Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: 3rd

Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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There are some topics of discussion which could cause people to become very excited or passionate in expressing their views, opinions and thoughts. One such topic would be politics, where people sometimes get into intense argument and may begin to take sides and insist that a particular political party or persons within that party are good, bad or somewhere in between. Another such topic would be food, since each person would have his or her favourite food and favourite location where such food could be found. But if we look at such topics carefully, we would discover that these topics are only temporary. People could change allegience from one political party or person to another, due to changes in circumstances or situation. Likewise, people could change their preference for food and where to find such food, due to various reasons.

But there is one topic that will not change, and that is Jesus’ invitation to come to Him and believe in Him, as today’s Gospel tells us: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.” When we remain in Jesus and believe in Him, we have something which is constant, dependable, reliable and accessible. Political parties and persons come and go. Food comes and goes, since places and persons also come and go. But Jesus remains at all times and in all places. So, if that is the case, shouldn’t we make more effort in being with Jesus, receiving Him regularly, and letting Him be our help and guide?

Monday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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It is interesting to observe the habits, behaviour and attitude of some people when it comes to food. Some people are very choosy about what they eat, and such persons would eat only at certain places and eat only certain kinds of food. Some people are food enthusiasts, and such persons would be more than willing to travel long distances to savour food which may not be available at where they come from, or such food may not taste that great and the place where they go to offers a much better taste. Some people are food addicts, and they would eat almost the same thing over and over again, since trying or tasting once does not seem to satisfy their taste buds. But all these people have one thing in common: the food that they eat can only be enjoyed for a short time, after which the food would be processed by the body, some of the nutrients would be absorbed by the body, and waste would be excreted from the body. Such food would never satisfy completely, and one would end up hungry again after a while.

This is why, in today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us: “Do not work for food that cannot last, but work for food that endures to eternal life, the kind of food the Son of Man is offering you, for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal.” The food that Jesus is offering us is the Eucharist, His Body and Blood. Such food is to satisfy our soul and to give us life. Seeing that such food can last for the good of our soul, why are some of us not receiving it regularly? Some of us make so much effort to seek and enjoy food here on earth which delights us only for a short moment. But what about food for our soul, which would delight us eternally? May we get our priorities right and make more effort to receive such heavenly food regularly, for the betterment of our eternal future.

Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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There are many things in life which are actually simple and straightforward. The problem that some of us face is when we transform what is simple and straightforward into something so complex or complicated, that it seems impossible to solve. Take for instance poverty: why does poverty exist? If we look at the root cause of poverty, we could say that it boils down to human greed. Some people have more than enough, yet they are not satisfied with what they have, and want more and more, and in the process of attaining more, they become more and more selfish and refuse to share. But when we try to address the issue of poverty, some of us begin to complicate things by offering so many other possible reasons, instead of focusing on the fundamental or key or root reason.

In today’s readings, we see more examples of things that are actually simple and straightforward. In the reading, the prophet Hosea speaks on behalf of the Lord: “Israel, come back to your God; your iniquity was the cause of your downfall.” Notice that the reason for Israel’s downfall is its iniquity? Isn’t that such a simple and straighforward reason? Likewise, today’s Gospel reminds about loving God and loving neighbour. Loving God and loving neighbour are also simple and straightforward instructions which could be carried out easily. But herein lies our problem: we begin to make excuses as to why we experience downfall; we do not want to admit our wrongdoings, and allow our pride and ego to fester; we even claim to love God and neighbour, but our love is coloured with conditions, prejudices and other criteria.

Thus, instead of complicating things and making things difficult not only for ourselves but also for others, let us return to what is simple and straightforward. Let us turn back to God and learn to love genuinely, with no strings attached, the way God loves us all, and let us continuously and consciously grow closer to God and walk in His ways.

Thursday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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We live in a world where we are beginning to see more and more people being divided according to racial lines, ethnic groups, ideologies, economic situation (such as lower income, middle income, upper class), and many other forms of division and fragmentation. Even within our countries, our communities and in some cases, even in our families, we see such division and fragmentation taking place. Why is this happening? Perhaps it is because we are so stubbornly holding on to our ideals, our wants and needs, our identity, our achievements and status. Perhaps our pride and ego has become more and more uncontrollable, due to our neglect in checking them. Or perhaps we have become less loving and receptive to God’s voice, as we become more and more immersed in the ways of the world and all the attractions it has to offer. Perhaps some of us have even chosen not to listen, not to pay attention, and follow the dictates of our own hearts, ignoring God’s voice completely.

