Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: 18th

Friday of Week 18 Year 1

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Many people call themselves Christians or claim to be followers of Christ. But are these people really following Christ? Or are they merely Christians in name only? Are we following and practicing Jesus’ teachings, or are we only picking and choosing what suits us or what is convenient to us? It is easy to call ourselves Christians, but it is a different matter altogether to remain faithful in following and practising His teachings, not just a portion or a part of His teachings which appeal to us, but all that He has taught us, even those parts which are difficult or challenging to observe. What exactly does Jesus expect of us then?

In today’s Gospel, we read: “Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and, when he does, he will reward each one according to his behaviour.’

Being a follower of Christ basically means we are willing to renounce ourselves, renounce our old ways, our pride, our ego and our prejudices, and be willing to put on new ways in Christ. It means we are to follow the law of love which sums up what Christ has taught us; not just loving God, but loving neighbour as well. Have we truly been faithful disciples of Christ in word and deed?

Wednesday of Week 18 Year 1

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Some of us may have taken our faith for granted at times. When times are good, when we are enjoing peace and prosperity, some of us may have become complacent, wallowing in the good life. But what if, all of a sudden, the good life we had been enjoying is gone. Persecution is taking place all around us, many of our faithful are being put to death, and we are living in a perilous environment. Many of us would then turn to God in prayer and supplication, asking Him to rescue us, but some may lose faith and turn to other forms of help, thinking that they would stand a better chance of survival, and yet some would even go so far as to abandon their faith to save their skin. As Christians, how should we respond to such a situation?

In today’s Gospel, we come across a Canaanite woman who was pestering Jesus to heal her daughter. The Canaanites generally have got nothing to do with the Jews or even Jesus for that matter. They were considered pagans and the Jews had been warned not to mix around with them, for fear that they would become attracted to their pagan ways. But despite the suffering this Canaanite woman was experiencing, despite the fact that the Jews shunned such people, this Canaanite woman had great faith in Jesus. She had faith, trust and confidence that Jesus would heal her daughter. Jesus must had been quite amazed with such great faith, and even though He said: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel,” Jesus had found that even a Canaanite woman could have greater faith in Him than “the lost sheep of the House of Israel” at times. Because of the Canaanite woman’s great faith in Jesus, her daughter was freed from her torment.

What can we make out of this? Today’s Gospel shows us that we should never take our faith for granted. We should have trust and faith in Jesus, in good times and in bad. We should not be complacent with our faith, but be alert and ready at all times. When the time comes to show our faith, may we be courageous and bold, knowing that we are being witnesses of Jesus for His glory.

Tuesday of Week 18 Year 1

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Sometimes life can be tough, especially in the present economic situation many of us are in. We begin to worry about making ends meet, and we become more and more engrossed with our work and trying to make a living, that we may have given less and less time for God. We think that this is real life, it is not fair, it is a struggle, and we have to go at it on our own. But sometimes, we come to a situation that we cannot seem to free ourselves from, or we are stuck and do not know how to resolve. What do we do? Some of us may try alternative forms of help, thinking that these would somehow help us through, but more often than not, these alternative forms may only land us into more problems than solutions. Then what?

In today’s Gospel, the disciples were in a boat battling with a heavy sea, for there was a head-wind.went towards them. We read: “When the disciples saw him walking on the lake they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost’ they said, and cried out in fear. But at once Jesus called out to them, saying, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ It was Peter who answered. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.’ ‘Come’ said Jesus. Then Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water, but as soon as he felt the force of the wind, he took fright and began to sink. ‘Lord! Save me!’ he cried. Jesus put out his hand at once and held him. ‘Man of little faith,’ he said ‘why did you doubt?’ And as they got into the boat the wind dropped.”

Each of us may have been experiencing heavy seas in our lives. We think that our problems are too difficult to solve. But if we put our trust in Jesus and let Him be our guide, then our problems are no longer problems but opportunities for us to grow closer to Jesus. We may not get everything we want, but Jesus can provide for us our needs, if we have faith and trust in Him. Let us not doubt any longer or think that Jesus has abandoned us, but continue to be patient and persistent in our trust and faith in Him, knowing that He will do what is best for us in His time and for His glory.

Monday of Week 18 Year 1

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Some of us worry a lot and are worrywarts. We worry about so many things, sometimes things which are actually not a big deal. So how do we lessen or stop our worrying? By being more trusting towards God’s care, love, goodness and providence. If God is there for us, and if we believe that God can help us, then we should be free from worries. We should be more willing to care and share with others, because God is there for us and we will not be lacking as God can provide for us.

