Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: 3rd

Saturday of Week 3 Year 1

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Faith is something of a mystery, since there are times what is happening is not natural or logical to us. For example, we sometimes come across certain persons who seem to be in a hopeless situation, such as an illness or taken a bad turn in life and seem heading towards doom. But such persons do not give up or give in to their predicament, and place their faith in God to be healed and change for the better. Then when all seems lost, such persons actually recover, or change and turn into a new leaf.

In today’s reading, we are reminded: “Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen. It was for faith that our ancestors were commended.” What seems lost or doomed can actually be found or rescued, when we have faith in God and let Him take control. May we not despair or doubt, knowing that God will deal with the situation according to His purposes and for His glory.

Saturday of Week 3 Year 1

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How much faith do we have in God? Do we have faith that God will guide and help us according to his ways and terms, or are we expecting faith to be according to our own terms? We sometimes say we have faith, but we want faith to be according to our expectations and convenience. How many of us are willing to have faith in God, and surrender to His thoughts and His ways, even though at times it may difficult for us to accept?

In today’s reading, we are reminded: “Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen. It was for faith that our ancestors were commended.” The reading reminds us that we should have faith that God will take care of things, and let His will be done, instead of constantly trying to have things our way. May we let God be in control, and glorify Him in all we say and do.

Saturday of Week 3 Year 2

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What sort of response do we have when we commit sin or do something wrong? Are we willing to own up to the sin committed or the wrong done? Or would we go through great lengths to deny any wrongdoing or sin, even though the sin or wrongdoing is so evident beyond reasonable doubt? Have we allowed ourselves to become blinded by pride and ego, and think that we are never wrong or never guilty?

Today’s reading shows us how King David responded when the prophet Nathan confronted him with the many sins he had committed. Instead of trying to worm his way out, or make all sorts of excuses, or deny his guilt, King David was docile and humble enough to admit his guilt and merely said: “I have sinned against the Lord.”

What about us? Would we be willing to own up to our wrongdoing, our mistakes, our sins? Let us not allow pride and ego get the better of us and be humble and docile, just like King David showed us, and admit our wrongdoing, our mistakes, our sins. Let us not allow the stain of wrongdoing or sin remain, lest we end up ruining our relationship with God.

Saturday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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It is easy for us to listen to nice or soothing words from Jesus. After all, we yearn for His love and care, and there are several things Jesus said which appeal to us. However, there are also several things that Jesus said which can be difficult to hear or accept, especially if such things concern us or affect us in some way. When we listen to such words, how do we respond? Do we accept both the good and the not so good that Jesus tells us? Or do we filter out the not so pleasant things, and only accept that which sounds pleasant? When it comes to following Jesus, are we disciples only when it benefits us or we find comfortable?

In today’s Gospel, we are told: “After hearing his doctrine many of the followers of Jesus said, ‘This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?'” Jesus did not back down or water down what he said, and because of this, “many of his disciples left him and stopped going with him.” Yet, the Twelve chose to stay, and “Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.’”

The reality we face is that we cannot have it both ways. If we want to follow Jesus, we must be prepared to accept both the easy and the difficult, the pleasant and the unpleasant. We cannot pick and choose only what we want, but take Jesus’ teaching as a whole. Are we willing to let go of our prejudiced hearing, and let Jesus’ words dwell and flourish in us, as we let Him lead us and guide us closer to Him?

Saturday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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When we are experiencing a time of peace and security, some of us may begin to take such peace and security for granted and become complacent and lose our alertness. We begin to have a false sense of security; thinking that nothing will happen, since the situation around us seems fine. But the reality is that such peace and security is an illusion, since things could change and escalate very quickly, transforming into a dangerous or even deadly situation. Throughout history, we have seen such transformation happening before, sometimes suddenly, sometimes gradually.

In today’s reading, we are told that the churches throughout Judaea, Galilee and Samaria were left in peace. Instead of becoming lax or taking things for granted, these churches made hay while the sun shines, by building and fortifying themselves; by living in the fear of the Lord, with full faith in Him; and by being filled with the consolation of the Holy Spirit while remaining in His guidance.

What about us, especially when it concerns our spiritual lives? Are we building and fortifying ourselves by growing closer to God? Let us not procrastinate and be caught off-guard or unprepared, and make every effort to remain alert and prepared as best as we can, since circumstances can change at any time, and we should be ready to face the Lord when He calls us.

Saturday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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Some of us claim that we have not committed any serious or even mortal sins, but when we claim as such, are we claiming so with pride? It is easy to make such claims, and yet fall into sin by feeling proud about it, or putting others down or looking down on others, thinking that they are not on par with us. When we are like this, we have a problem of spiritual pride. We begin to think that we are ok and everyone else is hopeless or condemned.

