Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Year 1

Tuesday of Week 21 Year 1

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As Christians, we are being constantly reminded to go forth and preach the Good News. This is not merely a request or a suggestion, but a command from the Lord, and a duty for each and every one of us. All of us Christians are called to preach the Good News, not just the priests, pastors, religious or missionaries. But when we go and preach the Good News, what is our true purpose or agenda in doing so? Are we doing it for the greater glory of God, or are we doing it for our personal gratification or personal gain, and to boost our reputation and ego?

In today’s reading, St. Paul reminds the Thessalonians and us: “We have not taken to preaching because we are deluded, or immoral, or trying to deceive anyone; it was God who decided that we were fit to be entrusted with the Good News, and when we are speaking, we are not trying to please men but God, who can read our inmost thoughts. You know very well, and we can swear it before God, that never at any time have our speeches been simply flattery, or a cover for trying to get money; nor have we ever looked for any special honour from men, either from you or anybody else, when we could have imposed ourselves on you with full weight, as apostles of Christ. Instead, we were unassuming. Like a mother feeding and looking after her own children, we felt so devoted and protective towards you, and had come to love you so much, that we were eager to hand over to you not only the Good News but our whole lives as well.”

Ultimately, we need to check our motives and return to preaching the Good News with right motive, right intention and right disposition, since what we are doing ought not to be for ourselves, but for the greater glory of God.

Friday of Week 20 Year 1

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In ancient times, there was no such thing as social security or a “welfare” state. People survived by depending on their spouse and children. This made it even more difficult for especially women to survive, should they have no husband, or should they lose their husband, and also should they lose their sons. If a woman was in such a terrible situation, she would need to depend on the generosity of neighbours and others who may help her according to their means, especially if the woman was elderly and no longer able to do some work to make ends meet.

In today’s reading, we come across one such woman named Naomi. She had lost her husband, and then lost both her sons. As she no longer had any immediate family, she felt that her two daughters-in-law Orpah and Ruth were no longer under any obligation to stay with her and help care for her. Perhaps she did not want them to see her as a burden to them, perhaps she felt that they were still young enough to go back to their people and perhaps find another husband. But whatever the reason was, Naomi was willing to let them go. Orpah chose to go back to her people, but Ruth was determined to stay with Naomi and together face an uncertain future. Because of her generosity and willingness to keep Naomi company, we will later see how through Ruth, the lineage of David would eventually lead to our Lord, Jesus Christ.

If you were in Ruth’s shoes, would you choose to stay, or would you choose to go? Either way, we are not at fault or wrong in our choice. But sometimes, our love and generosity could lead to better and greater things. It is a question of how much we are willing to give, since God could use the little we give to work wonders. May we consider our options carefully, and do what is right for the greater glory of God.

Thursday of Week 20 Year 1

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Some of us may have made vows or promises to God for some reason or another, but sometimes, we may have been unwise in the vows or promises that we have made. If God helps us attain what we desire or ask for, would we be able to fulfil the vow or promise made? We may find ourselves in a difficult situation, especially if the vow or promise we made is a foolish one. As Ecclesiates 5:4-5 cautions us: “When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.”

In today’s reading: “Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, ‘If you deliver the Ammonites into my hands, then the first person to meet me from the door of my house when I return in triumph from fighting the Ammonites shall belong to the Lord, and I will offer him up as a holocaust.'” Such a vow was indeed foolish and unwise, and Jephthah paid the ultimate price for making it, since the first person to meet him was his only daughter. Unable to go against his word, Jephthah had to fulfil his vow by offering his only daughter as a holocaust.

What about us? Have we made foolish or stupid vows recently? Are we not only setting ourselves up for our own ruin? As Jesus cautions and reminds us: “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” Why do we make vows that we know would be quite difficult or impossible to keep? Why are we putting the Lord to the test? Let us not be careless in what we say or the vows we make, but say what we mean and mean what we say.

Wednesday of Week 20 Year 1

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Most people like to be recognised or rewarded for the work they do. When they have completed a task or some projects, they hope to get a good job review and look forward to an increase in salary, perks or even a promotion. Few people in the world are content with remaining as they are, without any reward, remuneration or recognition. However, when the boss or superior begins to reward everyone equally, regardless of how much or how little a person has done, there are bound to be some who feel cheated or that the boss or superior has been unfair in the way the reward was distributed. Some people would begin to feel disillusioned or less motivated, and some may just leave the company in disgust, because in their mind, rewards should be given in proportion to the amount of effort done and results achieved.

