Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Wednesday

Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Easter

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In recent times, we have seen certain people or certain leaders doing nasty or naughty things and then trying to find ways and means to hide their actions. Some of such persons and leaders even resort to twisting and manipulating the laws of the country to try and protect themselves by persecuting those who are trying to expose them, or those who are trying to uphold the truth and what is right. Such persons, whom we sometimes call “whistleblowers,” end up being silenced; some end up being imprisoned; and some even end up dead. But how long can these persons or leaders continue their charade? One day, their deeds and crimes will be exposed, either in this life or in the hereafter. If any of us are like such persons or leaders, would we stubbornly continue to try and hide, thinking we could continue as normal? Or would we rather change our ways and make amends with God and with others before it is too late?

In today’s Gospel, we read: “though the light has come into the world men have shown they prefer darkness to the light because their deeds were evil. And indeed, everybody who does wrong hates the light and avoids it, for fear his actions should be exposed; but the man who lives by the truth comes out into the light, so that it may be plainly seen that what he does is done in God.” A person could try to hide evil deeds, corruption and other misdeeds, but one cannot hide indefinitely. Even if one thinks one could hide from others, such despicable acts or deeds would eventually become known by others, especially since information can spread so quickly and so easily in various ways these days. Moreover, such persons cannot hide from God, since all a person has done or failed to do would be presented when the time for God’s judgement comes. Are we going to lose our eternal life, just to save face only for a short moment here on earth?

Easter Wednesday

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Giving up seems to be the easiest thing to do for some people. People give up due to a number of reasons. However, if we examine the motives of some people as to why they give up, we may begin to discover that some of the real reasons why they do so may be because they do not want to take responsibility for the situation or task, or perhaps they feel that their pride is at stake, or that their reputation is more important to them, and would rather salvage what they can instead of risking things further.

The two disciples on the way to Emmaus in today’s Gospel were walking away from Jerusalem, walking away from the situation at hand. They were giving up, thinking that there was nothing left for them to cling on to. But Jesus did not give up on them. Jesus walks along with them and helps them realise that there is hope. Eventually, the fire within them which at first seemed to have sizzled out started burning again. They became aware again of their mission and they responsibilities to bear witness to the Good News.

If some of us are feeling like giving up, like there is no hope, remember this: Jesus is there. We may not see Him, but He is there. He wants you to come closer to Him and let Him heal you and rekindle the fire in your hearts. Do not be afraid. The hearts of the two disciples at Emmaus were set aflame with new vigour, new zeal, new enthusiasm, because they opened their hearts to Jesus. Let us too open our hearts to Jesus.

Wednesday of Holy Week

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When we are put in a difficult situation, or when we face persecution, or when our faith is challenged, what happens? Quite possibly our defence mechanism would kick in. We would begin to think of ways and means to rebutt the claims made towards us, or we begin to think of how we could answer or respond to the accusations. Some of us feel that we have the knowledge, know-how and convincing arguments to defend and protect ourselves. But sometimes, our defences may not necessarily be necessary or sufficient. So how should we as Christians respond to such situations?

In today’s reading, we see how a Christian should respond. The reading tells us: “The Lord has given me a disciple’s tongue. So that I may know how to reply to the wearied he provides me with speech. Each morning he wakes me to hear, to listen like a disciple. The Lord has opened my ear…  The Lord comes to my help, so that I am untouched by the insults. So, too, I set my face like flint; I know I shall not be shamed.” When we put our trust in God and let Him guide us, then we are responding to such situations not on our own effort or our own abilities or our own accord, but through His promptings. The way God guides us to respond accordingly can sometimes surprise us and even our accusers. May we learn to let go and let God be our hope and guide, knowing that He will help us.

Wednesday of the 5th Week of Lent

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Are you a slave? Or are you free? You may be wondering: “What a silly question! Of course I am free! After all, I can move around, gather with friends, do many things without let or hindrance.” But even though we may appear to be free, we could also be enslaved. How so? Some of us could be enslaved by a certain passion. For example, we may be enslaved by a passion to have the latest gadget or gizmo, and we could end up spending so much money trying to keep up, and even end up in debt. We could be enslaved by an addiction. For example, some of us could be addicted to smoking or drinking alcohol. Without a cigarette or two, or without a glass of whiskey or brandy, some of us may begin to feel jittery, restless and uncomfortable, since something seems lacking in us (that is, the nicotine or alcohol which we have become so dependent on). So are we really free?

