Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Weekday

Wednesday of Week 6 Year 2

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When we say something, are we saying things based on our perception, feelings or emotions, without verifying the facts? Are we aware of what we are saying, or are we blindly saying things? Do we realise that words, once said, cannot be taken back?

In today’s reading, we are cautioned to “be quick to listen but slow to speak and slow to rouse your temper; God’s righteousness is never served by man’s anger.” God gave us two ears and one tongue, possibly to remind us that we should listen carefully and speak only when necessary. since sometimes we end up saying more than we should. Sometimes we say faster than we think, and that could only make us look foolish at the end. May we use words with caution, and use words for the glory of God.

Saturday of Week 5 Year 2

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I believe most of us know that God’s commandments, as well as Jesus’ commandments of loving God and neighbour, are the basis for church rules and practices, whereas customs are traditional and widely accepted ways of behaving or doing something in the church community. Such rules, practices and customs did not materialise overnight, and they are meant for the good of the entire Christian community, not just for the good of a few. However, we sometimes come across certain persons or groups who are against such rules, practices and customs, because such persons or groups want things their way and for their benefit.

In today’s reading, we come across Jeorboam who did not like certain rules, practices or customs among the Israelites; and Jeroboam thought to himself, ‘As things are, the kingdom will revert to the House of David. If this people continues to go up to the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, the people’s heart will turn back again to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will put me to death.’ And so, Jeroboam created his own gods, by making two golden calves; he got the people to worship such false gods; “He set up the temple of the high places and appointed priests from ordinary families, who were not of the sons of Levi”; and even had the audacity to “institute a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth of the month, like the feast that was kept in Judah.” Jeroboam did all these because he did not like certain rules, practices or customs among the Israelites, and he wanted to save his own skin. As a result, “such conduct made the House of Jeroboam a sinful House, and caused its ruin and extinction from the face of the earth.”

What about us? When we are faced with certain church rules, practices or customs, would we change or discard such rules, practices or customs as we please, just because they are inconvenient to us or we feel uncomfortable towards them? Is faith like changing clothes, where we discard things which we are unable to accept? May we continue to be faithful, and walk in God’s ways.

Saturday of Week 4 Year 2

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One of the many realities in life is that we cannot do everything. There are some things which we can do; some things which we can do really well, as we have the gift or talent for it; and there are also some things which we just cannot do, or are able to do with some difficulty. Some things can be learnt, but learning to do such things has its limits, since we may not be naturally adept or gifted in doing such things. This is where we need to learn to let go and let others do other things which we may not necessarily be good at, or depend on God’s providence to get things done.

In today’s reading, king Solomon acknowledged before the Lord that he was a young man and unskilled in leadership. He asked the Lord for wisdom so that he could understand how to discern between good and evil; and to be a good king following the ways of the Lord. Because of this, king Solomon was not only given wisdom, but blessed by the Lord with power, wealth and victory over his enemies. King Solomon knew his abilities and limitations, and chose to depend on God’s providence, instead of trying to do things on his own.

What about us? Are we willing and humble enough to acknowledge our abilities and limitations just as King Solomon did, and seek wisdom from the Lord, so that we could do His will? May we come to realise that ultimately, our help is in the Lord, and may we glorify Him in all we do.

Saturday of Week 3 Year 2

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What sort of response do we have when we commit sin or do something wrong? Are we willing to own up to the sin committed or the wrong done? Or would we go through great lengths to deny any wrongdoing or sin, even though the sin or wrongdoing is so evident beyond reasonable doubt? Have we allowed ourselves to become blinded by pride and ego, and think that we are never wrong or never guilty?

Today’s reading shows us how King David responded when the prophet Nathan confronted him with the many sins he had committed. Instead of trying to worm his way out, or make all sorts of excuses, or deny his guilt, King David was docile and humble enough to admit his guilt and merely said: “I have sinned against the Lord.”

What about us? Would we be willing to own up to our wrongdoing, our mistakes, our sins? Let us not allow pride and ego get the better of us and be humble and docile, just like King David showed us, and admit our wrongdoing, our mistakes, our sins. Let us not allow the stain of wrongdoing or sin remain, lest we end up ruining our relationship with God.

Saturday of Week 2 Year 2

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How generous are we towards others? Are we generous to all, regardless of who they are and where they come from, or are we generous only to certain persons who may be beneficial to us in some way? Are we generous in our time and wealth, even to the point where it hurts, or are we calculative in giving what we are comfortable in giving, or only what we can spare?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus was home. A crowd had gathered and Jesus could have been calculative in giving his time towards the crowd, since some would have thought that Jesus ought to have some privacy and rest. However, to Jesus, being generous knows no bounds or limits, especially when it comes to doing the will of God. Instead of being calculative, Jesus was generous even to the point where it hurts.

What about us? would we be willing to be generous like Jesus, even forgoing our personal needs or comfort? Are we willing to put others before self, and follow Jesus’ example, who showed us the true meaning of being generous? May we learn to be more like Jesus, who came to serve, not to be served, and in all we say and do, give glory to God.

