Category Archives: Year C

Among the important discoveries of humankind, one which changed many things in our lives is the discovery of fire. By learning how to make fire and use it to our advantage, people gradually abandoned their nomadic life and settle down as farmers, heralding the beginning of villages, town and cities. Fire can be useful or destructive. It can be used to cook our meals or to burn down a house. It can be used to run equipment for industrial use, or to produce weapons of war.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus makes use of fire to tell us why He had come: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!… Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” Some of us may find such a statement by Jesus difficult to understand and accept.  After all, He is called Prince of Peace by the prophet Isaiah. Now He is saying that He would set the earth on fire and bring about division. How do we make sense of such a statement then? We need to remember that Jesus, and us too, are not only priest and king, but also a prophet. In the Old Testament, the false prophet is one who tries to please the audience, especially the rulers. Such false prophets have got a personal agenda, such as personal gratification, fame, popularity, wealth or recognition. On the other hand, the true prophet proclaims God’s Word, to his contemporaries, regardless of the consequences. The true prophet strives to speak the truth, and his words and warnings are meant to make us look into ourselves and discover that we may be our first and worst enemy, since quite often, it is our evil desires and deeds that may have kept us from living according to God’s Word and walk in His ways. It is in this context that Jesus’ coming and teachings would set the earth on fire and bring about division.

So what does this mean to us? What it means is that Jesus is now asking us make our choice: For or against Him; to say ‘Yes’ to God or to say ‘No.’ There is no in-between, no ifs, maybes or buts. Our choice will have eternal repercussions: Live according to His Word and we would have eternal life; or go against His Word and we will face the consequences, including eternal damnation. But we do not need to go through this alone, since Jesus is there to guide us and help us. In the second reading, St. Paul gives us these words of encouragement: “Let us persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus… For the sake of the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.” With these words, St. Paul is asking us to make Jesus our model as we run the race of life. Jesus endured the cross and its shame in view of the “joy that lay before him,” and we too should do the same. Jesus received triumphant glory by His obedience to His Father’s will, and we would too, if we live by God’s Word.

Let us therefore make our choice for Jesus and reaffirm it daily in thought, word and deed. Let us throw off everything that hinders us, especially the sin that clings so easily, and keep running steadily in the race we have started. Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection, so that we would be with Him for all eternity.

Different people have got different kinds of fear. Some fear the dark; some fear insects, spiders, lizards (especially those known as geckos or “cicak” in Malay, that reside in houses) or other creepy crawlies; some fear their husbands or wives due to one reason or another; some fear to lose, even in small or insignificant matters; and some fear heights. Among the many reasons people may be fearful of, I believe one which is quite common is the fear of death or dying. Many people do not like to talk about death or think about death. Perhaps, they think that if they do not talk about it or think about it, it would not happen. But the fact is, death will happen, and we cannot avoid death. It can come at any time and at any place.

Since we cannot avoid death, what do we do then? Do we try to run and hide somewhere, trembling and worrying ourselves silly? Of course not! We must, as Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel, “stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” We should not be caught off guard but always be prepared and be ready. Jesus also reassures us: “There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.” We shouldn’t be afraid of death,  since death reminds us that there is a beginning and end to our physical life; that we need to pay attention to our relationship with others, especially with our family members and friends, during our short time on earth; that power, riches and popularity are all temporary, and we should remain humble; that we are humans, we are weak and we ultimately need to rely on God for everything; and that we should look seriously into our spiritual life and keep our soul clean and ready to meet the Lord and be with Him.

Moreover, the second reading reminds us that “only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen.” Some of us fear death because we fear the unknown, and we do not know what is going to happen to us. But faith gives us the answer. Faith tells us that God will never abandon us and that God will make us a home for us with him in heaven.

Therefore, let us have faith and confidence that God will care for us. If we trust in Him and prepare ourselves consistently and faithfully with hope and humility, then we should not have any reason to fear death, since we are only strangers and nomads on earth in search of our real homeland, a better homeland, our heavenly homeland.

Among the many things that concern us in this life here on earth, one which ranks quite high is security. We are concerned about security not only in ensuring that our family and us are safe from robbers, brigands, thieves and other undesirable characters, we are also concerned about other forms of security such as wealth and property. To plan for the future and save up for a rainy day, we make much effort to buy insurance policies, make investments, save money in banks, because we are often thinking about our financial future and the future of our children.

The question is: as Christians, is it wrong to work for security for our families and for ourselves here on earth? Of course not. We still need to live and survive on earth. But what we should be aware of is our yearning for security here on earth should be put in its proper perspective. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us of a rich farmer who had a perspective for security which caused him to lose it all in the end. What was the rich farmer’s mistake? What did he do wrong? He was greedy. He was “storing up treasures for himself.” Jesus warned us before telling the story of the rich farmer by giving us this warning: “Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs.” Greed causes a person to rely solely on material possessions for his security, since having material possessions makes him think that he is in control of his life, and he begins to depend only on himself for his security, forgetting that he has obtained all these riches only through the grace of God. Ultimately, he forgets that his life is in God’s hands. Greed prevented the rich farmer from thinking of others and sharing with others what he has. Instead, he had plans to build more barns and thought of  hoarding or “storing treasures for himself” and for no one else.

