Category Archives: Weekday

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.

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.