Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Friday

Friday Week 2 Year 2

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Have we learnt to be merciful and loving? Or are we always demanding an eye for an eye? When the opportunity arises, would we be merciful, or would we still insist and carry out justice? Some of us may say that we would be merciful, following the example of our Lord Jesus. But if someone has hurt us so bad, or caused grievous harm to us or our loved ones, would we still be able to be merciful? Or would we succumb to demanding for justice and even meting it?

In today’s reading, David and his men had been given an excellent opportunity to get rid of Saul. David’s men wanted justice against Saul and they thought they had an excellent opportunity to claim justice and get rid of Saul. But David chose to be merciful to Saul, even though Saul was all out to destroy him. David even forbade his men from harming Saul in any way. If we were in David’s shoes, would we be able to do the same?

Friday of Week 1 Year 2

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We sometimes ask for things from God without realising the consequences of our request. For example, some of us may have asked God to help us win a lottery so that we would have enough wealth to survive on; or some of us may have asked God to help us get a job we have been desiring. But the problem is, when we do get our requests, what happens? When we strike the lottery, we may be wealthy, but we may also begin to feel insecure and afraid, and end up finding ways and means to protect ourselves and secure our wealth from thieves and robbers (both imaginary and real). When we get the job we have been desiring, we may be happy for a time, but the job may turn out to be quite demanding beyond our expectations, and cause us to experience stress or even health problems, family problems and other issues which may crop up. So at the end of the day, is what we are asking God to grant us really good or helpful for us in the long run? Are we asking such requests for our own gratification, or for the glory of God?

The Israelites in today’s reading had asked Samuel for a king. To Samuel, the only king they needed was God, but the Israelites were not happy, not satisfied, not content. They wanted a human king, thinking that such a human king would bring them fame, prestige, wealth and power. But we see that throughout the history of Israel, a human king ended up bringing shame, destruction, abuses and even exile to the Israelites.

What about us? Are we still stubbornly and obstinately insisting that God give us what we want? Sometimes what we ask for may not be what we really want or need after all. May we be open, humble and docile enough to let God do what is best for us, since He knows our true wants and needs.

Friday of the 3rd Week of Advent

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There are some people who think that only a certain exclusive group of persons are eligible to be with God in heaven. There people begin a tirade of scary sounding threats and condemnations towards others, saying that unless one joins their group or follow certain ways, one would be condemned to fire and brimstone in hell. More often than not, such persons have got a hidden agenda and one should be careful not to fall for their gimmicks.

In today’s reading, we are comforted in knowing: “Foreigners who have attached themselves to the Lord to serve him and to love his name and be his servants – all who observe the sabbath, not profaning it, and cling to my covenant – these I will bring to my holy mountain. I will make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their holocausts and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples. It is the Lord who speaks, who gathers the outcasts of Israel: there are others will gather besides those already gathered.” This means that being with God is not restricted only to certain groups or if one follows certain ways. May we stop bickering among ourselves and concentrate in serving Him, loving His name and being His servants, knowing that He would care and provide for us.

Friday of Week 33 Year 2

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Truth can be sweet and sour or even bitter at the same time. How so? For those who seek truth, it can be sweet, especially if the truth is what liberates them or exposes the injustice which they have gone through. On the other hand, truth can be sour or even bitter, especially for those who are the guilty party or those who have been doing the persecuting or being unjust. So, truth can affect people in different ways, depending on which side of the truth one is in.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus “taught in the Temple every day. The chief priests and the scribes, with the support of the leading citizens, tried to do away with him, but they did not see how they could carry this out because the people as a whole hung on his words.” The chief priests and the scribes time and again were unable to get rid of Jesus, since He was on the side of truth, and the people around Him wanted to cling on to the truth. Later, these people managed to get rid of Jesus, or so they thought, but the means used to get rid of Jesus was once again through deception and lies. But Jesus rose again and showed these people that He could not be silenced or disposed of, since the truth will prevail, no matter how hard one tries to hide it or sweep it under the carpet.

In our lives, have we been tasting the sweetness of truth, or have we been tasting its sourness or even its bitterness? Whatever we taste, it all depends on whether we are striving to live the truth, or to continue kidding ourselves and living a lie.

Friday of Week 21 Year 2

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How prepared are we to face God? If God were to call you right now, would you be ready to meet Him? Or would you begin to go about frantically preparing yourself, even though it may already be a little too late? Sometimes due to one reason or another, some of us may have neglected in preparing ourselves to meet God, only to regret our inaction or procrastination later. Why put ourselves in a spot if we had been given plenty of time and chances to be prepared?

In today’s Gospel, we come across ten bridesmaids. Five were foolish, five were sensible. Five chose to take things easy, five got things ready and were prepared for any situation. In the end, the five foolish bridesmaids ended up being left out and locked out. In our situation, would we end up like the five sensible bridesmaids, or would we be left out like the five foolish ones? May we be wise and prudent enough not be caught off-guard, and end up being left out.

Friday of Week 20 Year 2

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There are several words that we use which could form a sentence in itself. Among these, one word which is quite significant is “why.” When we use the word “why,” we could be using it as a sentence to question, to interrogate, to wonder, or even to reflect on something. When we use “why” to reflect on something, we come to a deeper understanding of why we do what we do.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus responded to the Pharisees question about which is the greatest commandment of the Law: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.” Have you ever reflected on why these two commandments are the greatest? These two commandments actually are the very essence of being human, of being who we really are, and the meaning of our human existence. If we are to abandon or ignore these two commandments, we are actually ignoring our humanity, and by doing so, we become like the dry bones as mentioned in the first reading. We become dead, though we appear to be alive.

