Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: 20th

Tuesday of Week 20 Year 1

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Have you ever wondered why you are unable to grow in your spiritual life? One reason is because some of us are still clinging on to other things or persons, which we are reluctant to let go. These things and persons may be our wealth, riches, titles, popularity, fame, or even loved ones, but when we cling on and focus on these other things, we are actually being burdened by them, for we fear that if we do not pay attention to them, we worry that they may be lost or stolen.

In today’s Gospel, “Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you solemnly, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.’ When the disciples heard this they were astonished. ‘Who can be saved, then?’ they said. Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he told them ‘this is impossible; for God everything is possible.'” The eye of a needle is a door which is shaped in such a way that a camel or any person carrying or clinging to too many things would not be able to pass through. It is only when the things are removed that one could pass through easily.

In the same way, each of us may be finding it difficult to pass through our very own “eye of a needle” to become closer to God. Our deeds and our sins may have become quite numerous; burdening and bogging us down, making it quite difficult or even impossible for us to move on. It is only when we have unloaded or removed such burdens that we would then be able to move closer to God. The question is: are we so fearful or proud to remove such burdens, or are we willing to let go and let God be our guide? God is beckoning us to come to Him so that He can care for us, it is up to us to discard that which is temporary, so that we may attain that which is for all eternity.

Monday of Week 20 Year 1

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Some of us find it quite difficult to detach ourselves from something. Some of us are so attached to our wealth and property, some of us are so attached to our titles, some of us are attached to our popularity and fame, some are even so attached to their spouse, so much so that they become easily jealous or suspicious of their spouse should they be just a little late, or they need to go some place. But whatever attachments we have towards people are things, the fact is we will not be able to remain attached to such persons or things forever. There will come a time where we may lose the person or thing for one reason or another. Then what do we do then?

In today’s Gospel, we come across a young man who claims to have observed all the commandments and wondered what more he needed to do to possess eternal life. While Jesus did not challenge the young man to prove that he had really observed all the commandments, Jesus did challenge the young man to become detached of his wealth, give it all away, and follow Him. This caused the young man to go away sad, for even though he may have supposingly observed all the commandments, he was still not able to observe the commandment to love, rich and poor alike. When we observe all the commandments, we observe them because we want to love God and neighbour, and not observe the commandments like robots. The young man may have thought that observing the commandments was good enough, but what he had failed to realise is that it is meaningless to observe without genuine love and charity towards others.

What about us? Are we observing all the commandments because we love God and neighbour? Or are we still entrapped in our own agenda, by observing the commandments only for our benefit or when it suits us? May we be humble and willing to become detached from things and persons around us, so that we could learn to depend more and more in God’s providence and care.

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

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Some people think that they are very wise, or that they supposingly have wisdom beyond their years. Others think that they are very intelligent. But is an intelligent person considered a wise person? If a person is clever in doing something or accomplishing something, is that person considered wise? Sometimes we come across people who have given up much of their time and wealth helping others. There are some in society who view such people as foolish, silly or stupid, since they think that such people could have used their time “wisely” for better pursuits. But are such people wise in helping others? Or are those who think these folks are being foolish, silly or stupid the ones who are wise? What is wisdom, really?

In Proverbs 9:10, we are told: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” This is quite a different picture of wisdom from what the world thinks as wisdom. In fact, St. Paul in today’s second reading reminds us: “Be very careful about the sort of lives you lead, like intelligent and not like senseless people. This may be a wicked age, but your lives should redeem it. And do not be thoughtless but recognize what is the will of the Lord.” When we are thinking with the mind of God, when we learn to fear Him with awe and reverence, we begin to learn and appreciate true wisdom, which is God’s wisdom.

