Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: 6th

Thursday of Week 6 Year 1

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They respond to Him mentioning various prophets that represent important aspects of His mission, but nothing really captures who He really is. Instead of the kind of messiah the disciples thought Jesus was, Jesus tells them that He “must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days.” This was something which Peter found difficult to accept. In his mind, he thought that Jesus would be some champion who would save the Jews from unjust authorities; not a suffering and dying Jesus. For this, Peter was criticised harshly by Jesus, even addressed as “Satan”, for he was “thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

What about us? Some of us try to think of Jesus in good terms, but the reality is that Jesus came to save us from our sins, and also to teach us how to live as God intended, not according to our own way or our expectations. Are we willing to set aside our thoughts and expectations, and understand and do what God expects of us?

Wednesday of Week 6 Year 1

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As children, and even as adults, we sometimes hear people telling us: “patience is a virtue.” In a world where so many things are happening so quickly, and many of us are becoming more and more used to getting things done quickly, having patience is certainly harder for some of us to achieve. But the reality of life is this: some things just cannot be rushed. For example, we want to plant a mango or durian tree in our garden, but we cannot expect the tree to grow immediately and bear fruit. It takes years for the tree to grow, become strong, and eventually bear fruit. Even then, the first few fruits the tree produces may not necessarily be good to eat. It takes much patience, and lots of care, for the tree to eventually bear good fruit. When we exercise patience, we hopefully eventually get good fruit from the tree to enjoy.

In today’s reading, Noah had to wait for 40 days of rain, another 7 days for the water to subside, and then another 7 days for the surface of the earth to dry up.Whether Noah liked it or not, he had to have patience for the water to eventually subside and the surface of the earth to dry up properly. What does this mean to us? It means that eventually, we need to have patience and trust in God and wait. Are we willing to have patience, wait with hope, and trust in God’s providence and care?

Saturday of the 6th Week of Easter

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For a message to be clear, accurate and effective, a person must not only get the facts right and accurate, but also the person must receive such facts from a reputable source. This is because, as we know, all sorts of so called facts are circulating around, and much of such so called facts could turn out to be mostly true but with some slight inaccuracies; or entirely false, or even true but needing additional support to make such facts rock solid.

In today’s reading, we come across Appolos who “though he had been given instruction in the Way of the Lord and preached with great spiritual earnestness and was accurate in all the details he taught about Jesus, he had only experienced the baptism of John.”Appolos may have had his facts accurate, but he needed additional coaching and instruction about the Way from Priscilla and Aquila, so that he had a reputable source to depend on and refer from. Not only that, the reading also tells us that Appolos “was able by God’s grace to help the believers considerably by the energetic way he refuted the Jews in public and demonstrated from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.” This shows that, not only does a person need to have accurate facts with reference from a reliable and reputable source, the person also needs God’s grace to make such facts rock solid.

What can we learn from this? We can realise that at the end of the day, mere facts alone are insufficient. We need supporting evidence to reinforce the facts, and such supporting evidence comes from reliable and reputable sources. However, this is not enough. We also need God’s help, so that the facts being preached are ultimately from His grace and for His glory.

Tuesday of Week 6 Year 2

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Every once in a while, a person would come for confession and start blaming everyone else for causing him or her to sin. For example, the person may say that his or her elderly mother or elderly father is too slow or takes too much time to eat, and because of that the person gets quite annoyed or angry. Some even blame other drivers on the road for driving too slow, even though the road may be quite congested, there is a speed limit and there is a speed camera present. At the bank, some blame the bank tellers for being too slow in attending to their needs, even though in reality, the amount being banked in is quite small, and could have easily been banked in using the Cash Deposit Machine (or CDM). It seems easy for some to put the blame on others for one’s sins.

However, today’s reading admonishes us, saying: “Never, when you have been tempted, say, ‘God sent the temptation’; God cannot be tempted to do anything wrong, and he does not tempt anybody. Everyone who is tempted is attracted and seduced by his own wrong desire. Then the desire conceives and gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it too has a child, and the child is death.” The reading makes it clear that we sin because we allow ourselves to be seduced and we allow ourselves to give in to sin, and not because of others. This means that we should take responsibility for the sins we have committed, and seek forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, instead of just conveniently trying to past the buck to others. Would we be willing to admit our fault, and make more effort to remain in the Lord’s ways?

Monday of Week 6 Year 2

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Signs are useful and necessary in our lives. For example, directional signs are there to guide us to where we intend to go. In our natural environment, the “signs of the times” tell us what to watch out for, so that we would be prepared should disaster strike. Non-verbal signs expressed by our spouse, our children, our siblings and our friends, tell us that something is wrong, or the person may be hurt, or the person may be unwell, especially when physical signs such as a rash or a boil appears. So as you can see, signs are useful.

However, in today’s  Gospel, the Pharisees came forward and argued with Jesus and asked for a sign from heaven to test Him. Even though there were already many signs making it quite clear who Jesus was, the Pharisees refused to acknowledge such signs. Instead, they wanted signs which jive with their way of thinking or understanding. But Jesus was not going to tolerate such arrogance and narrow way of thinking from the Pharisees, and all He did was, with a sigh that came straight from the heart, said, ‘Why does this generation demand a sign? I tell you solemnly, no sign shall be given to this generation.’

Could some of us be like the Pharisees, even though many signs are already present around us? Are we still refusing to believe or accept such signs? God may have given many signs for us to repent, change our ways and return to His ways. But just like the Pharisees, our pride, arrogance, prejudice and ego, may have hindered and blinded us from accepting such signs. May we take heed of the signs around us, and make amends with the Lord, while we have chances to do so.

