Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Easter

Wednesday of the 6th Week of Easter

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Christian faith is such that we need to have an experience of it, as well as proper teaching of it. We cannot depend only on the experience of it, since we may not understand what is it we are really believing, and sometimes people could lead us astray with an experience of faith which has been manipulated by them for their own agenda. On the other hand, we cannot have only an intellectual-based faith, where we only learn about it but have no inkling about what it feels like, especially feeling the presence of God.

That is why, in today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us: “I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now. But when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking as from himself but will say only what he has learnt; and he will tell you of the things to come.” Jesus has taught the disciples much, but depending on teaching alone is not sufficient. Experiencing the Holy Spirit is also necessary, so that we would be fired up and strengthened to go forth and preach the Good News with joy and courage. May we always strive to understand our faith well through proper study, and let the Holy Spirit fill us with love, strength, compassion and vigour, so that we may truly be His diciples bringing the Good News to all the earth.

Monday of the 6th Week of Easter

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Some of us may have heard of the country ballad by Carrie Underwood titled “I Told You So,” and some of the words are: “I told you so, oh I told you so, I told you some day you come crawling back and asking me to take you in…” In this song, the lyrics seem to show one person gloating over, or speaking in a condescending manner towards another person, for not listening to, or refusing to accept, or rejecting, advice or suggestions. When a person uses such word like “I Told You So,” it is possible that the person may “brag” over it, or the person may feel proud and “wise” for having said something towards another person, and the other person had not listened and ended up with issues or problems. But as Christians, is this the sort of attitude or behaviour we encourage?

In today’s Gospel, we see an example where Jesus said “I have told you all this” and even said it three times. Jesus said “I have told you all this” not to prove what He said was true, but so that when the time for those events have to come to pass, His disciples may remember that Jesus had told them. Jesus is helping His disciples, and us too, to remember that we must always be prepared and ready for anything, and remain in God’s love and care.

As Christians, we are called to be prophets. What does that mean? It basically means that we are to speak the truth and tell it as it is, no matter how hard or difficult the message may be to accept, for the good of those who are supposed to receive the message. But the prophet is saying such truth or message not to show how clever or wise the prophet is, but to do the will of God and deliver God’s message and warning to those who need to know. The prophet is not interested in bragging, or gloating, or saying “I told you so,” to appease one’s personal ego or gratification, since the prophet is merely doing one’s duty. Are we also doing our duty faithfully?

Friday of the 5th Week of Easter

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What sort of love do we have towards others? Do we love only because it is advantageous to us or convenient to us? Do we love because the other person loves us? Do we love because the other person is nice to us or good to us? Do we love because of some other reason? Or could we ever love without needing a reason, that is, unconditionally, with no strings attached?

Perhaps the greatest kind of love we could manifest is mentioned in the Gospel: “A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.” Just as Jesus laid down His life to save us from our sins, we too are asked to do the same. Jesus loved us, and so we too are asked to love others, even to the point of losing our life. Are we willing to follow Jesus’ example in truly and genuinely loving, without counting the costs?

Today, the world is infested with a kind of love that is conditional, a love which is selfish, a “what’s in it for me” kind of love. May we free ourselves from such kinds of love, and follow Jesus’ example in loving others completely, just as He showed us how to on the cross.

Thursday of the 5th Week of Easter

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What sort of joy are we looking for in this world? Are we looking for joy which is only temporary? Or are we looking for joy that is complete? Some of you may be thinking: “Of course we would want complete joy.” But how do we get complete joy in this world, when we are constantly bombarded with new things or the latest things? For example, some of us may have bought a computer, and initially we are happy with our purchase, but our happiness is short-lived, since a new model or a much more powerful model could have been released shortly after we had bought the computer. Then what happens? Some of us may feel frustrated, since we had purchased too quickly, without waiting for the newer model to emerge. Can we ever attain complete joy from what this world has to offer?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said to his disciples: “Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments
you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete.” Isn’t it clear that the joy we experience in this world is only temporary? After a while, we would need to find other ways and means to remain joyful. In fact, we may never attain complete joy. However, Jesus is offering a kind of joy which is complete. We can receive this joy which He offers us if we keep God’s commandments and remain in His love.

Some of us may say: “But keeping God’s commandments is hard! How is it possible for us to do so?” It is a question of trust and dependence on God. If we put our trust and dependence in God, and let Him guide our lives; if we are willing to be detached from worldly attractions and pleasures; if we are willing to truly love God and neighbour, with no strings attached, with no conditions; then perhaps we would be able to remain in Jesus’ love and experience complete joy.

Wednesday of the 5th Week of Easter

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When we go to a country for work or studies or some other purpose, we are sometimes advised to follow some of the customs and practices of that country. We may have heard of the saying: “Do as the Romans do.” Even though we follow some of such customs and practices, we may not necessarily follow all of them, since some of these customs and practices are peculiar to a certain ethnic group, and has nothing to do with the faith.

In today’s reading, we come across some conflict, because certain members of the Pharisees’ party who had become believers objected, insisting that the pagans should be circumcised (in other words, “kena potong”) and instructed to keep the Law of Moses. Such a custom or practice was peculiar to the Jews, as it was handed down to them from their forefathers. But is such a custom or practice relevant to others, those who are not Jews? Should Christians be subjected to such a custom, which Jesus did not impose or insist upon in His teaching or way of life? Of course not, and later in another part of the reading, we would understand why. This is where we need to be clear about what is actual teaching of faith, and what are practices which appear to be common among Christians of a certain ethnic group, but not common among Christians as a whole. We need to be clear, since although matters of faith and morals are non-negotiable, matters concerning practices and customs can and will differ from place to place. May we discern carefully and know which is which.

