Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Lent 3

Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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Some of us seem to be great runners. Some of us run away from responsibilities; some run away from commitments; some run away from relationships for some reason or another; some run away from the hurt or pain one is experiencing and try to find alternatives to help forget or reduce the hurt or pain; some even run away from God. But how long can we really run away? Eventually, we will need to face reality and the truth, and come to terms with what we are trying to run away from. What would we do then, when we are unable to run anymore?

In today’s reading, God beckoned Israel: “Israel, come back to the Lord your God; your iniquity was the cause of your downfall. Provide yourself with words and come back to the Lord. Say to him, ‘Take all iniquity away so that we may have happiness again and offer you our words of praise…’ Let the wise man understand these words. Let the intelligent man grasp their meaning. For the ways of the Lord are straight, and virtuous men walk in them, but sinners stumble.” When Israel was running in circles and running away from God, they faced many challenges and hardship because of their stubbornness and iniquity. But God did not give up on them; God continued to call them to come back to Him, to stop running away and be happy again in His love and care. In the same way, God is calling us to come back to Him, to stop running away and be happy again in His love and care. Why are we still running away and remaining fearful and stubborn? Don’t we want to experience the true happiness that God offers us?

Thursday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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Pride can be the downfall of many. When a person becomes proud, he or she slowly begins to lose the ability to reason, to accept mistakes and correction, to change, to forgive and seek forgiveness, and even to love unconditionally. People who gradually become proud begin to think that only their ways or thoughts matter, and others are perceived as a threat or unwanted competition. Such people may begin to find ways and means to put others down, or belittle them, or in some cases even to the point of committing ‘assassination’ of character or taken to the extreme, having the other killed so as to protect one’s interest. Such is the danger of being consumed with pride, that other sins and vile acts could begin to occur.

In today’s Gospel, we come across some people who have become so proud of themselves, their ways, and their capabilities, that Jesus was seen as a threat to them. They just could not accept Jesus or His teachings and everything Jesus did was seen as bad or threatening to them. Such people even went to the extent of saying: “It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.” A normal, sane, and thinking person would not associate the devil casting our devils, since such utterance is illogical, absurd and makes one look and sound foolish. But herein lies the problem: when a person is proud; jealousy and anger creeps in when one believes that one’s status or ability is being challenged. In response to their silly statements, Jesus admonished these people, saying: “Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? – Since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you.” But were these people willing to see error in their ways? No, pride had already coloured their vision, and they preferred to remain in their comfort zone and carry on merrily in their ways instead of changing and returning to God’s ways.

We too could fall into the same trap as these people, if we allow ourselves to dwell in pride, since pride could rear its ugly head in many ways and forms. May we be watchful and learn to grow in humility, so that we could grow closer in relationship with our loving God.

Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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Do you want to live? Or would you prefer to die? Many of you may be thinking… what a silly question! Of course many of you would say that you would want to live, and some would say that they would want to live as long as possible. So what do we need to do to help us increase our lifespan? Some may think that it would be necessary to have a healthy diet. Others may think that physical exercise and regular check-ups with the doctor would help. But what sort of life are we trying to prolong here? Are we only concerned about life here on earth?

In today’s reading, Moses said to the people: “Now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord the God of your fathers is giving you….But take care what you do and be on your guard. Do not forget the things your eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your heart all the days of your life; rather, tell them to your children and to your children’s children.” At first glance, we can deduce that Moses is giving the people a pep talk, and encouraging them to be faithful and remain close in relationship with God, so that they would one day come to the promised land. But for us Christians, our promised land is not a place here on earth. Our promised land is to be with God in heaven. Are we faithfully, diligently and consistently doing our part to “take notice of the laws and customs” and even “tell them to your children and to your children’s children” so that we would reach our promised land?

Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” are the words from the Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father which we pray on many occasions. We pray the Lord’s Prayer during Mass, when we pray the rosary, during a wedding, funeral or even a baptism service, and during many other liturgical services. But some of us do not seem to understand or appreciate what it really means to forgive and to receive forgiveness. Some of us say we forgive, but in our hearts we are still keeping the hurt or anger and allowing such hurt and anger to fester in us, to consume us, and lead us to even greater bitterness and hatred.