Tuesday of the 6th Week of Easter

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It is interesting to listen to the conversion stories of those who have been recently baptised. Some of their stories may sound nothing out of the ordinary, some may sound spectacular, but each story is unique and special. In some cases, a conversion story could inspire others who have not been baptised to seriously consider doing so; and also strengthen the resolve and conviction of those already baptised. That is why it is good to record the conversion stories of those recently baptised, as sources of inspiration and reflection.

In today’s reading, the gaoler experienced an amazing conversion story. The reading tells us: “Late that night Paul and Silas were praying and singing God’s praises, while the other prisoners listened. Suddenly there was an earthquake that shook the prison to its foundations. All the doors flew open and the chains fell from all the prisoners. When the gaoler woke and saw the doors wide open he drew his sword and was about to commit suicide, presuming that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted at the top of his voice, ‘Don’t do yourself any harm; we are all here.’ The gaoler called for lights, then rushed in, threw himself trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas, and escorted them out, saying, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’” What the gaoler experienced led to him being transformed from a death to his old self to a birth to his new self. As a result, the gaoler and all his household were baptised.

Have we been inspired by our conversion story? Has our conversion story led us to a birth to a new self? Or have we slacken and gradually returned to our old selves? May we never forget our conversion story, and continue to grow in love of God and with others.

Friday of Week 6 Year 1

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What sort of life are we living here on earth? What do we hope to attain? Some of us seem to be more goal-oriented and achievement-centered. We spend much energy and time to reach somewhere in life: such as our career, wealth, status, knowledge or whatever we deem is our priority or has importance. But are these things really that important? Are all these things all there is to life? Have we ever thought about where we are going to, what is the real meaning of our life?

In the 1st reading, we come across a people who had only one purpose in mind, that is to build a town with a tower with a top reaching heaven. Their intention of doing all this is just to make a name for themselves. They want to be remembered for what they achieved on this earth. For them that was going to be their pride and joy. But when people begin to think that they can achieve anything, they may begin to think that they do not need God. They begin to think that they can do anything they please, and achieve all things through their own effort. We have seen throughout history, how some people have built things, even claiming that what they built would last or would not be destroyed, and we have seen the consequences of such arrogance, where not only what was built was destroyed, many lives were lost due to their folly. May we come to realise our limits and how much we really depend on God for many things, and walk humbly in His ways.

Thursday of Week 6 Year 1

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What sort of image of Christ do you have? Some of us may think of Christ as a healer, miracle worker, teacher, rebel against authorities, activist against the unjust status quo, and many other images. In today’s Gospel, Christ asks His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They respond to Him mentioning various prophets that represent important aspects of His mission, but nothing really captures who He really is and how He understands Himself. He tells them that He “must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days.” Christ’s self-image which contains suffering, death, and resurrection, was something which Peter found difficult to accept. Perhaps in his mind, he thought that Christ would be some champion who would save the Jews from unjust authorities. Peter just could not come to terms with a suffering and dying Christ. For this, Peter was criticised harshly by Christ, even addressed as “Satan”, for he was “thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

What about us? Do we have a certain image of Christ which seems rosy and nice? Are we aware of Christ’ true purpose and mission? Some of us try to think of Christ in good terms, with a feel good factor, but Christ came to save us from our sins, and also to teach us how to live as God intended, not according to the way we are comfortable in or the way some others think. Are we willing to set aside our thoughts and expectations, and try to understand and do what God expects of us?

Tuesday of Week 6 Year 1

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When we speak of yeast, we normally speak of a kind of substance which enables bread to expand and rise, making the bread more pleasing to look at and eat once baked. In today’s Gospel, Jesus warned us of a “yeast” which is a little different. What sort of yeast is Jesus trying to tell us? Jesus was speaking about a kind of “yeast” that was both religious and political which we should watch out for. This “yeast” refers to “attitude”; and the “attitude” of the Pharisees and the “attitude” of Herod could corrupt one’s “attitude” as a Christian.

The “yeast” of the Pharisees is narrow-minded religious exclusivism. It is an attitude that says only those who believe and behave like the Pharisees are saved, everyone else is damned or are of no consequence. The “yeast” of Herod, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of the Pharisees. Herod was prepared to water down the Jewish faith to suit his purposes. Herod was only interested in preserving His political power, and was not the least bit interested in doing the will of God.

What about us? Have we been corrupted or infected with the “yeast” of the Pharisees and the “yeast” of Herod? Have we been behaving as religious extremists like the Pharisees, thinking that our beliefs and way of doing things is the only way? Or have we become so worldly in our behaviour and conduct, only interested in protecting our power, position and prestige, and watering down our faith or even totally ignoring the ways of God? May we take caution and not be infected or corrupted by such “yeast,” and in all things do with love and moderation, for the glory of God.

Wednesday of Week 6 Year 1

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Many of us are so used to getting things done quickly, so much so that we do not like to wait. Even if we need to wait, we do not want to wait too long. For example, if we go for a hair cut at the barbers, and we find that there are one or two persons ahead of us, we may decide to wait a while, especially if the barber does a good job in cutting hair. However, if the barber is taking quite some time, especially if the customer the barber is servicing is very fussy or particular about the way his or her hair is being cut, some of us may decide to go look for another barber. How long we are willing to wait when it comes to such circumstances depends on our tolerance level towards waiting time.

However, in today’s reading, Noah had to wait for 40 days of rain, another 7 days for the water to subside, and then another 7 days for the surface of the earth to dry up. Likewise, the blind man in today’s Gospel had to wait before his sight was fully restored. What does this tell us? It tells us that ultimately, everything happens in God’s time and we have to trust in God and wait. Some things take time, and we need to learn to be patient and carry on waiting. Are we willing to leave it in God’s hands, wait with patience and hope, and let God do what is best for us?