This is why we would never be able to reconcile human wisdom with God’s wisdom. One classic example of how human wisdom differs greatly from God’s wisdom is the Eucharist. We Christians believe that Jesus is truly present in the consecrated bread and wine. The bread may continue to look and taste like bread, but our faith tells us that it is no longer bread but Christ himself. This is something really hard to understand or accept if we rely only on human wisdom. Moreover, in the Gospel, Jesus insisted that He is the living bread from heaven and that anyone who eats this bread will live for ever. Not only that, Jesus insisted that his “flesh” is that bread of life. Naturally, the Jews reacted in an understandable way, since they relied on human wisdom and logical intelligence, and they even argued among themselves: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” But God’s wisdom does not need to be logical, since His wisdom goes beyond our logic and our limited understanding. At Communion, it is Jesus that we are receiving, his flesh, his body. This may sound like foolishness or absurdity to the world, but for us it is wisdom, since we know and believe that Jesus is the only food that can satisfy all our wants and desires.

Therefore, let us not focus too much only on trying to be intelligent or clever, since these things are only temporary and will fail us some day. Let us also not depend too much on human wisdom, since what appears to be wise in human terms may not necessarily be so in God’s terms. Instead, let us make more effort to seek divine wisdom, so that with God’s help and guidance, we will grow closer to Him and one day be with Him for all eternity.

Thursday of Week 20 Year 2

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As children, some of us may have dreaded taking a bath. Some of us may have run away screaming or crying, not wanting to be given a good washing or scrubbing. Sometimes, our parents would find ways or means to trick us into having a bath. Eventually, as we grew older, we began to realise the importance and necessity of taking a bath. Some of us began to take baths more often, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day, sometimes more, so that we could keep clean and maintain good personal hygiene.

In today’s reading, God gave His people a good cleaning and makeover: “I shall pour clean water over you and you will be cleansed; I shall cleanse you of all your defilement and all your idols. I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your bodies and give you a heart of flesh instead. I shall put my spirit in you, and make you keep my laws and sincerely respect my observances. You will live in the land which I gave your ancestors. You shall be my people and I will be your God.” By doing so, God took the initiative to help His people move away from their uncleanness and shepherd them so that they would grow and prosper as His people. In the same way, God is also taking the initiative to help and guide us. The question is: are we willing to let Him shepherd us and help us?

Just as our bodies get dirty and need cleansing, our souls too get dirty when we sin and need cleansing. When we seek forgiveness earnestly and sincerely through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, our souls are cleansed. God is inviting us to come closer to Him and be His people. He wants us to remain clean and happy, depending on His providence and care. Are we still stubbornly trying to run away and remain dirty?

Wednesday of Week 20 Year 2

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In this world, we often expect to be rewarded according to our job performance. We expect better pay, better benefits, better bonuses and better working conditions, especially if we think we are performing well or better than others. When we don’t get what we expect, some of us may become upset, angry, disillusioned or in some cases, even leave the present job in search of greener pastures. In other words, “whats in it for me” seems to be more important to us than “how can I be of service for a better world.”

In today’s Gospel, the landowner hired workers at different times of the day to work in his vineyard. What was agreed upon was one denarius a day, regardless of how long a worker has worked. When it came to payment time, the landowner honoured his part of the agreement by giving every worker the same amount of one denarius, regardless of whether they worked for one hour or several hours. Of course, some of the workers may have felt it was unfair, some may have felt they were cheated, but did they have a right to feel this way? The landowner had agreed to pay one denarius, and he chose to be generous and fair to all. He said: “My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the last comer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why be envious because I am generous?”

God is like that landowner. He is generous to all. He lets the sun shine, the rain fall, crops grow, so that all peoples may grow and prosper. If God is generous to all, do we have a right to complain? Are we trying to tell God what to do, according to our perception or expectations?

Tuesday of Week 20 Year 2

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Some of us may have a lot of baggages in our lives. We carry our baggages wherever we go. These baggages may not necessarily be items or things, there are even baggages that others do not see, and to a certain extend, baggages that we ourselves do not see. When we have these baggages, we become encumbered, we are unable to move properly, we are unable to listen to God’s voice, because these baggages are constantly distracting us, blocking our view, or even making us feel good about ourselves. We begin to think that we are self-sufficient, we do not need help, and we do not need God.