Thus, let us learn to love God and neighbour just like God loves all of us equally. Let us not harden our hearts, but let God be our help and guide, so that through our love and example, others would know what it means to be followers of Jesus.

Friday of Week 19 Year 2

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Some of us sometimes forget who we are and where we come from. Some of us become easily upset or angry when someone has hurt us and some of us even begin to curse such persons, or even plot revenge. How many of us have truly learnt to be forgiving, to reconcile, and to move on? Sometimes it is due to our pride, prejudice and ego that makes it difficult for us to forgive, reconcile and move on. That is why we need to learn to have patience and humility, so that we would learn to forgive others their trespasses just as God forgives us our trespasses.

In today’s reading, we are reminded of how loving and forgiving God is: “The Lord says this: ‘Jerusalem, I will treat you as you deserve, you who have despised your oath even to the extent of breaking a covenant, but I will remember the covenant that I made with you when you were a girl, and I will conclude a covenant with you that shall last for ever… I am going to renew my covenant with you; and you will learn that I am the Lord, and so so remember and be covered with shame, and in your confusion be reduced to silence, when I have pardoned you for all that you have done – it is the Lord who speaks.'” Despite the many sins Jerusalem had committed, God was still willing to be merciful, loving and forgiving. What about us? Are we willing and able to follow God’s example and do the same?

Friday of Week 8 Year 2

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It is interesting to watch the attitude and behaviour of some people at church. Some are really genuine in their efforts to serve, and we see such people going about performing their duties without trying to attract any attention or showing off. When the time comes to step down and let others take over, such people are happy to let go of their responsibilities and provide the necessary support and encouragement. On the other hand, we also come across people who seem to crave for attention and recognition. Such people go about doing their duties with much fanfare and they find it extremely difficult to let go of their responsibilities. Quite often, such people would give all sorts of excuses when it is time for someone else to take over, and they seem to think that without them, the particular ministry they are in would collapse, or even the church would collapse. But what sort of attitude do you have towards service in church? What sort of attitude is expected of a Christian?

In today’s reading, St. Peter reminds us: “Each one of you has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these different graces of God, put yourselves at the service of others. If you are a speaker, speak in words which seem to come from God; if you are a helper, help as though every action was done at God’s orders; so that in everything God may receive the glory…” The important point to note here is that, ultimately, all that we do is for the glory of God. Are we humble and wlling to give God the glory, or are we still craving and insisting in doing things for our own personal gratification and own glory?

Friday of Week 34 Year 1

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One fact that we should never forget as we journey in this life is that many things around us, many things we hold dear, will not last. Today we may have a young family, tomorrow the children would have gone and left the nest. Today we may be healthy and fit, tomorrow we may be not so well and some may be struggling to live.The qualifications we have attained may be relevant today, but may be obsolete tomorrow. Even the cars we drive, the computers and gadgets we own, will eventually become obsolete or redundant, as technology progresses and new and better products come out. Sounds like a not so exciting picture of life, isn’t it? But that is the way things are here on earth, and we need to set our priorities right and focus on what really matters, while we have time and opportunities to do so.

In today’s reading, we are reminded of One who will never disappear or fade away. The reading tells us: “His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.” No matter what happens, be it good or bad, Jesus will always be there for us. So we should make more effort to grow closer to Him and let Him be our guide, since all other persons and things will sooner or later go away, but Jesus will always be around.

Friday of Week 33 Year 1

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Is it wrong to sell things in the church compound? If items such as religious items like rosaries, prayer books, statues of saints and other relevant items are being sold at a reasonable price to promote faith and prayer; or if food stuff is sold at a reasonable price to promote fellowship and friendship, then such items and food stuff may be tolerated, provided that the parish priest is in agreement with such an activity, and he has given proper permission. This is necessary to prevent abuses, as there are people who claim to be selling things, but with the intention of making money for themselves. This is where parishioners should notify and clarify with the parish priest, especially if they notice someone unknown or unfamiliar selling items. Otherwise, our church compound and in some cases, even within our church, may become a “robbers den,” since what is supposed to be sacred space and treated with proper reverence has become another marketplace or supermarket, where there is always a possibility of cheating and swindling going on.

In today’s Gospel, “Jesus went into the Temple and began driving out those who were selling. ‘According to scripture,’ he said ‘my house will be a house of prayer. But you have turned it into a robber’s den.'” The Temple was becoming a place where cheating and swindling was going on, and to make matters worse, the chief priests and the scribes were the ones permitting such acts to happen. How do we know this? The Gospel also tells us that “the chief priests and the scribes, with the support of the leading citizens, tried to do away with him, but they did not see how they could carry this out…” If the chief priests and the scribes were sincere in maintaining the Temple as a sacred space and to be treated with proper reverence, they would have not gotten so worked up when Jesus chased those sellers away. The fact that they tried to do away with Jesus shows that they have got something to hide and do not want to lose the seller’s business.

What about us? Are we just as guilty like the chief priests and the scribes? Have we treated our church as a place where business could be done and sellers could do whatever they please, as long as we get a “cut” from such activities? May we come to realise and appreciate the sacredness and significance of the church, and treat it properly.