Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Easter 3

Thursday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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If you are given the opportunity to do something to your life which would enable you to live forever, would you seize such an opportunity? Some people in the past had turned to different sorts of medicine, elixers, and meditation techniques, in an attempt to live forever. But the fact of the matter is, our bodies are not designed to live indefinitely. Humanly speaking, it does not matter what we try to do, we will die one day. Seeing that physical death is inevitable, what sort of death should we focus on instead?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us: “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the desert and they are dead; but this is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that a man may eat it and not die. I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.” When we eat this living bread, we are actually nourishing our souls and letting God sustain our spiritual lives. It is this spiritual life which we should watch out for, since our bodies will perish but our soul will live on. Are we neglecting our souls and heading towards a spiritual death away from God? Or have we been doing our part to receive the living bread that Jesus is offering us, and giving us spiritual life that lives forever?

Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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Bread is an essential part of a meal for many people. People eat bread, sometimes with different kinds of vegetables, meat and fruits. Sometimes, bread is eaten with different kinds of jam, butter, margarine, peanut butter and other types of spreads. In some cases, bread could be eaten on its own, and some even dip pieces of bread into a cup of coffee, milo, chocolate or some other beverage, or even dip into some form of mixture or sauce. In Malaysia, we can find bread in other forms, such as chapati, roti canai (also known as “roti prata”), naan and thosai. When dipped in dal curry, fish curry or other kinds of curry and sauces, the taste and flavour is enhanced further.

But as we would notice, the kind of bread we eat is nourishing only to our bodies. What about the kind of bread which would nourish our spiritual side, our soul? 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 bread which we get for a meal will never satisfy and nourish us completely, since we would become hungry and thirsty again after a while. Jesus is offering us Himself, the bread of life, the kind of bread which would satisfy us both body and soul, provided that we come to Him and believe in Him.

Each day, Jesus is inviting us to partake in this bread of life, the Eucharist, His body, which is real food and real drink, to strengthen us and help us progress in our spiritual journey. It seems strange that there are some who make so much effort to find other forms of bread which satisfies us only temporary, when Jesus is offering us the best bread available and moreover, free of charge. Are we still insisting in going after only worldly bread, or are we making more effort to regularly partake in that heavenly bread for the betterment of our soul?

Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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How many of us are willing to put our lives in danger, or even face death, to uphold the truth? Sometimes we come across wrongdoings, slander, rampant bribery, corruption, crimes being committed, exploitation and enslavement among the weak, the poor and the migrants, and many other heinous acts being committed around us. Are we willing to do all we can to uphold the truth, even if it means that we could end up being ridiculed, persecuted, imprisoned or even murdered or assassinated? Or are we more interested in preserving our lives, afraid or reluctant to get involved, and look the other way?

In today’s reading, Stephen said some hard facts and truths to the people, the elders and the scribes which caused them to react in this way: “They were infuriated when they heard this, and ground their teeth at him.” But Stephen did not back down or change his stance over the matter, he held his ground and the more he said, the more antagonised the people, the elders and the scribes became, leading to Stephen being sent out of the city and stoned to death. What was Stephen’s response to all this? He merely followed what Jesus did on the cross: “‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and said aloud, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.'”

It has been said that for evil men to accomplish their purpose it is only necessary that good men should do nothing. Are we willing to sacrifice ourselves and be bearers of truth, justice and fairness? Or are we only interested in saving our own skin? Let us choose our conduct wisely, for the consequences of our actions is far reaching, and our eternal future is at stake.

Monday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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We need food to grow and survive each day. Even though we may be able to go without food for a certain period, eventually we would need to eat something to sustain ourselves. This is where we need to make a living so that we could continue surviving and prospering in this world. Our efforts are certainly not wrong, but sometimes we tend to forget who we really are and what is our ultimate purpose, our ultimate goal. Is this life all there is to us? The food we can taste in this world gives us pleasure and contentment only for a moment; after it has been processed in our stomachs, it becomes waste which we dispel.

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.” Jesus is offering the kind of food which will satisfy us completely, not only physically, but spiritually as well. This food is found in His Body, the Eucharist, which we are encouraged to partake each day, so that our souls are nourished and our relationship with God is strengthened. Let us not take for granted or miss out on this precious and heavenly food which Jesus is offering us at no cost, food which has far greater effects and benefits on us as we journey towards our eternal future.

3rd Sunday of Easter Year B

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In ancient times, maintaining cleanliness and proper sanitation was not as simple or easy as today, but people still made effort to ensure that their homes and living quarters were kept clean as best as possible. Maintaining cleanliness also means taking out the garbage, lest the house itself ends up becoming a rubbish dump, which would then attract unwanted creatures like cockroaches, rats, mice and other creepy crawlies which either thrive on the rubbish or feed on the pests and vermin that thrive on the rubbish, which would then pose a danger to humans. We have read horrible accounts of diseases and other deadly forms brought by such unwanted creatures.

However, all this effort of maintaining cleanliness and proper sanitation is only for this world that we live in. What about the trash and junk which we may have picked up when we commit sin? We also need to put out that garbage for collection. If we don’t put out that trash for collection it will also become a dreadful mess, a mess inside us, affecting our entire self. The first reading reminds us: “Now you must repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.” Notice that the reading says “now” and not tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, or as and when we are free. The second reading further reinforces the urgency to put out the garbage within us and reminds us that “Jesus Christ, who is just; is the sacrifice that takes our sins away, and not only ours, but the whole world’s.” But we must repent and turn to God, so that our sins would be wiped out. So if you have garbage or junk in your life, Jesus is waiting to take it from you; but He will not take it from you by force; He will wait for you to go to Him or open yourself to Him.

