Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: 2nd

Tuesday of the 2nd Week of Easter

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Over the years, it has become more and more challenging to live out Christian ideals and way of life. This is because the ways of the world and the many attractions it offers have become more and more enticing and appealing to many. Some of us may have become more and more engrossed with what the world offers, since some of us do not want to be left out or left behind. Some of us feel that it is important to keep up with progress and improve on our standard of living. But the question is: where do we draw the line? Do we embrace the ways of the world, even to the point of abandoning Christian living and Christian virtues? Do we succumb to the demands of the world, and forgo what is proper and just according to what Jesus has taught us?

In today’s reading, we are told about the early Christian community and the sort of attitude and way of life they lived: “The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed for his own use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in common. None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them, and bring the money from them, to present it to the apostles; it was then distributed to any members who might be in need.”

Could we ever go back to such a way of living? Would we be willing to make sacrifices and be willing to share whatever we have with others? The ways of the world seem to tell us that our rights are more important; that what is ours is ours; that we must protect our interests at all costs. But from the reading, we seem to be encouraged to share instead. Do we really want to follow Jesus and His ways, and be ready and willing to share, for the betterment of the Christian community and for the glory of God? Or have we become so accustomed to the ways of the world, so much so that some of us may have become more and more alienated from others, even though we call ourselves Christians?

Friday of the 2nd Week of Lent

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Intelligent, successful, and attractive people could seem intimidating. They force us to hold a mirror to ourselves, and by doing so, we could end up being disappointed, or jealous, or even inspired toward personal growth. When we allow ourselves to have feelings of insecurity, fear, concern and anxiety over an anticipated loss or status of something of great personal value, when we begin to feel intimidated by such persons, we begin to allow jealousy to take over us. When that happens, we begin to experience anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness and disgust. People get jealous for different reasons. Some are jealous in a joking or playful manner: they say they are jealous but they say it in jest. Some are jealous but they do not allow jealousy to get into their head and control them; instead they use their ‘jealous’ energies to do something positive or good. Others are jealous and allow their jealousy to control their thoughts, feelings and emotions.

In today’s reading: “Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons, for he was the son of his old age, and he had a coat with long sleeves made for him. But his brothers, seeing how his father loved him more than all his other sons, came to hate him so much that they could not say a civil word to him.” From the reading, we can clearly see how jealousy can cause us to behave in a crazy manner. Just because Israel loved Joseph more, the other brothers hated him so much that they could not say a civil word to him. They even tried to kill him but fortunately, one of the brothers named Reuben had some sense and prevented them from doing so.

What about us? Are we allowing jealousy to control our lives and actions? Are we not aware that God has given each and every one of us different gifts, different abilities or talents, different purposes? May we keep jealousy at arms length and avoid ourselves from being infected by its poisonous embrace, and may we remain humble and grateful to God for making us who we are, as well as who others are, and in all things give Him the glory.

Thursday of the 2nd Week of Lent

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How much do you really trust the people around you? Do you have absolute 100% trust and confidence in certain persons or even most persons? Do you have 75% trust and confidence? Or do you have little trust and confidence in others? Some of us may have put a lot of trust and confidence on a person or certain persons, but it is not easy to determine whether a person or certain persons would be trustworthy, dependable, loyal or reliable. We have seen cases of persons who turned out to be traitors or unreliable. So when we deal with persons, we are taking a risk, because we do not know what sort of persons we are dealing with and it takes much time to build trust and confidence towards such persons.

That is why today’s reading reminds us: “The heart is more devious than any other thing, perverse too: who can pierce its secrets?” Also, the reading reminds us: “A curse on the man who puts his trust in man, who relies on things of flesh, whose heart turns from the Lord… A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord, with the Lord for his hope.” When we trust God, we know that He will care for us and not betray us, but trusting in people requires much discernment and care, to ensure that we are not taken for a ride, tricked or cheated. This does not mean we should avoid trusting people, but it means that our full trust and hope should be in the Lord, and when comes to trusting and confidence in people, Sirach cautions us: “Let those who are friendly with you be many, but let your advisers be one in a thousand. When you gain friends, gain them through testing, and do not trust them hastily. (Sir. 6:6-7)”

Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Lent

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I remember a time when life was so much different in the old days. In those days, many of the things we are so used to having nowadays did not exist, or were still quite new and not so advanced in usage and function, or were even too expensive to own. For example, we are so used to handphones and things like texting, whatsapp, viber, skype, facebook and so many conveniences which have changed the way people communicate today. In the old days, handphones were too bulky to carry around easily, or in some places did not exist, and people could communicate only by using a dialing phone at home if they were fortunate to have one, or face to face.

