Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Lent 5

Friday of the 5th Week of Lent

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One of the things we come to realise as Christians is we can never please everyone. Sometimes even doing a good deed or a charitable act in the name of the Church or identifying ourselves as Christians could lead to opposition from certain parties, especially if such parties may have had bad experiences with other Christians who did or said things which do not reflect the truth about Christianity. As in any religion, we have the good and the bad followers and leaders, and this challenges us to be more alert and more determined to show the true face of Christianity, with the hope that such opposition would see our real intention and purpose.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said: “If I am not doing my Father’s work, there is no need to believe me; but if I am doing it, then even if you refuse to believe in me, at least believe in the work I do.” When minds and hearts of some people are hardened, it is quite difficult to get such people to change their attitude and perception about Jesus and about Christianity, but at least we try to help them realise that the deeds we do are for the good of all, and that people would come to know that we are Christians by our love.

Thursday of the 5th Week of Lent

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Whenever we make a business contract with another person, we are actually coming up with an agreement of a list of services being offered, certain terms and conditions to be met, the kind of compensation to be received such as money or goods in exchange, and the consequences to be faced if the contract is not fulfilled. Such a contract could be broken by either party for a variety of reasons, and should that happen, legal or other measures may be taken. More often than not, the parties involved would prefer to see the contract carried out until such a time the conditions have been completed or the contract is no longer relevant and the parties involved agree to terminate mutually.

However, when God deals with us humans, He does not make contracts with us, but a covenant. The terms are stipulated by God and fulfillment of the covenant are carried out by God in His time. In today’s reading, God made a covenant with Abraham, where Abraham “shall become the father of a multitude of nations.” This covenant is not for a limited period, but in perpetuity. Naturally, Abraham would not get to see the covenant fulfilled completely in his life time. It is something which would go beyond the present and we see the covenant continuing even today. When God makes a covenant, He keeps His word and He is faithful, even though we may not be so faithful to Him at times. Even though God is omnipotent (all powerful) and omniscient (all knowing), He is still willing to make a covenant with us humans, and keep His end of the bargain. We are invited to remain faithful to Him, but we are not forced to. We can choose to remain in His providence, or we could choose to go our own way, but we know from our history that remaining in His providence is the way to go.

Today, God is inviting us to remain with Him, so that we may continue to prosper. Even though there are times we may have gone astray, God is always beckoning us to come back to Him. Let us make every effort to remain in His love, so that we may live and be happy.

Tuesday of the 5th Week of Lent

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Gratitude and thankfulness are virtues which may be lacking in some of us nowadays. We may have become so used to getting things done, getting more things, getting what we want, or even getting it quickly, that we have forgotten the meaning of being grateful, being thankful, being patient, being content with what we have, and just being happy. Sometimes our thirst for more and more could lead us to fall into greed, pride, impatience, selfishness and other sins.

In today’s reading, the Israelites lost patience on the way to the Promised Land. They spoke against God and against Moses, even though God had assured them that they would get there. These Israelites expected to reach their destination quickly, and they were not humble enough to let God lead the way. It was only when some of them were being bitten by the fiery serpents that they pleaded: “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede for us with the Lord to save us from these serpents.”

When we are not willing to let God be in control and guide us, we too may experience a similar situation as the Israelites. Some of us think that we have a right to this or that, but we fail to realise that in the end, whatever we have and whatever we get is actually from God’s providence. When we expect our rights to be met, we may one day find that we may have nothing left. Let us let God be our true guide and providence, for He knows what is best for us and He would give us what we need according to His time and His terms.

Monday of the 5th Week of Lent

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Have you ever been unfaithful to your husband or wife? Hopefully most of us would say we have been faithful. If we are aware of what it really means to be married and are committed and determined to stay faithful, we would not allow our eyes to wander and look longingly at another man or woman. Even people who are not married could also fall into sin when we allow our eyes to wander and look longingly at another man or woman. This is where the danger of lust may creep in and we would have committed adultery in our hearts, even though we may not have actually done anything physically to the other person.

