Category Archives: Weekday

Some Catholics seem to be stuck in a rut. When they commit sin, they begin to think that they seem to have no hope and that no matter what they do, they will end up in a continuous cycle of sinning. So what do they do? They either try to sweep things under the carpet, hoping that no one will find out, or they may become extremely anxious and scrupulous, seeking the priest very often for confession. What these faithful seem to lack is confidence: confidence in themselves; confidence in others; and ultimately confidence in God.

Today’s reading reminds us that “nothing therefore can come between us and the love of Christ, even if we are troubled or worried, or being persecuted, or lacking food or clothes, or being threatened or even attacked.” This passage is a great confidence booster for those among us who may think that God has abandoned us. The reality is, He has not abandoned us. He is always there and He is encouraging us, nudging us to be closer to Him. The danger is, we may be abandoning ourselves, when we are unable to trust God and have confidence that He will save us.

Most of us would not like to be left out in one form or another. Some do not like to be left out of the latest juicy news (which may turn out to be gossip). Some do not like to be left out of the latest gadget or gizmo. Others do not like to be left out of career advancement or bonuses.

But how many of us truly do not want to be left out of being in God’s presence? The answer may seem obvious, but this is where we need to examine ourselves honestly.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus cautioned us: “Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.” What is Jesus trying to tell us here? Does it mean that only certain people are able to succeed and others are condemned and will fail? No. What Jesus is trying to tell us here is that we need to do our part (regular Mass attendance, regular confession, etc. sounds familiar?) and at the same time, depend on Him and trust in Him to help us. It is when we try to enter on our own effort that we will fail. The funny thing is, there are people out there who think they can do it on their own and stubbornly try to make it through their own way. But here, we have Jesus our Lord offering us lots of help. He is inviting us to “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)” It depends on whether we want to accept His help or not.

What is our goal in life? Some of us strive to be successful in our career. Some strive to have a good family. Others perhaps strive to attain financial freedom. To achieve what we strive for, we often need to make sacrifices or suffer, in the hope that what we seek would eventually materialise.

As Christians, our suffering “in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us.” Our goal is to be with God. But as the reading tells us: “we must hope to be saved since we are not saved yet – it is something we must wait for with patience.” Are we doing our part and prepare ourselves as we wait with hope and patience? Or have we allowed ourselves to fall away?

We are coming towards the end of October. Soon, November will be here. Soon, it will be Advent and then Christmas. All these things are what we hope to see.

However, we also know that there is no guarantee that we will be able to see the coming months or the coming celebrations. The situation around us is unpredictable, as we do not know what the future holds.

So what do we do? We hope, we pray, we trust, we love, and of course, we get ready.

Today’s Gospel warns us to make good with our opponent before we are dragged before the judge. This is no ordinary warning, because at stake is our soul. In life, we spend a lot of time, energy and wealth taking care of our bodies. Some of us bathe once or twice a day, put on perfume, make-up, eat good fruits and food, go for regular medical and dental checkup, etc. But how prepared are we spiritually? How prepared is our soul? Have we made peace with the many “opponents” in our life? Or are there hidden areas of darkness which could cause us to be “thrown into prison… unable to get out till you have paid the very last penny?”

If you are put in a situation where you have to choose God’s law or family law, which would you choose? For some of us, keeping the family united is important and we would not want to offend our elders, due to “filial piety.”

However, there are times where choosing God’s law would cause friction in our family, especially if there are certain members in our family who are not Catholic. If we choose to obey our family in this situation, we may be committing sin. If you are faced with such a situation, how would you respond?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us: “Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” What does this mean? It means, there are times we may have to choose between doing what is right in eyes of God, or doing what pleases our elders. Many sins have been committed in keeping the family honour, and as Catholics, we would certainly be put in a difficult and possibly dangerous situation. Would we be brave and wise enough to do make the right choice?

In life, we need to make all sorts of choices. Sometimes the choices we make today can have far-reaching consequences, some good, some bad.

In today’s reading, we are reminded that we have a choice to make: to be slaves to sin or to be ‘slaves’ of righteousness. To many of us, this seems to be a no-brainer. After all, who wouldn’t want to be ‘slaves’ of righteousness, since we would be striving towards being with our loving God? However, this is where we need to do something: regular confessions, regular Mass attendance and participation, awareness examen, good conduct, etc. The question is this: are we still procrastinating, or have we started becoming more proactive for the betterment of our souls?

On Sundays, we see quite a number of people attending Mass, some perhaps do so out of habit, some to fulfil the Sunday obligation, others because they genuinely want to be nourished by the Lord as they struggle through life.

However, it is interesting to note that few prepare themselves for Mass, especially in making a good confession to sweep clean the soul. Some make a confession only once or twice a year, especially during the Advent and Lent confessions, others perhaps do so only after a long period of time. We seem to be eager to attend Mass, but how many of us are eager to make a good confession? Seems like some of us procrastinate until it may be too late.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that we should make every effort to be ready to meet the Lord. The question is this: how truly ready are we? Are we ready to meet him immediately if he comes right now? Or are we going to scramble and prepare ourselves only when that moment comes?