Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: 17th

Saturday of Week 17 Year 2

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It is never easy to tell it as it is, or to tell the cold hard truth. I believe most people prefer to say or hear good news, and try as much as possible to avoid bad news. But the reality is that at times, bad news is necessary to help us grow, or to wake us up on certain realities, or even to protect us from possible harm. Also, at times, bad news could actually turn out to be good news after all, if one were to look at it from a different point of view.

In today’s reading, the priests and prophets wanted to get rid of the prophet Jeremiah, as he had prophesied against the city. But Jeremiah was prophesying bad news not because he enjoyed saying bad things or for the fun of it, but to warn the people of the consequences of not amending their actions and listening to God’s voice. The priests and prophets were not willing to listen to bad news from Jeremiah, but ironically, it was the city officials and the people who chose to do so, since they were convinced that such bad news was necessary and a wake up call for all to buck up and change their ways. Because of this, the city officials and the people refused to get rid of Jeremiah.

What about us? How would we treat bad news? Would we, like the priests and prophets, try to prevent bad news from circulating, or would we, like the city officials and the people, accept such bad news and change our ways? Sometimes bad news could actually save us from mortal danger, or even spiritual danger; and help us become better persons. May we learn to accept news, both good and bad, act upon such news for our own spiritual good, and continue to walk in His ways.

Saturday of Week 17 Year 1

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We sometimes come across persons who are constantly worried or afraid about what other people think of them. Some of such persons crave attention or good feedback, and what others think or say about them affects them tremendously. When such persons crave such attention, they may be doing so to feed their ego and inflate their pride. When they do not get the attention or good feedback they crave, they may become despondent, paranoid or insecure. Some even end up having anxiety and sleepless nights, affecting one’s health all for the sake of getting such attention or good feedback.

In today’s Gospel, King Herod cared more about his reputation and the opinions of others, instead of doing what is morally right and just. As a result, John the Baptist lost his head, so that King Herod could keep what he thinks is his good reputation and the good opinion of others. In other words, King Herod was more interested in “saving face.” What about us? Are we more worried about getting what we think is good reputation, even to the point of committing heinous or despicable acts? Or are we willing to lose face or our reputation, to remain in good standing with God?

Wednesday of Week 17 Year 1

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Some of us go to great extent to achieve or attain something of great value or significance to us. For example, some are willing to pay huge sums of money to buy a piece of land, which we think would later increase tremendously in value, and enable us to rake in a tidy profit when we sell the land. Some are very attracted to a significant other, and would try all ways and means to woo the person’s heart, with hope the person would one day become one’s spouse. Some are willing to sacrifice much time and money to earn a degree, hoping that such a degree would enable one to attain better job prospects and better standard of living.

But when it comes to attaining admittance to the Kingdom of God, and remaining with God for all eternity, how many of us see great value in that? In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is like treasure hidden in a field, or even a fine pearl of great value. If the Kingdom of God is so much more valuable than anything we desire or hope to attain on earth, then how many of us are willing to make effort and sacrifices to attain it? May we come to realise what is truly valuable to us in the end, and make more effort in attaining what is permanent or eternal.

Friday of Week 17 Year 2

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It is not easy for us to stand alone when it comes to upholding truth, righteousness and good principles. We may find ourselves isolated, shunned or even despised by those around us, since we have chosen to do what is right, instead of what is popular or agreeable to others. But if we look at our lives and purpose as Christians, are we called to be accepted and popular, and in doing so commit sin? Or are we willing to stick to following God’s ways, even if it means being treated as an outcast, persecuted, or even face the possibility of being put to death?

In today’s reading and Gospel, we see two examples of what it takes to stand alone for what one believes in and what is right. In the reading, the prophet Jeremiah was not accepted because he only had “bad” news for the people. Even though the priests and prophets in the Temple of the Lord wanted the prophet Jeremiah dead for what he said, the prophet Jeremiah refused to budge from saying what is right. The “bad” news the prophet Jeremiah told the people was for their own good, with hope that they would change their ways and return to the ways of God. In the Gospel, Jesus highlighted that a prophet is not accepted among his own people. He too had to stand alone in the face of rejection and even opposition.

But when we stand alone for what is just and right, we are actually not alone, since God is with us. May we remain steadfast in doing what is just and right, even if it means being alone in such a task, since what we do is not for our own gratification, but for the glory of God.

Monday of Week 17 Year 2

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We all know that personal hygiene is important to ensure that we live healthy lives. One aspect of personal hygiene that we pay attention to is clothing, more so when it comes to undergarments. We would ensure that we wear fresh and clean undergarments, and ensure that those that have been worn or soiled are washed and dried. Wearing used or soiled undergarments would not only cause unpleasant smells to be released, certain diseases as a result of using such used or soiled undergarments may even occur. Moreover, when we do not wash such used or soiled undergarments, such undergarments may eventually end up useless or unusable, since the dirt or soiled parts may eventually become too entrenched in the fabric to be removed. The only thing that one could do when this happens is to throw away such undergarments, since such undergarments have become spoilt, good for nothing.