In today’s reading, God, through the prophet Jeremiah, reminded the Israelites, that He had been so patient and persistent in sending His servants the prophets to “knock some sense” into them, by trying to help them change their ways, their attitudes, their behaviour, so that they may have life and prosper, but the Israelites did not listen, they did not pay attention; they followed the dictates of their own evil hearts, refused to face God, and turned their backs on God. Even then, we see how God had not given up on them or left them to their doom. Instead, God was still so patient and persistent, even to the extent of sending His only Son, Jesus, to reach out to them, and eventually to die for their sins.

If God is so patiently waiting for the Israelites to change, He is also doing the same for us. We have been given many opportunities to change our ways, and return to His love and care. But sometimes, like the Israelites, we too did not listen, did not pay attention; followed the dictates of their own evil hearts, refused to face God, and turned our backs on God. Let us be reminded that our time on earth is short, and it is up to us to do what is necessary to change and grow closer to God. At the end of the day, whether we end up with God or away from God is up to us.

Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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Some of us seem to have the tendency to forget things as we grow and as we age. While we may have had better memory when we were young, we could still forget certain things, especially things that have been difficult or unpleasant. But sometimes, it is necessary to remember certain things, even though they may be difficult or unpleasant, since by remembering, we could learn from them and try to avoid repeating the same mistakes, or we could learn to grow to become better persons.

In today’s reading, we see an example of the need to remember, where Moses reminded the Israelites: “Now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord the God of your fathers is giving you… But take care what you do and be on your guard. Do not forget the things your eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your heart all the days of your life; rather, tell them to your children and to your children’s children.” Notice that not only did Moses instruct the Israelites to not forget God’s laws and customs, Moses even instructed them to teach such laws and customs to their children and their descendants. Such laws and customs may have been unpleasant or difficult, but for one to have life, it was necessary to not only remember them, but also to ensure that future generations remember them as well.

What about us? Would we be humble and willing to remember situations, events, laws and customs, some of which may have been difficult or unpleasant? Are we open to letting God take control and guide us to grow closer to Him? The memory may be difficult or unpleasant, but the rewards that we may receive if we are faithful, consistent and hopeful, are indeed worth the remembering.

Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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When we pray to God, what do we normally say or ask for? Some of us may start asking for all sorts of things, some would ask for good health, some would ask for peace and happiness in the family, some would even be pleading with God for His help and deliverance, especially when they are in a desperate time of need or in danger.

But today’s reading surprises us with a different way of praying. Instead of starting with a tirade of supplication or petitions or even pleas, Azariah praised God for His mercy and even admitted that the sins of his peope had caused them to be in the situation they were in. Azariah even continued by asking God to accept their contrite and humble hearts as an offering, and asked God to “Grant us deliverance worthy of your wonderful deeds, let your name win glory, Lord.” If we observe what Azariah said, we can see that ultimately, he was putting his companions and he at the mercy of God, and he was confident that no matter what happened in the end, it would be for the glory of God.

What about us? Do we pray in such a way that ultimately, it would be for the glory of God? Or have we been praying to satisfy our needs and wants? May we come to realise that at the end of the day, all that we have, all that we ask for, is meant to glorify God.

Monday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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We all know what anger is, and we’ve all felt it: whether we have experienced it as a fleeting annoyance or as a full-fledged rage, we have either been angry or experienced the anger of others at some point of our lives. Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems: problems at work, in our personal relationships, and in the overall quality of our life. Anger can make us feel as though we are at the mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion. That is why we need to learn and know how to handle or manage anger well, otherwise it may lead to undesirable or even disastrous consequences.

In today’s reading, we see an example of how anger almost led to disastrous consequences. In the reading, the king of Aram sent the king of Israel a letter asking him to cure his servant Naaman of his leprosy. The letter was actually meant for the king of Israel to refer Naaman to the prophet Elisha, but instead of trusting in God’s providence and having confidence that God’s prophet Elisha could solve the problem, the king of Israel tore his garments, ranted and vented, in other words, he gave in to his anger, thinking that the king of Aram was trying to make an excuse to pick a quarrel with Israel. But fortunately for the king of Israel, Elisha pacified him and assured him that all would be well, and from the reading, all was indeed well, as Elisha had helped to have Naaman cured with God’s help.

