Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Ordinary Time

Wednesday of Week 34 Year 2

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Patience and perseverance are two attributes which perhaps some of us need to nurture as we journey through this life. Some of us may have become so used to getting things done quickly, or some may have become so used to getting results instantly, that we may have forgotten the meaning of being patient and to persevere. When we do not achieve or get things done quickly the way some of us are used to, some of us may feel frustrated and some may even give up. But life is not just about doing things quickly, life is not just about instant this or instant that, life is especially about building relationship with God and with others, and building a relationship is never an instant effort. It takes time and dedication to be closer to God and with others.

In today’s Gospel, we are reminded that we “will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives.” When we are faced with such trials and tribulations, let us strive to be patient and persevere in remaining in good relationship with God, for all these trials and tribulations are only temporary. Are we willing to endure patiently, with perseverance, and joyfully, even to the point of being put to death, for the greater glory of God?

Tuesday of Week 34 Year 2

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Does anyone of us know when we will die? Surely not. We do not know exactly when we would die. All we know is that some day, we will die. Many factors could contribute to how long we would be on this earth, but ultimately, only God knows when it would be time for us to leave this life. Likewise, we would not know when the world would end. Sometimes we come across folks who claim to know when the world would end, but we should not be so easily duped by such folks. Some of these folks would use various scare tactics or so called bible passages to sound convincing with the intention to make us give up our wealth and possessions. The irony is, if the world is “really” going to end, shouldn’t these folks be preparing themselves spiritually and helping others to prepare themselves spiritually too, instead of fleecing others and then making a run for it? Just as only God knows when we would die, the same principle applies to when the world would end.

This is why, in today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us: “Take care not to be deceived,’ he said ‘because many will come using my name and saying, “I am he” and, “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon.” If we have trust and confidence in God, then there is no reason for us to worry or fret. What is more important is that we make every effort to remain in good relationship with God and with others. Regardless of what happens, God will care for us, if we place our trust in Him and continue to walk in His ways.

Monday of Week 34 Year 2

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Some of us say that we trust in God. The question is: do we have full and complete trust, or selective trust, or partial trust? Some of us say we trust in God, but we have doubts whether God would really help us. Some of these people may go to other sources such as mediums, feng shui, bomohs, medicine men, or some other means, thinking that if God does not really help them, they think at least they have a backup plan. But do these other sources really help, or are they merely harming us in one way or another? How many of us are willing to have full and complete trust in God’s providence?

In today’s Gospel, we see the generosity of the poverty-stricken widow who was willing to put in from the little she had, all she had to live on. Others put in what they could spare, or what was convenient to them, but this poverty-stricken widow had full and complete trust in God’s providence and surrendered all that she had.

What about us? How generous are we in giving our time and wealth to God? Are we willing to have full and complete trust in God’s providence, and just like the poverty-stricken widow, give all that we have to God? Or have we become more and more concerned about safe-guarding or increasing our wealth and abilities for ourselves, and become more and more calculative towards giving to God and to others? Sometimes we come across people who expect the church to do a lot of things for them, but they refuse or are reluctant or are unwilling to do things for the church, or they do as little as possible. God is generous towards all of us and loves all of us abundantly. Are we willing to be just as generous in return?

Thursday of Week 33 Year 2

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Opportunities come and go. We can choose to seize such opportunities, or we can choose to ignore them and let them go by. Some have become so used to certain ways, habits or behaviours that they are resistant to change. Such people refuse to accept good opportunities to enhance themselves or to change for the better, preferring to remain as status quo. But how long can such people remain as they are? There may come a time they would be replaced or retired, so that new ways and new blood could be introduced. In our faith journey, we may also become stagnant if we refuse to change. God gives us many opportunities to grow closer in relationship with Him, and it is up to us to seize such opportunities, or end up being left behind.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus had every reason to shed tears over Jerusalem. The Jews had heard the message of Jesus but His message of peace did not sink into their hearts. The Jews did not heed the signs that God gave them because of their stubbornness and refusal to change. As a result, Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, and the Jews who attempted to revolt against the Romans were destroyed and crushed. We too may suffer a similar fate, if we procrastinate or remain obstinate in our ways. God is patient and loving to all of us, and He gives us many opportunities to build a deeper and closer relationship with Him. We can choose to walk humbly in His ways, or choose to do things our way. Let us be mindful of the consequences of our actions.

