Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: 5th

Tuesday of the 5th Week of Easter

Posted on by Posted in 5th, Easter, Easter 5, Tuesday, Weekday Leave a comment

We live in a world full of uncertainty. Sometimes what may seem to be a peaceful, prosperous, or happy situation could change at the blink of an eye. Extremism, terrorism and other forms of violence, suppression and persecution could just appear all of a sudden, bringing misery, suffering and even death to many. We have seen how people who were once allies or friends have turned on each other for the smallest reasons. Considering what is happening around us, how would we respond? What should we do as Christians?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a message of hope. He tells us: “Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” When we have the peace of Christ in our hearts, nothing should shake us or distract us from doing the will of God. No matter how hopeless or challenging the situation may be, the peace that Jesus embeds in our hearts will help us ride the storm. This same message of peace is also for us to encourage others and help them experience and promote such peace in their own way. As Christians, we know that God will not abandon us to an uncertain fate, so we should also help others take courage and be confident that God and goodness will always triumph in the end.

Monday of the 5th Week of Easter

Posted on by Posted in 5th, Easter, Easter 5, Monday, Weekday Leave a comment

Many of us are gifted with certain talents or capabilities which make us unique and different. Some of us are good at academic pursuits, some are good at art, some are good at music, some are good at using their hands to make or fix things, some are good at singing or dancing; but whatever it is we are good at, are we thankful for such talents God has given us? Do we glorify God when we use such talents or capabilities? Or are we using such talents or capabilities to boost our ego and pride?

In today’s reading, Paul healed a man who was crippled from birth. The reading tells us: “When the crowd saw what Paul had done they shouted in the language of Lycaonia, ‘These people are gods who have come down to us disguised as men.’ They addressed Barnabas as Zeus, and since Paul was the principal speaker they called him Hermes. The priests of Zeus-outside-the-Gate, proposing that all the people should offer sacrifice with them, brought garlanded oxen to the gates.” Of course, Paul had healed the man with the help of God, but the crowd did not know about this and thought that Paul had some sort of divine power in him. Paul and Barnabas could have basked in the glory of what they had accomplished through the healing and taken credit for it, but instead, they “tore their clothes, and rushed into the crowd, shouting, ‘Friends, what do you think you are doing? We are only human beings like you. We have come with good news to make you turn from these empty idols to the living God who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that these hold.'”

When we look at the kind of attitude Paul and Barnabas had, we can learn that though we have certain capabilities or talents, such capabilities or talents are meant to be used to give glory to God. In some ways, the capabilities and talents we have could also be used to preach the Good News. Are we using our capabilities and talents for such purposes?

5th Sunday of Easter Year B

Posted on by Posted in 5th, Easter, Easter 5, Sunday, Year B Leave a comment

What do we mean when we say we love? Do we really love others? Do we love our brothers and sisters? Do we show our Christian faith by living a life of love in our families, BEC, community, housing area, and at church? Besides people in our Christian community, do we also show love towards others who are not Christians? It is easy to say we love, but do we mean what we say by our actions, or are our words nothing more than mere words? St. John in today’s second reading reminds us: “Our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active.”

Yet we cannot genuinely and truly love others unless we are rooted in Christ. Today’s gospel reminds us that Christ is the Vine and we are the branches, and “whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing.” It would be not possible for us to love unconditionally, genuinely and wholesomely on our own, since we can only love in such ways if we are rooted in God’s love.

There are some who think that they can love without God, but more often than not, such love would merely be an ineffective or inadequate attempt. We come across friendships, relationships and marriages that end up failing or breaking down because of the absence of God in our love and in our lives. This is because the kind of love that we humanly profess is imperfect, we love because we expect to receive love or something else in return. Genuine love is when we are able to love totally, without expecting anything in return. Could we ever accomplish such genuine love on our own? No. Only God is able to love totally, and we can only love the way God loves us when we are connected and rooted to Him.