In today’s Gospel: “Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you solemnly, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.’ When the disciples heard this they were astonished. ‘Who can be saved, then?’ they said. Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he told them ‘this is impossible; for God everything is possible.'” When a camel has a lot of baggages on its back, it becomes difficult for the camel to move easily, and it becomes even more difficult for the camel to pass through narrow gates. The baggages are a cumbersome hindrance and it is only when such baggages are removed that the camel can go through. In the same way, when we continue to cling on to our baggages, we too are unable to move on. We may feel as if our baggages are too difficult or too heavy, but God is inviting us to let go, trust in Him and depend on Him. God can make the impossible possible and make it possible for us to move on. The question is: are we willing and humble enough to let God help us detach ourselves from our baggages, so that we can grow closer to Him?

Monday of Week 20 Year 2

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What is the stumbling block which is preventing us from truly loving God and becoming closer to Him? For some, it is pride, making them think that they are the greatest, smartest, or fastest. For some, it is anger or jealousy, being unable to control their temper and being jealous of other people’s abilities or achievements, instead of being content with the gifts they have. What about you? Do you have a stumbling block which is creating barriers and making it tough for you to grow in relationship with God?

In today’s Gospel, we come across a rich man who wanted to be closer to God. However, this rich man had a major stumbling block. At the beginning of the Gospel, we can see that he possessed great wealth, and he thought that he could find a way to possess eternal life, as the rich man said: “Master, what good deed must I do to possess eternal life?” The rich man claimed to have kept the commandments, but Jesus then challenged him further. Jesus challenged the rich man to give up his wealth and follow him, so that he could learn and depend on God’s providence, instead of depending on his wealth. But when the young man heard these words he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth. His wealth had become his stumbling block. He wanted to have his cake and eat it too, but one needs to choose: to remain attached to one’s wealth, or willing to let go and follow Jesus. When we become attached to our wealth, our position, or our fame, we become more concerned about such things, and fail to listen to God’s voice. Do we want that which is temporary in this world, or do we want that which is eternal?

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

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Some people think that their race or ethnic group are superior or special. They think that others must give in or “kow tow” to their every whims and fancies. Even among people of the same race or ethnic group, we see segregation and discrimination. People treat others unfairly and with contempt, especially those whom they think are less capable or do not think or act like they do. Even in our churches, are we behaving lovingly and caringly like brothers and sisters in Christ, like sons and daughters of God? Sometimes we see people forming cliques or focusing only with people they are comfortable with, people who perhaps share the same age group, language, culture, interests, or ideas. Is this what we should be as children of God?

In the first reading, Isaiah reminds us: “Thus says the Lord: Have a care for justice, act with integrity, for soon my salvation will come and my integrity be manifest. Foreigners who have attached themselves to the Lord to serve him and to love his name and be his servants – all who observe the sabbath, not profaning it, and cling to my covenant – these I will bring to my holy mountain.” Notice that here, all peoples who listen to God’s will are part of God’s fold. It does not matter who you are, whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, God treats you as His own, if you obey His commandments. St Paul in today’s second reading also reminds us that He was sent to pagans as their apostle, and that “God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.” Our ancestors were once pagans and were saved through the grace of God. This shows that God’s salvation is given to all people without discrimination. God’s grace is not reserved for any particular race.

As Christians, we cannot have an attitude of isolation or think that we are better or superior to others. God reminds us to “have a care for justice and act with integrity” to all. It matters not who we are, what ethnic group we come from, what religion we profess, God loves all. We should not condemn others or belittle them just because they look, behave, act or think differently than us. We should always show respect to them and put aside our prejudices. We must allow our faith to transform our culture, attitudes and our history. In this way, we can become effective witnesses to all. Are we willing to take up the challenge and love and witness to all, as brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of our loving God?