For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
31 May 2015 – Pentecost – Mass of the Day
1 June 2015 – Monday of Week 9 Year 1
2 June 2015 – Tuesday of Week 9 Year 1
3 June 2015 – Wednesday of Week 9 Year 1
4 June 2015 – Thursday of Week 9 Year 1
5 June 2015 – Friday of Week 9 Year 1
Do you believe that miracles can happen? Have you experienced a miracle before in your life? There are some who do not seem to believe that miracles happen, since they seem to take on a worldly view that science could give an answer and if it doesn’t, then they would accept the fact that their fate is sealed. The funny thing is, such people sometimes experience a miracle and become believers. Such is the power of our loving God, who does wonders for us, though at times we may not realise it or experience it directly.
In today’s reading, we see a series of miracles happening. In the reading, Anna was so full of joy of being able to see her son again that she exclaimed: “Now I can die. I have seen you again.” We must remember that the Jews were in exile in Nineveh at that time and they were facing persecution, and for a Jew to leave Nineveh safely and return safely was indeed a miracle. Tobias used the fish gall on his father’s eyes as medicine and as a result, Tobit was able to see again. Once again, another miracle had happened. Who would have thought that fish gall could be used to make a blind man see, but that was exactly what happened. Then, to top up the series of miracles, Tobias was able to bring Sarah his wife home. Sarah, in case some of you may not know, had been given in marriage seven times, and that Asmodeus, that worst of demons, had killed her bridegrooms one after another before ever they had slept with her as man with wife. But this time, God had intervened and the angel Raphael had chased the demon Asmodeus away, so that Sarah and Tobias could be together in peace.
Indeed, miracles do happen. Sometimes we realise it and give thanks to God. At other times, we may not realise it. But perhaps one miracle which we experience each day but we may of taken for granted, is the miracle of life. The fact that each of us is able to wake up every morning is already a miracle. Are we thankful for the gift and miracle of life that God has granted us each day?
As Christians, we sometimes miss the point of what the commandments of God really mean. Some of us say that we love God “with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.” But some of us seem to forget that there is more to God’s commandments than just loving God. Loving God appears to be the easy part, but is that it? No. There is a second part and that is to “love your neighbour as yourself.” Are we aware of this and if so, are we really, truly and consistently loving God and neighbour?
In today’s Gospel, the scribe was quite impressed with Jesus’ reply and said: “‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he 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.” That is what the commandments are all about: loving God and loving neighbour. We cannot pick and choose, as we are required to love both God and neighbour completely. If we say that we love God, and have arguments or problems with our neighbour, then we are actually not really loving, since loving God and neighbour cannot be separated. After all, we are reminded in Genesis 1:26-27 that we are made in the image of God. This does not mean that we are gods, but that we are godlike or connected to God. So, if we say we love God, then we must love others, since loving others means we are loving God too. See the connection? That is why it is not so easy to love, since love involves both God and neighbour. Are we really loving then? Or have we been loving only when it is easy, beneficial or convenient to us?
Is this life on earth all there is? Or do some of us believe that life continues as usual even after life here on earth has ended? It seems that there are people who believe that this life is all there is and they would try to maximise their pleasure and enjoyment of this life as much as possible, because they think that death is the end, they cease to exist, there is nothing else after that, life is finished, they are history, finito. On the other hand, some people believe they would continue the ways of this life when death comes. We have seen how the pharoahs of ancient Egypt were buried with their possessions, wealth and even personnel, as they thought that they would continue living life as usual after death, but as we have seen, the tombs of the pharoahs have been looted, their wealth and possessions sold, and some of their mummified bodies can now be seen in museums in some part of the world. But what sort of life do we Christians believe in?
In today’s Gospel, we come across the Sadducees (an older padre once remarked that the Sadducees are also known as “Sad U see”) who did not believe in life after death or the resurrection. Because of their way of thinking, they became preoccupied with living only life on earth and were convinced that should there be life after this life on earth, there would be confusion and chaos, as mentioned concerning the woman and her seven husbands. But Jesus replied: “Is not the reason why you go wrong, that you understand neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry; no, they are like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising again, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God spoke to him and said: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is God, not of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken.”