In today’s Gospel, we come across a landowner who hired workers at different hours of the day. Each worker was promised one denarius a day no matter how much or how little work he had done. When it came to paying the workers, the landowner had kept his end of the bargain or agreement. He paid each worker one denarius as what had been agreed. But this is where some workers began to grumble, as some of us may do so too. Those workers who had worked longer hours had expected to be paid more, but when they received one denarius too, they felt cheated and felt the landowner was being unfair. But if we recall, the landowner had made an agreement with the workers, and in that agreement, each worker would be paid one denarius a day, nothing more, nothing less, and that is exactly what the landowner had done.

Sometimes we come across a boss or a superior who is like that landowner. If the boss or superior is being kind and generous to all, do we have a right to complain? God is like that landowner, and He cares and loves all, regardless of how good or bad we have been. Do we have a right to complain? Instead, shouldn’t we be grateful and thankful that we have a boss or superior who is generous to all? He or she could have easily rewarded only his or her favourites, but chose to reward all generously. In the same way, God could have cared for only those who have been holy or good, but He cares for all of us and is patient with us. Thus, let us give thanks to God for His generosity and providence, and continue to do all things for His greater glory.

Tuesday of Week 20 Year 1

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Have you ever wondered why you are unable to grow in your spiritual life? One reason is because some of us are still clinging on to other things or persons, which we are reluctant to let go. These things and persons may be our wealth, riches, titles, popularity, fame, or even loved ones, but when we cling on and focus on these other things, we are actually being burdened by them, for we fear that if we do not pay attention to them, we worry that they may be lost or stolen.

In today’s Gospel, “Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you solemnly, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.’ When the disciples heard this they were astonished. ‘Who can be saved, then?’ they said. Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he told them ‘this is impossible; for God everything is possible.'” The eye of a needle is a door which is shaped in such a way that a camel or any person carrying or clinging to too many things would not be able to pass through. It is only when the things are removed that one could pass through easily.

In the same way, each of us may be finding it difficult to pass through our very own “eye of a needle” to become closer to God. Our deeds and our sins may have become quite numerous; burdening and bogging us down, making it quite difficult or even impossible for us to move on. It is only when we have unloaded or removed such burdens that we would then be able to move closer to God. The question is: are we so fearful or proud to remove such burdens, or are we willing to let go and let God be our guide? God is beckoning us to come to Him so that He can care for us, it is up to us to discard that which is temporary, so that we may attain that which is for all eternity.

Monday of Week 20 Year 1

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Some of us find it quite difficult to detach ourselves from something. Some of us are so attached to our wealth and property, some of us are so attached to our titles, some of us are attached to our popularity and fame, some are even so attached to their spouse, so much so that they become easily jealous or suspicious of their spouse should they be just a little late, or they need to go some place. But whatever attachments we have towards people are things, the fact is we will not be able to remain attached to such persons or things forever. There will come a time where we may lose the person or thing for one reason or another. Then what do we do then?

In today’s Gospel, we come across a young man who claims to have observed all the commandments and wondered what more he needed to do to possess eternal life. While Jesus did not challenge the young man to prove that he had really observed all the commandments, Jesus did challenge the young man to become detached of his wealth, give it all away, and follow Him. This caused the young man to go away sad, for even though he may have supposingly observed all the commandments, he was still not able to observe the commandment to love, rich and poor alike. When we observe all the commandments, we observe them because we want to love God and neighbour, and not observe the commandments like robots. The young man may have thought that observing the commandments was good enough, but what he had failed to realise is that it is meaningless to observe without genuine love and charity towards others.

What about us? Are we observing all the commandments because we love God and neighbour? Or are we still entrapped in our own agenda, by observing the commandments only for our benefit or when it suits us? May we be humble and willing to become detached from things and persons around us, so that we could learn to depend more and more in God’s providence and care.

