go of things and people for the sake of the Gospel, would we be willing and humble enough to do so? It is easy to say that we would be willing to do so, but when it comes to having property or possessions, titles or positions, or even people who mean a lot to us or are close to us, would we still be willing to let go of them?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus challenges us to consider exactly that. He said: “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Jesus also said: “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead.” Would we be willing and able to be detached from what we have, even to the extent of being detached from family relationship, so that we would be free to follow Him and preach the Good News? It is certainly not an easy thing to do, but if Jesus calls us to leave everything behind and follow Him, how would we respond? Would we do so happily, sincerely and wholeheartedly?

Saturday of Week 13 Year 2

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In today’s Gospel we could see fasting in two different perspectives: The first perspective is that of John’s disciples and the second perspective is that of Jesus. According to the first perspective, fasting is viewed as an obligation, or something which has to be done, whether one likes it or not. This is why John’s disciples questioned: “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?” The second perspective, that of Jesus, tells us of a deeper meaning of fasting. Jesus responded to John’s disciples by saying: “Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

Jesus wanted to show to John’s disciples that fasting is not merely a legal demand or done just to fulfil a law; instead it is a way of becoming closer to Him. In other words, we could come to an understanding that with Jesus, no fasting is necessary or needed; but away from Him, no amount of fasting suffices. When we fast just to follow the law, such fasting lacks merit and lacks meaning, whereas fasting by observing the spirit of the law brings fullness to our sacrifice, and guides us closer to Jesus. Perhaps we should re-examine our view of fasting and see whether it is something imposed on us or forced upon us, or an avenue and opportunity for us to restore and build our relationship with the Lord.

Saturday of Week 13 Year 1

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Some people think that being the firstborn means one would have certain privileges and benefits compared to subsequent offspring. In some countries and cultures, this may seem the case, as the firstborn, especially male firstborn, is looked upon as the one to uphold the family name or family pride; and the firstborn is given special treatment, including better things, better education, better food, and other perks.

But the reality is, when it comes to God, the firstborn is not necessarily God’s choice. One example of this could be found in today’s reading, where Jacob managed to trick his father into getting the inheritance and special blessing supposingly reserved for the firstborn. Esau was the firstborn but he seemed to have no concern for spiritual matters, whereas Jacob was sneaky and a cheat, but God chose him to be the leader of His people.

What does this mean to us? It means that God’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts, and what He had allowed to take place is eventually for His purposes and His glory. May we surrender ourselves to God’ plan, and let Him use our talents and abilities for His greater glory.

Friday of Week 13 Year 1

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I sometimes come across people who say they do not go to church any more because they have a problem with certain persons in church, or they think that the church is full of hypocrites, or they think that the church is full of sinners. Such persons think that only good people or saintly people should be in church, and everyone else is damned or condemned. But the reality is, the church is not a hotel for saints or even a museum for saints; it is a hospital for sinners.

In today’s Gospel, we are reminded why Jesus came. Jesus came not to call the virtuous, but sinners. Just as Jesus came to call sinners, the church is also following Jesus’ example to call sinners to come and be forgiven and strengthened, especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Eucharist. So if the church is inviting all to come and abide in the Lord, especially sinners, let us not shun or avoid those who have sinned. Rather, let us learn to grow together as one family of God, and together grow in relationship with Him.

Monday of Week 13 Year 1

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When we come for confession, we ask God for forgiveness and mercy because we have sinned. Sometimes, the sin we have committed may be venial sins; other times our sin could be mortal sin. Yet, we make effort to plead to God to forgive us and help us not to sin again. However, when others have wronged us or sinned against us, are we willing to be just as forgiving and merciful to them, just as we ask God to be forgiving and merciful towards us.

In today’s reading, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah had committed grievous sin, and the outcry against them had come up to the Lord. We also hear of Abraham pleading for mercy from God not to destroy the two cities. Because of Abraham’s pleading to spare the innocent in these cities, God was willing to spare the entire cities for the sake of so few innocent persons. This shows us that God’s mercy is incomprehensible and knows no bounds.

If God could spare entire cities for the sake of a few innocent persons, what about us? Are we still finding it so difficult to forgive and be merciful towards others who have sinned against us? May we learn to follow God’s example and be forgiving and merciful towards others, just as He was merciful towards the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and just as He is merciful towards us.