Jesus was basically saying: wake up, there is more to life than here on earth, and our life is ultimately to be with God. Life with God is not merely a continuation of life on earth, since life with God is far better and far more satisfying than anything here on earth. That is why we need to make every effort to be in good relationship with God, so that we would later be with Him in eternity. Are we making effort today to grow in our relationship with God?
In some ways, we really need to hand it to the scribes, Pharisees and chief priests, because their immense jealousy and hatred towards Jesus simply shows how we humans can sometimes degrade ourselves into committing all sorts of despicable and foolish acts. Pride and ego can colour our vision, and blind us from what is true, what is proper and just, what is truly holy and what is fair; just because we want to win at all costs, and we want to save face. At the end of the day, does it really matter? Actually, no. But some do not see it this way and stubbornly and vehemently insist in keeping to their ways and protecting their interests. But this is where some fail to realise that everything that we do, and everything that we have, be it wealth, fame, titles, recognition or whatever, is merely temporary and cannot be brought with us when we die.
In today’s Gospel, we see a classic example of how silly the scribes, Pharisees and the chief priests were behaving. Already they had tensions and serious disagreements with the Herodians, but when it comes to a common so called enemy (Jesus, in this case), they are willing to forgo their principles just to find a solution to get rid of Jesus. Their hypocrisy showed quite clearly when they asked the question: “Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay, yes or no?” These people asked not because they wanted to know, but because their intention (or in Bahasa Malaysia, “niat”) was merely to trap Jesus. Jesus answer: ‘Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.’ took them completely by surprise. But if we look deeper into Jesus’ reply, we can discover that Jesus was actually making fun of these folks. Does anything really belong to Caesar? No! Ultimately, everything actually belongs to God, whether we are willing to admit it or not. So the question these folks had asked was actually a non-question, but their jealousy and hatred towards Jesus blinded them to what is evidently truth.
When we look at our lives, have we become more like the scribes, Pharisees and the chief priests or even the Herodians, in the way we conduct ourselves and the way we treat others? Have we forgotten who we are? Let us be mindful and check ourselves from falling into the abyss of hypocrisy, lest we lose ourselves and lost sight of our eternal goal.
Most of us would not have experienced major persecution or face danger to our lives. Most of us have some freedom to practise our faith and share our faith with others. During such times, we may sometimes become complacent and used to the peace and prosperity. But let us consider for a moment, if we were living in exile in some strange land, constantly facing danger of being caught and executed for our faith, what would we do? Would we stay strong to our faith, come what may? Or would we abandon our faith to save our skin?
In today’s reading, we come across Tobit who said: “I, Tobit, have walked in paths of truth and in good works all the days of my life. I have given much in alms to my brothers and fellow countrymen, exiled like me to Nineveh in the country of Assyria.” Even though Tobit was in exile in Nineveh, and even though the environment in Nineveh was hostile to Tobit and people of the same faith as him, Tobit was not afraid to practise his faith and be charitable to others. Upon discovering that a fellow countryman had been murdered and left at the market place, Tobit was willing to show solidarity with his brothers and fellow countrymen by taking away and burying the murdered countryman. Some of his neigbours even laughed and said, ‘See! He is not afraid any more.’ But Tobit was not affected by their taunts and went about doing charity to ensure that the murdered brother be given a decent burial.
Tobit was willing to take risks and put his life on the line, to show his faith. What about us? Are we willing to do the same, even in the midst of severe persecution? It is easy to say that we have faith and keep to ourselves, but as James reminds us in his Epistle: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works (James 2:14-18). Are we saying that we have faith only in mere words and nothing more? Or are we making effort to show our faith fearlessly?
For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
24 May 2015 – Pentecost – Mass of the Day
25 May 2015 – Monday of Week 8 Year 1
26 May 2015 – Tuesday of Week 8 Year 1
27 May 2015 – Wednesday of Week 8 Year 1
28 May 2015 – Thursday of Week 8 Year 1
29 May 2015 – Friday of Week 8 Year 1
Every once in a while, we come across people who claim that they are disciples or followers of Christ. But the fact is, are such people Christian only in name or are they really living fruitful lives as Christians? We can tell whether a person is really a Christian or not by the kind of fruits the person produces, since a person who is a Christian only in name would more often than not be living a life quite contrary to the values of the Gospel and the ways of Christ. We call such persons hypocrites, since they do not practice what they preach (or neglect or ignore what they learned about the Christian faith) and they do things only for show. Could some of us be guilty in this way?
