Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Weekday

Wednesday of Week 26 Year 2

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Why do we follow Jesus? Have we decided to follow Jesus, no matter what happens? If disaster strikes, would we still follow Jesus, knowing and trusting that Jesus would be our help and guide? Or would we abandon Jesus and go for some other form of help? Sometimes, we come across people who claim to follow Jesus, only because they think that Jesus could be of use to them. Could some of us have such an attitude, thinking that Jesus is merely a means to satisfy our demands?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that following Him comes at a cost. We should be ready to give up everything we hold so dear, take up our cross and follow Him. We should also learn to be detached from people and things, so that we could be free to do God’s will. Would we be willing to surrender all to follow Jesus? Or have we become so attached to persons and things around us, and such persons and things have become obstacles preventing us from becoming true disciples of Jesus? May we be true to ourselves and be willing to become true followers of Jesus, letting Him be our constant help and guide, with trust and hope that we would be with Him for all eternity.

Monday of Week 26 Year 2

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I believe most of us would not dare to challenge God or put God to the test. After all, we would want to grow in relationship with God and follow His ways. But there are certain beings which have chosen to go against God. We call such beings the devil or Satan and his fallen angels. We may not see them, but they are there and they are constantly trying to tempt us into following their ways.

In today’s reading, we come across Satan challenging God by saying that Job would curse God if Job lost everything he had, including his family and property. In a way, Satan was insulting God by saying that Job was only God-fearing because of property, wealth and family. But at the end of the reading, we can clearly see that this is not the case, since the reading tells us: “In all this misfortune Job committed no sin nor offered any insult to God.”

If we were in Job’s situation, what would we do? Would we still have trust in God, come what may? Or would we give up on God or curse God for our misfortune? May we be genuine in our trust and hope in God, and continue to follow His ways, no matter what happens.

Housekeeping – Week 25 Year 2

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For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:

18 Sept 2016 – 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
19 Sept 2016 – Monday of Week 25 Year 2
20 Sept 2016 – Tuesday of Week 25 Year 2
21 Sept 2016 – Saint Matthew, Apostle, Evangelist – Feast
22 Sept 2016 – Thursday of Week 25 Year 2
23 Sept 2016 – Friday of Week 25 Year 2

Housekeeping – Week 24 Year 2

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For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:

11 Sept 2016 – 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
12 Sept 2016 – Monday of Week 24 Year 2
13 Sept 2016 – Tuesday of Week 24 Year 2
14 Sept 2016 – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
15 Sept 2016 – Our Lady of Sorrows, Memorial
16 Sept 2016 – Friday of Week 24 Year 2

Monday of Week 24 Year 2

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When we are invited to a house for a meal, would we just barge in, go straight to the dining table and begin eating? Of course not! There is a certain decorum and good manners we follow, since the host has taken so much trouble to invite us and prepare us a meal. When the time comes for the meal to be enjoyed, we would also not just simply seat at the dining table, but wait politely for the host to seat us according to his or her preference, and wait till everyone is present and ready, and then wait until we are invited to begin eating. Surely we are not barbarians or so uncivilised as to embarrass the host with disgusting and unbecoming table manners.

In the same way, when we come for Mass to the Table of the Lord, there is a certain decorum, protocol and table manners to follow. In today’s reading, St. Paul reminds us of such decorum, protocol and table manners: “The point is, when you hold these meetings, it is not the Lord’s Supper that you are eating, since when the time comes to eat, everyone is in such a hurry to start his own supper that one person goes hungry while another is getting drunk. Surely you have homes for eating and drinking in? Surely you have enough respect for the community of God not to make poor people embarrassed?… So to sum up, my dear brothers, when you meet for the Meal, wait for one another.”

What St. Paul reminds us in the reading is still applicable even today. When we come for Mass to the Table of the Lord, we are coming for a banquet with the Lord. Unfortunately, we sometimes see some people appearing to be so famished or lack control, that they have to eat something else while Mass is going on; or they even allow their children to eat something during Mass. Surely we can train ourselves and our children to be patient and wait; and then later eat and drink as we like after Mass. Have we forgotten that we are in the presence of God, and that we should learn to wait till the proper time comes for us as a community to partake in the Lord’s meal? Do we not respect and value the Lord’s meal, and wait till the Mass is over?

Housekeeping – Week 23 Year 2

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For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:

4 Sept 2016 – 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
5 Sept 2016 – Monday of Week 23 Year 2
6 Sept 2016 – Tuesday of Week 23 Year 2
7 Sept 2016 – Wednesday of Week 23 Year 2
8 Sept 2016 – Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Feast
9 Sept 2016 – Friday of Week 23 Year 2

Monday of Week 23 Year 2

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Every once in a while, we come across people who are extremely stubborn and obstinate. No matter what you say or do, such people have become so set or fixated with their ways that nothing can change their thoughts or mind set. It is certainly not easy to deal with such people, and we could only imagine what Jesus went through with the scribes and Pharisees in today’s Gospel, who were just as stubborn and obstinate in their ways.

In today’s Gospel, the scribes and Pharisees were so extreme in their ways that even curing a man on the sabbath is forbidden, as the Gospel tells us that they “were watching him to see if he would cure a man on the sabbath, hoping to find something to use against him.” Jesus was not dancing to their tune or following their strict interpretation of the law, and as a result, the scribes and Pharisees were going all out to get Him. When Jesus went ahead and cured the man with the withered hand, the scribes and Pharisees “were furious, and began to discuss the best way of dealing with Jesus.”

Perhaps we should look at ourselves and the way we lead our lives: have some of us become so stubborn and obstinate like the scribes and Pharisees, so much so that the letter of the law has become more important than the spirit of the law? Sometimes we forget the purpose of what we do, and do things merely to observe and follow God’s law, whereas we should be observing a greater law, which is the law of love. May we have a change of heart and attitude, and learn to be loving and compassionate, just as our God is loving and compassionate to all of us.

Housekeeping – Week 22 Year 2

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For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:

28 Aug 2016 – 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
29 Aug 2016 – Beheading of St. John the Baptist
30 Aug 2016 – Tuesday of Week 22 Year 2
31 Aug 2016 – Wednesday of Week 22 Year 2
1 Sept 2016 – Thursday of Week 22 Year 2
2 Sept 2016 – Friday of Week 22 Year 2

Housekeeping – Week 21 Year 2

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For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:

21 Aug 2016 – 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
22 Aug 2016 – Our Lady, Mother and Queen
23 Aug 2016 – Tuesday of Week 21 Year 2
24 Aug 2016 – St. Bartholomew, Apostle – Feast
25 Aug 2016 – Thursday of Week 21 Year 2
26 Aug 2016 – Friday of Week 21 Year 2

Friday of Week 21 Year 2

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How prepared are we to face God? If God were to call you right now, would you be ready to meet Him? Or would you begin to go about frantically preparing yourself, even though it may already be a little too late? Sometimes due to one reason or another, some of us may have neglected in preparing ourselves to meet God, only to regret our inaction or procrastination later. Why put ourselves in a spot if we had been given plenty of time and chances to be prepared?

In today’s Gospel, we come across ten bridesmaids. Five were foolish, five were sensible. Five chose to take things easy, five got things ready and were prepared for any situation. In the end, the five foolish bridesmaids ended up being left out and locked out. In our situation, would we end up like the five sensible bridesmaids, or would we be left out like the five foolish ones? May we be wise and prudent enough not be caught off-guard, and end up being left out.