Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: 22nd

Saturday of Week 22 Year 2

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What does it mean to “Keep holy the Sabbath” and what is the reason for this commandment? The Sabbath rest was meant to be a time to remember and celebrate God’s goodness and the goodness of his work both in creation and redemption. It was intended to bring everyday work to a halt and to provide needed rest and refreshment. So Jesus’ disciples were scolded by the scribes and Pharisees, not for plucking and eating corn from the fields, but for doing so on the Sabbath. But is this what keeping holy the Sabbath really mean, where absolutely nothing could be done?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus defending His disciples by asserting that human need takes precedence over ritual custom. He reminds the scribes and the Pharisees of what David and his companions did. In their hunger, they ate the bread of offering which only the priest can lawfully eat. Then he concludes with these words, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” What Jesus is trying to tell the scribes and Pharisees and us too, is that the Sabbath is meant to be used to honour the Lord in the way you treat your neighbour, while celebrating the Lord’s Day. Instead of being over legalistic or petty, we should seek the good of our neighbour in all situations with respect and kindness. May we make every effort to honour the Lord in our work and in our rest.

Saturday of Week 22 Year 2

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It is tempting and easy for us to begin interpreting church teaching according to our whims and fancies, or even according to our benefit, preference, convenience and advantage. When a certain church teaching is not to our liking, some of us begin to question why such teachings are there in the first place, and some even begin to try and circumvent such teaching. For example, when it comes to the 10 commandments, how many of us have tried to interpret the 10 commandments according to our liking? For example, you see a mango hanging just slightly outside the fence of your neighour’s garden. We are told in the 10 commandments not to covet or steal. But when we see the juicy, ripe and deliciously looking mango, would we adhere to the 10 commandments, or would we begin to make excuses to take the mango?

In today’s reading, St. Paul tells us to “Keep to what is written.” St. Paul was referring to the Scriptures and to the written teachings that were handed to the Christian community at Corinth, because the Christian community at Corinth were beginning to interpret the teachings for their own convenience and advantage, especially where such teachings seemed too demanding and affected them personally. What St. Paul was doing was to help the Christian community at Corinth to come to their senses and to help them grow spiritually according to what they have been taught.

What about us? Are we willing to stick to the teachings of our Christian faith? Or have we begun to pick and choose what is pleasing or convenient to us, and change or ignore teachings which we do not agree with or find uncomfortable? May we not stray from true and proper Christian teaching, and help others to do the same, as we strive to grow spiritually and grow closer to God.

Saturday of Week 22 Year 1

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Living a Christian life in the world is certainly not easy. We face all sorts of challenges and temptations, especially since quite often, the ways of the world are not the same as the ways of Christ. We are often faced with choices: to do what is right and just, or to do what is expected of us so that we can maintain our livelihood. For example, some of those in the medical field may have been challenged to perform an abortion, or risk losing their job. When faced with such a choice, what would you do? Would you be willing to find work elsewhere, even if it means that one may possibly not be able to get a job for a while?

In today’s reading, St. Paul reminds us: “Now you are able to appear before him holy, pure and blameless – as long as you persevere and stand firm on the solid base of the faith, never letting yourselves drift away from the hope promised by the Good News…” The reading here reminds us to persevere and stand firm. This means that we must do our very best and not give up, even if it means we may face persecution or challenges. It also means that we must remain steadfast in our faith, and not allow the ways of the world to influence us into watering down or even abandoning the ways of Christ. May we continue to trust and depend on Jesus, and let Him be our help and guide.

Friday of Week 22 Year 1

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We sometimes come across certain faithful who are stuck with doing things according to a certain previous parish priest’s way of the past. Even though such ways of doing things are already outdated or no longer relevant in today’s context, such faithful would stick to their belief that such ways are the only ways to get things done. But the reality is that things change, and what worked in the past would no longer work in the present or even in the future. For example, in the past, people, especially adults, were taught catechism on a one to one basis, before baptism is given; nowadays, people are taught through RCIA before they are considered for baptism.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about not putting a new cloak to patch an old cloak, and using only new skins to store new wine. Jesus is telling us to move on from old ways to new and better ways of being disciples and of growing in relationship with God. He is telling us not to be like the scribes and Pharisees, who focused in only meticulously observing the law, but to refocus in the law of loving God and loving neighbour, which was the whole idea and purpose of the law in the first place. Jesus was showing us a new and better way of living, by living the way of love.

Sometimes we too could be guilty in following the ways of the scribes and the Pharisees, or the ways of certain faithful who are stuck in old ways. May we be humble and willing to change, so that we would be free to listen to God’s voice again, and grow deeper in relationship with Him, while using new ways and methods to do His will and glorify Him..

Monday of Week 22 Year 2

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Not everyone in this world is gifted in public speaking or have the gift of the gab. When it comes to speaking clearly, effectively, dynamically and captivatingly, one needs to treat public speaking as an art, and so training as well as practice is necessary. However, when it comes to preaching the Word of God, what sort of criteria do we really need? Do we apply the same criteria as public speaking? To some extent, the criteria required for public speaking applies, but there are some key differences. What sort of differences are there?

In today’s reading, St. Paul said that he preached without any show of oratory or philosophy, although he did mention about great “fear and trembling.” Also, when it came to preaching the Word of God, it is the power of the Holy Spirit complimented with the spirituality and conviction of St. Paul that mattered more. While St. Paul preached in a sensible and logical manner, it was more of the power of God that opened the hearts of his listeners, and so the one who preaches is merely an instrument in proclaiming the Good News and giving glory to God.

