Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: 15th

Thursday of Week 15 Year 2

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How do you train a buffalo or lighten its load? By putting another buffalo next to it so that the other buffalo would help to drag the load, or to pull the cart, or to plow a field. If one buffalo were to do the task on its own, the task may be completed but it may take a longer time to do so. To enable a buffalo to do these tasks, the buffalo needs to be fitted with a device called a yoke. When we see a yoke designed with two openings to be placed on the shoulders of buffalos, then we would know that the yoke is meant for two buffalos, to enable the task to be done faster or more efficiently.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus invites us to “Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.” The yoke that Jesus is speaking of obviously has two openings: one for us, and the other for Jesus to shoulder. Jesus is inviting us to join Him in carrying the yoke, so that we can learn how to be like Him and carry out His call to proclaim the Good News. Are we willing to be humble and docile, and let Jesus be our partner in shouldering the yoke? After all, two “buffalos” are better than one, and we have a “buffalo” who is patient and loving towards us.

Wednesday of Week 15 Year 2

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Can a person make himself ot herself? Of course not, since each and every one of us are made by God, through the union of our parents. If the conditions were not right, and our parents had not united as one flesh, we would not have been conceived. So we really cannot make ourselves, and if some of us say we are “self-made,” then perhaps we may be arrogant or too full of ourselves, forgetting that who we are, and where we are today, is a result of many persons and circumstances.

That is why today’s reading questions us: “Does the axe claim more credit than the man who wields it, or the saw more strength than the man who handles it? It would be like the cudgel controlling the man who raises it, or the club moving what is not made of wood!” All that we are, all that we have come to be, is because of the help of many others and especially God’s help. So let us not become to proud or conceited, but give thanks for the many help given to us by others, and especially God’s help and providence. May we be thankful and grateful, and give God the glory.

Tuesday of Week 15 Year 2

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It is certainly not easy remaining faithful as a Christian, especially when we are being tempted by the ways of the world, or we are facing some sort of trial or persecution. Some people take the easy way out and abandon their faith, preferring to save their skin. But time and again we have seen people who chose to persevere and suffer, even to the point of death. We venerate many of such persons as saints at different times throughout the liturgical calendar.

In today’s reading, God tells Ahaz, king of Judah: “Pay attention, keep calm, have no fear, do not let your heart sink…” This is because Jerusalem was under siege, and king Ahaz was fearful of being defeated and destroyed. But God assured him that this would not happen. However, God also reminded the Israelies: “But if you do not stand by me, you will not stand at all.” God can and will help us, just as He did for the Israelites, if we remain with Him, and let Him be our help and guide. Are we going to stand confident and steadfast, trusting in God’s providence?

Monday of Week 15 Year 2

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Sin and God are incompatible, that is, God will not tolerate any trace of sin within us. This means that as long as we have the stench of sin attached to our soul, no matter how small or trivial the sin may seem, we are in danger of drifting away from God. To cleanse us from our sin, Jesus died on the cross to save us and redeem us, but that is only part of the story. We too need to do our part by doing our best to avoid sin, and if we sin, we should not delay in going for confession, to seek forgiveness of our sins and to ask our loving God to help us not to sin again. Of course, this is easier said than done, given the fact that there are many temptations of this world which try to snare us and entice us to sin. This is why we must always remain in the Lord, and let Him guide our thoughts and actions.

In today’s reading, the Lord is beckoning us to “wash, make yourselves clean. Take your wrong-doing out of my sight. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good, search for justice, help the oppressed, be just to the orphan, plead for the widow.” God is calling out to us to return to His ways. Are we willing to rid ourselves of our sins with His help and mercy?

Housekeeping – Week 15 Year 2

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

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

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

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Some of us would still remember our catechism classes or in some cases even at RCIA sessions, where we are reminded of what we can or cannot do as Christians. For example, some of us recall being told that we cannot eat meat on Fridays; or that if we have committed a serious sin we should go for confession first before going for communion; or that we must go to church every Sunday or every day if possible; so many do’s and don’ts which could go on and on. It seems as if being Christian means observing so many laws and restrictions, making life appearing to be stifling or suffocating for some. But is Christian living merely about keeping laws? Well, yes and no, since Christian living actually demands that we keep one Law, which is Love, of which must be the basis of all other laws.

Today’s Gospel tells us of three different persons who came across a man who had been robbed, beaten up, and left for dead. The first two persons, the priest and the Levite, who walked pass the person in distress, were not being ‘bad’ people, so to speak, but they were actually merely trying to be good Jews, since to them, keeping the Law was more important. This is because, to the Jews, to touch someone who was covered in blood would be to touch someone considered ‘unclean.’ The Samaritan, on the other hand, is an outsider, a non-Jew. Yet, it is this Samaritan who reaches out to help the man in need. He goes out of his way to make sure that the man’s well-being is taken care of till the man makes a full recovery.

