Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Year 2

Tuesday of Week 24 Year 2

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Are you happy with the gifts and talents that God has given you? Some of us say that we are happy, while others may wish that they had certain gifts and talents that others have. But the thing is, God makes each and every one of us different. The gifts and talents of each and every one of us is unique, and God in His wisdom has granted such gifts and talents not for us to gloat or become proud and conceited, but ultimately for His glory and to proclaim the Good News. Are we using our talents wisely, or are we wasting our talents for selfish reasons?

In today’s reading, St. Paul reminds us: “Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink. Nor is the body to be identified with any one of its many parts. Now you together are Christ’s body; but each of you is a different part of it.”

Our duties, responsibilities, or functions may be different; our gifts and talents may be different; but we are still brothers and sisters in Christ. We should put our gifts and talents to good use and do our duty with joy, enthusiasm and vigour, instead of trying to compare with others and feeling upset that we are not being given something better. After all, at the end of the day, we are part of God’s family, and as a family we ought to be united with diversity.

Monday of Week 24 Year 2

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When we are invited to dine with the sultan or with the king or with some VIP (Very Important Person), would we go straight to the food and eat to our hearts content? Surely we would wait until certain protocols and customs have been observed, then only when the time has come to eat, we would begin the meal with decorum, respect and table manners. But when we come for Mass, do we practice the same decorum, respect and table manners?

In today’s reading, St. Paul reminds us of such decorum, protocol and table manners when we come for Mass: “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 relevant even today. When we come for Mass to the Table of the Lord, we are coming for a banquet with the Lord. Just as we would observe the proper decorum, respect and table manners when we dine with so-called important persons on earth, may we remember who we are dining with when we come for Mass, and observe the proper decorum, respect and table manners such as fasting an hour before Holy Communion, going for confession, and ensuring that our children do not eat during Mass, just to name a few.

Friday of Week 23 Year 2

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In life, some of us take on a task for a variety of reasons. Some do so because they like a challenge and want to diplay their capabilities. Some do so because they expect some sort of reward, having a “what’s in it for me” attitude. Some do so because they are being forced into it, and they get the task done half-heartedly. But how many of us are willing to do so for the glory of God?

In today’s reading, St. Paul reminds us: “All the runners at the stadium are trying to win, but only one of them gets the prize. You must run in the same way, meaning to win. All the fighters at the games go into strict training; they do this just to win a wreath that will wither away, but we do it for a wreath that will never wither.” We may want to win, we may want to take on a task, but we should check our intentions on why we are doing so. Are we wanting to win or taking on a task for our own gratification or to boost our ego? Or are we wanting to win or taking on a task to give God the glory and to strive towards our eternal reward?

Wednesday of Week 23 Year 2

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Some of us may have heard of the words: “don’t go looking for trouble.” What these words basically mean is whatever we do and whatever state of life we may be in or we may be thinking of getting into, we should consider the consequences and weigh the costs. In other words, we should not play play when making a choice concerning a state of life, and think carefully and thoroughly before making any commitments.

In today’s reading, St. Paul advises us: “About remaining celibate, I have no directions from the Lord but give my own opinion as one who, by the Lord’s mercy, has stayed faithful. Well then, I believe that in these present times of stress this is right: that it is good for a man to stay as he is. If you are tied to a wife, do not look for freedom; if you are free of a wife, then do not look for one. But if you marry, it is no sin, and it is not a sin for a young girl to get married. They will have their troubles, though, in their married life, and I should like to spare you that.” What Paul is trying to tell us is basically this: be faithful, contend, responsible, dedicated, and committed to the way of life you are presently in or chosen and soon to be in. Don’t go “looking for trouble” by trying to run away or shirk from your duties and responsibilities in whatever way of life you have chosen. May we be faithful to the state of life we have chosen, and in all we do, give glory to God.

Tuesday of Week 23 Year 2

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As Christians, we sometimes come into conflict with a fellow brother or sister. Sometimes the conflict could be a small matter. Other times, it could be a serious matter. But whatever the matter may be, we should settle issues among ourselves, within our community. However, some of us are still stubborn and insisting that we bring such matters, no matter how trivial it may be, to court, such as the local magistrate, or even high court.

This is why St. Paul in today’s reading admonishes us: “How dare one of your members take up a complaint against another in the law courts of the unjust instead of before the saints? As you know, it is the saints who are to ‘judge the world’; and if the world is to be judged by you, how can you be unfit to judge trifling cases? Since we are also to judge angels, it follows that we can judge matters of everyday life; but when you have had cases of that kind, the people you appointed to try them were not even respected in the Church. You should be ashamed: is there really not one reliable man among you to settle differences between brothers and so one brother brings a court case against another in front of unbelievers?”

The church has got a tribunal which has priests and lay people as judges and lawyers. Some people think that the tribunal is only for marriage cases, but it is much more than that. Cases between Catholics concerning an issue could also be heard. Why do we stubbornly and vehemently insist in getting unbelievers to judge our cases, as St. Paul questions us, when we have a tribunal which could do the same in a Christian way?

Monday of Week 23 Year 2

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Yeast is a helpful ingredient when making bread. You need just a bit of yeast to make the bread rise. However, when you put too much yeast, the bread becomes spoiled and can no longer be used. That is why, when it comes to baking bread, one needs to know the proper technique and the amount of yeast needed, otherwise one’s efforts in baking bread would not be fruitful.