So does this mean that having riches and wealth is sinful or wrong? No. Jesus is not condemning riches, but He is telling us to share our riches and our possessions. Jesus is telling us that, in the end, we cannot bring our riches with us when we die. Instead, life should be spent investing in things that really do matter, in things that will last. As St. Paul reminds us in the second reading: “Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.” In other words, our true security lies not in things in this world, but in Jesus.

The fact is, life is tough. We all know that. We face challenges each day. We work hard to make our lives more comfortable, and to do so, we accumulate all sorts of things, gadgets, gizmos and other conveniences. Sometimes, when we are so busy making our lives more comfortable here on earth, we forget about God, church and even our own families. We pressure our children to study hard and to get good jobs. No one is saying that these should be ignored or avoided, since these things have their purpose and importance, but they should not be the most important things in our lives. We should never let these things control our lives, because when we do, we become enslaved to them. We must never forget that we can never bring any of these things with us when we die. We entered into this world without having anything and we will leave this world without bringing anything.

Today, let us reflect the kind of lives we are living. Are our words, efforts and actions ultimately helping us to grow in relationship with God and grow closer to Him? Or are we leading ourselves astray, influenced and enslaved by the ways of the world, only to regret later? May we come to realise the condition our soul is in, and do the necessary while we have time and opportunities to do so, for the benefit of our eternal future.

Why do you pray? How do you pray? Do you pray to get things; to gain healing for yourself or for others; or for some other good cause? But quite often, our prayers do not get answered in the way that we want. Then what happens? Do some of us begin to fret and pout, angry that God is not helping us or granting our prayers? Or do we start going for other forms of help, thinking that these would help instead? Or do some of us give up, thinking that God is not going to help us anyhow, and some of us even despair? How should we pray as Christians?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us: “Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find, knock, and the door will be opened to you” How do we understand these words of Jesus, considering that our prayers are not always answered no matter how hard we try? Perhaps the key or clue could be found in the first half of the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father in heaven, holy be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.” What do these words mean? It means that whenever we pray, we are praying that whatever happens would glorify God and not ourselves. It means that we are praying that God’s kingdom be established and that His will be done and not that our own kingdom be established or our own will be done. It means that we are praying that we will depend on him for our well-being and that even our daily sustenance should be seen as a pure gift from God. This is the content and the goal of our prayer, the kind of prayer that God will never refuse.

The problem with some of us is that some of us seem to think we can manipulate and control God through our prayers. For example, if we attend a number of novenas or recite a certain amount of rosary, or we pray the chaplet of the divine mercy or follow some sort of devotion faithfully, we believe that our prayers will certainly be answered. What we fail to realise is that prayer is not magic, or some sort of murgaga or hokus pokus we sometimes see on television. Prayer does not mean we can control God. Instead, true prayer brings about conversion and change on our part, so that we can learn to let God take control of our lives. God does indeed answer prayers. But His answer may not be according to what we may expect or hope for. Sometimes, God says ‘Yes,’ sometimes ‘No,’ sometimes ‘now,’ sometimes ‘later,’ sometimes ‘this way,’ sometimes ‘that way.’ Whatever be the outcome may be, God knows best. Are we willing to trust God and let Him decide?

Today, let us pray earnestly, consistently and with humility, trust and patience, knowing that our Lord knows what is best for us and will answer our prayers according to His time, His purposes, His love and His mercy, and for His greater glory.

Some of us seem to have the urge to do lots of things in church. Some seem to have the need to be involved in many different ministries, and help out in many different projects and activities, thinking that without their help or involvement, the ministry, project or activity may collapse or be less successful. But is being Christian only about doing, doing and doing?

In today’s Gospel, we come across two sisters who had contrasting views about what doing and being is all about. Martha had been working very hard to make Jesus feel welcomed in her home. She’s the sort of person who cannot sit down and must always be working because there is always someone to take care of or some task to be completed. She’s doing her very best thinking that that her very best is what the Lord wants of her. But it’s not what Martha can do that matters. What really matters is what Jesus can do for her. And this is what Mary had allowed Jesus to do. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, which to some may seem to be useless and doing nothing. But she was actually allowing Jesus to be Jesus, as her Teacher, as her Guide, and as her Lord. Likewise, in the first reading, Abraham thought that he was extending hospitality to the three men, not knowing that God was in his midst. He thought that he was doing his guests a favour by being hospitable, but it would be his guest, God, who would be doing a favour for him. Abraham, who had been childless for so many years, would now have a child, a gift from God.