But what exactly does it mean to forgive? To forgive means we are making a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness. Forgiveness is the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense, lets go of negative emotions such as vengefulness, with an increased ability to wish the offender well. If we receive forgiveness from God, we must give it to others who hurt us. When we forgive, we cannot hold grudges or seek revenge. We are to trust God for justice and forgive the person who offended us. That does not mean we must forget the offense, since sometimes that is beyond our power, but we should not linger in the memory of the offense or allow the thought about the offense to consume us and continue to hurt or destroy us. Forgiveness means releasing the other from blame, leaving the event in God’s hands, and moving on.

This is where the unforgiving servant in today’s Gospel did not get the point. He thought that he had been given a lucky break when his master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. Instead of being grateful and thankful for his master’s generosity, charity and benevolence, and instead of following his master’s example towards his fellow servant, he became arrogant and nasty, refusing to forgive the other servant who owed him way much less than what he owed his master, and even had the gall to throw his fellow servant into prison till he should pay his debt. This caused his master to become furious and as the Gospel tells us: “”You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt.”

What about us? Are we still like that wicked and unforgiving servant, expecting God and others to forgive us, but refusing to forgive others? Do we treat forgiveness lightly or as a lucky break, and think that we can do as we please towards others? As the Gospel also reminds and cautions us, we will be responsible and liable to repay our debts if we refuse to forgive others: “And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.”

Monday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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Misunderstandings and ill-feelings sometimes occur when people do not communicate well or when people do not get the actual message. Sometimes the misunderstanding could be because the one who receives the message does not know or is not aware that the message is not for him or her; sometimes it could be misinterpreted due to limitations in language (as some say, “lost in translation”); sometimes it could simply be because the person who receives the message is edgy or quite easily aroused over the smallest things, possibly due to pride, fear, or even lacking of trust; sometimes it could just be a case of not listening, thinking and executing, but just hearing and doing.

When the king of Aram sent Naaman to the king of Israel, the message given to him in the form of a letter was actually meant for Elisha, but possibly due to a misunderstanding of the message, the king of Israel thought that the king of Aram was trying to pick a quarrel with him, since he tore his garments and exclaimed: “Am I a god to give death and life,’ he said ‘that he sends a man to me and asks me to cure him of his leprosy? Listen to this, and take note of it and see how he intends to pick a quarrel with me.” But Elisha admonished the king for doing such a silly thing, called Naaman to come to him, and had Naaman cured after Naaman immersed himself seven times in the Jordan. This led Naaman to realise “that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.”

Sometimes we too do not listen carefully to what we are told. We just hear and scoot off, only to come back feeling sheepish or embarrassed for not getting the gist of the message. Just as the king of Israel was too quick to jump into conclusions, Naaman himself too was at first too quick to jump into conclusions when he felt Elisha was not willing to cure him directly or immediately. It was only after he did what Elisha told him that Naaman was completely cured.

What about us? Do we take time and effort to listen carefully to what we are told? Do we discern carefully what God is telling us? Sometimes it just takes a bit of patience, humility and perseverance to truly understand the message. Let us not so easily jump the gun or jump into conclusions, so that we will be crystal clear on what we have listened.

3rd Sunday of Lent Year B

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How much do we value our places of worship? How much do we care about our churches? Also, how much do we care about ourselves as a Christian community? Are we coming to church only to fulfil our Sunday obligation and nothing more? Do we take care of the surroundings and the inside of the parish church we go to? Do we care about our Christian community and find ways and means to help it grow spiritually? Or has our church become a place of gossip; a place where we throw rubbish and other items we have just used (such as tissue paper, sweet wrappings and other items) or have no use of; a place of selling and buying of religious articles (or in some cases, even a place where business or other commercial dealings take place); or even a place for other activities instead of being a house of prayer and the dwelling place of God?

Among the Jews, the Temple was a sacred institution. It provided them physical space to offer worship and sacrifices, and also symbolised the very presence of God. For a Jew, the Temple became a sign that God had not abandoned his people, despite their failures, iniquities and weaknesses. The Temple therefore occupied a very central place in the Jewish religion. That is why in today’s Gospel, Jesus was so upset when he found people using the Temple for business purposes rather than for religious purposes.

