Category Archives: Thursday

Whenever we attend a meeting, some items on the agenda may be important and need to be acted upon quickly. Other items may seem not so important, and we sometimes clssify such items as KIV or Keep in View. We may “sit” on such items for a while, or in other words, not take any action, as we deliberate about how to go about dealing with such items. But the fact is, sooner or later, we would need to do something. Sometimes, in our busyness or in our enthusiasm in getting other tasks done, we may even forget to address such items, only to later discover that the issue or situation has become even more critical, and we may end up having more difficulty or challenges in dealing with such items, since we may have KIV them for too long.

In today’s reading, the Israelite exiles returned to Jerusalem to build the Temple. Their task was to complete the building of the Temple, but many other issues and tasks cropped up along the way, and they forgot how urgent it was to build the Temple, causing it to be KIV as they dealt with other matters. The prophet Haggai was called to remind the people of the building of the Temple, and his message was for the people to reflect for themselves and see how things had gone for them. The prophet Haggai reminded the people that now was not the time to become distracted with other matters, or to KIV the building of the Temple, but instead the people should finish the task.

What about us? Do we KIV when it comes to urgent matters concerning our faith and relationship with God. Do we put God first, or have we allowed many other issues to overwhelm us, and distract us from maintaining a good relationship with God, and end up putting God in KIV? May we come to our senses and put God back in the center of our lives, while we have time and opportunities to do so.

Do we know the meaning of the words “mercy and compassion”? Some of us say we know the meaning of such words, but we do not put them to practice. We ask for mercy and compassion when we are in trouble or when we have done something wrong, but how many of us actually, wholeheartedly and willingly practice mercy and compassion towards others?

In today’s Gospel, the first servant 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 did not know the meaning of the words “mercy and compassion” and thought that he had been given a lucky break. Instead of learning from his master and showing mercy and compassion towards his fellow servant by cancelling his fellow servant’s debt, he became mean, arrogant and nasty towards his fellow servant, and  even had his fellow servant thrown into prison. In the end, this first 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.”

When we are in trouble and have done something wrong, we ask God for mercy and compassion, but do we do the same towards others just as God has done to us? May we not 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.”

Whenever we go fishing, most of us would use a fishing rod to try and catch fish. But if one is making a living as a fisherman, quite likely the person would use some sort of net to catch as many things as possible, so that there would be more choices to sell. Once the catch has been made, then the fisherman and his companions would go through things caught in the net, to determine which can be sold, and which is of no use. If the fisherman used a dragnet, then there is a possibility that even things found on the ocean floor would be caught in the net.

In today’s Gospel, we read: “Jesus said to the crowds, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use. This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.'” Just as a dragnet is used to catch all kinds of things, the church is also something like a dragnet, catching persons of many different attitudes, behaviour and background. But instead of separating what is good and what is of no use, the church is where we have many opportunities to grow closer to God, especially by attending Mass and by going for confession consistently and regularly. Let us seize every opportunity given to us to grow closer to God and keep our souls clean, while we prepare to meet the Lord.

When we are invited to a banquet by the king or sultan or some VIP (Very Important Person), we would surely make extensive preparations. We would make sure that we have decent and clean clothes to wear, we would bathe and use perfume to ensure our bodies do not release any odour, and we would rehearse any necessary protocol so that we would know how to speak and behave in front of such persons.

In today’s reading, God told Moses that He is coming to His people, and Moses was told what were the necessary preparations. The people were to wash their clothing and hold themselves in readiness for the third day, because God will descend on the mountain of Sinai in the sight of the people. On the third day, there were peals of thunder and lightning flashes, a dense cloud, and a loud trumpet blast, and inside the camp all the people trembled. There was smoke and fire and the mountain shook violently as God came to His people. The people experienced God, but it was an experience that required preparation on the part of the people.

What about us? What sort of preparation have we made should God decide to come to our midst? Would we be ready for Him should He come? Have we observed the necessary preparations, such as keeping our souls clean? Or have we been procrastinating, thinking that we have plenty of time to get ready? May we not be caught off-guard, and be ready to meet our loving God at all times.