In today’s Gospel, we come across the scribes and Pharisees who brought a woman along who had been caught committing adultery (or so it seems). Being caught committing adultery was already bad enough, but these scribes and Pharisees had malice in their hearts. They did not really care about the woman; to them, she had committed an unforgivable crime and to them, the only solution was to have the woman stoned to death. Not only were they determined to get rid of her, they also tried to make a big display of their so called piousness and holier-than-thou attitude and even humiliated her by making her stand there in full view of everybody. Using her as an example to all, and as a tool to try and trap Jesus, they tried to force Jesus’ hand, because they knew that either way He answered, they were confident that he would be caught and trapped with His own words. It is ironic that the scribes and Pharisees had caught the woman, but as we know, it takes two to tango. What happened to the man? Didn’t he get caught as well, or did he get away so easily? We do not know the full story about how only the woman was caught, but what we do know is Jesus saw through their evil intentions and their hypocrisy, looked up and said, “If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Bang! The scribes and Pharisees were caught. Jesus had turned the tables on them, and “they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained standing there.” Then Jesus assured the woman with these words: “Neither do I condemn you… go away, and do not sin any more.”

Ultimately, we need to ask ourselves: how faithful have I been in my relationship with another person and in my relationship with God? Have I committing adultery in my thoughts or even in my deeds? Have I become like the scribes and Pharisees, self-righteous and so easy to condemn others, but refusing to admit my failings, mistakes and sins? Our God is beckoning us to come back to Him and remain in His love. We choose to remain with Him, or we choose to condemn ourselves by going away from Him, through our attitude and our actions.

5th Sunday of Lent Year B

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What does it mean to be great? What does it mean to be important? Some think that being great and important means having a title or a high position in society; some think it means having lots of wealth and property; some think it means having lots of influential friends and acquaintances; some think it means being popular or famous like movie stars or pop stars. But what about those people who are not in the limelight; those people who care for the sick, the unloved, the forgotten, the bedridden, the rejects of society; those people suffering crosses without grumbling; those people giving encouragement to others; those people who bring the love of God to others; those people who witness to Jesus in small ways? Are they great and important too? As Christians, what does it really mean to be great and important? Are we great and important only in the eyes of the world?

If we look at the life of Jesus, we can get some ideas of what it really means to be great as a Christian. In today’s Gospel Jesus says His hour has come, His hour of glory. Unlike what the world may think as glory, Jesus’ glory is quite different: It is his passion and death! Why so? Because if a grain falls on the ground and dies it yields a rich harvest. The hour of glory for Jesus is his passion and death because when he is lifted up from the earth he will draw all men to himself. Jesus’ glory is not what the world thinks as glorious because the world does not see as God sees. Who would have thought that Jesus would have to suffer? Yet as the second reading reminds us, “He learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation.” This is greatness, not quite what the world sees as greatness, but greatness in God’s eyes. It is for each and every one of us Christians to follow, as the Gospel reminds us: “Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life. If a man serves me, he must follow me, wherever I am, my servant will be there too. If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him.”

The question is: are we still looking for greatness in this world, greatness which is only temporary, an illusion? Or have we begun looking for greatness which is eternal? Sometimes we give glory to what seems strong and powerful, but God does not look at appearances, God looks at the heart. Do we give glory to what appears great or do we give glory to what truly is great? Let us not be complacent into thinking of what seems great but in reality is not so, but humbly, earnestly and consistently strive to discover the real meaning of greatness, and glorify God.

Friday of the 5th Week of Lent

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When it comes to the truth, righteousness and fairness, we may sometimes face a situation where people whom we thought are friends may turn against us. Finding genuine friends who would stand by us is certainly not easy, since many a times, we come across people who are not really true friends, more likely acquaintances perhaps. When we are faced with such a situation, what do we do?

