Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Monday

Monday of Holy Week

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The way the world looks at service and the way God looks at service is quite different. More often than not, a person who serves according to the ways of the world is more interested only in himself or herself. He or she serves to please the boss, superior or certain persons who would be beneficial to him or her. Once the person has gotten what he or she wanted, or achieved one’s goals, the person may start looking elsewhere for power, status, and recognition. Such persons often think that the world is a battlefield, or that it is a dog-eat-dog world, and they could be quite ruthless and would do everything they can to dispose of the competition, or get rid of potential opponents or threats, so that they would remain on course in getting what they want and achieving as much as they can.

In contrast, today’s reading paints quite a different picture of being a servant to God. Such a servant does things not to attract attention to himself or herself, but to glorify God, as the reading tells us: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have endowed him with my spirit that he may bring true justice to the nations. He does not cry out or shout aloud, or make his voice heard in the streets. He does not break the crushed reed, nor quench the wavering flame. Faithfully he brings true justice; he will neither waver, nor be crushed…” The reading also reminds us that such a servant is chosen and commissioned by God to perform things which are quite in contrast with the ways of the world: “I, the Lord, have called you to serve the cause of right; I have taken you by the hand and formed you; I have appointed you as covenant of the people and light of the nations, ‘to open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison, and those who live in darkness from the dungeon.'” Where the world tries to keep us blind so that only certain people would prosper and benefit, such a servant is sent to open the eyes of the blind; where the world imprisons, such a servant sets free; and where the world tries to keep things dark and hidden, such a servant brings to light. Ultimately, the purpose and goal of such a servant is to glorify God.

The question we need to ponder is this: which direction are we heading; are we becoming more and more worldly in our lives and serve ourselves, or have we begun to conform more to the ways of God? While we strive to survive and prosper in this world, let us be cautious not to become too attracted to it’s lurings, at the expense of our eternal goal.

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.

Monday of the 4th Week of Lent

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Every now and then, some of us may have experienced a situation, event or persons which leave a bitter taste, which some may find quite difficult to forget. Some of us may begin to dwell more and more into the memory of such a situation, event or persons, so much so that the more we think of and relive what we had gone through, the angrier and bitter we become. If we are not careful, we could become consumed with disgust, hatred and hurt as we drown and suffocate more and more in such memories, to the detriment of our sanity and sanctity.

However, God is reaching out to us to let go, be humble and willing to forgive, and move on. We are not doing ourselves any good in dwelling and getting stuck in such memories. Instead, as mentioned in the 1st reading, God will create new heavens and a new earth, and the past will not be remembered, and will come no more to men’s minds. God wants His people to rejoice because He wants to give joy and gladness to His people. God wants to heal us of our bitterness and resentment so that we can be a new people who will proclaim joy and gladness to all. Are we willing to be transformed into something new, and experience God’s healing grace of joy and gladness?

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.

Monday of the 2nd Week of Lent

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Every once in a while, we come across people who seem to only know how to say bad things about others, or they condemn others for even the smallest matter, or they seem to only know how to bad mouth others. Some of these people may be doing such things because they have some sort of inferiority complex, thinking that others seem better than they are and they feel the need to put others down to satisfy their ego. Some people may be doing such things because they think that only they are blameless or holy and adopt a self-righteous attitude, and everyone else seems to be unable to measure up to their standards. What sort of person have you become at this moment?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus admonishes us: “Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you…” In a world where people seem to be interested only in themselves, we as Christians should follow Jesus’ example and way of life in being loving, forgiving and generous with our time, talents and wealth towards others. Let us shed the ways of the world and remain close to Jesus, and let Him guide us in our conduct, behaviour and actions, so that in all things may God be glorified.

Monday of the 1st Week of Lent

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Whenever we are faced with difficult people or difficult situations, what do we do? Some of us may choose the easy path, though at times, that easy path may not necessarily be a good choice or even a wise choice for us and for the other person. Some of us may choose not to get involved and avoid the person altogether, thinking that it is better to avoid conflict and remain neutral and supposingly peaceful. But what should we as Christians do?

Perhaps the key to what we as Christians should do can be found in today’s reading. The reading can be summarised into two important sentences: “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy” and “You must love your neighbour as yourself.” Instead of focusing too much on the minute details about what we should or should not do, some of which are mentioned in today’s reading, let us ask ourselves sincerely: are we loving others as much as we love God and also as much as we love ourselves? Sometimes difficult people or difficult situations are there to teach us what it means to love, since we are loving not because it is convenient or beneficial to us, but because we choose to love just as God loves all and cares for all. Let us thus make every effort to remain holy and dependent on God, and follow God’s example in being loving towards all.

