Category Archives: Weekday

As children, some of us may have dreaded taking a bath. Some of us may have run away screaming or crying, not wanting to be given a good washing or scrubbing. Sometimes, our parents would find ways or means to trick us into having a bath. Eventually, as we grew older, we began to realise the importance and necessity of taking a bath. Some of us began to take baths more often, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day, sometimes more, so that we could keep clean and maintain good personal hygiene.

In today’s reading, God gave His people a good cleaning and makeover: “I shall pour clean water over you and you will be cleansed; I shall cleanse you of all your defilement and all your idols. I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your bodies and give you a heart of flesh instead. I shall put my spirit in you, and make you keep my laws and sincerely respect my observances. You will live in the land which I gave your ancestors. You shall be my people and I will be your God.” By doing so, God took the initiative to help His people move away from their uncleanness and shepherd them so that they would grow and prosper as His people. In the same way, God is also taking the initiative to help and guide us. The question is: are we willing to let Him shepherd us and help us?

Just as our bodies get dirty and need cleansing, our souls too get dirty when we sin and need cleansing. When we seek forgiveness earnestly and sincerely through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, our souls are cleansed. God is inviting us to come closer to Him and be His people. He wants us to remain clean and happy, depending on His providence and care. Are we still stubbornly trying to run away and remain dirty?

In this world, we often expect to be rewarded according to our job performance. We expect better pay, better benefits, better bonuses and better working conditions, especially if we think we are performing well or better than others. When we don’t get what we expect, some of us may become upset, angry, disillusioned or in some cases, even leave the present job in search of greener pastures. In other words, “whats in it for me” seems to be more important to us than “how can I be of service for a better world.”

In today’s Gospel, the landowner hired workers at different times of the day to work in his vineyard. What was agreed upon was one denarius a day, regardless of how long a worker has worked. When it came to payment time, the landowner honoured his part of the agreement by giving every worker the same amount of one denarius, regardless of whether they worked for one hour or several hours. Of course, some of the workers may have felt it was unfair, some may have felt they were cheated, but did they have a right to feel this way? The landowner had agreed to pay one denarius, and he chose to be generous and fair to all. He said: “My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the last comer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why be envious because I am generous?”

God is like that landowner. He is generous to all. He lets the sun shine, the rain fall, crops grow, so that all peoples may grow and prosper. If God is generous to all, do we have a right to complain? Are we trying to tell God what to do, according to our perception or expectations?

Some of us may have a lot of baggages in our lives. We carry our baggages wherever we go. These baggages may not necessarily be items or things, there are even baggages that others do not see, and to a certain extend, baggages that we ourselves do not see. When we have these baggages, we become encumbered, we are unable to move properly, we are unable to listen to God’s voice, because these baggages are constantly distracting us, blocking our view, or even making us feel good about ourselves. We begin to think that we are self-sufficient, we do not need help, and we do not need God.

In today’s Gospel: “Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you solemnly, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.’ When the disciples heard this they were astonished. ‘Who can be saved, then?’ they said. Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he told them ‘this is impossible; for God everything is possible.'” When a camel has a lot of baggages on its back, it becomes difficult for the camel to move easily, and it becomes even more difficult for the camel to pass through narrow gates. The baggages are a cumbersome hindrance and it is only when such baggages are removed that the camel can go through. In the same way, when we continue to cling on to our baggages, we too are unable to move on. We may feel as if our baggages are too difficult or too heavy, but God is inviting us to let go, trust in Him and depend on Him. God can make the impossible possible and make it possible for us to move on. The question is: are we willing and humble enough to let God help us detach ourselves from our baggages, so that we can grow closer to Him?

What is the stumbling block which is preventing us from truly loving God and becoming closer to Him? For some, it is pride, making them think that they are the greatest, smartest, or fastest. For some, it is anger or jealousy, being unable to control their temper and being jealous of other people’s abilities or achievements, instead of being content with the gifts they have. What about you? Do you have a stumbling block which is creating barriers and making it tough for you to grow in relationship with God?

In today’s Gospel, we come across a rich man who wanted to be closer to God. However, this rich man had a major stumbling block. At the beginning of the Gospel, we can see that he possessed great wealth, and he thought that he could find a way to possess eternal life, as the rich man said: “Master, what good deed must I do to possess eternal life?” The rich man claimed to have kept the commandments, but Jesus then challenged him further. Jesus challenged the rich man to give up his wealth and follow him, so that he could learn and depend on God’s providence, instead of depending on his wealth. But when the young man heard these words he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth. His wealth had become his stumbling block. He wanted to have his cake and eat it too, but one needs to choose: to remain attached to one’s wealth, or willing to let go and follow Jesus. When we become attached to our wealth, our position, or our fame, we become more concerned about such things, and fail to listen to God’s voice. Do we want that which is temporary in this world, or do we want that which is eternal?