Love does not mean we will be living in some sort of utopia or some fantasy place, where there is no conflict or problems. Love does not mean that others will like us or appreciate our love. Take for example St. Paul in today’s first reading. In the first reading, Paul, then known as Saul, went around with the disciples, “preaching fearlessly in the name of the Lord.” Not everyone was happy with him and some even tried to kill him, but because he was rooted in Christ and had experienced God’s love, he was willing to endure challenges and hardships to bring the Good News of God’s love to all. Love does not mean we must become popular, rather it means we must do what is right, what is true, what is just, and what is loving, even if it means we would become unpopular or not liked.

Today, some of us may be experiencing difficulties and trials as we try to show our love towards others. But as Jesus reminds us: “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more.” We are being pruned, so that we will grow and remain closer to Jesus. In this way, we would become stronger and be better witnesses of God’s love to all.

Friday of the 5th Week of Lent

Posted on by Posted in 5th, Friday, Lent, Lent 5, Weekday Leave a comment

One of the things we come to realise as Christians is we can never please everyone. Sometimes even doing a good deed or a charitable act in the name of the Church or identifying ourselves as Christians could lead to opposition from certain parties, especially if such parties may have had bad experiences with other Christians who did or said things which do not reflect the truth about Christianity. As in any religion, we have the good and the bad followers and leaders, and this challenges us to be more alert and more determined to show the true face of Christianity, with the hope that such opposition would see our real intention and purpose.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said: “If I am not doing my Father’s work, there is no need to believe me; but if I am doing it, then even if you refuse to believe in me, at least believe in the work I do.” When minds and hearts of some people are hardened, it is quite difficult to get such people to change their attitude and perception about Jesus and about Christianity, but at least we try to help them realise that the deeds we do are for the good of all, and that people would come to know that we are Christians by our love.

Thursday of the 5th Week of Lent

Posted on by Posted in 5th, Lent, Lent 5, Thursday, Weekday Leave a comment

Whenever we make a business contract with another person, we are actually coming up with an agreement of a list of services being offered, certain terms and conditions to be met, the kind of compensation to be received such as money or goods in exchange, and the consequences to be faced if the contract is not fulfilled. Such a contract could be broken by either party for a variety of reasons, and should that happen, legal or other measures may be taken. More often than not, the parties involved would prefer to see the contract carried out until such a time the conditions have been completed or the contract is no longer relevant and the parties involved agree to terminate mutually.

However, when God deals with us humans, He does not make contracts with us, but a covenant. The terms are stipulated by God and fulfillment of the covenant are carried out by God in His time. In today’s reading, God made a covenant with Abraham, where Abraham “shall become the father of a multitude of nations.” This covenant is not for a limited period, but in perpetuity. Naturally, Abraham would not get to see the covenant fulfilled completely in his life time. It is something which would go beyond the present and we see the covenant continuing even today. When God makes a covenant, He keeps His word and He is faithful, even though we may not be so faithful to Him at times. Even though God is omnipotent (all powerful) and omniscient (all knowing), He is still willing to make a covenant with us humans, and keep His end of the bargain. We are invited to remain faithful to Him, but we are not forced to. We can choose to remain in His providence, or we could choose to go our own way, but we know from our history that remaining in His providence is the way to go.

Today, God is inviting us to remain with Him, so that we may continue to prosper. Even though there are times we may have gone astray, God is always beckoning us to come back to Him. Let us make every effort to remain in His love, so that we may live and be happy.

Tuesday of the 5th Week of Lent

Posted on by Posted in 5th, Lent, Lent 5, Tuesday, Weekday Leave a comment

Gratitude and thankfulness are virtues which may be lacking in some of us nowadays. We may have become so used to getting things done, getting more things, getting what we want, or even getting it quickly, that we have forgotten the meaning of being grateful, being thankful, being patient, being content with what we have, and just being happy. Sometimes our thirst for more and more could lead us to fall into greed, pride, impatience, selfishness and other sins.