In the Gospel, we come across Jesus cursing a fig tree which had no figs on it. Some of us may initially wonder whether Jesus was acting irrationally or weird, since the Gospel tells us that Jesus felt hungry and seemed annoyed that He could not find any figs, only leaves, since it was not the season for figs. However, if we look carefully at the text, we would discover that Jesus was actually using symbolic language to mean Israel, especially the scribes and Pharisees, who had so stubbornly held to their ways of doing things and their self-righteous behaviour and attitude, instead of repenting and returning to God’s ways. This point was further reinforced when Jesus “went into the Temple and began driving out those who were selling and buying there; he upset the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those who were selling pigeons. Nor would he allow anyone to carry anything through the Temple. And he taught them and said, ‘Does not scripture say: My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples? But you have turned it into a robbers’ den.'” Instead of changing their ways, the scribes and Pharisees began to plot to get rid of Jesus, because to them, their traditions and customs were more important to them than following God’s commandments. The Temple had become a place of profiteering and cheating, since buying and selling was being done there and many of those conducting such acts were more interested in making money, and not treating the Temple with proper reverence as the House of God. To make matters worse, the scribes, chief priests and Pharisees had no qualms about allowing such activities to continue and flourish in the Temple.
If we look at ourselves, have we in some way become like the scribes and Pharisees? Have we begun to stick only to our traditions and customs which we have formulated and followed, and set aside God’s commandments, which is to love God and love neighbour? What sort of fruits have we really been producing? Have we been like the fig tree, which produces fruit only according to season, and at other times we can behave and do as we please? Let us be mindful, lest we end up like the fig tree, withered to the roots; because of our pride, prejudice, selfishness, lack of forgiveness, and stubbornness; as well as our refusal to truly, consistently and wholeheartedly do all things for the glory of God.
How persistent and consistent are we in asking God for help? Some of us may have asked for help, but we doubt whether God is really listening or willing to help us. Some of us may have asked for help, but we become so easily discouraged when we do not get results quickly or the kind of results expected. Some of us even think that God is not going to help us anyway no matter how hard we try, and we go for other forms of help like witch doctors, shamans, feng shui, or even some form of divination, thinking that we would have a better chance of getting the help we want and expect. But when we have such attitude or do such things, would we certainly be helped? More often than not, we would end up disillusioned, disappointed and disgusted. So how should we seek help from God?
In today’s Gospel, we come across a blind beggar who was very determined to ask Jesus to heal him. Even though he was scolded and asked to keep quiet, he refused to give up. He shouted all the more louder, asking Jesus for help. When he was called to come to Jesus, notice in the Gospel that he threw off his cloak to go to Jesus. The cloak was his security, the only piece of clothing he had to warm himself, but even that he was willing to let go, so that he could get to Jesus. Because of his faith in Jesus, the blind beggar could see again, and what did he do? He followed Jesus along the road, for he had found new security and joy in Jesus.
What about us? Are we willing to let go of the many things we cling to which become like a cloak to us? Are we willing to cling to Jesus as our new security instead? Are we willing to have faith in Jesus so that he may heal us? Let us follow the example of the blind beggar who was healed because of his great faith in Jesus, and let us be patient, persistent and determined, knowing that Jesus will help us according to His time and for His glory.
The world often equates a great or a successful person as one who has attained tremendous wealth, or important titles, or high qualifications, or recognition from peers and admiration from others. We would hear of such people being idolised as good examples which others ought to imitate and follow. But the moment these people lose their wealth for some reason or another, or they lose their titles or their qualifications are no longer relevant or redundant, or due to some issue or even scandal they lose recognition or admiration from others, then what happens? More often than not, the world would then look for other persons to exalt and glorify, and these people would become nobodies or has beens. But how should a Christian behave towards wealth, titles, qualifications or recognition?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us: “You know that among the pagans their so-called rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all. For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Our duty and attitude as Christians is not to seek greatness for ourselves, but to be of service to all for the glory of God. Such attitude is in contrast with the ways of the world, so we need to ask ourselves truly: do we want merely temporary greatness in the world, or would we rather be great in God’s eyes?