This is why we need to constantly remind ourselves of the importance of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This Sacrament is there to remove the accumulated rubbish, garbage and junk from our souls. It is not the priest that you meet in Confession, it is Jesus you meet, and it is He who heals you during the Sacrament. It is not just a Sacrament that is meant only for the season of Advent and the season of Lent. It is a sacrament for use all year round, God’s Grace is waiting for us all year round. God is inviting us to get rid of the rubbish which is dirtying and damaging our soul, so that we may have a clear and open channel for God to guide us and heal us. It is strange that people would make lots of effort to buy expensive perfumes and take regular baths to ensure that their bodies are clean and smell pleasant, but they do not see the necessity or urgency to keep their souls clean and smell pleasant too.

Are we still procrastinating and putting off this wonderful and helpful means of getting rid of our inner rubbish? Why allow ourselves to become a source of attraction to the evil vermin waiting to devour us, or infect us with deadly diseases and destroy our being? God is inviting us to get rid of the leprosy of sin within us; it is up to us to seize the many opportunities given to us to seek forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and be clean once again as we grow closer to Him.

Friday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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Some of us may have experienced a conversion at some point of our lives. We may have been born in a family of a different faith, and due to some incident, occasion or experience, we may have decided to inquire further of the Christian faith. Then, after much study and reflection, some of us may have decided to be baptised.

Perhaps not many of us would have experienced the sort of conversion which Saul did in today’s reading. Perhaps our conversion story may not have been so dramatic or phenomenal. But the fact is our conversion story must have been so significant or impacted our lives so much that we decided to eventually be baptised, or we may have decided to change our lives and live in a different way, hopefully closer to God. When we experienced a conversion, how did we feel? Were we excited and enthusiastic about the experience? Were we ready and willing to share our experience with others, with the hope that they too may experience conversion in their own way?

When we feel bogged down with challenges in life, perhaps we could recall our conversion stories as a source of inspiration, reminding us that God is moulding us and helping us to grow spiritually. Life is a struggle, but when we recall how God guided us to change our lives, we know that we can depend on His providence. Let us continue to trust and depend on Him. After all, if He can change Saul from a persecutor into a defender of the faith, how much more He can transform us into something better, if we offer ourselves to Him with trust and sincerity.

Thursday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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When we were baptised, how many of us rejoiced in receiving baptism? For those of us who were baptised as babies, perhaps we may not have been fully aware or understood what was going on. But for those who were baptised as adults, were we excited, joyful, happy, or enthusiastic? Today’s reading tells us about the eunuch who was an officer at the court of the kandake, or queen, of Ethiopia. This eunuch went on his way rejoicing after receiving baptism from Philip. We may not know what happened to the eunuch after this, but from his joyful exuberance, we could guess that he would have continued to spread the Good News in his homeland Ethiopia.

We too are called to go forth to preach the Good News, since our baptism makes a children of God and surely we should be excited to share this Good News with others. Our baptism is not meant to be kept for ourselves only, but we should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world so that others would come to know and accept Jesus. Are we doing our part? Or have we allowed ourselves to slack and become complacent towards our duty?

Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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When we are faced with bitter persecution, what would we do? Would we continue to keep the faith and stand our ground? Would we continue to keep the faith but go elsewhere to proclaim it, since it would have been not possible to continue proclaiming it in one’s present location? Or would some of us abandon our faith to save our skin and protect our interests?

In today’s reading, we read “a bitter persecution started against the church in Jerusalem, and everyone except the apostles fled to the country districts of Judaea and Samaria.” At first instance, we may think that only the apostles were still keeping the faith. But if we read further, we would discover that “those who had escaped went from place to place preaching the Good News.” The disciples may have made a run for it, but they were doing so, so that the faith could be preserved and taught elsewhere, despite facing persecution. If we are faced with similar persecution, would we still be fervent and steadfast just as these disciples and the apostles were, some remaining to keep the church alive in Jerusalem, others going elsewhere to spread the Good News?

Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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It seems strange that some of us would go through great effort to find the best or most delicious food or drink in this world. Some of us would travel many great distances just to taste and enjoy something which only lasts for a short while. No matter how wonderful or delicious or tasty the food or drink may be, we will eventually be hungry or thirsty again. The food which we get to nourish our physical bodies will not last.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us of a different kind of food and drink. He says: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.” This kind of food is able to satisfy us completely, not just physically, but especially spiritually. Some of us may have been running around trying to satisfy only our physical needs, but how much effort have we been making to satisfy our spiritual needs? Which is ultimately more important to us? Let us be prudent and wise in doing what is necessary so that we will never be hungry or thirsty.

Monday of the 3rd Week of Easter

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Lies and jealousy are sins which some may have committed due to personal pride. Some of us feel insecure and do not want to lose out or want to appear to be greater than we really are. Some of us may become extremely jealous of other people’s accomplishments or abilities, and we may begin to spread lies or other forms of false information just to belittle or put down others. This is exactly what happened to those certain people in today’s reading, who came forward to debate with Stephen, some from Cyrene and Alexandria who were members of the synagogue called the Synagogue of Freedmen, and others from Cilicia and Asia. They found they could not get the better of him because of his wisdom and what did they do? They procured some men to bear false witness against Stephen; then having in this way turned the people against him as well as the elders and scribes, they took Stephen by surprise, and arrested him and brought him before the Sanhedrin. People can do evil and despicable things, when they are blinded by jealousy and lies.

Are we just as guilty in being jealous and spreading lies in this way, just to make ourselves look good and to protect our interests? Is our face or pride more important to us in this temporary life? Sometimes the truth may come out and the lies we spread would be exposed, and to try and cover up further, we may end up lying more or committing even greater sins. How much more can we avoid the truth? May we be wise enough to finally accept ourselves as we really are, and be humble enough to be truthful to ourselves and to others.