Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Tuesday

Tuesday of the 5th Week of Lent

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We sometimes come across certain words or messages which are difficult to accept or swallow. When we are confronted with such words, what do we do? Some of us may try to avoid the words altogether, thinking that they will go away or even be forgotten. Some of us may try to find ways and means to interpret the words so that they mean something else, or at the very least they sound a little more palatable to us. Some of us may take offence and begin to find ways to discredit the person uttering such words. But how many of us are willing to accept such word as a means to improve oneself; or to take heart such words; or even to take such words with a pinch of salt, especially if we are quite certain that such words do not apply to us, instead of over-reacting?

In today’s Gospel, we see how the Pharisees were not able to understand or even misunderstood Jesus. This is because their minds were already so fixated and they refused to admit who Jesus is, even though they could clearly see who Jesus is from His words and deeds. These Pharisees even began to think of what to refute or retort, instead of taking the trouble or the effort to understand what Jesus was trying to tell them. When the heart is stubbornly closed, or when a person has become so proud, egoistic and arrogant, it is certainly very difficult to help a person to change or become better or grow closer to God. May we take caution and not end up becoming like the Pharisees, so that God may help us transform into something better.

Tuesday of the 4th Week of Lent

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Some of us think of a church as a nice building with perhaps a nice altar, pews, tabernacle and other fixtures and fittings that make a church look like a church. But what we see is only the physical and structural part of a church. Do we also see the other part of the church, which is the people or the faithful? In fact, what is more important is not the building or the structures, but the people or the faithful; since the church, even from the earliest times of Christianity, are made up the faithful, and that the focus should be on building up the faithful and helping the faithful grow.

In today’s reading, we are told that the waters flowing from the Temple, “flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing into the sea it makes its waters wholesome. Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal.”

Notice that the waters flowing from the Temple brings health and life, enables the growth of every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails, and that their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal. If the waters flowing from the Temple could bring health and life, are our churches doing the same? Are our churches full of faithful who are “good to eat and the leaves medicinal” in their behaviour, attitude, care and concern towards others, and in their witnessing? Or have our churches become more and more divided, segregrated, like a marketplace? May we come to realise the true significance of the church and being church, and be life-giving and bringing the message of the Good News to all, so that all may have health and life.

Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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When we pray to God, what do we normally say or ask for? Some of us may start asking for all sorts of things, some would ask for good health, some would ask for peace and happiness in the family, some would even be pleading with God for His help and deliverance, especially when they are in a desperate time of need or in danger.

But today’s reading surprises us with a different way of praying. Instead of starting with a tirade of supplication or petitions or even pleas, Azariah praised God for His mercy and even admitted that the sins of his peope had caused them to be in the situation they were in. Azariah even continued by asking God to accept their contrite and humble hearts as an offering, and asked God to “Grant us deliverance worthy of your wonderful deeds, let your name win glory, Lord.” If we observe what Azariah said, we can see that ultimately, he was putting his companions and he at the mercy of God, and he was confident that no matter what happened in the end, it would be for the glory of God.

What about us? Do we pray in such a way that ultimately, it would be for the glory of God? Or have we been praying to satisfy our needs and wants? May we come to realise that at the end of the day, all that we have, all that we ask for, is meant to glorify God.

Tuesday of the 2nd Week of Lent

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As humans, personal hygiene is a very important part of living. If we do not keep our bodies clean, we could contract various diseases, we could smell or look dirty and unkempt, we could even be shunned or avoided by others due to the condition we are in. For example, in some countries where the weather is cold and some people do not bathe regularly, such persons would use quite a bit of perfume to hide their body odour, but the perfume used could in itself be overwhelming or nauseating for others. I recall some friends telling me that boarding a bus full of such people, or even if a few of such people are present, could be a choking experience, and these friends even commented that they would walk to their destination rather than taking the bus. In a similar way, our soul could become dirty and emit a nauseating stench when we sin, if we do not take care of our soul and seek forgiveness regularly through the Sacrament of Confession.

That is why, in today’s reading, God is inviting us: “Come now, let us talk this over, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing to obey, you shall eat the good things of the earth. But if you persist in rebellion, the sword shall eat you instead.” God is giving us many opportunities to change our ways, seek forgiveness, and get our soul clean again. The question is: are we still procrastinating or thinking that we have plenty of time to do so; or have we become proud, egoistic and arrogant, thinking that we do not need God and would prefer to remain dirty, soiled and reeking with stench? God is patient and merciful with us, but our time here on earth is short. Ultimately, whether we end up with God or away from God very much depends on us.

Tuesday of the 1st Week of Lent

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Throughout our lives, some of us would have asked our parents for something. When we ask for something, some of us could have sounded quite whiny and some of us even started using baby-like noises, hoping that our parents would give in to our requests. Sometimes, some of us may even start bargaining with our parents, promising to behave, do better in school, or some other thing, hoping to convince our parents that we deserve what we are asking for. But do we really need to do or say such things? When we ask God for things, help, healing or something else, would we resort to such tactics, hoping that God would give in to our wants and needs, just like how some of our parents may do?

In today’s Gospel, we are reminded not to “babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard.” Instead of having to sound whiny or say so many things to God, Jesus taught us a simple but significant prayer: The Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father. If we observe the way the prayer is prayed, we are actually asking for things which would give God the glory. Also, we are asking that God would help us to change, to be more loving and forgiving, and that truth and justice would increase in the world. Perhaps when we pray the Lord’s Prayer with sincerity and conviction, the Lord may grant us our wants and needs, since what we are asking for is not for our own personal glory, gratification or to boost our ego, but for the greater glory of God.

