Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Saturday

Saturday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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It is easy for us to take God for granted, especially when we have received so much from Him in different ways. Some of us forget to say grace before meals or even grace after meals, and we do not thank God enough for the good things we have and the many blessings He has bestowed upon us. Some of us may have even become presumptuous about God’s mercy and forgiveness, that we take it for granted and not feel real contrition, remorse, and sorrow for our sins. We think that God would forgive us anyhow, and we neglect going for confession, which is required for our sins to be forgiven.

When we take things for granted and become presumptuous towards God, we begin to take God’s mercy and forgiveness too lightly. Such attitude of taking things for granted and being presumptuous can be found in today’s reading, where the people said: “Come let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us; he has struck us down, but he will bandage our wound; on the third day he will raise us and we shall live in his presence.” The Lord responded: “What am I to do with you? This love of yours is like a morning cloud, like the dew that quickly disappears.” It seems like the people were only giving lip service, instead of practising true love and knowledge of God.

What about us? Have we become like the people in today’s reading, where we end up saying and doing things only to puff our ego and swell our pride? Have we become presumptuous, taking God for granted, instead of walking humbly before Him? May we come to realise such attitude, and change our ways while we have the opportunity to do so.

Saturday of the 2nd Week of Lent

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In certain ethnic groups, traditions and customs, the deity is seen as a being to be feared. Persons belonging to such ethnic groups or adhere to such traditions and customs would do all they can to appease the deity, by offering the best of their produce, or offer money, hoping that the deity could be “bribed” into leaving them in peace and harmony. Some such ethnic groups, traditions and customs may even have a practice of sacrificing an animal, or even to the extent of offering human sacrifices, hoping that the deity would be appeased.

However, today’s reading paints us quite a different picture of God. In the reading, we are told: “What god can compare with you: taking fault away, pardoning crime, not cherishing anger for ever but delighting in showing mercy?” Unlike a deity that is fierce, vengeful and prone to meting out punishment, we have a God who takes fault away, pardons crime, does not cherish anger, and even delights in showing mercy. Thus, let us not be afraid of God, rather let us go to Him with humility and docility for forgiveness, comfort and guidance, knowing that He will not abandon us. Let us also delight in showing mercy towards others, just as God is continuously showing mercy to us.

Saturday of the 1st Week of Lent

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Every once in a while, I come across people who seem to do things half-heartedly. It is as if the task is too difficult or complicated to do, even though in reality, the task is actually so simple that even a small child could have done it well. Such persons seem to drag their feet, or take their sweet time to get it done, but when their boss or superior comes along, they suddenly appear to be hard working or diligent, only to go back to their half-hearted routine once the boss or superior has left. Could some of us be guilty of such half-hearted attitude and behaviour?

In today’s reading, “Moses said to the people: ‘The Lord your God today commands you to observe these laws and customs; you must keep and observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.” While some of us could play games in front of authority, and then return to half-hearted ways, we cannot play games or behave half-heartedly when it comes to God. God expects us to observe His laws and customs wholeheartedly, in fact, we are to do so with all your heart and all your soul. Failing to observe such laws and customs wholeheartedly could lead to undesirable or even disastrous consequences. Are we willing to be humble and docile, and follow God’s laws and customs, for our good and for His glory?

Saturday After Ash Wednesday

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At some point of our lives, we may have come across persons who seem difficult to love or to be with. The easiest thing for us to do is to just ignore such persons completely, or shun them, or have nothing to do with them, or ostracise them. Some of us may begin to think that such persons are not worth our time, or that they are probably condemned or beyond redemption. But how many of us are willing to accept such persons, and journey with them, depending on God’s grace and mercy to help them change and grow closer to God?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus called Levi, a tax collector, to follow Him. Not only that, Jesus even had a meal at Levi’s house, where with them at table was a large gathering of tax collectors and others. If Jesus was willing to reach out to such persons, who society despises, shuns or considers repugnant or as some may say, “bad company,” what about us? Are we willing to follow Jesus’ example and reach out to such persons too? Who knows, God has His ways, and by doing our part in showing care and love to such persons, they may return to the ways of the Lord. Let us not let our pride, prejudice and ego get the better of us, and learn to be loving and compassionate, just as God is loving and compassionate to us.

Saturday After Ash Wednesday

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One reality in life that most of us would need to come to terms with is that, the older we get, the more often we find ourselves visiting the doctor. As we grow older, we may even need to visit different types of doctors, for ailments of different parts of our bodies. Some of us may try to delay or put off seeing the doctor for as long as possible, but we may suffer the consequences of doing so. So whether we like it or not, we would need to accept the fact that we may eventually need to see different doctors for different kinds of ailments, especially if we need medical care from a specialist.

In today’s Gospel Jesus says that “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.” What sort of physician is Jesus referring to? Jesus is referring to a physician who heals the soul. The irony of today’s Gospel is that the self-righteous likely need Jesus more than those they accuse of sinfulness. But more often than not, the self-righteous fail to acknowledge their need for a spiritual physician, due to their pride and ego.

What about us? Have we come to realise that we need a spiritual physician to heal our soul and restore our relationship with God? Are we willing to let Jesus heal us and shepherd us? May we be humble and docile, and confess our sins through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and let Jesus, our eternal physician, heal us and guide us.

Saturday After Ash Wednesday

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Life is such that if we want to achieve something, we need to persevere and be persistent. For example, a couple who wants to conceive may need to watch out for the signs where the woman may be most fertile, make several attempts, and pray to God that they may be granted a “bun in the oven.” To do well in exams, one may need to make sacrifices, and persevere and be persistent in one’s studies and preparations. To get a job, one may need to persevere and be persistent in applying to several companies, attend interviews, and hope to receive a favourable response. But if you ponder for a moment, how many of us are just as persevering and persistent in our spiritual life?

