Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Weekday

Tuesday of the 2nd Week of Lent

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When we are performing a certain task, we should consider for a moment what is our true motive for doing so. Some of us may be doing things just to please others and hopefully receive admiration and some form of reward or praise from others. Some of us do things grudgingly because we are forced to do so or we feel the task is not what we wanted or expected. How many of us would perform a task without any expectation and with the intention of giving glory to God?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us to be careful not to become like the scribes and the Pharisees. He cautions us: “The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do what they tell you and listen to what they say; but do not be guided by what they do: since they do not practise what they preach… Everything they do is done to attract attention… The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.” This is where we need to be truthful to ourselves: are we in all we do trying to win some sort of popularity contest, or appear to be better than others? Let us check our pride and ego, and learn to walk humbly before our loving God, while doing our tasks for the glory of God.

Monday of the 2nd Week of Lent

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Every once in a while, we come across people who seem to only know how to say bad things about others, or they condemn others for even the smallest matter, or they seem to only know how to bad mouth others. Some of these people may be doing such things because they have some sort of inferiority complex, thinking that others seem better than they are and they feel the need to put others down to satisfy their ego. Some people may be doing such things because they think that only they are blameless or holy and adopt a self-righteous attitude, and everyone else seems to be unable to measure up to their standards. What sort of person have you become at this moment?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus admonishes us: “Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you…” In a world where people seem to be interested only in themselves, we as Christians should follow Jesus’ example and way of life in being loving, forgiving and generous with our time, talents and wealth towards others. Let us shed the ways of the world and remain close to Jesus, and let Him guide us in our conduct, behaviour and actions, so that in all things may God be glorified.

Housekeeping – 1st Week of Lent

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

22 February 2015 – 1st Sunday of Lent Year B
23 February 2015 – Monday of the 1st Week of Lent
24 February 2015 – Tuesday of the 1st Week of Lent
25 February 2015 – Wednesday of the 1st Week of Lent
26 February 2015 – Thursday of the 1st Week of Lent
27 February 2015 – Friday of the 1st Week of Lent

Friday of the 1st Week of Lent

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Each and every one of us have been given different choices throughout our lives. Ultimately, we are responsible and accountable for the choices we make. This also includes the choices we make on how we wish to live. We can choose to live as good Christians, observing humbly, consistently and joyfully God’s command to love God and neighbour; or we can choose to live a worldly life, caring only for oneself and living a life away from God’s loving care. Whatever the choice we make, we should be aware of the consequences and be prepared to face them.

One choice we make is mentioned in today’s reading. In the reading, we choose whether we wish to be a wicked man or an upright man. It may seem obvious that most of us would want to be an upright man, but the reality is that there are people who think that they are upright but from their attitude, behaviour and actions, they are actually leaning more towards being wicked. How so? The reading tells us how a wicked man would live: “If the wicked man renounces all the sins he has committed, respects my laws and is law-abiding and honest, he will certainly live; he will not die. All the sins he committed will be forgotten from then on; he shall live because of the integrity he has practised.” The reading also tells us how an upright man would die: “But if the upright man renounces his integrity, commits sin, copies the wicked man and practises every kind of filth, is he to live? All the integrity he has practised shall be forgotten from then on; but this is because he himself has broken faith and committed sin, and for this he shall die.”

Ultimately, as the reading reminds us: “When the upright man renounces his integrity to commit sin and dies because of this, he dies because of the evil that he himself has committed. When the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding and honest, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die.” The question we need to ask ourselves is this: we call ourselves upright and we believe that we are so, but are we truly and consistently living an upright life? Let us be honest with ourselves and discover where we stand, so that we can do what is necessary and return to the Lord’s ways, and live, not die.

Thursday of the 1st Week of Lent

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There are times in life we may have bitten off more than we could chew. We think we can handle such things or situations, thinking that we are more than capable and do not need any help, even help from God. However, we sometimes get ourselves into a sticky, challenging or dangerous situation which we may find it difficult to get out of. When this happens, are we still going to stick to our guns, remain proud and try to work things out on our own? Or are we willing to humble ourselves and seek help from others and from God?

In today’s reading, we come across Queen Esther who “took refuge with the Lord in the mortal peril which had overtaken her. She besought the Lord God of Israel…” Despite facing great danger or peril, Queen Esther was humble and willing to seek God’s help and leave her fate in God’s hands. What about us? Are we willing to follow Queen Esther’s example and leave it in the hands of the Lord? Are we able to set aside our pride and let God be in control?

Wednesday of the 1st Week of Lent

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How many of us really take our spiritual life or spiritual condition seriously? When was the last time you went for confession? How often do you go for Mass, seek spiritual direction, perform an examination of conscience, read the bible, pray, meditate, perform merciful acts of charity and other spiritual acts which help us grow in relationship with God? When we seem young, healthy, full of life and seem to have many things going good for us, some of us may have become preoccupied with enjoying life and striving to make a name for ourselves here on earth; but as we become more and more busy with earthly things, we may become more and more complacent or even indifferent with eternal things.