Wednesday of Week 33 Year 2

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Eash and every one of us has been given gifts, talents and capabilities which are meant to be put to good use and ultimately to glorify God. Some of us make use of our gifts, talents and capabilities as intended, but there are some who do not do so. Some make all sorts of excuses, saying that they are not good enough, or not skilful enough, or they are too busy with other things to offer their gifts, talents and capabilities at church or at a parish ministry. The point is, do we consider our gifts, talents and capabilities as our own, to be used as we please, and perhaps to glorify ourselves? Or are we using such gifts, talents and capabilities for the greater glory of God?

In today’s Gospel, we read of a man of noble birth who gave ten servants one pound each to do business with. Most of the servants used their gifts, talents and capabilities to make more money for their master, and they were amply rewarded. But one servant, knowing fully well what sort of person his master was, still had the gall to hand back the one pound to his master without doing anything to it. Such arrogance and refusal to use his gifts, talents and capabilities for the benefit of his master only led him to be condemned.

What about us? Are we using our gifts, talents and capabilities wisely for the greater glory of God? Or have we become selfish, complacent or arrogant, like that one servant, refusing to use our gifts, talents and capabilities in a righful way? Just as that one servant lost his one pound and was condemned, we too may lose our gifts, talents and capabilities if we are not careful.

Tuesday of Week 33 Year 2

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What sort of state or condition are you in today in life? Are you happy, well-off, healthy, feeling peaceful, feeling loved and accepted; or are you feeling destitute, rejected, feeling depressed, struggling to make ends meet? What sort of state is your soul in today in life? Are you consistently making effort to grow closer to God; or have you become lukewarm, paying more attention to what this world has to offer and losing focus in your faith and dependence in God’s providence?

In today’s reading, the church in Sardis was once eager in faith for God but over time, it became more dead than alive in relationship with God. The reading also speaks of the church in Laodecia which was neither cold or hot in its zeal for God, but instead had become lukewarm in faith. How did these churches end up in such a state? Complacency, lack of focus, falling into the temptations of the world and becoming less humble and dependent on God are some possible reasons why these churches in Sardis and Laodecia had become like this. These churches in Sardis and Laodecia were warned by the Lord to wake up and change their ways and return to the Lord’s fold.

What about us? Have we become more dead than alive in our relationship with God? Have we become lukewarm in faith? God is inviting us to repent and turn back to Him, and dwell in His love and presence. Life is unpredictable and short, for we do not know the day or time we would need to face the Lord. We are given many opportunities to let Him guide us and care for us. It is up to us to take the initiative and make effort to change, open the door to our heart and soul, and let Him in.

Monday of Week 33 Year 2

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Every once in a while, we are faced with some difficulty or challenges or issues. When we are faced with such things, some of us may expect instant or quick resolution. When such quick resolution is not forthcoming, some may begin to pray earnestly to God, beseeching Him to help them. But what if we still do not get any help or response from God? Some may begin to feel angry or upset, some may think God has abandoned them, some may even give up or despair. But what about us? Are we expecting our issues or challenges to go away as quickly as possible? Or are we able to be patient and persistent in prayer, knowing that God will do what is best for us?

In today’s Gospel,  we see how the blind man was patient, persistent and persevering in asking Jesus to have pity on him. Even though the crowds thought he was a nuisance and scolded him, he refused to give up or be cowed by the crowd. Eventually, the blind man was able to come up to Jesus and because of his faith and perseverance, he got back his sight. What about us? Are we able to be like the blind man, being patient, persistent and persevering? In a world where we have become more and more used to fast results, perhaps we could learn from the blind man. We know that God will help us according to His terms and His time. It is a matter of whether we are willing and humble enough to have faith and trust in His providence.

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

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Each and every one of us have talents and abilities unique to us. No two persons are exactly the same. Some people, unfortunately, go through life without living or realising their full potential. Some people are satisfied with doing only the barest minimum, and they often remark: “Why should we do too much? Why do more when we can get by by doing less?” The point is, God created us to live life to the fullest, not to live only a fraction or a small portion of our lives. If the way we are living is only 5% of what we are capable of, then we are wasting the other 95%. We are often reminded not to waste food, not to waste time frivolously, or not to waste our talents, but perhaps we should also remind ourselves not to waste our lives.