Saturday of Week 1 Year 2

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It is easy for us to condemn or ostracise a person, especially if the person has committed a serious crime; but how many of us are willing to give the person a second chance, especially if the person is genuinely remorseful and wanting to change his or her ways? What if we are the ones who have done something wrong and are asking for a second chance? Would we then be compassionate and merciful towards others and give them a second chance as well, just as we have been given a second chance?

In today’s Gospel, Matthew, a tax collector was called by Jesus to follow Him. As a tax collector, Matthew was condemned and ostracised by his countrymen because he sold his services to the Romans to collect taxes and profited in the process. However, Jesus was willing to give Matthew a second chance by inviting him to follow Him.

What about us? Jesus gives us plenty of chances to start again. Would we be willing to set aside our prejudice, pride, self-righteousness and ego, and give others a chance, just as God has given us many chances to turn back to Him?

Thursday of Week 34 Year 1

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From time to time, we may have found ourselves in a difficult or dangerous situation. When we are in such a situation, some of us may try to live in denial, thinking that such a situation is just our imagination, though the reality is that it is not. Some of us may even feel as if we have no way out and we may be tempted to give up or despair. How many of us are willing to put our full trust in God, knowing that He will do what is best for us?

Today’s reading reminds us that with God, there is no problem too big, no situation too difficult or dangerous which He cannot help us out. In today’s reading, Daniel had full confidence and trust in God’s help and God saved him from the lions. This caused King Darius, who initially thought that there was no hope or way or solution to rescue Daniel, to joyfully exclaim: “He is the living God, he endures for ever, his sovereignty will never be destroyed and his kingship never end. He saves, sets free, and works signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth; he has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.”

What does this mean to us? It means that if God is on our side and watching over us, there is no reason for us to fear. It also means that we must continuously and consistently trust in God, knowing that our salvation is in Him, and not in some other form or means. Let us therefore continue to build our relationship with Him and trust Him just as Daniel did.

Saturday of Week 33 Year 1

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What sort of expectations do we have in life? Are our expectations only concerning wants and needs of this world? What if our expectations are not met, either partially or entirely? Some of us may just shrug off such unmet expectations and carry on our merry way, thinking that it is not that big a deal. Some of us may complain or get angry since what we expect is not fulfilled. Some of us may even end up bitterly disappointed, like what happened to king Antiochus in today’s reading.

In the reading, we are told that king Antiochus threw himself on his bed and fell into a lethargy from acute disappointment, because things had not turned out as he had planned. He had planned and achieved many things, and even planned to conquer the city of Elymais and sack its renowned riches. Unfortunately for king Anthiochus, his plans failed, and he suffered from deep and recurrent fits of melancholy, until he understood that life was slipping away from him, in other words, he was dying. King Anthiochus’ life of worldly expectations, ended up in disappointment.

What about us? Have some of us become like king Anthiochus, when our expectations are not met? As Christians, our expectations ought to be eventually be in God’s presence. If we focus only in fulfilling our expectations in this world, we may find ourselves quite disappointed, since our expectations may never be satisfied. May we strive more towards expectations which would guide us closer to God and be with Him, instead of just focusing on expectations which are merely temporary and may end up in disappointment.

Tuesday of Week 33 Year 1

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How many of us are willing to have courage and willingness to sacrifice one’s life to glorify God? Some of us may say that we are willing and ready to do so, but if we are really and actually put to the test or face a real possibility of being put to death, would we remain steadfast in our faith, and give glory to God? Would we be willing to lose our lives and even the lives of our families by remaining faithful? Or would we abandon our faith to save our skin or to save our families from annihilation?

Today’s reading shows us an excellent example of courage and willingness to sacrifice ones life to glorify God. The reading tells us that “Eleazar, one of the foremost teachers of the Law, a man already advanced in years and of most noble appearance, was being forced to open his mouth wide to swallow pig’s flesh. But he, resolving to die with honour rather than to live disgraced, went to the block of his own accord, spitting the stuff out, the plain duty of anyone with the courage to reject what it is not lawful to taste, even from a natural tenderness for his own life.”

What about us? Would we be willing to follow the example of Eleazar in today’s reading, preferring to die than to commit sin? While it is easy to say that we would remain faithful, it is certainly not easy to do so, especially when it involves our families. Let us pray and continue to depend on God’s help to stay true, just and faithful to our duty as Catholics.

Saturday of Week 32 Year 1

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Many of us are so used to having things or services done quite quickly, so much so that when we have to wait for a few minutes or for a while to get what we want, some of us may become quite impatient, or angry, or even give up waiting and go elsewhere, thinking that other places would be faster in their services.But the reality is that there are also many situations in life where we have no choice but to wait patiently, since such situations take time. For example, if we want to renovate our house, we need to wait for materials and manpower to arrive, and then for the renovation to be completed properly. Also, when a couple wants to conceive a child, they need to be patient and persistent in their efforts, with hope that they would be successful.

The same situation also happens when it comes to prayer. In today’s Gospel, Jesus taught His disciples to “pray continually and never lose heart.” When we pray, we cannot expect God to answer our prayers quickly. We need to be patient and persistent in our prayer, with hope and confidence that God would answer our prayers according to His purpose and for His glory. May we never lose heart, and pray patiently, humbly and continually, and let God do what is best for us.