Another form of slavery is when we sin. When we sin, we become slaves to evil. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us: “I tell you most solemnly, everyone who commits sin is a slave. Now the slave’s place in the house is not assured, but the son’s place is assured. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” Jesus is inviting us to be freed from our sin instead of being enslaved by it. But the problem is: how many of us are willing and humble enough to heed Jesus’ words and be freed by Him from the slavery of sin, especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Some of us seem to be procrastinating, thinking that we have plenty of time and make amends. Some of us just do not seem to bother or care about the consequences of allowing sin to remain in us. Are we going to allow the slavery of sin to continuously ensnare and poison us, until it is too late? Do we really want to be free in the first place?

Wednesday of the 4th Week of Lent

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How many of us could claim to be able to remember almost everything that has taken place, or almost every item we own or had, or even most of the names of the many friends and acquaintances we have? Quite likely we would remember a few things, and forget others. We forget because the memory is possibly not so important to us; or we have had unpleasant or painful experiences which compel us to forget; or because we have too many things in our mind and too busy to remember too many details, possibly leading to information overload; or due to age. Sometimes, especially when times are good, when we are healthy or doing well in life, or when we are in crisis and think that we can solve issues on our own, we even forget about God.

But does God forget about us? No. Today’s reading assures us that God will never forget us: “For Zion was saying, ‘The Lord has abandoned me, the Lord has forgotten me.’ Does a woman forget her baby at the breast, or fail to cherish the son of her womb? Yet even if these forget, I will never forget you.” We may have forgotten about God at times, we even may have thought that we can do without God, and when we are in dire straits and think that God has abandoned us or forgotten us, we are assured in today’s reading that God will never forget us and will guide us if we let Him. The question is: are we still stubbornly trying to go our own way and end up even more stuck in muck, or are we willing to humbly and earnestly turn to God, and let Him be our help and guide.

Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Lent

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Some of us seem to have the tendency to forget things as we grow and as we age. While we may have had better memory when we were young, we could still forget certain things, especially things that have been difficult or unpleasant. But sometimes, it is necessary to remember certain things, even though they may be difficult or unpleasant, since by remembering, we could learn from them and try to avoid repeating the same mistakes, or we could learn to grow to become better persons.

In today’s reading, we see an example of the need to remember, where Moses reminded the Israelites: “Now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord the God of your fathers is giving you… But take care what you do and be on your guard. Do not forget the things your eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your heart all the days of your life; rather, tell them to your children and to your children’s children.” Notice that not only did Moses instruct the Israelites to not forget God’s laws and customs, Moses even instructed them to teach such laws and customs to their children and their descendants. Such laws and customs may have been unpleasant or difficult, but for one to have life, it was necessary to not only remember them, but also to ensure that future generations remember them as well.

What about us? Would we be humble and willing to remember situations, events, laws and customs, some of which may have been difficult or unpleasant? Are we open to letting God take control and guide us to grow closer to Him? The memory may be difficult or unpleasant, but the rewards that we may receive if we are faithful, consistent and hopeful, are indeed worth the remembering.

Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Lent

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I remember a time when life was so much different in the old days. In those days, many of the things we are so used to having nowadays did not exist, or were still quite new and not so advanced in usage and function, or were even too expensive to own. For example, we are so used to handphones and things like texting, whatsapp, viber, skype, facebook and so many conveniences which have changed the way people communicate today. In the old days, handphones were too bulky to carry around easily, or in some places did not exist, and people could communicate only by using a dialing phone at home if they were fortunate to have one, or face to face.

While it may seem as if such ways of communicating back then were inconvenient, the good thing about then is that, to a certain extent, we could build better relationships and friendships as we communicated, since more often than not we communicated face to face, and we could get a better and clearer understanding of the other person, since we could also observe things like body language, facial expressions and other cues.

The problem is, as we progress and attain more and more conveniences, we begin to be less and less tolerant towards pain, suffering, waiting, discomfort and other experiences. But are such pain, suffering, waiting, discomfort and other experiences good or bad? Even though initially such experiences may seem to be bad, we could actually learn and benefit from them, since such experiences help us to slow down, to take care, and to look at life in a different way.