We should always be ready to meet the Lord at any time, and being ready means we should be giving glory to God in all we do. We may not be able to do everything, or get things done well, or achieve all our hopes and aspirations; but what matters is not the amount of things we have done, what matters is we have done our best for the glory of God.

In the first reading, we see the example of a perfect wife as a great example of what it means to be a Christian disciple. A perfect wife knows that “charm is deceitful and beauty empty.” What is important is that she is able to fulfil her roles and responsibilities, bringing “advantage and not hurt to her husband all the days of her life.” The perfect wife reminds us that we are made for the glory of God and not to bring hurt to Him or to others. Likewise, the gospel tells us the story of three servants who received different amount of talents from their master. The amount that they received is not important, as what matters is how they used what they received to benefit their master. Sometimes we may feel that we are receiving less than others and we may feel this is unfair. Why are we receiving less? We do not know, no one except God knows, but we ought to know that the more we receive, the more is expected of us. Whatever we receive ought to be used for the good of others and for the glory of God. If we just whine or complain that we do not have enough, if we do not bother to do anything with the little that we have, then even what we have will be taken away.

Are we making the best use of our lives? Are we living life to the fullest? Or are we living a life of mediocrity, thinking that we are not good, not capable, not talented, when the fact is we actually are? Remember that God has given us talents and gifts not for our personal gratification or to exalt ourselves (in Malay, not to “syiok sendiri”); God has given us talents and gifts for His greater glory. Let us not hesitate or procrastinate in our efforts to live life to the fullest or the best we can, since as St. Paul in the second reading reminds us: “But it is not as if you live in the dark, my brothers, for that Day to overtake you like a thief. No, you are all sons of light and sons of the day: we do not belong to the night or to darkness, so we should not go on sleeping, as everyone else does, but stay wide awake and sober.”

Friday of Week 32 Year 2

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When we believe in the Good News and became Christians, we are expected to keep the commandments, and the greatest commandment is to love. This means that we cannot pick and choose what suits or benefits us, but we need to be genuine in love for God and neighbour. John in today’s reading reminds us: “To love is to live according to his commandments: this is the commandment which you have heard since the beginning, to live a life of love.” Of course, it is not easy to live a life of love, since it may seem easier to love God than to love others, but this is what we are required to do, no ifs, buts or exceptions.

In an effort to live according to his commandments, we should also be cautious about various so-called teachings we hear from others, especially from the social media or the internet. John warns us: “There are many deceivers about in the world, refusing to admit that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. They are the Deceiver; they are the Antichrist. Watch yourselves, or all our work will be lost and not get the reward it deserves. If anybody does not keep within the teaching of Christ but goes beyond it, he cannot have God with him: only those who keep to what he taught can have the Father and the Son with them.” Some people utter teachings which seem contrary or somewhat different to what Jesus taught, especially because they have picked and chosen what they want or like to hear or what suits them, and refused to admit the truth. When we are faced with such a situation, we should not blindly agree to what they have said, even though they may be so called persons of authority or importance. This is where our faith needs to have reason; and we should make every effort to understand our faith better through the various courses available to us, so that we would not be so easily duped by certain others.

We are asked to love, just as God loved us, but our love should be in accordance to God’s commandments, not according to the teachings of some folks who try to distort the truth for their own purposes. This is where we need to discern what we have heard, and verify its authenticacy. Our love should be genuine, and let the love of God rule our minds, hearts and actions.

Thursday of Week 32 Year 2

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Some people are worried about their eternal future. They wonder whether they have been good enough, prayerful enough, holy enough or faithful enough to be with God. Some people worry about when the world would end, and this even causes some to begin storing up supplies and other necessities, including weapons and defensive items, thinking that these things would be able to keep them going, should the world or civilisation as they know it disintegrate. What about us? Are we increasingly becoming paranoid or worried about what is going to happen to us? Have some of us become obsessed in trying to preserve our lives? What is our worry, if any?

Today’s Gospel reminds us that “The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation… They will say to you, “Look there!” or, “Look here!” Make no move; do not set off in pursuit…” If we have been faithful to our duty as Christians, then there is no reason to fear. We know that God will guide and care for us no matter what happens. Let us not become worrywarts or fret about such things, but instead focus in building our relationship with God and also with others, so that together we would dwell in His presence.