While it may seem as if such ways of communicating back then were inconvenient, the good thing about then is that, to a certain extent, we could build better relationships and friendships as we communicated, since more often than not we communicated face to face, and we could get a better and clearer understanding of the other person, since we could also observe things like body language, facial expressions and other cues.

The problem is, as we progress and attain more and more conveniences, we begin to be less and less tolerant towards pain, suffering, waiting, discomfort and other experiences. But are such pain, suffering, waiting, discomfort and other experiences good or bad? Even though initially such experiences may seem to be bad, we could actually learn and benefit from them, since such experiences help us to slow down, to take care, and to look at life in a different way.

In today’s reading, the prophet Jeremiah asked the Lord to deliver him from his adversaries and from suffering. Likewise in the gospel, James and John wanted the glory, but Jesus asked them if they could take the suffering as well. The suffering that the prophet Jeremiah endured, and the suffering that James and John would face, may seem bad, but actually we can see goodness in such suffering, since such suffering reminds us of who we are, and how much we really need to depend on God and in His care and providence. Such suffering is what is known as “redemptive” suffering, since it is through suffering that Jesus brought about redemption, not just our redemption, but also the redemption of the world. Are we prepared, as Jesus said in the Gospel: “to drink of the cup that I am going to drink?” Are we prepared to remain joyful and hopeful in the Lord, even though we experience pain, suffering, waiting, discomfort and other similar experiences?

Tuesday of the 2nd Week of Lent

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As humans, personal hygiene is a very important part of living. If we do not keep our bodies clean, we could contract various diseases, we could smell or look dirty and unkempt, we could even be shunned or avoided by others due to the condition we are in. For example, in some countries where the weather is cold and some people do not bathe regularly, such persons would use quite a bit of perfume to hide their body odour, but the perfume used could in itself be overwhelming or nauseating for others. I recall some friends telling me that boarding a bus full of such people, or even if a few of such people are present, could be a choking experience, and these friends even commented that they would walk to their destination rather than taking the bus. In a similar way, our soul could become dirty and emit a nauseating stench when we sin, if we do not take care of our soul and seek forgiveness regularly through the Sacrament of Confession.

That is why, in today’s reading, God is inviting us: “Come now, let us talk this over, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing to obey, you shall eat the good things of the earth. But if you persist in rebellion, the sword shall eat you instead.” God is giving us many opportunities to change our ways, seek forgiveness, and get our soul clean again. The question is: are we still procrastinating or thinking that we have plenty of time to do so; or have we become proud, egoistic and arrogant, thinking that we do not need God and would prefer to remain dirty, soiled and reeking with stench? God is patient and merciful with us, but our time here on earth is short. Ultimately, whether we end up with God or away from God very much depends on us.

Friday Week 2 Year 2

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Have we learnt to be merciful and loving? Or are we always demanding an eye for an eye? When the opportunity arises, would we be merciful, or would we still insist and carry out justice? Some of us may say that we would be merciful, following the example of our Lord Jesus. But if someone has hurt us so bad, or caused grievous harm to us or our loved ones, would we still be able to be merciful? Or would we succumb to demanding for justice and even meting it?

In today’s reading, David and his men had been given an excellent opportunity to get rid of Saul. David’s men wanted justice against Saul and they thought they had an excellent opportunity to claim justice and get rid of Saul. But David chose to be merciful to Saul, even though Saul was all out to destroy him. David even forbade his men from harming Saul in any way. If we were in David’s shoes, would we be able to do the same?

Thursday Week 2 Year 2

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Some people like to wear green clothing, due to a number of reasons. Some even make a fashion statement of the colour green, by not only wearing green apparel, but also including other matching accessories like bags, shoes, watches and other items. But seeing green (another word for “jealousy”) isn’t quite the “fashion” statement we would want to make. Some of us see green due to a number of reasons, including insecurity, fear, concern and anxiety over an anticipated loss or status of something of great personal value. When we see green, we may end up committing greater sins or heinous acts.