Jeremiah in today’s reading faced such a situation. His so called “friends” disparaged him and watched for his downfall. Some of these “friends” were perhaps opportunists, being friends only when it suits them. However, the reading tells us: “But the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero; my opponents will stumble, mastered, confounded by their failure; everlasting, unforgettable disgrace will be theirs.” Jeremiah had full trust and confidence that God would rescue him and keep him safe. What about us? If we are facing a similar situation like Jeremiah, would we be just as trusting and confident?

Thursday of the 5th Week of Lent

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Whenever we experience a life-changing event, a part of us becomes different. We are no longer the person we were before. For example, when we were baptised, we were given a baptism name as a new identity, a new beginning, a child of God, and a member of a Christian community. Our old self dies and our new self emerges.

This was also the case with Abram, who God renamed as Abraham. God made a covenant with Abraham to be observed by him and his descendants. Notice here that it is God who takes the initiative and invites us to come closer to Him. God made the covenant with Abraham but He did not force it down Abraham’s throat. Abraham had a choice; to follow or not to follow. Most of us would assume that it would be absurd for us to not follow, but it is indeed surprising that some of us choose not to follow. Sometimes, even our attitude, behaviour, way of life, etc. are indications of our choice of whether we want to be close to God or otherwise. Ultimately, we are given free will to choose. May we choose wisely as our choice would be for eternity.

Wednesday of the 5th Week of Lent

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How many of us are willing to admit our mistakes or wrongdoing and give glory to God? Some of us may try to hide our mistakes by sweeping it under the carpet, hoping that no one would take notice or take action. Some of us may try to find a scapegoat and avoid taking responsibility. How many of us are willing to take responsibility, say sorry, reconcile and move on?

Today’s reading tells us of King Nebuchadnezzar. Even though initially, King Nebuchadnezzar appeared to be quite arrogant and hard headed, and even had Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego thrown into the fiery furnace for defying his order to worship his gods, King Nebuchadnezzar was willing to admit that God is the One True God when he exclaimed: “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego: he has sent his angel to rescue the servants who, putting their trust in him, defied the order of the king, and preferred to forfeit their bodies rather than serve or worship any god but their own.” This shows that King Nebuchadnezzar was not as arrogant or hard headed as initially thought.

What about us? Are we able to open the eyes of our hearts and recognise our strengths and failings? Are we humble enough to admit our wrongdoings, seek forgiveness and reconciliation, and move on while growing closer to God?

Tuesday of the 5th Week of Lent

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Some people can never be satisfied. You give them an inch, and they want a yard. You give them a room, and they may try to take over your house. You accommodate to their demands, and they may gradually end up taking away your rights completely. Even then, they may still be unsatisfied.

Today’s reading shows us how the Israelites lost patience and spoke against God and against Moses. Despite the many things done for them and the many things given to them, they were still not satisfied. When they were afflicted with fiery serpents, they begged Moses to intercede for them and they were rescued. However, did they learn their lesson? No. They became not satisfied over and over and over again. Did God give up on them? No. He continuously cared for them, no matter how ungrateful or dissatisfied they were.

What about us? Are we still not satisfied? Do we expect God and others to “kow tow” or adhere to our demands all the time? When will we ever learn to be grateful and thankful for what we have and what God has given us?

Monday of the 5th Week of Lent

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Lust is a dangerous thing. It can lead people to commit lie, cheat, murder, and other hideous sins. The 2 elders in today’s reading were filled with lust. They were so blinded with lust that all things proper, just, righteous, fair, and dignified were thrown out of the window completely. They were only determined to seduce Susanna and they were willing to try all sorts of dirty tricks to get their way. Unfortunately for them, Daniel was wise enough to trap them and condemn them with their own words.

We too could be guilty of lust. Even though we may not have committed the act directly, Jesus reminds us that looking at a woman with lust can even cause us to commit adultery in our hearts. Are we not satisfied, contend and faithful with our spouse? Let us be extremely cautious and not allow ourselves to fall into lust, lest we bring ruin upon ourselves.