In today’s reading, the Israelites lost patience on the way to the Promised Land. They spoke against God and against Moses, even though God had assured them that they would get there. These Israelites expected to reach their destination quickly, and they were not humble enough to let God lead the way. It was only when some of them were being bitten by the fiery serpents that they pleaded: “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede for us with the Lord to save us from these serpents.”

When we are not willing to let God be in control and guide us, we too may experience a similar situation as the Israelites. Some of us think that we have a right to this or that, but we fail to realise that in the end, whatever we have and whatever we get is actually from God’s providence. When we expect our rights to be met, we may one day find that we may have nothing left. Let us let God be our true guide and providence, for He knows what is best for us and He would give us what we need according to His time and His terms.

Monday of the 5th Week of Lent

Posted on by Posted in 5th, Lent, Lent 5, Monday, Weekday Leave a comment

Have you ever been unfaithful to your husband or wife? Hopefully most of us would say we have been faithful. If we are aware of what it really means to be married and are committed and determined to stay faithful, we would not allow our eyes to wander and look longingly at another man or woman. Even people who are not married could also fall into sin when we allow our eyes to wander and look longingly at another man or woman. This is where the danger of lust may creep in and we would have committed adultery in our hearts, even though we may not have actually done anything physically to the other person.

In today’s Gospel, we come across the scribes and Pharisees who brought a woman along who had been caught committing adultery (or so it seems). Being caught committing adultery was already bad enough, but these scribes and Pharisees had malice in their hearts. They did not really care about the woman; to them, she had committed an unforgivable crime and to them, the only solution was to have the woman stoned to death. Not only were they determined to get rid of her, they also tried to make a big display of their so called piousness and holier-than-thou attitude and even humiliated her by making her stand there in full view of everybody. Using her as an example to all, and as a tool to try and trap Jesus, they tried to force Jesus’ hand, because they knew that either way He answered, they were confident that he would be caught and trapped with His own words. It is ironic that the scribes and Pharisees had caught the woman, but as we know, it takes two to tango. What happened to the man? Didn’t he get caught as well, or did he get away so easily? We do not know the full story about how only the woman was caught, but what we do know is Jesus saw through their evil intentions and their hypocrisy, looked up and said, “If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Bang! The scribes and Pharisees were caught. Jesus had turned the tables on them, and “they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained standing there.” Then Jesus assured the woman with these words: “Neither do I condemn you… go away, and do not sin any more.”

Ultimately, we need to ask ourselves: how faithful have I been in my relationship with another person and in my relationship with God? Have I committing adultery in my thoughts or even in my deeds? Have I become like the scribes and Pharisees, self-righteous and so easy to condemn others, but refusing to admit my failings, mistakes and sins? Our God is beckoning us to come back to Him and remain in His love. We choose to remain with Him, or we choose to condemn ourselves by going away from Him, through our attitude and our actions.

5th Sunday of Lent Year B

Posted on by Posted in 5th, Lent, Lent 5, Sunday, Year B Leave a comment

What does it mean to be great? What does it mean to be important? Some think that being great and important means having a title or a high position in society; some think it means having lots of wealth and property; some think it means having lots of influential friends and acquaintances; some think it means being popular or famous like movie stars or pop stars. But what about those people who are not in the limelight; those people who care for the sick, the unloved, the forgotten, the bedridden, the rejects of society; those people suffering crosses without grumbling; those people giving encouragement to others; those people who bring the love of God to others; those people who witness to Jesus in small ways? Are they great and important too? As Christians, what does it really mean to be great and important? Are we great and important only in the eyes of the world?