In today’s reading, the Lord ordered Jeremiah to get a loincloth, wear it and without washing it, hide it among some rocks and then after a time take it out. By doing so, such loincloth had obviously not only become soiled, but also unusable, spoilt, good for nothing. The reading tells us that God chose His people to be His own and He bound Himself close to them, just like a loincloth is bound close to a person. Yet they did not listen to Him and followed the dictates of their own hearts and in doing so, became corrupted like the loincloth, spoilt, good for nothing.

What about us? Are we slowly becoming like that loincloth, eventually becoming soiled, unusable, spoilt, good for nothing? May we make every effort to change our ways and grow closer to God, instead of following the dictates of our own hearts, and risk jeopardising our eternal future.

Saturday of Week 17 Year 2

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I believe most people prefer to hear good news. Sometimes in our pursuit of hearing or receiving good news, we may shut out or avoid news which may be uncomfortable to hear or even shut out or avoid bad news altogether. But the reality of life is that, there will always be ups and downs. We can never experience only ups, since there are times we would need to face the downs also. For example, our heartbeat shows a signal of up and down when it is being monitored. If our heartbeat were to remain level, without any ups and downs, we would be dead.

In today’s reading, the priests and prophets wanted to get rid of the prophet Jeremiah, as he had prophesied against the city. But Jeremiah was prophesying bad news not for the fun of it, but to warn the people of the consequences of not amending their actions and listening to God’s voice. The priests and prophets were not willing to listen to bad news from Jeremiah, but the city officials and the people chose to do so, since they were convinced that such bad news was necessary and a wake up call for all to buck up and change their ways. Because of this, the city officials and the people refused to get rid of Jeremiah.

What about us? How would we treat bad news? Sometimes the bad news we receive is good and necessary for us to change and become better persons. Sometimes bad news could actually save us from mortal danger, or even spiritual danger. May we learn to accept news, both good and bad, and continue to depend on God’s love and mercy, and walk in His ways.

Saturday of Week 17 Year 1

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Does it really matter to us what other people think about us? Some of us may have learnt not to let other people’s thoughts or opinions affect us. However, there are some of us who crave attention or good feedback, and what others think or say about us may affect us tremendously. When we crave such attention, we may be doing so to feed our ego and inflate our pride. When we do not get the attention or good feedback we crave, we may become despondent, paranoid or insecure.

In today’s Gospel, we come across King Herod who cared more about his reputation and the opinions of others, instead of doing what is morally right and just. As a result, John the Baptist lost his head, so that King Herod could “save face.” What about us? If our reputation is at stake, would we continue to remain steadfast in doing what is right and just? Or would we become self-centered, and care only about ourselves and our reputation?

Friday of Week 17 Year 1

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What would you do if one day, your parish has a new parish priest or a new religious sister, and the new person is actually a son or daughter of the parish, that is, someone whose origins are from the parish he or she is now being posted to. Would you accept the person and work with him or her to help the parish grow? Or would you reject the person, because you think that you know the person well enough?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us: “‘A prophet is only despised in his own country and in his own house’, and he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” The people did not accept Jesus because the people thought they knew Him too well, and they already had preconceived opinions and ideas about Him. Their hearts were closed and they did not think Jesus had anything to offer them. As a result, they had rejected Jesus upfront, without even giving Him a chance to help and guide them.

Some of us too may have this attitude problem. Some of us allow our preconceived ideas and opinions to surface and rear their ugly heads, making it difficult for some to accept a familiar face. The question is: are we willing and docile enough to change our attitude and work with the son or daughter of the parish? Who knows, he or she may turn out to be an amazing and loving shepherd and guide. Are we willing to give him or her a chance?

Thursday of Week 17 Year 1

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Whenever we go fishing, most of us would use a fishing rod to try and catch fish. But if one is making a living as a fisherman, quite likely the person would use some sort of net to catch as many things as possible, so that there would be more choices to sell. Once the catch has been made, then the fisherman and his companions would go through things caught in the net, to determine which can be sold, and which is of no use. If the fisherman used a dragnet, then there is a possibility that even things found on the ocean floor would be caught in the net.

In today’s Gospel, we read: “Jesus said to the crowds, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use. This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.'” Just as a dragnet is used to catch all kinds of things, the church is also something like a dragnet, catching persons of many different attitudes, behaviour and background. But instead of separating what is good and what is of no use, the church is where we have many opportunities to grow closer to God, especially by attending Mass and by going for confession consistently and regularly. Let us seize every opportunity given to us to grow closer to God and keep our souls clean, while we prepare to meet the Lord.

Wednesday of Week 17 Year 1

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Do we ever see radiance emitting from certain persons? When a bride is walking the aisle during the wedding, we see the bride’s face radiant and exuberant, as she is experiencing one of the many happy moments in her life. When a penitent has made a good confession, we see his or her face radiant, because a heavy load of sin has been swept away. When a woman finds out she is pregnant, her face shows radiance, as she is excited and joyful of the possibility of becoming a mother. So, we see many situations in life where radiance can be seen on our face.

In today’s reading, Moses’ face was radiant after speaking with the Lord. When we come for Mass, our faces ought to be radiant after we have “spoken” with and listened to the Lord. But is this the case in church? Do we emit radiance after Mass, or do we remain as we are and some of us even put on a sour face or monkey face as we leave the church, due to some reason or another? May we come to realise the presence of the Lord, and like Moses, let our radiance shine for all to see and give Him the greater glory.