Sometimes, we too may have experienced anger and temporarily lost our heads, forgetting that God can help us solve things, and we begin to fret and worry, trying to find a solution and getting more and more agitated or worse, even more angry. The king of Israel, in a way, had a friend in Elisha, who reminded him that ultimately, God is in control and He can help. Likewise, sometimes we come across people who could be a friend to us and remind us that God is in control, just like Elisha, and it is up to us to recognise and be humble enough to let God take over. Are we willing to calm down and let God do what is best for us?

Friday of Week 3 Year 2

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From time to time, some of us may have fallen and committed sin. It does not matter the sin is serious or not, but what is our response after the sin has been committed? Some of us may make effort to go for confession and do penance, so that our souls would remain as clean as possible. But there are also some who would try to deny committing such sins. Some even try to sweep it under the carpet and pretend that nothing had happened. But ultimately, we will be confronted with the sin committed in one way or another. When this happens, how would we respond? Would we eventually own up to the sin, seek forgiveness and move on? Or would we continue living in denial, with the possibility of committing even greater sins?

In today’s reading, we see an example of how some people try to hide or destroy the evidence of wrongdoing, and end up committing even worse offences. King David had committed the sin of adultery by sleeping with another man’s wife, causing Bathsheba to become pregnant. Then he tried to hide the evidence by encouraging Uriah to go home and spend some time with his wife Bathsheba, hoping that Uriah would later think that the pregnancy was caused by him. When that failed, David got rid of Uriah instead. From an already serious sin, king David blundered and committed other sins, and in the end even committed murder, another serious sin.

Today, if we realise that we have committed sin, let us not try to deny or hide the fact. We may think we can fool others, but we cannot fool God. Let us own up to our sins, seek forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, do penance, and move on. After all, there is really nothing to be proud of in committing sins, and may we be humble and willing to seek forgiveness and change our ways, while we have the opportunities to do so.

Thursday of Week 3 Year 2

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Why do we sometimes find it so difficult to get new people to help out in different church ministries? Among the many reasons given, one reason is because there are some people who may have the skills or talents, but they are not willing to offer such talents or skills in church. Some of such people have what we call a “what’s in it for me?” attitude; or they think their skills and talents are for them to use as they please and for their benefit or advantage; or they even feel that their talent or skill is not good enough, even though in reality, their talent or skill is really good or even phenomenal. Could some of us be guilty of such attitude or way of thinking?

In today’s Gospel, we are reminded: “Would you bring in a lamp to put it under a tub or under the bed? Surely you will put it on the lamp-stand?… The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given – and more besides; for the man who has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” When we offer our gifts, talents, skills and abilities to the church and to God, surely we would receive much from Him, sometimes even more than what we could dream off. Or are we still stubbornly or selfishly holding on to what we have, only to risk losing it all through our indifference, lack of practise, or due to some other reason?

Wednesday Week 3 Year 2

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It is interesting to observe what the faithful do when it comes to the Offertory at Mass. Some people would put a ringgit or two into the offertory bag or on the offertory plate; other people would give a little more; but if we work out the math, how much are we really giving to the church for various needs? Is what we are giving a fair or decent amount; or are we giving what we are really able to offer, due to our personal or family situation; or are we giving only the minimum? Seeing that money is necessary for various maintenance needs, spiritual growth of the faithful through various programmes and activities, as well as for various works of mercy, how generous are we in our giving? Are we willing to offer more than what we have been offering all these while, either out of habit or out of convenience? What about our time? Are we also willing to offer more of our time for various church activities and works of mercy? Or have we become content with merely doing or offering only the barest minimum, and expect others to do more instead?

In today’s reading, we see how king David wanted to build a house for God. Perhaps he felt it was not proper or fitting to let the presence of God remain in a tent; or maybe he may have felt a little guilty or uncomfortable. But as we see in the reading, God was even more generous than king David. God assured king David that his house and sovereignty will always stand secure before Him and his throne be established for ever. The question is: if God is so generous to David, surely He has been or can also be so generous to us in many different ways. Why are some of us so calculative or stingy with our wealth and time? Do we still not have confidence and trust in God’s providence, even after seeing how loving and generous He has been to David and also to us?