In today’s reading, the prophet Jeremiah asked the Lord to deliver him from his adversaries and from suffering. Likewise in the gospel, James and John wanted the glory, but Jesus asked them if they could take the suffering as well. The suffering that the prophet Jeremiah endured, and the suffering that James and John would face, may seem bad, but actually we can see goodness in such suffering, since such suffering reminds us of who we are, and how much we really need to depend on God and in His care and providence. Such suffering is what is known as “redemptive” suffering, since it is through suffering that Jesus brought about redemption, not just our redemption, but also the redemption of the world. Are we prepared, as Jesus said in the Gospel: “to drink of the cup that I am going to drink?” Are we prepared to remain joyful and hopeful in the Lord, even though we experience pain, suffering, waiting, discomfort and other similar experiences?

Wednesday of the 1st Week of Lent

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Jews and Ninevites were sworn enemies during the time of the Prophet Jonah. The Ninevites (a.k.a. the Assyrians) were Israel’s most hated enemy, as they were the ones responsible for wiping out the northern Kingdom of Israel, and continuing to harass the Southern Kingdom of Judah. And now Jonah, a Jewish prophet, was sent to this pagan nation to preach about destruction in 40 days time. Such a deed would have been revolting, shocking or disgusting to the Israelites. Just imagine: a Jewish prophet helping the enemy to repent and change their ways? Absolutely incomprehensible! But that is exactly what happened: Jonah went and warned the Ninevites about their impending disaster and doom, and today’s reading tells us that the Ninevites actually repented with fasting, penance and prayer. Even more shocking, God actually relented and did not inflict on the Ninevites the disaster which He had threatened.

What does this tell us? God is impartial; God’s mercy and compassion is for all, not exclusive or restricted only to a certain people or to a certain group. The Israelites thought that God would only care for them and destroy all others, but today’s reading shows us otherwise. As long as we are willing to show our repentance by taking our penance seriously, God would be merciful to us just He had done for the Ninevites. Are we willing to learn from the Ninevites, and make every effort to repent and seek forgiveness, especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation? May we not waste the many opportunities given to us to return to the Lord and walk in His ways.

Wednesday of Week 4 Year 2

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Some of us may have allowed success and talent to get over our heads. When we feel that we have achieved something or are capable of doing something amazing or spectacular, we begin to think that we have done so through our own efforts. Some of us may even begin to feel proud and our ego may inflate. But is such success or talent merely from our own effort? Could we emulate such success or attain such talent in every circumstances?

In today’s reading, king David, with the help of God, had subdued all his surrounding enemies and Israel became the greatest power in the region at that time. When this happened, success went over king David’s head, and he thought that he had achived such feats through his own effort and through the effort of the Israelites. What king David failed to realise is that God was helping them in their endeavours, and in a rash act of pride and to boost his ego, king David did a census of the people. He apparently wanted to know the strength of his army and to flaunt the might and splendour of his kingdom. As a result, king David and the Israelites encountered the wrath of God and were punished for it.

At the end of the day, let us not forget that all the successes we have had and all that we have achieved is actually with help from God. We cannot claim total credit, since our abilities, talents and gifts are from God meant to be used for His glory, not for our own personal gratification or to boost our ego. May we learn to walk humbly before God and be thankful to Him, and in all things give Him the glory.

Wednesday Week 3 Year 2

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It is interesting to observe what the faithful do when it comes to the Offertory at Mass. Some people would put a ringgit or two into the offertory bag or on the offertory plate; other people would give a little more; but if we work out the math, how much are we really giving to the church for various needs? Is what we are giving a fair or decent amount; or are we giving what we are really able to offer, due to our personal or family situation; or are we giving only the minimum? Seeing that money is necessary for various maintenance needs, spiritual growth of the faithful through various programmes and activities, as well as for various works of mercy, how generous are we in our giving? Are we willing to offer more than what we have been offering all these while, either out of habit or out of convenience? What about our time? Are we also willing to offer more of our time for various church activities and works of mercy? Or have we become content with merely doing or offering only the barest minimum, and expect others to do more instead?

In today’s reading, we see how king David wanted to build a house for God. Perhaps he felt it was not proper or fitting to let the presence of God remain in a tent; or maybe he may have felt a little guilty or uncomfortable. But as we see in the reading, God was even more generous than king David. God assured king David that his house and sovereignty will always stand secure before Him and his throne be established for ever. The question is: if God is so generous to David, surely He has been or can also be so generous to us in many different ways. Why are some of us so calculative or stingy with our wealth and time? Do we still not have confidence and trust in God’s providence, even after seeing how loving and generous He has been to David and also to us?