I remember in my younger days, I had friends living in a village and I would drop by their house for tea. I recall some of them whose parents were farmers and they owned different farm animals, each animal having a different purpose and function. Among the animals they owned, the ox or buffalo seemed quite fascinating, since the ox was often depended upon to prepare the fields for planting. What would normally be done is to place a yoke upon the shoulders of the ox so that it could pull the plough to dig up the earth to enable seeds to be planted easily. In some cases, the yoke was designed so that two oxen could be used to plough the fields. Why two oxen? Firstly, two oxen are better than one, and the field could be ploughed faster. Secondly, one oxen was usually a more experienced one and the other a new one, so that the experienced one could guide or initiate the new one into the task of pulling a plough. So a yoke which could fit two oxen was preferred, for obvious reasons.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is inviting us to shoulder His yoke and learn from Him. Not only that, His yoke is easy and His burden light. Jesus is beckoning us to let Him lead us and guide us as we plough through the fields of life, and when we are humble and willing to let Him do so, we have no need to worry or fear, for He is there for us. May we take this opportunity to shoulder Jesus’ yoke, and let Him show us the way to His Kingdom.

Every once in a while, we come across a situation where disaster seems imminent. We may have thought about how we could come out of such a situation, and it seems to us as if there is no way out. Some of us may begin to think that giving up or surrendering is all that there is left for us to do, and some of us may even despair. Yet, God works in mysterious ways and through His intervention. we have seen throughout history how bad situations have had a good ending.

In today’s reading, “Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Is my father really still alive?’ His brothers could not answer him, they were so dismayed at the sight of him. Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ When they had come closer to him he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not grieve, do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here, since God sent me before you to preserve your lives.'” Joseph, who was sold to slavery in Egypt, ended up rescuing his family and Israel as a whole. God indeed had a plan from the beginning, and fortunately for Joseph’s brothers and the Israelites, God’s plan involved turning what was thought to be a bad situation into a good one.

So what does this mean to us? It means that we should not give up or think that all hope is lost. God can transform something which seemed bad into something good at the end. Are we willing to be humble and patient, and let God do what is best for us for His glory?

If God were to ask you to give up something to Him, would you do it? Some of us may say that we would be willing to give up our lives for Him, or give up all that we hav to follow Him. But how many of us are really sincere with our words? How many of us would be willing to give up that which we treasure most?

In today’s reading, God tested Abraham by asking him to give up his son as a burnt offering. It would have been agonising and difficult for Abraham to give up Isaac, since it was so difficult for Abraham to have Isaac in the first place. But did Abraham show any reluctance or hesitation? No. Abraham did what God asked of him, and because Abraham was willing to give up his most precious son, Isaac, not only did God spare Isaac’s life, God also said to Abraham: “I will shower blessings on you, I will make your descendants as many as the stars of heaven and the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants shall gain possession of the gates of their enemies. All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, as a reward for your obedience.”

Would we be willing to give up something to God, just as Abraham did? Sometimes, God may be asking us to give up something as He has something even better for us. May we learn to be detached and be docile, and let God be our providence and guide.

Before we became Christians, many of us who are adults would have gone through the RCIA or Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. This RCIA is a gradual process, usually one year or even two years, to enable us to have some understanding of the Christian faith before we make a decision to be baptised or not. For those among us who were baptised as infants, we would have gone through catechism classes, to gain some understanding of the Christian faith in stages, from childhood to teenage to confirmation. However, what we learnt in RCIA or catechism is only basic stuff. If we want to gain a better understanding of our faith, we need to make effort to attend courses, seminars, sessions, bible study and other activities organised at the parish or diocese level. In some cases, some of us may even be sent to universities or Catholic institutes overseas, to study for a diploma, degree, masters degree or even a doctorate.

Some of us may be wondering: Why do we need to learn more about our faith? It is because we need to be well grounded and learned about our faith, so that we would know what is real Christian truth. Christian principles, Christian living, and not be so easily swayed into changing our faith. In today’s reading, St. Paul admonished the Corinthians, because they had become slack or complacent about their faith. In the reading, St Paul said: “But the serpent, with his cunning, seduced Eve, and I am afraid that in the same way your ideas may get corrupted and turned away from simple devotion to Christ. Because any new-comer has only to proclaim a new Jesus, different from the one that we preached, or you have only to receive a new spirit, different from the one you have already received, or a new gospel, different from the one you have already accepted – and you welcome it with open arms.” When we are not clear about our faith, we may fall into the trap which the Corinthians faced.

What about us? Are we complacent about our faith also? It is one thing to attend Mass and be devotional to some form of prayer. It is another thing to be steadfast and clear about our faith. May we not be caught off-guard and make effort to know our faith well, so that we would be able to share it well and defend it well, for the glory of God.