When it comes to preaching, it is tempting for us to seek attention, power and prestige, since our preaching could bring us quite a crowd. This is where we need to be humble and realise, just as St. Paul did, that ultimately, our preaching is not for our personal gratification, or to boost our ego, or to glorify ourselves, but to give all glory and honour to God.

Saturday of Week 22 Year 1

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It is certainly not easy to live a Christian life, especially when we are bombarded with all sorts of temptations and worldly attractions. If we are not careful, we may end up trapped in such temptations and worldly attractions, and risk ruining our relationship with God. So how does a Christian overcome such temptations, values and ways of the world?

The answer can be found in today’s reading, where St. Paul reminds us: “Now you are able to appear before him holy, pure and blameless – as long as you persevere and stand firm on the solid base of the faith, never letting yourselves drift away from the hope promised by the Good News…” The keywords here are to persevere and stand firm. This means that we must do our very best and not give up, even if we fall, since Jesus gives us many oppotunities to pick ourselves up and try again, especially by going for confession to cleanse away our sins. May we remain steadfast in our faith, and continue to trust and depend on Jesus, and let Him be our help and guide.

Thursday of Week 22 Year 1

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Among the many sins a person may commit, one which is quite serious is the sin of despair. What does it mean to despair? To despair basically means one has had a complete loss of hope, as if there is no longer any way out or one has given up completely. When this happens, some may resort to substance abuse, drugs, or alcoholism to try and numb the pain. Some may even resort to suicide as a way out of despair. But how should a Christian respond when he or she feels as if there is hardly any hope left?

In today’s reading, St. Paul encourages us not to despair but to have hope in God: “You will have in you the strength, based on his own glorious power, never to give in, but to bear anything joyfully, thanking the Father who has made it possible for you to join the saints and with them to inherit the light.” No matter how difficult or dangerous the situation we may be in, God will help us if we remain steadfast in hope and trust in Him. May we never despair or lose hope, and let God be our providence and guide.

Wednesday of Week 22 Year 1

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Priests and religious are becoming fewer in number in some places these days, as there seems to be a drop in new intakes due to lack of vocations. Sometimes this could be because families are having fewer chuldren, and some parents are reluctant to let their children go. In some cases, the children themselves are less interested in answering God’s call, due to other attractions in the world. Thus, when a priest or religious is to be transferred, some of us would try to get them to remain with us, and some may go so far as to even write to the bishop or superior petitioning that they stay, but ultimately, they may still need to go elsewhere to serve.

In today’s Gospel, the crowds went to look for Jesus, “and when they had caught up with him they wanted to prevent him leaving them, but he answered, ‘I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do.’ And he continued his preaching in the synagogues of Judaea.”

Jesus chose to do the will of God by going to other places to teach and heal, since He was sent to proclaim the Good News to many places, not just remain in one. In the same way, we too should realise that when a priest or religious is transferred to another place, he or she does so to do the will of God. Thus, let us be thankful for the gift of the priest or religious for having been with us for all these years, and continue to pray for him or her, so that he or she would remain faithful to his or her duty and vocation.

Tuesday of Week 22 Year 1

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It is very easy for many of us to get carried away with different tasks and different interests. When we are busy with something, we may end up neglecting other things, just to focus on what we are doing. But the danger with such an approach is that we may get the task done, but at the expense of other things. For example, we may be so engrossed with a certain task, that we neglect our family relationships, and as a result, we may lose such relationships. Some of us may even neglect our health, and end up with hefty medical bills or prolonged sickness. When we neglect our relationship with God, we may find ourselves drifting away from God and becoming attached to the ways of the world, at the expense of our eternal future.

In today’s reading, we are reminded: “But it is not as if you live in the dark, my brothers, for that Day to overtake you like a thief. No, you are all sons of light and sons of the day: we do not belong to the night or to darkness, so we should not go on sleeping, as everyone else does, but stay wide awake and sober. God never meant us to experience the Retribution, but to win salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that, alive or dead, we should still live united to him. So give encouragement to each other, and keep strengthening one another, as you do already.”

What does it mean to stay wide awake and sober? It basically means we stay well-rounded in our tasks on earth, while consistently making effort to remain in good terms with the Lord and growing in our spiritual life. It also means that we are placing more emphasis in preparing to meet the Lord, while encouraging others to do the same. May we not be caught off-guard when the Lord calls us, so that we would live united to him.

Monday of Week 22 Year 1

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What sort of attitude do we have towards death? For some, death is the end, and they believe that once a person dies, the person ceases to exist. For some, death is like a door way to a different dimension, where the person believes that he or she would continue living the life he or she is used to while on earth. This is why we notice some ancient civilisations where their rulers and important persons were buried with their treasures and other things which they believe would be useful when they are in the supposingly next world. But how should a Christian respond to death? What sort of attitude should a Christian have towards death?

In today’s reading, St. Paul tells us: “We want you to be quite certain, brothers, about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like the other people who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus: God will bring them with him.” As Christians, we need to have died in Jesus, by letting ourselves go through a conversion process where we let go of our old selves and put on a new self with Jesus as our help and guide. If we have been faithful and consistent in building a good relationship with Jesus, then we have no reason to worry or fear about death, for God will bring us to Him. Have we been taking the necessary steps to prepare spiritually for our death?