If we look at the life of Jesus, we can get some ideas of what it really means to be great as a Christian. In today’s Gospel Jesus says His hour has come, His hour of glory. Unlike what the world may think as glory, Jesus’ glory is quite different: It is his passion and death! Why so? Because if a grain falls on the ground and dies it yields a rich harvest. The hour of glory for Jesus is his passion and death because when he is lifted up from the earth he will draw all men to himself. Jesus’ glory is not what the world thinks as glorious because the world does not see as God sees. Who would have thought that Jesus would have to suffer? Yet as the second reading reminds us, “He learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation.” This is greatness, not quite what the world sees as greatness, but greatness in God’s eyes. It is for each and every one of us Christians to follow, as the Gospel reminds us: “Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life. If a man serves me, he must follow me, wherever I am, my servant will be there too. If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him.”

The question is: are we still looking for greatness in this world, greatness which is only temporary, an illusion? Or have we begun looking for greatness which is eternal? Sometimes we give glory to what seems strong and powerful, but God does not look at appearances, God looks at the heart. Do we give glory to what appears great or do we give glory to what truly is great? Let us not be complacent into thinking of what seems great but in reality is not so, but humbly, earnestly and consistently strive to discover the real meaning of greatness, and glorify God.

Friday of Week 5 Year 1

Posted on by Posted in 5th, Weekday, Year 1 Leave a comment

Some of us may be quite easily duped or tempted into doing something wrong, especially when the reward or prize seems to be quite lucrative. Mr. S. A. Tan is quite clever and adept in knowing our weaknesses, and he would find ways and means to try and distract us and tempt us into committing such acts by feeding our ego, our pride and our selfishness.

In today’s reading, this is exactly what happened. Mr. S. A. Tan, in the form of a serpent, tempted the woman to eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden. He assured the woman: “No! You will not die! God knows in fact that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.” Such lies and deceitful words, and yet both the man and woman were equally guilty in falling into Mr. S. A. Tan’s trap by eating the fruit.

What about us? Do we have a weakness which Mr. S. A. Tan is trying to exploit to tempt us into sinning? Are we making efforts to resist and are we seeking God’s help fervently and humbly? Sometimes we try to fight such temptations on our own, but we must remember that our foe is not just some ordinary being. If we are to overcome such a foe, we need to remain in good relationship with God and continuously seek His help, guidance and protection. Let us not play play with such a dangerous and deadly foe, since it is only with God’s grace and strength that we have the means to avoid his poisonous and deadly attacks.

Thursday of Week 5 Year 1

Posted on by Posted in 5th, Weekday, Year 1 Leave a comment

Many of us are so used to getting things done quickly. Some of us complain when there is a traffic jam and we fume while we wait for the vehicles in front of us to hurry up and go. Some of us get agitated when the internet is slow, even if it is only for a little while due to some issue that is being addressed. At work, some of us may have experienced our boss breathing down our necks, expecting us to complete a task or report quickly. Some of us may have become quite impatient with certain family members or with our children, when they take time to get dressed or when they seem slow in finishing a meal. It seems like as we become more and more modernised and progressive, we may have become more and more impatient and demanding. Life, for some, could be quite stressful, when others expect us to hurry and we in turn expect others to do the same.

However, when it comes to our prayer life and communication with God, we are reminded that God does not follow our rules or our ways. When we ask something from God, He does not always grant it to us immediately, pronto, expresso. Sometimes, we find ourselves having to wait, since ultimately, God decides what is best for us. When we don’t get what we want or ask for, how many of us are humble and willing to be patient and persistent in our prayer? Would we become impatient and start looking elsewhere to get what we want?

In today’s Gospel, we come across a Syrophoenician pagan woman who begged Jesus to cast the devil out of her daughter. Even though Jesus did not seem to immediately grant her her wish, she was humble enough to be patient and persistent in begging Jesus for His help. In the end, due to her immense faith in Jesus, Jesus granted her her wish. What about us? In a world which is becoming more and more obsessed in frantically rushing through things and tasks, are we willing to be patient and persistent in our prayer and in seeking God’s help? Let us maintain full trust and confidence in God, knowing that He will guide us and care for us.