As a result of the temple being misused and being turned into another commercial place, Jesus became quite angry and chased away all those money-changers, sellers and even the cattle and sheep as well from the Temple, saying: “‘Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.” This caused the Jews to become even more determined to plot to get rid of Him. But what gave Jesus the courage to do what no other person could dare do? “Zeal for your house will devour me,” are the Old Testament words that came to the minds of the disciples after seeing Jesus in action. Here is someone who is so passionate about truth, justice, fairness and right-conduct such that he is ready to challenge the religious leaders of his time in order to promote these values. Here is someone who is ready to die for his values.

Today, Jesus is looking for men and women of integrity who are willing and ready to serve, are courageous, committed and ready to stand up to challenge evil practices, immoral conduct and other vile acts, no matter the cost. He is challenging all of us to do what is right and proper in our lives and in our churches, so that others may see what it means to be a Christian. There is a time and place for everything, and we should strive to ensure that our churches and we too do not end up like what happened to the Temple. Let us pray that the same zeal that led Jesus to the cross and beyond may also fill our hearts and enable us to seek justice and fairness regardless of the cost to ourselves. Let us make our own these words: “Zeal for your house will devour me!”

Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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Sometimes we forget the basic principles of how we ought to live. When we do things, we may be so focused in only our wants, needs and happiness, that others may be sidelined or forgotten. Some of us use people only when it benefits us and once we have achieved our objectives, we just throw them away or put them aside only to be used again later.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that God “is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.” Do we really, genuinely and unconditionally love our neighbour? Or do we love our neighbour only when they are useful to us? Or do we love all, regardless of who they are? The same principle applies when we say we love God. Do we love God only because He is good to us? Or do we really, genuinely and unconditionally love Him “with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength?” It seems easy and convenient to say that we love, but is our love merely words or just for show?

Thursday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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Pride and stubbornness are two great obstacles to our spiritual growth and good relationship with God. When we are proud, we think that we are ok and there is nothing for us to improve on. When we are stubborn, we think that only our way is the right way and we go through great extent to protect our way. This leads to contempt, arrogance, aloofness and a whole list of other attitudes which not only alienate us from God, but also from our fellow humans.

Today’s reading reminds us of how the Israelites were so proud and stubborn, refusing to listen to God’s voice. We too may, in one way or another, be just as guilty. Are we still continuing on such attitude and behaviour, leading to our own self-inflicted ruin? Or have we learnt to wisen up and walk humbly before God, with hope of being Him with eternally? Let us not be fooled and complacent, and choose rightly.

Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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Laws and customs are there for a purpose. If we do not have laws and customs, we may descend into chaos. Each person may end up doing as one pleases. People become fearful because of uncertainty. This is why in today’s reading we are reminded: “take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life…” When we take notice of the laws and customs, we are set free and we have life, because we know what is ok and what is not ok.

In the Gospel, Jesus too reminds us that we take notice of the laws and customs when he said: “Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them.” Jesus reminded us of a simple summary of the laws and customs when he taught us to love God and love neighbour. This means that laws and customs are not to be disregarded but to be followed. Are we aware of what are God’s laws and customs, and are we doing our utmost best to follow them?

Monday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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Some people say that familiarity breeds contempt. When you think you know a person well enough, you may be less likely to listen to him or her, and you may think that that person is not that great or wonderful. In today’s Gospel, Jesus said, “I tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country.” To a certain extend, this seems true. This is one of the reasons why a priest or a religious is rarely sent to his or her home town, as the local people there may be less willing or open to listen and work with the local boy or girl.

However, familiarity does not necessarily breed contempt. The issue at stake is whether we are willing to see a person with neutral eyes and hearts. Yes, the person may have been born and raised at that place, we may have known the person and seen the person grow through the years. But that does not mean we know the person absolutely, 100%, completely. The person may have gifts, talents, or abilities which may have escaped our attention due to our personal pride, prejudice and coloured vision. Are we willing to open the eyes of our hearts and be humble enough to support our local boys and girls, who for one reason or another have been sent back to home territory to serve and care for us? Let us do our part and grow in love with all.