Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Easter 3

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 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.

Friday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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It is easy for us to write off someone who seems lost or hopeless according to our expectations or according to our standards, or the person is different from us or seems to be lacking in one way or another, according to our coloured and prejudiced eyes. Some of us begin to think that such a person is beyond redemption and is destined to be condemned. Some of us even ostracise the person, and do not want to have anything to do with the person. The funny thing is, sometimes, God uses such persons to teach us never to judge, never to be so quick to condemn, to be humble, and to love unconditionally, just as God loves all of us the same.

In today’s reading, we come across Saul who many feared and despised, since he was fervently and enthusiastically persecuting Christians. But God had other plans for Saul. Instead of writing him off, God caused Saul to change from a Christian basher, to a Christian defender. Imagine the shock, bewilderment and amazement experienced by the Christians when Saul, who became Paul, began preaching in the synagogues, ‘Jesus is the Son of God.’ Who would have ever thought that Saul could be turned into a stalwart promoter of the Christian faith, yet that is exactly what happened. God had shown that what was impossible is made possible.

What does this tell us? It tells us that God can do wonders beyond our expectations. He can change people, no matter how evil, horrible, obnoxious or mean they may have been. Are we willing to put our trust in God, knowing that He will do what is best for us, according to His time and for His glory?

Thursday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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I have done many baptisms throughout my ministry and so far, I have noticed that in these baptisms, there is quite a bit of rejoicing and happiness. If the baptised is a baby, the parents, grandparents, Godparents and guests are rejoicing and all-smiles, as a new member has come forth from the family, even though the baby may be unaware of what is going on. If the baptised is a child or an adult, not only the parents, grandparents, Godparents and guests are rejoicing and all-smiles, the baptised too are excited, rejoicing and happy for having received new life and God’s salvation. In today’s reading, the eunuch went on his way rejoicing, after being baptised by Philip.

It is good to rejoice when a new person receives baptism, since the person has become a child of God. But let us not just rejoice at that point of time and that’s that. We should continue to live a life of rejoicing in God’s love and care, and share this life of rejoicing with all we meet. If something is so significant and worth rejoicing, surely we would not want to keep it under wraps, but share the joy around. So let us renew our efforts with joy, enthusiasm and exuberance, so that all would come to know what it means to be a Christian.

Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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There are many things that we cannot see, yet we believe that such things exist. For example, we cannot see germs or bacteria, but we experience their effects. We cannot see electricity, but we experience the effects of electricity through the many appliances it provides power to, so that our lives would be easier or more convenient. But the irony is: sometimes we may be able to see something, and yet we are not able to believe what we are seeing. Why is this so? Sometimes it could be because the something is so shocking, spectacular, disturbing or flabbergasting that we may be at a lost of words and unable to comprehend what is happening or has just happened. Sometimes it could be because we are so set in our way of thinking or doing things, that other ways of thinking or doing things are seen as a threat or not worth our attention.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus 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. But, as I have told you, you can see me and still you do not believe.” The people had seen Jesus say and do so many things. They had witnessed so many healings and miracles performed by Jesus. But some of the people, especially the scribes and the Pharisees, were so fixated and stubborn with their way of thinking and their way of doing things, that no matter what Jesus said or did, they chose to remain closed to the Good News being proclaimed by Jesus. They knew who Jesus was, but chose to find ways and means to get rid of Him, since what Jesus said and did was challenging their authority and going against the status quo. To them, personal survival, personal status and self-preservation was more important than listening to God’s voice and doing what is just and right.

What about us? Have we too become or are becoming like the scribes and Pharisees? Do we value only our views, so much so that Jesus’ teachings, God’s commandments and many other things have taken a back seat or ignored completely? May we continue to take courage and say and do what is right, and let God be our providence and guide.

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.

3rd Sunday of Easter Year C

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Have you ever wondered why some of you are not happy, or having feelings of anger and impatience, or feelings of resentment in your life? We could come up with so many possibilities of why some of us are feeling this way, but one reason which seems to crop up among many of us is that we want and need to be in control. We struggle to be in control even from our earliest years. As babies, we cry or bawl away, so that our parents would feed us or hold us to comfort us. As toddlers and as a child, some of us may have thrown tantrums, screamed, refused to do what we are told, or even being nice or behaving well, with the hope that we would get something in return. Even as adults, we try to get our way and be in control through our words and actions. Some of us even become control freaks, and try to control everything, including our spouse, our children, those who work for us, and many others, expecting them to conform to our ways and our demands.

But the truth is, we are not, never and shall never be in control, since God is ultimately in control. In today’s Gospel, Peter thought he was in control when he tried to go back to his old job fishing, but even in that, he fared badly, as he was not in control and failed to catch any fish. It was only when Jesus helped that he was able to catch so many fish. Also, the Gospel tells us that Jesus said to Peter: “when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.” This shows that Peter was not in control of his destiny, and control actually lies with God. Moreover in the first reading, Peter and the apostles reminded the High Priest and the Sanhedrin that God is in control when they said, “Obedience to God comes before obedience to men.” The High Priest and the Sanhedrin could only warn the apostles not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them, but they had no control over the apostles, since the apostles were under God’s control and doing His will.

This is why we should not allow ourselves to become egoistic or proud of our abilities, achievements and talent. The fact is that we are not in control, since we need the grace and strength of God to be able to do all that we do. This is what discipleship is all about: by being at God’s service, by listening to Jesus and be always ready to do God’s will, not ours. We are called to follow Him, to place our lives into His hands and let Him take control of our lives. May we be humble and willing to let go of the need to be in control of our lives and of others, and let God be in control, knowing that He will help and guide us to all we can be, for His glory.

Friday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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Who would have thought that a person, after having been so wicked, mean and nasty towards Christians, could be converted? Who would have imagined that such a person could be transformed from being an ardent persecutor of the Way to an ardent promoter and defender of the Way? Some of us would have thought that such a person was beyond hope or redemption, and some would have been quite hesitant to believe when they hear that such a person had been converted. After all, news of such a person being converted could have been a trap, designed to flush Christians out from their hiding places so that they could be easily captured and imprisoned.

However, today’s reading shows us that such a conversion is possible. Before Saul could enter Damascus to carry out his evil plan, God intervened and caused Saul to fall onto the ground and became blind. Then Ananias (whose name means that the Lord is gracious or that the Lord is compassionate) was commanded by the Lord to go to Saul, lay his hands on him and give Saul back his sight. Ananias was naturally quite hesitant to do so, since he had heard the terrible things and horror stories of what Saul had done. But the Lord replied, “You must go all the same, because this man is my chosen instrument to bring my name before pagans and pagan kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he himself must suffer for my name.” With this assurance from God, Ananias did what he was told. He trusted in God’s care and providence and because of this, we see the depths of the graciousness and compassion of God, and we also see the beginnings of an amazing preacher and defender of the Way, Saul who became St. Paul of Tarsus.

What does this incident tell us? Some of us may think that those who persecute us or created tremendous problems for us would get their just rewards. But sometimes the kind of reward such people would get could be quite different from what we expect. Who knows? Such people may be converted just like Saul, and become champions of the Christian faith. We just need to trust in God’s care and providence, since He work wonders far beyond what we could ever imagine.