In today’s Gospel, the Pharisee was proud that he did not commit any grave sin; and he claims to have done credible deeds, but he was not at rights with God. Why so? His problem was spiritual pride: he called another person a sinner without acknowledging or admitting to be one himself. He propped himself up, at the expense of another person. He considered himself virtuous, and in doing so began to become more and more self-righteous. But what the Pharisee failed to realise and understand is that what God wants is not sacrifice, but love for Him and for others.

What about us? Are we like the Pharisee, full of pride and ego, thinking that we are on the right track or supposingly in God’s good books? Or have we learnt to humble ourselves and say: God, be merciful to me, a sinner? Let us not be blinded by pride, even to the point of losing our awareness of sins we may have committed, no matter how small such sins may be. Instead, let us walk humbly in God’s ways, and let Him be our help and guide.

Saturday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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Some of us take for granted and not feel real contrition, remorse, and sorrow for our sins. Some think that God would forgive us anyhow, and we neglect going for confession to seek forgiveness for our sins. Some even assume that being a Christian means merely accepting Jesus as Lord and saviour, and that is all enough for them to be guaranteed access to heaven. But what sort of attitude should a Christian have towards God’s mercy and forgiveness, especially when it comes to the sins one has committed? Is God’s mercy and forgiveness so easily accessed?

In today’s reading, the people said: “Come let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us; he has struck us down, but he will bandage our wound; on the third day he will raise us and we shall live in his presence.” The Lord responded: “What am I to do with you? This love of yours is like a morning cloud, like the dew that quickly disappears.” It seems like the people prayed to God in their misery but they prayed with a certain arrogance and self-interest. They were not repentant and did not ask why such misery fell on them. Instead, they took for granted that God would heal them and help them, and they felt entitled to His mercy and forgiveness.

What about us? Have we become like the people in today’s reading, where we end up taking for granted His mercy and forgiveness? Have we become presumptuous, thinking that we are entitled to God’s help and care, instead of walking humbly before Him? May we come to realise such attitude, and walk humbly in His ways.

Thursday of Week 3 Year 1

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Nowadays, most people are living busy lives, and with the cost of living going up, it seems as if there is hardly any time for anything else besides work and earning a living. In the midst of the chaos we experience in life, we also need to deal with family, friends and even members of our church community, especially when it comes to community gatherings within our housing area. The temptation some of us face is to avoid or rarely attend such community gatherings, giving all sorts of reasons and excuses, such as lack of time, busy with other life issues, and so on. But the reality of being a Christian is that we cannot isolate ourselves from the community, since being a Christian means being a community of believers, not just a personal relationship with Jesus.

The reading today reminds us of the need for us to be together in faith as a community in communion with God: “let us be sincere in heart and filled with faith, our minds sprinkled and free from any trace of bad conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us keep firm in the hope we profess, because the one who made the promise is faithful. Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works. Do not stay away from the meetings of the community, as some do, but encourage each other to go; the more so as you see the Day drawing near.”

As the reading tells us, we should not stay away from our community gatherings, but make more effort to attend and encourage others to do the same. It is when we gather as a community that we learn to share our faith, and show love and concern towards others, especially with others in the community who may be in need. When we do so, then we are witnessing to others, by showing that we are Christians by our love.

Wednesday of Week 3 Year 1

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We come across different people who listen or hear news differently, depending on what sort of news is being conveyed. Some people listen or hear in a prejudiced manner. They shut their minds, and may be ignoring what is being said, or even not really listening at all. Some people listen or hear in a shallow manner. They may listen or hear for a while, but their minds eventually wander to something else. Some people listen or hear in a selective manner. They listen or hear only what they want to hear, and ignore the other matters. Some people listen or hear in a proactive manner. They are willing to listen and to learn, and are never too proud or too busy to learn. They listen attentively and with full attention to understand. What about you? How are you listening?

In today’s gospel, the parable of the sower reminds us of the different ways of accepting God’s word and the different kinds of fruits they produce. Just as different people listen or hear news differently, different people also listen or hear God’s word or the Good News differently. The question we need to ask ourselves is this: how are we listening to God’s word? Are we listening like in rich soil, yielding a harvest, thirty, sixty and a hundredfold?

Saturday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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Most of us are fortunate to be living in a place where there is generally peace and security. When we are experiencing such peace and security, what do we do? Do we use such peace and security to better ourselves or take necessary steps or precautions to ensure that peace remains? Or have we become complacent, taking such peace and security for granted, and possibly losing our alertness or preparedness for possible incidences?

In today’s reading, we are told that the churches throughout Judaea, Galilee and Samaria were left in peace. However, these churches did not become lax or take things for granted. Instead, they were building and fortifying themselves; they were living in the fear of the Lord, with full faith in Him; and they were filled with the consolation of the Holy Spirit while remaining in His guidance.

What about us, especially when it concerns our spiritual lives? Are we building and fortifying ourselves by growing closer to God? May we not procrastinate and be caught off-guard or unprepared, and make every effort to remain alert and prepared as best as we can, while remaining in the Lord’s guidance.