Category Archives: Thursday

Most of us like to keep the peace, especially in our family and with our parents, siblings and other loved ones. We generally try not to get into major arguments as far as possible, and sometimes we learn to give and take so as to avoid ill feelings, as we would not want our family to break up and drift apart. But sometimes, we are put into a difficult situation. Supposing you are asked by your parents, siblings or other family members to do something which would keep the family united and at peace, but would cause you to break God’s commandment and commit sin? What would you do: Listen to your family, or listen to God?

This is why Jesus in today’s Gospel tells us: “Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three; the father divided against the son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” It may seem good to try and maintain family unity and happiness, but by doing so, we could be doing something which would cause us to commit sin. It is indeed a difficult choice, but it may be one we may need to make. Ultimately, we need to choose, and be prepared to take responsibility for the consequences, whether it be temporary, or eternal.

It is not easy for some of us to hear the truth. The truth hurts, and when our behaviour, conduct and attitude are exposed, some of us may try to find ways and means to prevent the truth from being widely circulated. We do not want to lose face or become embarrassed, so our defence mechanism kicks in, and we begin to work on some form of damage control. But the fact is, the truth will prevail, we cannot sweep it under the carpet forever. We could keep trying to live in denial, only to be further humiliated, or we could face up to it, seek forgiveness, reconcile and move on.

In today’s Gospel, we read: “When he left the house, the scribes and the Pharisees began a furious attack on him and tried to force answers from him on innumerable questions, setting traps to catch him out in something he might say.” The scribes and the Pharisees knew that they were in the wrong, but they were stubborn, proud, egoistic and arrogant, refusing to admit their fault. Instead, they still insisted in keeping their facade, and tried to put Jesus down. But what the scribes and the Pharisees failed to realise is that Jesus was not just any ordinary itinerant preacher. The more they tried to go against Jesus, the more foolish they looked, even without realising it. Ultimately, we need to decide. Are we going to be like the scribes and the Pharisees, only to lose face even more? Or are we willing to be humble and docile, and let God help us change for the better?

Life is such that we do not always get what we want immediately. Sometimes we need to ask a few times before we get what we want. Sometimes we do not get what we want at all. When we do not get what we want, what happens? Some of us may begin to feel as if God has abandoned us or God does not care, some may even start going for other means, hoping that these other means would give us what we want. But more often than not, we still end up not getting what we want. Then what? Do we just give up, get angry, pout and throw a tantrum? Or are we willing to be patient, persistent and consistent, with hope and trust that God would grant us our needs and wants?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us: “I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it him for friendship’s sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.” Sometimes we ask for things or for help, but we are not persistent, patient and consistent in what we ask for. Sometimes, what we ask for may not be good for us. That is why we need to discern whether what we are asking for is really needed or necessary, and whether what we are asking for would ultimately glorify God. May we be humble and patient enough to let God guide us and grant us what we truly need, according to His time and for His glory.

It is certainly an unpleasant feeling when we have done something wrong and we live in constant fear that what we had done would somehow come back to haunt us. Those who may have committed some serious sin would constantly be on the look out, be paranoid and worry that the truth may be revealed. But as the Malay saying goes: “Sepandai-pandai tupai melompat, akhirnya jatuh ke tanah juga.” Roughly translated into English, that would be: “No matter how clever the squirrel is able to hop or jump, it would eventually fall to the ground.” In other words, we can run but we cannot hide for long, since the truth could come back and hit us in some way.

In today’s Gospel, King Herod had respected and feared John the Baptist as a great prophet and servant of God. However, out of impulse and a desire to please his family and friends, King Herod had John beheaded.  Now his conscience is pricked when he hears that some think that the Baptist has risen.  As a result, King Herod wanted to see Jesus more out of curiosity, anxiety and fear than out of a sincere desire to know Jesus.

Are we living in constant fear? God’s grace frees us from the tyranny of fear and sin, and enables us to reject what is wrong and to choose to do what is good. May we be willing to walk in God’s ways, and remain free from any fear and anxiety while depending on His love and providence.

As clergy, religious and lay persons who hold teaching positions in church, we hold a great responsibility. When we teach, we are teaching what the church teaches, not what we think and not our opinion. Sometimes we come across people who begin to divert from what the church teaches because they value what they think more than what is taught by the church for centuries. When we have this kind of attitude, we could be responsible for causing schism, where people begin to break away from the church to form their own, because they think their opinion is the correct one and all others are wrong.

That is why, St. Paul in today’s reading cautions us: “Take great care about what you do and what you teach; always do this, and in this way you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.” Having an opinion about something is fine, it is not wrong. But it becomes a problem when that opinion you have begins to cloud your mind and causes you to become convinced that the opinion is truth, even though it is merely your opinion and has not been verified and accepted by the church. Thus, let us be responsible in what we teach, and teach the truth, for no servant can be greater than the Master. If we teach our own stuff, are we trying to usurp our role and become the master instead?

Some of us may have made vows or promises to God for some reason or another, but sometimes, we may have been unwise in the vows or promises that we have made. If God helps us attain what we desire or ask for, would we be able to fulfil the vow or promise made? We may find ourselves in a difficult situation, especially if the vow or promise we made is a foolish one. As Ecclesiates 5:4-5 cautions us: “When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.”

In today’s reading: “Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, ‘If you deliver the Ammonites into my hands, then the first person to meet me from the door of my house when I return in triumph from fighting the Ammonites shall belong to the Lord, and I will offer him up as a holocaust.'” Such a vow was indeed foolish and unwise, and Jephthah paid the ultimate price for making it, since the first person to meet him was his only daughter. Unable to go against his word, Jephthah had to fulfil his vow by offering his only daughter as a holocaust.

What about us? Have we made foolish or stupid vows recently? Are we not only setting ourselves up for our own ruin? As Jesus cautions and reminds us: “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” Why do we make vows that we know would be quite difficult or impossible to keep? Why are we putting the Lord to the test? Let us not be careless in what we say or the vows we make, but say what we mean and mean what we say.

How genuine are we when it comes to forgiveness? Some of us say we forgive, but we still keep the hurt in our hearts and even dwell on it. Some of us say we forgive, but we still remember what had happened and we cannot seem to let it go. So what exactly is forgiveness then? Forgiveness is the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense, lets go of negative emotions such as vengefulness, with an increased ability to wish the offender well. This also means that the victim no longer allows the offense to affect him or her, and is willing to let God help him or her heal over time.

The first servant in today’s Gospel had had his debt cancelled and he was allowed to go free. But this servant obviously did not appreciate the generosity of his master. He thought that he had been given a lucky break. That is why the first servant did not seem to understand or appreciate his master’s forgiveness. Instead of learning from his master and forgiving his fellow servant by cancelling his fellow servant’s debt, he became mean, arrogant and nasty towards his fellow servant, even to the point of having his fellow servant thrown into prison. In the end, this unforgiving servant ended up in prison himself, and his master in anger and disgust “handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt.”

We ask God for forgiveness whenever we sin, but have we been just as forgiving to others, just as God is forgiving to us? May we take heed and be warned, that we too may end up in prison just like that unforgiving servant, as Jesus cautions us: “And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.”