Tuesday of the 5th Week of Easter

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No matter how challenging of difficult your day has been, when you enter a church to pray or to gaze at the tabernacle containing the Blessed Sacrament, how do you feel? Quite likely you would calm down and feel some peace, isn’t it? When you hear a lovely hymn being sung or played from a CD, you would feel some peace right? When you are gazing at the crucifix at home or at the big crucifix in church, or gaze at a holy picture of Jesus, Mary, the Holy Family, or one of your favourite saint, you would also feel some peace right? Notice what is happening? You are experiencing a sense of security and peace, as you know that God is with you.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a message of peace and 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 God with us, when we have Jesus as our guide, then there is no reason to fret, worry or fear. No matter how difficult the circumstances may be, no matter how tough life is treating you, no matter how painful the persecution you may be experiencing, just remember this: God gives us peace, the kind of peace which is sufficient for us. Let us not feel downtrodden or even despair, since God is there to protect us and guide us to our true home.

Friday of the 4th Week of Easter

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Some of us may have experienced a situation called mid-life crisis, where we begin to realise that the many things we once enjoyed, can no longer be enjoyed; the many things we once could do, seem to be harder to accomplish; the many tasks we once worked so hard on, seem to be not much of a big deal anymore. When we are experiencing such a situation, some of us may be slipping towards depression, since our life and body condition is changing, as we are aging and we discover that we are no longer as before, sort of like “no more spring chicken.”

But today’s Gospel gives us some comfort. Jesus is inviting us: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me.” What we are going through is part of life as we grow older, and instead of worrying or fretting, we should just move along and adapt to a different phase of life. Sure, we may not be as we were before, but does it really matter? With Jesus as our guide and help, what we can or cannot do is no longer our concern. We just do what we can, and offer all we do for the glory of God. May we keep on trusting in Jesus, knowing that He will be at our side, as we walk on.

Thursday of the 4th Week of Easter

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What do we look for in life? Are we looking for fame, popularity, recognition, peer acceptance or something else for ourselves? Or are we looking for true joy and happiness? Some of us think that by gaining fame, popularity, recognition, or peer acceptance, we would be joyful and happy. But the joy and happiness we seemingly experience are only temporary things, they do not last, they are merely illusions that come and go. After some time, when the fame, popularity, recognition, or peer acceptance is gone, we may even lose the joy and happiness previously experienced.

That is why, in today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us: “I tell you most solemnly, no servant is greater than his master, no messenger is greater than the man who sent him. Now that you know this, happiness will be yours if you behave accordingly.” When we let Jesus be in control, when we do not seek greatness for ourselves, then we will experience true happiness, because all that we are doing is not for our own pleasure, personal gratification or to boost our ego. All that we are doing is for the greater glory of God, and to build God’s Kingdom. May we be humble and willing to walk in Jesus’ ways, and let Him grant us true happiness, the kind of happiness that will last.

Wednesday of the 4th Week of Easter

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It is tempting for some of us to come up with our own opinion or interpretation about what a particular passage in the bible means. Sometimes our opinion or interpretation could be coloured or influenced by our background, attitude towards certain persons or places, or some other criteria. When we begin to interpret passages in the bible on our own, without a definitive authority, then we risk interpreting such passages according to what suits us, or what suits our agenda. This could lead others to follow what we say, instead of what the bible is really telling us, or what Jesus is really teaching us.

This is where Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel: “For what I have spoken does not come from myself; no, what I was to say, what I had to speak, was commanded by the Father who sent me, and I know that his commands mean eternal life. And therefore what the Father has told me is what I speak.” Jesus is showing us what we are to say or teach should not be at our whims and fancies, since what we are teaching is not our own stuff, but what Jesus taught us. Are we trying to build God’s Kingdom by teaching what Jesus is really teaching? Or are we ending up building our own kingdom, by teaching what we think Jesus is teaching, but in reality, is our own stuff instead?

Tuesday of the 4th Week of Easter

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In the corporate world, people would generally not share important matters or company procedures with just anybody. This is because such information is normally classified as trade secrets or company confidential information, and sharing such information could be detrimental towatds the growth of the company, or put the company at a disadvantage. Strict rules and heavy penalties are enforced to ensure that employees and those who have access to such information toe the line and divulge such information only to those who are authorised to know. But when it comes to the Good News of Jesus Christ, we have no such stringent rules. Instead, we are encouraged to share the Good News to everyone without fear or favour. But sometimes, we come across people who seem to be sharing the Good News only with certain groups or certain persons they are comfortable with. As Christians, are we limiting our efforts on sharing the Good News? Or have we learnt to break any barriers or prejudices, and share the Good News with all?

In today’s reading, we are told that those who escaped during the persecution travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but they proclaimed the Good News only to the Jews. We were not told why they limited the proclamation of the Good News only to the Jews, since there could have been many reasons that made them do so, including reasons like the political, social and cultural circumstances. But some of them who came from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch and started preaching to the Greeks, and the Lord helped them, and a great number believed and were converted to the Lord. This shows that if we are willing to move out of the norm and venture into the unknown, if we are willing to come out of our comfort zone and be courageous and daring to reach out to others, God can work wonders through us. May we be humble and willing to let God be in control, so that we can be His instruments in building His Kingdom and glorify His Name.