Friday of Week 19 Year 1

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Different people have got different views about what a marriage is all about. Some think that it is ok for people to marry, and then if they find that they have differences that they supposingly cannot resolve, then they should divorce. Others, including the Catholic Church, insist that there is no such thing as a divorce and that couples should make every effort to reconcile their differences and seek help where necessary to maintain their marriage. Why is the Catholic Church so strict about marriages where some other denominations have relaxed the rules?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminded the Pharisees and reminds us too: “Have you not read that the creator from the beginning made them male and female and that he said: This is why a man must leave father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two become one body? They are no longer two, therefore, but one body. So then, what God has united, man must not divide.”

This is why, when it comes to marriages, the Catholic Church pays particular attention to the pre-marital preparation and the pre-marital course, as well as other programmes to help couples in their married lives. Getting and staying married is not like changing clothes, so the couple should be fully aware of themselves, each other, and what they are getting themselves into. Sometimes, in the process of attending a pre-marital course and making the necessary pre-marital preparations with the parish priest, the couple may discover things about each other which may not have surfaced previously. This gives the couple a chance to decide whether they are still willing to remain united with each other before the marriage takes place. After all, a wedding is only a moment in time, but a marriage is for a lifetime. So, do not play play with marriage, unless one is ready and prepared to work at it and stay committed, united and remain in love with the other, no matter what happens.

Thursday of Week 19 Year 1

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How genuine are we when it comes to forgiveness? Some of us say we forgive, but we still keep the hurt in our hearts and even dwell on it. Some of us say we forgive, but we still remember what had happened and we cannot seem to let it go. So what exactly is forgiveness then? Forgiveness is the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense, lets go of negative emotions such as vengefulness, with an increased ability to wish the offender well. This also means that the victim no longer allows the offense to affect him or her, and is willing to let God help him or her heal over time.

The first servant in today’s Gospel had had his debt cancelled and he was allowed to go free. But this servant obviously did not appreciate the generosity of his master. He thought that he had been given a lucky break. That is why the first servant did not seem to understand or appreciate his master’s forgiveness. Instead of learning from his master and forgiving his fellow servant by cancelling his fellow servant’s debt, he became mean, arrogant and nasty towards his fellow servant, even to the point of having his fellow servant thrown into prison. In the end, this unforgiving servant ended up in prison himself, and his master in anger and disgust “handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt.”

We ask God for forgiveness whenever we sin, but have we been just as forgiving to others, just as God is forgiving to us? May we take heed and be warned, that we too may end up in prison just like that unforgiving servant, as Jesus cautions us: “And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.”

Wednesday of Week 19 Year 1

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Many of us want quick solutions to our problems. This is often because we are so used to having many things done for us instantly. For example, we want to get money, we go to the ATM and withdraw the amount we require. We also have instant coffee, instant tea, instant noodles and so many other instant things which supposingly makes life easier. However, when it comes to relationships, could we ever have instant relationships? Would we be happy with a relationship where it is touch and go, or we hardly know the other, or the relationship is just shallow, sort of more like an acquaintance than a true friend type of relationship? Surely not. I believe most of us would want a lasting, happy, healthy and meaningful relationship.

This is why, in today’s Gospel, we are reminded about how we should deal with people, especially when there is a problem or issue at hand. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us: “If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector.” This means that we should not expect instant solutions or jump the gun and go straight to a higher authority without dealing with the other party first. Thus, if we really and truly value our relationships, let us be mindful of how we treat others, since we too would want to be treated fairly, justly and with proper dignity.

Tuesday of Week 19 Year 1

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We sometimes hear certain folks saying: “children are to be seen, not heard.” Not only that, children are often treated according the demands, rules and regulations of their parents, teachers and those who are caring for them in one way or another. Most of the time, children have got little rights, as all that they have, all that they depend on, comes from their parents or guardian. For example, a child in school cannot just get up and go to the toilet as he or she likes. The child would often need to get permission from the teacher first before being allowed to go. Seeing all these, how can then a child be considered great, as mentioned in today’s Gospel?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus told His disciples: “I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” What Jesus is telling us is not be become childish. Rather, He is telling us to be like little children, by being dependent on God and trusting in His providence. As adults, we tend to try and do things our way or live according to what we think is right, but sometimes what we are doing and the way we are living may not necessarily be best for us. That is why Jesus is inviting us to put more trust in God and let Him care for us, since God will not abandon us. Are we willing to be child-like and let God be in charge of our lives, for our physical and spiritual well-being, and for His greater glory?