In today’s reading, the Lord is telling His people to do away with the yoke, the clenched fist, the wicked word, giving bread to the hungry, and relief to the oppressed. In return, what they will receive from the Lord is far more than they could ever imagine – The Lord will always guide them and give them relief in desert places, they will be like a watered garden, a spring of water, called “Breach-mender” and “Restorer of ruined houses.” What the Lord is basically telling His people is this: persevere and be persistent in following the Lord’s ways, and they will continue to live and prosper.

What about us? Are we willing to make more effort in persevering and persisting in growing in our spiritual life? May we not waste the many opportunities God gives us to grow closer to Him, and remain steadfast in our efforts, knowing with confidence that He will help and guide us.

Saturday of Week 5 Year 2

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I sometimes come across people who don’t like certain church rules, practices or customs. Such persons voice their displeasure over such rules, practices or customs, and some even leave the church to join another Christian denomination, or even join some other faith entirely. This is because such persons expect rules, practices and customs to suit their purposes, or for their benefit. But what such persons fail to realise is that God’s commandments, as well as Jesus’ commandments of loving God and neighbour, are the basis for such rules and practices, whereas customs are traditional and widely accepted ways of behaving or doing something in the church community. Such rules, practices and customs did not materialise overnight, and they are meant for the good of the entire Christian community, not just for the good of a few.

In today’s reading, we see an example of a person who did not like certain rules, practices or customs among the Israelites. That person was Jeroboam who thought to himself, ‘As things are, the kingdom will revert to the House of David. If this people continues to go up to the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, the people’s heart will turn back again to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will put me to death.’ And so, Jeroboam did the unthinkable. He created his own gods, by making two golden calves; he got the people to worship such false gods; “He set up the temple of the high places and appointed priests from ordinary families, who were not of the sons of Levi”; and even dared to “institute a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth of the month, like the feast that was kept in Judah.” Jeroboam did all these repugnant things, just because he did not like certain rules, practices or customs among the Israelites, and he wanted to save his own skin. As a result, “such conduct made the House of Jeroboam a sinful House, and caused its ruin and extinction from the face of the earth.”

What about us? Would we change certain church rules, practices or customs as we please, just because they are inconvenient to us or we feel uncomfortable towards them? Is faith like changing clothes, where we discard things which we are unable to accept? May we continue to be faithful, and walk in God’s ways.

Saturday of Week 4 Year 2

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We sometimes take on more than what we can do, or say more than what is necessary, especially because we want to show how capable we are or how clever we are. At first, it may seem as if we are getting things done without breaking a sweat, but the reality is that, in our zeal and focus to do things and take on more and more tasks, we may end up neglecting other equally important areas in life, such as our health, and our relationship with family and friends. As a result, we may experience burnout, sickness or relationship problems. That is why, one must know what one can do and what one can’t, and know one’s abilities and lack of it. To acknowledge that requires wisdom.

One example of knowing one’s abilities and lack of it can be found in today’s reading. In the reading, king Solomon acknowledged before the Lord that he was a young man and unskilled in leadership. He asked the Lord for wisdom so that he could understand how to discern between good and evil; and to be a good king following the ways of the Lord. Because of this, king Solomon was not only given wisdom, but blessed by the Lord with power, wealth and victory over his enemies.

What about us? Are we willing and humble enough to acknowledge our strengths and weaknesses, and seek wisdom from the Lord, so that we could do His will? Are we willing to strike a balance in our lives, doing what we can while depending on the Lord for wisdom and discernment? Our help is in the Lord, and may we glorify Him in all we do.

Saturday of Week 3 Year 2

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We sometimes come across people who refuse or who are reluctant to admit their guilt. Even when they are confronted with facts and evidence proving their guilt beyond reasonable doubt, such persons would still refuse to admit or accept their guilt, and some even try to find a scapegoat and blame others such as a family member, friend or colleague, and some even go to the extent of blaming God, instead of taking responsibility for the wrong they have committed. Blinded by pride and ego, such persons think that they are never wrong or never guilty. Could some of us be having such a proud or egoistic attitude?

In contrast, today’s reading shows us how King David responded when the prophet Nathan confronted him with the many sins he had committed. Instead of trying to worm his way out, or make all sorts of excuses, or deny his guilt, King David was docile and humble enough to admit his guilt and merely said: “I have sinned against the Lord.”

What about us? Would we be willing to own up to our guilt, our mistakes, our sins? Or would we rather try to sweep things under the carpet, only to have such dirt exposed at a later time? Let us be humble and docile, just like King David showed us, and admit our guilt. After all, isn’t it better for us to remove the stain of guilt earlier, than to let the stain remain and ruin our relationship with God?

Saturday of Week 2 Year 2

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Are we generous or big-hearted only towards certain persons or certain groups? Or are we big-hearted or generous towards all? Sometimes, we may have been big-hearted or generous only towards persons or groups we like, or we can get along with, or when it is convenient to us. But what about those persons or groups we are not familiar with, or we are not close with? Are we willing to be generous or big-hearted towards them as well?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus’ relatives thought that Jesus was out of His mind, since he was home and even then, a crowd had gathered and Jesus was still willing to be big-hearted and generous towards the crowd, even though, in their mind, Jesus ought to have some privacy and rest. However, Jesus’ relatives missed the point about Jesus, since to Jesus, being generous or big-hearted knows no bounds or limits, especially when it comes to doing the will of God.

What about us? would we be willing to be big-hearted or generous, even to the point of forgoing our personal needs or comfort? May we be humble and follow Jesus’ example, who showed us the true meaning of being big-hearted and generous, and in all we say and do, give glory to God.