In today’s reading, St. Paul warns us that, just as a bit of yeast can make bread rise, a bit of sin not addressed and confessed will eventually darken and damage our soul. If left further unchecked, we may even lose connection with God, as the infection becomes terminal. That why we should not delay or think that we have plenty of time to go for confession and clean our soul, since the yeast of sin could create barriers within us and prevent us from making amends with God. May we not allow ourselves to come to a stage where we lose connection with God, and risk our eternal future.

Friday of Week 22 Year 2

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Some of us seem to excel in coming up with conclusions about others or judging others. Just because a person is not doing things the way we expect; or we hear about the person doing this or that and we act upon such news without careful investigation; or we have already assumed certain things about certain persons wihout fully understanding the person and where he or she is coming from; we pass judgement on the person so quickly. Sometimes, we end up eating humble pie, or we discover a little too late that we have made a terrible mistake in making such judgments. The thing is, we are being reckless and presumptuous when we jump to conclusions or make judgements in this way. Unkind words and actions cannot be taken back, once they are said or meted out.

In today’s reading, St. Paul cautions us: “There must be no passing of premature judgement. Leave that until the Lord comes; he will light up all that is hidden in the dark and reveal the secret intentions of men’s hearts. Then will be the time for each one to have whatever praise he deserves, from God.” This does not mean that we do not make judgements at all, but we should refrain from making impulsive or premature ones. Sometimes it may be best to wait and see, and let God guide us in our thoughts and actions, so that we would be patient and compassionate towards others. After all, we too have done wrong before, and yet God is ever patient and merciful towards us. Likewise, we too should do the same towards others.

Thursday of Week 22 Year 2

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From a young age, many of us were told by our parents to study hard and excel in school. Even our teachers would sometimes pay extra attention to those students who were bright or hardworking, since these were the students who were obedient and were serious in their studies. When we went for higher studies, some of us may have been reminded by our parents to “study hard, work hard, don’t break your parents hearts” (a so called idiom I recall hearing a few times, but have no clear idea where it originated from). But all these efforts in doing well and succeeding in life, are they an indication that a person would be wise? Sometimes we come across people who we consider wise but who may not be so highly educated, or may not be wise according to the expectations of the world, but we say that they are wise in a different way. In fact, can anyone really claim to be wise?

In today’s reading, St. Paul reminds us: “Make no mistake about it: if any one of you thinks of himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the word, then he must learn to be a fool before he really can be wise. Why? Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As scripture says: The Lord knows wise men’s thoughts: he knows how useless they are; or again: God is not convinced by the arguments of the wise. So there is nothing to boast about in anything human…” As humans, our so called wisdom is limited. We could claim to be wise to a certain extent, but we may not be so wise in the eyes of God. That is why we should not think too highly of ourselves, since all our wisdom, knowledge, abilities and skills ultimately come from God. Instead, let us remain humble and always be thankful to God for the many gifts and talents He has given us, and use such gifts and talents for His greater glory.

Wednesday of Week 22 Year 2

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Some of us seem to like comparing one person or thing to another. For example, we may have been compared to a classmate or school mate who seemed smarter than we are; or we have been compared to another person who is more athletic than us; or we have compared one item to another. Even in church, we sometimes hear of comparisons: a parish priest being compared to the previous one; or a leader of a parish ministry compared to the previous one; or even one church compared to another. But as Christians, what sort of attitude should we have towards comparison? Should we compare in the first place?

In today’s reading, St. Paul admonishes us: “After all, what is Apollos and what is Paul? They are servants who brought the faith to you. Even the different ways in which they brought it were assigned to them by the Lord. I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God made things grow. Neither the planter nor the waterer matters: only God, who makes things grow. It is all one who does the planting and who does the watering, and each will duly be paid according to his share in the work. We are fellow workers with God; you are God’s farm, God’s building.” The reading reminds us that we should not be comparing one person or thing to another, since ultimately, we are serving God, not to boost our ego or to serve ourselves. Each of us have got our own task and our own talents and gifts, so we should use such talents and gifts not to show how great we are, but to glorify God. May we stop all these comparisons, which can create jealousy, enmity and resentment, and instead devote ourselves to serving God and serving others.

Tuesday of Week 22 Year 2

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Life on this earth is a journey, and throughout this journey, we need to make choices. Sometimes the choices we make are spiritual, sometimes worldly. But whatever choice we make, we need to be prepared for the outcome, which could be good or bad. Some people choose to focus on only worldly matters, and limit or even totally ignore spiritual matters. Others choose to focus on spiritual matters, while not forgetting worldly matters, since we still need to live and survive. What about you? Are you only interested in worldly matters? Or have you made effort to grow spiritually and grow closer to God?

In today’s reading, St. Paul reminds us that “An unspiritual person is one who does not accept anything of the Spirit of God: he sees it all as nonsense; it is beyond his understanding because it can only be understood by means of the Spirit. A spiritual man, on the other hand, is able to judge the value of everything, and his own value is not to be judged by other men.” At the end of the day, everything of this world is only temporary. Everything that the world has to offer won’t last, and we too won’t live forever. It is up to us to decide whether we want to risk our eternal future or make necessary effort and preparations while we still have opportunities to do so.