Thursday of Week 13 Year 2

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In today’s reading, the prophet Amos kept warning the Israelites of the impending doom which would happen to them if they did not change their ways and return to the Lord’s path. But Amaziah the priest of Bethel, influenced the king of Israel into thinking that the prophet Amos was a fraud, a fake and a troublemaker. Not only that, Amaziah dared to challenge and chase away the prophet Amos, by saying: “Go away, seer; get back to the land of Judah; earn your bread there, do your prophesying there. We want no more prophesying in Bethel; this is the royal sanctuary, the national temple.” By saying so, Amaziah was convinced that God would not allow anything to happen to the nation and to the temple, since he believed that God was with the nation and resided in the temple. But what Amaziah failed to realise is that it was God who had sent the prophet Amos to warn the Israelites, and that God was not confined only to the temple.

What can be learn from this? When we are proud and egoistic, we fail to listen and take heed of God’s voice and warning. We begin to think that we are ok and nothing will happen to us. But we may realise when it is too late, that we had been only fooling ourselves into complacency and a false sense of security. May we learn to walk humbly in God’s ways, take heed of His promptings, and let Him be our guide.

Wednesday of Week 13 Year 2

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In today’s gospel two men from the country of the Gadarenes were healed at the expense of some pigs. Jesus allowed the devils who had possessed the two men to leave the men, and enter into a large herd of pigs some distance away. As a result, “the pigs charged down the cliff into the lake and perished in the water.”

When the townspeople heard what had happened, what did they do? Instead of rejoicing and being grateful to Jesus, the townspeople implored Jesus to leave. Instead of appreciating the healing and saving power of Jesus, they did not welcome Jesus into their town. Why did they respond in this way? Perhaps it may be because, the townspeople were more concerned about the loss of the pigs and the potential profits to be made. The townspeople seemed to value more about material wealth and possession, instead of Jesus’ presence and salvation.

What about us? Do we value God more than our material possessions? Are we going to welcome Jesus in our lives or let Him go? Some of us may say that we value God more, but do we really mean what we say, or are we just putting on a show, while we continue to cling on to our wealth and possessions, instead of giving glory to God? May we come to realise what is more important, more valuable, and more lasting, and change our ways, while we have the opportunity and time to do so.

Saturday of Week 13 Year 2

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In the Old Testament, God raised prophets every once in a while to remind people of who they are, and how they should live and behave. When a prophet prophesises, the prophet says: “It is the Lord who speaks”, to emphasise that the prophecy is not the prophet’s own words or invention, but it is God who speaks through the prophet.

Today’s reading not only demonstrates this point, but it also gives the people hope of the future where something wonderful is about to happen, where there will be restoration and blessings to come. However, such hope comes with conditions attached. The people are foretold of the will of God and his future plans for his people, and that they are to cooperate with God’s intentions through prayer, patience, persistence, and obeying with faithfulness. Also, the people are foretold of what needs to be done in the present, where they are to called to repentance and to go back to the ways of the Lord. This means that, in a nutshell, the people need to do their part with cooperation and repentance, for the prophecy to be fulfilled.

In our present times, such prophecies of hope were fulfilled when Jesus came, to bring us out of mourning and sadness, and lead us to rejoicing and gladness. Jesus came to save us from our sins and restore our relationship with God. The question is: are we cooperating with repentance, so that Jesus could transform us and help us?

Saturday of Week 13 Year 1

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In some cultures, the male firstborn or older male sibling is often favoured upon and given better privileges and blessings. This is because the male firstborn was thought to be the leader and heir to the throne or family estate. We see many examples around us where the male firstborn is given special treatment and education, with the expectation that he would eventually take over from his father as patriach, leader of the tribe, or even king.

However, when it comes to God, the firstborn is not necessarily His choice to lead His people. One example of this could be found in today’s reading, where Jacob, using wile and conniving ways, managed to trick his father into getting the inheritance and special blessing supposingly reserved for the firstborn. It certainly doesn’t seem fair that Jacob would get away with such trickery but he does, although the blessing certainly included a lot of suffering: He had to flee Esau who was bitter and vengeful, as a consequence of what he had done; He got married and ended up with a father-in-law who was just as bad or even worse a trickster than he was; He had to eventually face Esau. Yet, God works in mysterious ways, and even helped Jacob. Esau was the firstborn but he seemed to have no concern for spiritual matters, whereas Jacob was sneaky and a cheat, but God knew that he had within him what it took to be the leader of his people. The culture of the time said that Esau was the chosen one, but God chose Jacob instead.

This does not mean that God is encouraging any of us to become wile, crafty or tricky to achieve our ends, since His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts, and what He had allowed to take place is eventually for His purposes and His glory. May we surrender ourselves to God’ plan, and let Him use our talents and abilities for His greater glory.

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.