In today’s reading, we come across king Saul who was seeing quite a lot of green, since David was being praised more than he. Just because of a few additional words of praise, jealousy had taken over king Saul and made him plan to kill David. Are mere words of praise sufficient grounds for a person to become excessively jealous? If one is insecure and egoistic, even mere words could be seen as a threat. But if one realises one’s worth, then it would not really matter after all. May we be on our guard and not allow the poison of jealousy to rear its ugly head, and let the Lord guide us to walk humbly in His ways.

Wednesday Week 2 Year 2

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Some of us sometimes end up needing to learn things the hard way. This is especially because we feel that we are right, our pride and ego have gotten over us, and we think that we can grow and prosper on our own, even to the extent of thinking that we are self-made or more than capable of handling things without the need for God. When things don’t go our way, or when we face problems and danger, then what happens? Some of us end up swallowing our pride and go back to God for help, while some would still stubbornly try to do things their way and end up in a worse situation.

In today’s reading, we see how the Israelites ended up learning things the hard way, since Saul had failed the Israelites as a king. The Israelites thought that they did not need God’s help and depended on Saul to bring them fame, glory and riches. But what did Saul ended up doing? Saul was leading the Israelites to imminent defeat to the Philistines, since he initially coud not find anyone who was willing to duel with Goliath, the champion of the Philistines. But God did not abandon the Israelites to their doom. God inspired and helped David to come forth and fight Goliath. When Goliath cursed David by his gods, David answered the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel that you have dared to insult. Today the Lord will deliver you into my hand and I shall kill you; I will cut off your head, and this very day I will give your dead body and the bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord gives the victory, for the Lord is lord of the battle and he will deliver you into our power.”

Notice that David had said that God would give the victory. This shows that ultimately, it is God who is King. A human king like Saul failed the Israelites and brought them to the brink of destruction, but God as the eternal king brings peace, prosperity and victory. May we be wise enough to know which king to choose and depend on.

Tuesday of Week 2 Year 2

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How many of us are true to ourselves, without pretense, and doing and saying things genuinely and with sincerity? Some of us may have become adept in playing games, to please our boss, leader or superior, thinking that by sounding good or curry-favoring the boss, leader or superior by saying and doing things just to please him or her, we think we would be able to remain in his or her good books. But the question is: how long can we maintain such a charade? Would we be really happy, content and at peace?

In today’s reading, we are reminded that “God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.” We may be able to fool our boss, leader or superior, but we cannot fool God. We may appear to be good, holy or reliable in our tasks, but our hearts may be motivated by our pride, ego and self-preservation. We may seem to be the best candidate for a certain responsibility, but a discerning boss, leader or superior may see through our antics or false pretenses and choose another more suitable person. Let us make every effort to stop our false ways and nonsense, and humbly and genuinely walk in His ways.

Monday of Week 2 Year 2

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Nowadays, people buy wine or alcoholic drinks in bottles or cans. However, at the time of Jesus, such means of storing wine or other liquids were either totally not available or too expensive or impractical to produce (after all, they did not have manufacturing facilities the way we do). Wine and other liquids would often be stored in clay jars or in containers made of animal skin. Animal skins were particularly convenient for transportation, as they could be carried easily, were lightweight, and would occupy less and less space as the liquid was consumed.  However, wineskins required proper care and would eventually need to be discarded, since after a period of use, the leather would become worn and could easily rupture, especially if filled with unfermented or “new” wine.

Jesus uses the image of wineskins to teach us that the “wineskins” of the Old Covenant had become incapable of receiving the Good News of salvation, since spiritual blindness had festered especially among the scribes and the Pharisees. This is because the Old Covenant had been hijacked and reduced to merely following laws, customs and traditions which were manipulated and multiplied at the whims and fancies of the scribes and Pharisees. This meant that a total transformation was necessary and this transformation was brought about by Jesus, who taught us new ways (the new wineskins) of connecting with God.

If we consider for a moment, we too could be in danger of being trapped in old wineskins, especially if we allow our souls to become like old, thin wineskins, weakened by sin and spiritual neglect. It is up to us to be vigilant and careful, so that we would be able to hear, receive, and act upon the Word of God. May we take full advantage of God’s constant promptings and help in offering us his grace through the sacraments to repair what is broken, strengthen what is weak, and fortify what is healthy.