In today’s Gospel, we see how the disciples were worried about what to do with the crowd. We read: “When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the time has slipped by; so send the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food.’ Jesus replied, ‘There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves.’ But they answered ‘All we have with us is five loaves and two fish.’” Here, we see how the disciples still did not get it. They still did not recognise or have enough trust in Jesus. They were more concerned of themselves and wondered how they were going to feed such a crowd with so few loaves and fish. But Jesus showed them that when we give, we can receive even more, and we see this in the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fish which Jesus performed right in front of their eyes.

So let us not be too worried or concerned. Instead, let us put our trust in God, knowing and trusting in His providence. After all, if He can feed so many with so little, just imagine what He could do for us if we depend on Him and let Him be our help and guide.

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

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Some people go through life without knowing exactly what they really want, what they really desire. Some people think what they really want is happiness, some think what they really want is peace and prosperity, others think what they really want is to marry a girl or a boy who would be a lifelong companion. The list could go on and on, and there may be so many things we want or desire. But do we really want or desire these things? More often than not, the things that we want or desire may change according to the circumstances we are in. Even though we may have gotten what we wanted or desired, quite likely it would only be a temporary thing or short-lived experience, since there will always be something else that would catch our attention. No matter how hard we try to fulfil our wants, we would only attain temporary gratification and satisfaction.

In the first reading, the Israelites had already been rescued from slavery in Egypt by God. Not only that, they had Moses to lead them. But were the Israelites satisfied and grateful for what God had done for them? No. They complained and complained. When in Egypt, they complained about being enslaved. When brought out of Egypt, they complained that they had no food in the desert. God still provided the Israelites with bread from heaven, even though they had been constantly unsatisfied and ungrateful. Even with bread from heaven, the Israelites still complained and complained. Such difficult people to please indeed.

What about us? Are some of us like the Israelites in some way? If our lives are constantly dictated or enslaved by our wants and desires, there will never be an end to our dissatisfaction, unhappiness and complaints.We will always be dissatisfied, unhappy, and unfulfilled even if we have supposingly attained all our wants and desires, because it is never enough, and even all is not enough. That is why St. Paul reminds us in the second reading: “You must give up your old way of life; you must put aside your old self, which gets corrupted by following illusory desires. Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual revolution so that you can put on the new self that has been created in God’s way, in the goodness and holiness of truth.” What is this new self all about? It is a new self in Jesus, as Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.” If our lives undergo a “spiritual revolution,” if we are able to allow Jesus to be at the heart and centre of our lives, then there is no need for us to crave for anything else. There is no need for us to run after riches, wealth, happiness, recognition, success and fame, since we have Jesus, and Jesus is enough.

Today, let us look at the kind of lives we are living. Some of us call ourselves Christians, but in spite of receiving Jesus, some of us still want more. If we believe that Jesus is the bread of life who satisfies our every want and need, then why do we still look for other things? Is Jesus not enough for us? This does not mean we should not do our part to survive in this world, but it means we should consider what is it we ultimately want and desire. May we choose wisely what is it we really want and desire, for the betterment of our eternal future.

Friday of Week 18 Year 2

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Some of us want to be somebody in this world. We work hard, and do our utmost best to climb the career ladder, hoping to become a VIP (Very Important Person) or a big shot in some way. Perhaps some may try to accomplish some extraordinary feat to become famous or successful. However, all these things we do or try to gain: are these things all that matters? In our efforts to make a name for ourselves or to gain recognition or power or prestige, we may in the process be losing our life, especially our spiritual future.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus admonishes and reminds us: “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?” We may be so engrossed with our temporal achievements, that we may neglect other things. For example, we may neglect our health, our family, and our friends, and one day we may find that we may have achieved what we desire, only to lose other things which are in actual fact more precious and important, but we failed to realise and appreciate these other things till it is too late. In the same way, we may lose our spiritual future and we may only realise our loss only when it is too late.

Are we aware of what is happening, or have we become engrossed only with ourselves? Let us be reminded what Jesus tells us: “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and, when he does, he will reward each one according to his behaviour.” Have we been behaving ourselves for the benefit of our eternal future?

Thursday of Week 18 Year 2

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Persons in authority could sometimes begin to become too comfortable with their position. When they were first promoted to a position of authority, they may have behaved in a certain way, perhaps with humility and trust in the Lord. But as the years go by, would they be able to continue maintaining such behaviour? Perhaps some may be able to do so, but what about the others?

In today’s Gospel, we see Simon Peter being praised and then given the keys of the kingdom of heaven. We do not have any elaboration in the Gospel on how Simon Peter reacted towards such an honour and responsibility, but shortly after that, we see Simon Peter being admonished by Jesus and was even said to his face: “Get behind me Satan.” Perhaps Simon Peter was influenced by the evil one to remonstrate with Jesus. Perhaps Simon Peter was genuinely concerned and did not want the Lord to be taken away.