Tuesday of Week 5 Year 2

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Why do we call ourselves Christians? Are we Christians only in name? Or do we really follow the ways and teachings of Christ? Sometimes we come across people who call themselves Christians, but they follow their own version or understanding of Christianity. Such people have laws, rules and regulations which have been formulated to suit their purposes and convenience. Could we have become like such people?

In today’s Gospel, we come across the scribes and Pharisees who essentially were good people trying to follow God’s laws. Their problem was they were following God’s laws according to what they think was right, not according to the actual teachings, rules and regulations that God had given them from the beginning. God’s laws can be summarised into love God and love neighbour, and as Jesus taught and showed in many ways, one’s neighbour is not restricted only to one’s friends or acquaintances, but also others, including one’s enemies. In today’s Gospel, we see how the Pharisees were so engrossed in maintaining and obeserving their numerous traditions and practices, that they put aside the commandment of God. This is why Jesus admonished them when He said: “This people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me.”

We too could fall into the same trap, if we start treating our own rules and regulations as more important than God’s commandments. We could be like the scribes and Pharisees, when we begin to pick and choose only those laws and regulations that suit us or benefit us or are convenient to us, instead of observing them entirely, in the form of loving God and loving neighbour completely. Are we still stubbornly clinging on to our own ways, or are we willing to change and follow Jesus’ ways?

Tuesday of Week 2 Year 2

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How many of us are true to ourselves, without pretense, and doing and saying things genuinely and with sincerity? Some of us may have become adept in playing games, to please our boss, leader or superior, thinking that by sounding good or curry-favoring the boss, leader or superior by saying and doing things just to please him or her, we think we would be able to remain in his or her good books. But the question is: how long can we maintain such a charade? Would we be really happy, content and at peace?

In today’s reading, we are reminded that “God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.” We may be able to fool our boss, leader or superior, but we cannot fool God. We may appear to be good, holy or reliable in our tasks, but our hearts may be motivated by our pride, ego and self-preservation. We may seem to be the best candidate for a certain responsibility, but a discerning boss, leader or superior may see through our antics or false pretenses and choose another more suitable person. Let us make every effort to stop our false ways and nonsense, and humbly and genuinely walk in His ways.

Tuesday of Week 1 Year 2

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Is there anyone among us who could say that we have never had any problems in life? I believe each and every one of us would have experienced problems in one way or another. It does not matter how small or how big the problem is, a problem is still a problem. So what do we do when we are facing a problem? How do we deal with the problem?

In today’s reading, Hannah had a problem. She was barren, there was bitterness in her soul and she went to the temple of the Lord to express her distress to the Lord. In today’s gospel, we also come across a problem – a man possessed by an unclean spirit challenged Jesus. But because Hannah and the man possessed by an unclean spirit had come to the presence of God with their problem, their problem found a solution: Hannah was delivered from her barrenness, and the man was delivered from the unclean spirit.

So if we are facing a problem, let us come to the presence of God with our problem. Let us offer our problem to God, trusting and knowing that He would give us a solution according to His time and for His glory.

Tuesday of Week 30 Year 2

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Nowadays, looking for a man or a woman who is true, genuine, loving and caring is not so easy. This is especially true if one gets to know another through social media or through the internet. We come across many situations where a person appears to be one way online, but could be quite different when met in person. Even when we get to know a person, the person may be putting on a show or a mask to appear different from what he or she really is. This is where we need to be cautious and discern carefully, find out more about the person, before we even consider any serious relationship which may lead to marriage.

Marriage is not something which we play play, since it is a life-long commitment. That is why we should take heed of what St. Paul tells us in today’s reading: “Give way to one another in obedience to Christ. Wives should regard their husbands as they regard the Lord, since as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body, so is a husband the head of his wife; and as the Church submits to Christ, so should wives to their husbands, in everything. Husbands should love their wives just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy… To sum up; you too, each one of you, must love his wife as he loves himself; and let every wife respect her husband.” May we be properly prepared and discern carefully whether the other person is whom we would want to live with for a lifetime, and may we depend on God for His help and guidance, so that we would learn to love unconditionally, just as He loves us.

Tuesday of Week 27 Year 2

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Every once in a while we come across a person who seems bent in creating problems for us as a church, or such a person is going all out to persecute us, like some sort of villain or antagonist who aims at getting rid of us or get the better of us at all costs. Some of us may try to avoid such a person, or even pray that God would do something to change the person’s ways, so that we would be left in peace. The funny thing is, God does do such things from time to time, and a person who was once so mean and wicked, could change to become a defender of the faith.

In today’s reading, we come across one such person named Paul, who tells us: “You must have heard of my career as a practising Jew, how merciless I was in persecuting the Church of God, how much damage I did to it, how I stood out among other Jews of my generation, and how enthusiastic I was for the traditions of my ancestors. Then God, who had specially chosen me while I was still in my mother’s womb, called me through his grace and chose to reveal his Son in me, so that I might preach the Good News about him to the pagans.” From a persecutor of the faith, Paul became a great defender of the faith, and even eventually died for the faith.

What does this mean to us? It means that we need to be patient and trust that God will take care of things. We need to be courageous and persistent in sharing our faith with others, just as Paul was after his conversion. If God can change a person like Paul, and use him for His glory, just imagine what God could do for us, if we are humble and willing to let God be in control.