Category Archives: 1st Week

How much faith do we really have in God? Some of us say we have faith but at the back of our mind some may be doubting whether God really listens to our prayers or cares for us. Some look for other sources for help, thinking that it is better to have a backup plan, in case they do not get any response from God. Some may have given up on God altogether. What about you? What sort of faith do you have in God? Is your faith a convenient faith, where you pick and choose when to trust in God’s providence?

In today’s Gospel. two blind men followed Jesus shouting, “Take pity on us, Son of David.” These blind men did not just sit around and expect Jesus to heal them, they took effort to follow Jesus till He reached the house. They had total faith that Jesus would heal them and due to their faith in Him, their sight was returned to them. From this Gospel reading, we too can learn from these blind men. Our faith cannot be an armchair or stagnant one. We need to show our faith earnestly, with hope that God would grant our requests. Let us remain in faith in God, for He knows what is best for us and would help and guide us in His time.

Words can sometimes be empty or useless, if such words are uttered without conviction and action. For example, we can say to our partner, spouse, loved ones or friends “I love you,” but if we do not do anything, then we may be guilty of not meaning what we say. Sometimes we come across people who say things just to curry favour others, or just to flatter them, or just to sound good, but these people do not “walk the talk” or in Bahasa Malaysia: “cakap tak serupa bikin” (which is roughly translated as “saying one thing, but doing another (if one is doing anything at all).” Basically, action speaks louder than words.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said to his disciples: “It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Here Jesus is emphasising that one not only needs to listens to these words of His, but also needs to act on them. When we look at our lives, are we merely wasting our words frivolously? Are we people of integrity, meaning what we say? Let us examine ourselves closely and say what we mean, for the betterment of our eternal future.

What does it mean to be childish? What does it mean to childlike? To be childish is “to be like a child” or “to be silly and immature.” To be childlike, on the other hand, is “to have the good qualities, such as innocence, associated with a child.” Some people may think themselves as adults or mature, but in some situations or circumstances, such persons may be quite childish in their attitude or behaviour. Likewise, there are people who have learnt to be humble and dependent on God’s providence, being childlike in their relationship with God. What sort of person have you become?

In today’s Gospel, we are reminded that there are things which are revealed to mere children and not to the learned or clever. This is not to imply that God is being unfair or discriminating towards the learned or clever. But what is happening here is that there are the learned or clever who have become quite full of themselves, thinking that they know it all. Such persons are unable to listen to the promptings of God, because they are unable to be childlike and depend on God’s care and providence. Pride, prejudice and a bloated ego are some obstacles which prevent some of these learned or clever from becoming closer to God.

What about us? Are we making effort to be more childlike in our relationship with God? God is prompting and inviting us to learn from Him. It is up to us to change our attitude and behaviour, nd open ourselves to His care.

Every once in a while, we come across people demonstrating great faith despite facing great odds or great difficulties. Some of these people may be in your neighbourhood or even within your family and relations. When we are facing similar difficulties, problems or dangers, would we have great faith that God would help us?

In today’s Gospel, we come across a centurion in Capernaum who came up and pleaded with Jesus to heal his paralysed servant. Romans citizens and Roman officers such as centurions do not normally have anything to do with Jews, especially when it comes to what some may consider an itinerant preacher or rabbi like Jesus. But this centurion not only went to see Jesus, he even pleaded with Him for help. What is even more astonishing is the humility and complete confidence of the centurion in Jesus, so much so that he had full trust that all Jesus needed to do was to issue the order, and his servant would be healed. Such trust, such confidence, such faith this centurion had on Jesus!

What about us? Some of us say we trust and have faith in Jesus, but do we mean what we say or are we going to start looking elsewhere when we are faced with problems, persecution, or difficulties which seem quite unbearable? Let us take after the example of this centurion, and with full faith and confidence let Jesus be our help and guide.

Sometimes when we pray and ask God for something, we may not necessarily get what we want so quickly. When this happens, how would we respond? Some would be patient and persistent in asking. Others may give up, thinking that we won’t get it anyhow.

Today’s Gospel shows us how the 2 blind men were patient and persistent by following Jesus as He went on His way. These 2 kept shouting, “Take pity on us, Son of David.” Due to their patience, persistence and faith, Jesus healed them and their sight returned. What about us? Are we willing to go the distance with persistence, patience and faith, knowing that the Lord will grant what is best for us?

Are we sensible people? Or are we stupid people? Some of us may take offence if someone would dare to ask us such questions. After all, would you dare to say such things to others? Surely not! However, this is precisely the gist of the Gospel today. Jesus Himself made this statement: “Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man… But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man…” Notice that Jesus is telling us that we should not just listen to His words, He also asserts that we need to act on them if we are sensible.

Therefore, we should ask ourselves honestly: are we really sensible people or not? For Jesus warned us: “It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Have we been doing God’s will, or our will?

There are times in life where we may feel as if no one is bothered about us, or people are too busy to notice us. This may cause some of us to feel unwanted, unloved, unappreciated and some may despair. However, today’s Gospel reminds us that we have an Eternal Shepherd who is loving to all of us and willing to cure the lame, the crippled, the blind, the dumb and many others. Even when the crowd had been with Him for 3 days, clinging and pondering on His words, He did not want to send them off hungry, for they might collapse on the way. This led to a miracle of the multiplication of seven loaves and fish.

Seeing how loving and concerned Jesus is towards all of us, we need to look at ourselves and ponder sincerely. Have we been loving and concerned towards others, following the example of Jesus? Have we learnt to be generous in our giving, just as we have received God’s generosity?