But whatever his intentions may be, we can learn from this incident that authority is not for us to misuse, authority is not for us to think that we know all the solutions, nor is it a means for us to lord it over others. Authority means we need to do as Jesus tells us with love, patience and humility. Also, this incident reminds us that at times, we may be an obstacle to God’s plan, especially if we try to interfere with matters instead of being trusting and humble towards God’s Wisdom. Things happen for a reason and it is not for us to try and reason everything. Are we able and willing to walk humbly before God, and serve Him faithfully with trust and perseverance?

Tuesday of Week 18 Year 1 & 2 – For Year A (Gospel)

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What does it mean to be scupulous? A person who is scrupulous is said to be diligent, thorough, and extremely attentive to details. A person who is scrupulous is also known to be very concerned to avoid doing wrong. Sometimes in the process of trying to avoid any wrong doing, such persons may end up following rules and regulations according to the letter of the law, and not according to the spirit of the law. A scrupulous person may be so concerned with the action and fail to be loving, compassionate, or merciful. This is the situation that the Pharisees had gotten themselves into. They were more concerned about appearing to be good and upright in following the law, that they had become cold, indifferent and calculative in being charitable towards others.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus told the people: “What goes into the mouth does not make a man unclean; it is what comes out of the mouth that makes him unclean.” Jesus was admonishing the Pharisees for only being concerned with the tradition of the elders such as ritual cleansing before a meal, but the Pharisees did not see any problem or wrongdoing when it came to words they uttered, words of condemnation, or hurtful sayings they may have committed along the way. What about us? Have we become so scrupulous like the Pharisees, only concerned about the externals, that we forget that our attitude, behaviour and way of life have become a contradiction to the values of the Gospel?

Monday of Week 18 Year 2 – For Year A (Gospel)

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Some of us face many kinds of difficulties and challenges in life. Sometimes we feel as if such difficulties and troubles are too overwhelming, so much so that we may be tempted to give up. Instead of continuing to fervently pray and depend on God’s help, some may have doubted in God’s providence and turned to other forms of help such as shamaans, medicine men and bomohs, thinking that these other forms of help would really help them, only to later find that they are of no help.

In today’s Gospel, the disciples were battling with a heavy sea, and they doubted when Jesus came towards them, thinking that He was a ghost. Peter also doubted when he felt the force of the wind, took fright and began to sink, and Jesus put out his hand at once and held him. When we doubt, we begin to question whether God is able to help us. We fail to realise that God can help us, but according to His time. When we ask God for help, we cannot expect or demand that He will help us immediately according to our terms. Are we trying to control God? Let us be patient and persistent in prayer, knowing that God can and will help us. When and how? Trust and pray, go do your best today, and leave it in the hands of the Lord.

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

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Some of us worry a lot and are worrywarts. We worry about so many things, sometimes things which are actually not a big deal. We worry about our present circumstances, we worry about our future, we worry about our family, our financial situation, etc. When we worry, we are actually looking only at ourselves, we are looking at our needs and perhaps the needs of our loved ones. We have little or no time to think of the needs of others, especially those not close to us or those around us.

So how do we lessen or stop our worrying? By being more trusting towards God’s care, love goodness and providence. In the second reading, we are reminded that “Nothing can come between us and the love of Christ, even if we are troubled or worried, or being persecuted, or lacking food or clothes, or being threatened or even attacked. These are the trials through which we triumph, by the power of him who loved us.” If God is there for us, why do we still worry? If we believe that God can help us, then we should be free from worries. We should be more willing to care and share with others, because God is there for us and we will not be lacking as God can provide for us.

In today’s Gospel, we see how the disciples were worried about what to do with the crowd. We read: “When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the time has slipped by; so send the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food.’ Jesus replied, ‘There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves.’ But they answered ‘All we have with us is five loaves and two fish.’” Here, we see how the disciples still did not get it. They still did not recognise or have enough trust in Jesus. They were more concerned of themselves and wondered how they were going to feed such a crowd with so few loaves and fish. But Jesus showed them that when we give, we can receive even more, and we see this in the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fish which Jesus performed right in front of their eyes.

The more we are willing and prepared to give, the more blessings we would receive from God. It matters not how much or how little we give, it is the heart or quality of the giving that matters. Some people give a lot, but they may do so grudgingly or to show off. But if we are genuinely willing to give happily and generously, God will bless us abundantly, sometimes in ways which are beyond what we imagine. Are we willing to trust in God’s providence and share what we have?