Monday of Week 1 Year 1

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What sort of leader do we look for in church? Some of us look for a leader who can speak well or have good eloquence or has as some may say, the gift of the gab. Some of us may look for someone who could be a good organiser or a capable peacemaker. Some of us may look for someone who is charismatic and able to rile up the crowd into action. But how did Jesus choose leaders? Did he look for leaders the way some of us do?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus simply saw and called out to Simon and his brother Andrew, as well as James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus did not make any grand or elaborate speech about following Him, but merely said: “Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.” We do not have much details about whether these men had previously encountered Jesus, since the Gospel does not tell us everything, but Jesus must have been quite an extraordinary person in the minds and hearts of these men to enable them to just leave everything and follow Him.

An interesting observation we could gather from today’s Gospel is this: When other leaders rein in their supporters, they are actually gathering supporters and followers for their own benefit. They call on people to follow them so that they would have the support or clout to accomplish their goals. But what we see here in Jesus is different. He called these men to follow Him so that He could form them and make them into fishers of men. By doing so, Jesus was preparing these men not for his own political or personal benefit, but for mission for the greater glory of God.

As Christians, some of us may be called into certain leadership positions in church. Let us follow the example of Jesus, and help our fellow brothers and sisters to become fishers of men, so that we as a people of God could grow in relationship with Him and help others do the same.

Monday after Epiphany

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Whenever we come across someone who claims to have received a message from God, or perhaps a testimony which sounds quite extraordinary, how would you respond? Some may be quite easily taken in by such messages or testimonies, and take the person’s word for it, thinking that the Holy Spirit has touched or spoken to the person. Some may be quite skeptical or doubtful about such messages or testimonies. But how should we as Christians respond to such messages or testimonies?

In today’s reading, John cautions us: “It is not every spirit, my dear people, that you can trust; test them, to see if they come from God, there are many false prophets, now, in the world. You can tell the spirits that come from God by this: every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus the Christ has come in the flesh is from God; but any spirit which will not say this of Jesus is not from God, but is the spirit of Antichrist, whose coming you were warned about.” While there are instances of genuine messages from God, we should not be so easily accepting of just any message. It may be wise and prudent, as the reading tells us, to “test them” thoroughly, cautiously and diligently, so as not to be duped or taken in by those whose intention may be to lead others astray.

Monday of the 3rd Week of Advent

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Every once in a while, we hear of people putting their foot in their mouth by trying to act smart and end up saying something foolish or stupid. When we are so full of ourselves, when we think we know it all, when we look down at others, we may sometimes try to show off our so-called superiority, only to be shot down or humbled, especially when we are cornered with a response which we are unable to counter. Some are even so thick-skinned that even when they have been proven wrong, their minds have been so conditioned to think that they are still right and everyone else is wrong, no matter how silly or absurd their arguments may be.

Today’s Gospel gives us an example of some people who have put their foot in their mouth. These people who are known as the chief priests and elders of the people knew very well who Jesus was and also who John the Baptist was, but they were unable and unwilling to admit and change their ways. Instead, they had the gall to ask Jesus: “What authority have you for acting like this? And who gave you this authority?” As a result, Jesus shot back a question to them which left them cornered and unable to answer. They knew what the answer was, since they could still “argue it out this way among themselves”, but pride had infested into them and they were stubbornly refusing to admit the truth.

In some cases, we too may have inadvertently put our foot in our mouth, especially when we lack humility and a willingness to admit our mistakes. At the end, we may only cause ourselves to look foolish, and we may even lose our status or credibility. Are we willing and able to walk humbly before our God, and let Him change our lives, our behaviour and our attitudes, or are we still stubborn and adamant in remaining as we are?

Monday of Week 11 Year 2

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Wrath or rage is one of the seven capital sins we need to watch out for. We may fall into wrath or rage quite easily, especially when we have a short fuse or a quick temper. Wrath or rage can lead us to do worse things. Sometimes, we may even kill a person or several people. In the aftermath, we may become proud and refuse to feel any remorse, or we may regret our actions utterly. By then, it is often too late.

Today’s first reading shows us how Ahab fell into wrath or rage, since Naboth refused to sell him his ancestral land. Naturally, Naboth had every right to sell or not sell, but Ahab was determined to get the land at all cost. Ahab had the gall to allow Jezebel to “settle things” for him, so that he could get the land he wanted. Here, we see a classic example of not only wrath or rage, but also greed and pride thrown into a deadly mixture.

Are we guilty of wrath or rage at times? We may not necessarily kill a person, but the words we utter in our rage could still kill. Let us be mindful of our temper and seek God’s help to avoid falling into wrath or rage, lest we only bring ruin to ourselves.