Category Archives: Saturday

Today’s Gospel tells us not to worry, since worry would not solve anything. Instead, worry could cause us to do things in a rash manner or in a way which could make things worse. The problem with some of us is we worry and fret about so many things in life, that we neglect to trust in God and walk in His ways. We fail to realise or even admit that many things in life are beyond our control and worrying and fretting will not solve anything.

Instead of worrying or fretting, let us leave it in the hands of God, be grateful and thankful for the many things God grants us, and remain in His care. Let us not one day end up with regrets later for not taking things as they come and letting God take care of things. After all, if God can provide the many things around us with what they need, surely He would provide us with what we need at the right time and at the right place, according to His plan.

Why do we get involved in various church activities and ministries? Do we do so because we want to serve God and His people? Or do we do so because we want to gain some recognition or fame? Do we serve because we want to glorify God in all that we say or do? Or are we trying to gain glory to boost our pride and ego? Are we serving because we want to be respected and noticed? Or are we humble enough to serve quietly, sometimes unknown and unappreciated, but nonetheless continuing to serve with dedication and commitment?

In today’s Gospel, “Jesus said, ‘Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted obsequiously in the market squares, to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets; these are the men who swallow the property of widows, while making a show of lengthy prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they receive.’”

Have some of us become like the scribes, who appear to be serving but expecting to be noticed and recognised? Or are we able to resist the need to be recognised and admired, check our motives and intentions, and serve not for ourselves but for the glory of God?

When we successfully complete a task or a job well done, some of us would try to grab credit or glory. Some may try to claim that the task or job was done through one’s own effort, and in some cases, put others down to lift oneself up. While it may be good to give credit where credit is due, how many of us would be willing and humble enough to give God the glory for the task or job done?

In today’s reading, we see how credit and glory is given to God for the gift of wisdom. The reading tells us: “Thanks to her I have advanced; the glory be to him who has given me wisdom! For I am determined to put her into practice, I have earnestly pursued what is good, I will not be put to shame.” Not only credit and glory is given to God, the wisdom received would be put into practice. Wisdom is not meant for one’s gratification or to show how capable or great one is, but ultimately to give glory to God. Are we using wisdom properly for the good of others and for the greater glory of God?

Life can be seen from an optimistic or pessimistic point of view. I recall a story of twin boys who were given their birthday gifts, and both were given the same thing: a huge pile of dung. One boy sobbed bitterly saying, “Oh what a mess. What a useless pile of dung. What can I do with this pile of dung? I don’t want this useless pile of dung.” The other boy was very excited and exclaimed, “Yahoo! If there’s this pile of dung, there must be a horse somewhere nearby!” If we received such a gift, how would we respond?

In today’s Gospel, we are told: “His disciples replied, ‘Where could anyone get bread to feed these people in a deserted place like this?’ He asked them, ‘How many loaves have you?’ ‘Seven’” The disciples seemed pessimistic about feeding the crowd, but Jesus was optimistic and even gave instruction for the crowd to sit down on the ground. In the end, Jesus fed the crowd and even seven basketfuls of the scraps left over were collected after that.

What can we learn from this? We can learn that Jesus was not looking at limitations; rather He was more interested in possibilities. When we look at life from an optimistic point of view, we begin to see the many possibilities that could happen, if we are willing to consider such possibilities no matter how small they may seem and take time to make it happen with God’s help. May we seize such opportunities with enthusiasm, and glorify God in all we say and do.

It is good to have zeal and make effort to preach the Good News. After all, we Christians are commissioned and sent forth to do so by our Lord Jesus. However, as with many things in life, there needs to be a time and place for everything. If we spend too much time in one thing, we may end up neglecting another thing, to our detriment. For example, in our efforts to preach the Good News, we may neglect taking care of our health, and as a result, we may face serious health consequences. Such health consequences could cause us to be unable to continue preaching the Good News, whereas if we had been balanced in taking care of our health while preaching the Good News, we would be able to preach the Good News for a longer period.

In today’s Gospel, we are told: “The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. Then he said to them, ‘You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while’; for there were so many coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat. So they went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves.”

From the Gospel, we can see that even Jesus and the apostles would take a break whenever they can, to take care of other matters while being diligent in preaching the Good News. This means that we should not be extreme in our efforts, but do things in a balanced way, so that we could continue fulfilling our duty harmoniously. May we learn to know the right place and the right time to do different things, so that we could continue to give glory to God in all we say and do.

I believe most of us would want to keep healthy, especially as we age. We spend a lot of time and effort to ensure that we eat healthily, we go for regular check-ups to detect diseases early so that such diseases could be treated early to have a better chance at survival, and we do many other things which concern the health and well-being of our body. But how many of us spend time and effort to keep our soul healthy? Do we go for confession regularly, and build our relationship with God for the health and well-being of our soul?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns us: “Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap.” If we are not vigilant; if we slacken in our spiritual health and allow sin to permeate in our soul and neglect to cleanse ourselves from sin by going for confession, we may find ourselves regretting for not taking care of our spiritual health. By then, it may be too late, and we may find ourselves away from God.

While it is good for us to be concerned for the health and well-being of our body, we should also not neglect to be concerned about the health and well-being of our soul, lest we find ourselves suffering physically and even spiritually. Let us remain vigilant and watch ourselves, so that when the time comes, we would be better prepared to meet the Lord.