In today’s reading, the people of Nineveh were warned by Jonah that their city was going to be destroyed after 40 days. Though their city was tremendously huge and took 3 days to cross it, everything would be wiped out. So what did the Ninevites and their king do? Did they scoff at such a warning and go about merrily with their lives? No. The Ninevites and their king proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, making effort to renounce their evil behaviour and the wicked things they had done. As a result, the reading tells us: “God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour, and God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he had threatened.”

What about us? Are we still being complacent and continuing merrily with our lives? Are we aware of the state or condition of our soul? Let us not be caught off-guard and jeopardise our eternal future, but be proactive and make every effort to grow closer with God.

Tuesday of the 1st Week of Lent

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Pride and ego are two things which we are often reminded to watch out for as we journey in this life. As Christians, we are cautioned not to allow pride and ego to fester in our minds and hearts, since many other sins have been committed in one way or another due to our pride and our ego. One area which some of us may be struggling to change and improve on is “forgiveness.” Our pride and ego sometimes gets in the way, distorting our minds into thinking only of the unfairness, the hurt, the anger, the frustration and the giving up on the other person who has wronged us. We begin to think: “poor me” or “I am the victim, so why shoud I forgive so easily.” But is this the kind of attitude that befits the life of a Christian?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus taught us how to pray. In the “Lord’s Prayer” or the “Our Father,” we pray: “forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.” Do we realise what these words mean? Our pride and ego blinds us to the fact that forgiveness is not just a one way street. All of us have fallen in one way or another, we are not perfect and we make mistakes. We ask God to forgive us when we are at fault, but have we learnt to be humble and willing to forgive others as well? Let us take heed of what the Gospel warns us: “Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.”

Monday of the 1st Week of Lent

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Whenever we are faced with difficult people or difficult situations, what do we do? Some of us may choose the easy path, though at times, that easy path may not necessarily be a good choice or even a wise choice for us and for the other person. Some of us may choose not to get involved and avoid the person altogether, thinking that it is better to avoid conflict and remain neutral and supposingly peaceful. But what should we as Christians do?

Perhaps the key to what we as Christians should do can be found in today’s reading. The reading can be summarised into two important sentences: “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy” and “You must love your neighbour as yourself.” Instead of focusing too much on the minute details about what we should or should not do, some of which are mentioned in today’s reading, let us ask ourselves sincerely: are we loving others as much as we love God and also as much as we love ourselves? Sometimes difficult people or difficult situations are there to teach us what it means to love, since we are loving not because it is convenient or beneficial to us, but because we choose to love just as God loves all and cares for all. Let us thus make every effort to remain holy and dependent on God, and follow God’s example in being loving towards all.

Housekeeping – Week 6 Year 1

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

15 February 2015 – 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
16 February 2015 – Monday of Week 6 Year1
17 February 2015 – Tuesday of Week 6 Year1
18 February 2015 – Ash Wednesday
19 February 2015 – Thursday after Ash Wednesday
20 February 2015 – Friday after Ash Wednesday

Tuesday of Week 6 Year 1

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Yeast is a useful substance which enables bread to expand and rise, making the bread more pleasing to look at and eat once baked. A little yeast can cause a small lump of dough to become a much larger loaf. Just a little of it affects everything. In today’s Gospel, Jesus warned us of a “yeast” that was both religious and political which we should be on our guard against. This “yeast” could be translated as “attitude”; and the “attitude” or “yeast” of the Pharisees and the “attitude” or “yeast”of Herod could corrupt one’s whole “attitude” as a Christian.

The problem with the Pharisees is not that they were bad people, but they tended to think only those like them had any value in the sight of God. The yeast of the Pharisees is narrow-minded religious exclusivism. It is an attitude that says only those who believe and behave like us are saved, everyone else is damned or are of no consequence. The yeast of the Pharisees makes people more concerned about who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’ instead of doing the will of God. It makes people continually compare themselves over others and makes them think that they are ok and everyone else is not.

The “yeast” of Herod, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of the Pharisees. Herod was a friend with the Romans since it was the Romans who kept him in power. For him, the important thing was to keep the status quo as it was, since it favoured him. Herod was prepared to make any number of accommodations, and was prepared to water down the Jewish faith to suit his purposes. Herod was only interested in preserving His political power, and was not the least bit interested in doing the will of God.

What about us? Have we been corrupted or infected with the “yeast” of the Pharisees and the “yeast” of Herod? Have we been behaving as religious extremists, thinking that our beliefs and way of doing things is the only way and everyone else who does not follow our way to the minute detail are condemned to hell? Or have we become so worldly in our behaviour and conduct, only interested in protecting our power, position and prestige, and watering down our faith or even totally ignoring the ways of God? When we allow ourselves to be infected with such “yeast”, either by falling into the “yeast” of the Pharisees, or by falling into the “yeast” of Herod, we would have lost the true meaning of being a Christian, since our focus is no longer in doing the will of God and doing all for the greater glory of God, but our focus has become one of personal gratification and personal glorification.