The Samaritan’s generosity is an example of the kind love which Jesus speaks about in the Gospel, since as the first reading reminds us, “it is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observance.” Love is not merely something we observe or do out of obligation, but must be freely given and freely received. Jesus is the perfect example of this love, by becoming man and dying on the cross for us, so that we may live. In His life and in His death, He was faithful to the greatest law, the greatest commandment, that is the law of love.

Today, let us follow the example of the Good Samaritan, and the example of Jesus, and not merely and blindly follow God’s laws like the priest and the Levite. Instead, let us never forget to follow the greatest law of all, that is the law of Love.

Friday of Week 15 Year 1

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Every once in a while, we come across people who are extreme in their religious views. Such people seem to believe that only their view of a particular religion is the correct or accepted view, and everyone else is deviant or heretical. Some of these people may even go to extremes by committing acts of violence to try and force others to adhere to their views. We have seen countries torn apart by such extremists, who have no qualms of executing or exterminating even people who share the same faith, but hold a different view of the faith they profess.

In today’s Gospel, we come across a group of people who are extreme in their religious views. We call these people the scribes and the Pharisees, who have become so extreme in their interpretation of the law or torah. When it comes to the sabbath, these scribes and Pharisees have gone to the extreme in ruling that no work whatsoever can be done. Even doing a good deed, or caring for someone, or helping someone, is forbidden to them during the sabbath. But Jesus reminded them: “And if you had understood the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the blameless.” It is pointless to keep the sabbath by only showing the external practices just as the scribes and Pharisees did, but our attitude, behaviour and conduct is unbecoming of a Christian. May we take heed of what Jesus said, and observe the sabbath with the right intentions, so that in all we say and do, God is glorified.

Thursday of Week 15 Year 1

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Throughout our lives, we may have been putting on or taking on many different roles and responsibilities. Sometimes these roles and responsibilities could turn out to be quite difficult and burdensome, especially after carrying and performing such roles and responsibilities for an extended period of time. Some of us may feel tired, worn out, or even burned out as we bear the heavy weight of the yoke of such roles and responsibilities. Some may feel tempted to call it quits, or to seek other forms of comfort to lessen or dull the pain. But what should we as Christians do when we are experiencing such a condition?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is comforting us and assuring us when He said: “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.” When we have Jesus helping us and guiding us, we are no longer encumbered by the weight of the yoke we are carrying, since we are not alone in the situation we are in. May we be willing to let Jesus care for us throughout our lives, and let Him be our constant guide.

Wednesday of Week 15 Year 1

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Each and every one of us have been called in one way or another to serve God in different ways. Sometimes God could be calling us in a spectacular way, sometimes the call may not seem that out of the ordinary, but when God calls us, are we able to identify His voice and respond? Are we willing to respond to God’s call or would we try to ignore it, or make all sorts of excuses to try and escape from doing His will?

In today’s reading, we come across the call of Moses, who was called by God to bring His people out of Egypt. Moses was already living quite a comfortable life looking after the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, priest of Midian. Moses would have been quite reluctant to leave his present life and he even said to God, “Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”But God did not let Moses off the hook: “‘I shall be with you,’ was the answer ‘and this is the sign by which you shall know that it is I who have sent you… After you have led the people out of Egypt, you are to offer worship to God on this mountain.'” So Moses went, especially since God’s call was so persistent and constant, that it would have been quite difficult to say no.

Today, God may be calling you to serve Him in a particular vocation. His call may be just as persistent as what Moses had experienced. May we be humble and docile enough to respond to His call and do His will for His glory.

Tuesday of Week 15 Year 1

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Sometimes we come across people who seem to be not bothered about many things, especially if it does not seem to affect them directly. They only are concerned about themselves, or how wealthy or financially secure they can become, or how popular they can become. But when it comes to others, such people are indifferent towards them (in Malay, it is known as “tidak apa” or :tidak peduli” attitude, or don’t care or don’t want to know or don’t want to get involved attitude). We sometimes see such indifferent attitude when it comes to, for example, parking a vehicle, where some people think the road belongs to them or that any place can be used to park their vehicle, and they park indiscriminately, causing congestion and a dangerous situation for other people and vehicles. It is only when such people are slapped with a traffic summons, or their vehicle is damaged, that they begin to take notice and work up a big fuss, even though they are obviously in the wrong but they choose to be arrogant and refuse to admit it.

In today’s reading, we come across the mother of Moses who could have been indifferent towards Moses and send him to his fate. But she did not allow such a thing to happen, and even managed to rescue him by letting him be adopted by Pharoah’s daughter. Then, Moses as an adult could have enjoyed his life and live a good life as a prince of Egypt and not bother about his countrymen. But Moses did not do such a thing. He did not look away or was indifferent to the violence an Egyptian inflicted on his countryman and even killed the Egyptian to save and protect his countryman.

What about us? Have some of us become so indifferent towards the sufferings and needs of others? Have some of us become self-centered, only thinking about our needs and wants? May we realise that the world is to be shared and cared for by all, and that as witnesses of the Good News, we should show our faith by helping and caring for others, just as God does for all.