We sometimes forget that God invites us to participate in His work of salvation. Whatever our contribution, it is always still God’s work, not ours, and we should not be taking credit for all the people that we’ve helped, since God has chosen us as His instruments to help them. If we fail to recognise this, then we would be building our own kingdom rather than God’s kingdom. This is why St. Paul in the second reading can speak with such hope and joy, because he realises that he is only a servant of God, and merely one small piece in that whole plan of God for the salvation of mankind. Ultimately, Paul knew that all that he had been doing is for the glory of God.

What about us? Are we still focused in only doing things for God, without spending time being with Him and listening to His promptings? Are we doing things to show how great, clever, capable or important we are, or have we learnt to give God the glory for all that we do? Let us always remember that we are not the master but merely servants, and that we are building God’s kingdom, not our own.

Some of us would still remember our catechism classes or in some cases even at RCIA sessions, where we are reminded of what we can or cannot do as Christians. For example, some of us recall being told that we cannot eat meat on Fridays; or that if we have committed a serious sin we should go for confession first before going for communion; or that we must go to church every Sunday or every day if possible; so many do’s and don’ts which could go on and on. It seems as if being Christian means observing so many laws and restrictions, making life appearing to be stifling or suffocating for some. But is Christian living merely about keeping laws? Well, yes and no, since Christian living actually demands that we keep one Law, which is Love, of which must be the basis of all other laws.

Today’s Gospel tells us of three different persons who came across a man who had been robbed, beaten up, and left for dead. The first two persons, the priest and the Levite, who walked pass the person in distress, were not being ‘bad’ people, so to speak, but they were actually merely trying to be good Jews, since to them, keeping the Law was more important. This is because, to the Jews, to touch someone who was covered in blood would be to touch someone considered ‘unclean.’ The Samaritan, on the other hand, is an outsider, a non-Jew. Yet, it is this Samaritan who reaches out to help the man in need. He goes out of his way to make sure that the man’s well-being is taken care of till the man makes a full recovery.

The Samaritan’s generosity is an example of the kind love which Jesus speaks about in the Gospel, since as the first reading reminds us, “it is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observance.” Love is not merely something we observe or do out of obligation, but must be freely given and freely received. Jesus is the perfect example of this love, by becoming man and dying on the cross for us, so that we may live. In His life and in His death, He was faithful to the greatest law, the greatest commandment, that is the law of love.

Today, let us follow the example of the Good Samaritan, and the example of Jesus, and not merely and blindly follow God’s laws like the priest and the Levite. Instead, let us never forget to follow the greatest law of all, that is the law of Love.

Today’s readings give us two conflicting images that do not seem possible to be harmonised. One is of abundance and rejoicing; the other is of the cross and self-denial. When we look at these images, we would wonder how we could link the two, since finding a connection does not seem so evident or straightforward. But if we look discernly and carefully at the messages offered in today’s readings, we can see how they actually do fit together.

In the first reading, Isaiah’s message is a vision of the future Jerusalem, which had been destroyed, its inhabitants scattered, will be made prosperous again and its people brought back home, and the ancient Israelites clung with hope and trust to this promise of future security and happiness. In curent times, some of us too are experiencing cities ravaged by war, cities plagued by poverty; and cities infested with crime. We grieve over what is happening to such cities, and we wonder whether God will turn their mourning into rejoicing. This is not a vain hope or just a dream, for as today’s psalm reminds us, God “changed the sea into dry land; through the river they passed on foot.” God liberated a people before; and He certainly could do it again. But how would He do so?

Today’s Gospel offers us answers to this question. The world has an immense need of labourers who will bring to life the kingdom of God. Jesus sent out the seventy-two in pairs, to all the towns and places that He himself was to visit, and he sends us out to continue their work. Today we are the ones with the message, “Peace to this household.” “Peace” seems to be a simple greeting to give, but a great and challenging task to accomplish. But world peace really does begin in our families and in our neighbourhoods, and we can and must establish it there. Jesus warned us that the message of peace may be rejected. Our efforts at change may not always be appreciated. But God restored the people in the past, and through us, God can continue to restore the people today.

One thing we need to constantly remember is that we are the new creation of which Paul speaks in today’s second reading. And like Paul, we too must be willing to be crucified to some of the standards of our world, standards that stand in opposition to the reign of God. It is in this way that the cross enters our lives, and that God’s peace would begin to spread in our homes, our neighbourhood, our cities, our countries, throughout the world. Let us pray that God will continue to help us in our effort and grant us more patience in spreading His message of peace to all.

Many of us call ourselves Christians and do our best to live good and devout lives. We make effort to go to church as often as possible, some even daily. However, let us consider for a moment: if Jesus were to come to you and ask you to “Come, follow me,” what would your answer be? Would you say “yes” immediately, or would you start thinking of all the things you need to settle before following Jesus, or make all sorts of excuses instead?

Today’s gospel gives us a very clear picture of what is required of us to be Jesus’ disciples. In a nutshell, we must be prepared to give up all things that we value in order to follow Jesus. In the Gospel, we see three different situations. Firstly, Jesus reminds us that although all other creatures may have a home, the Son of Man himself has no permanent home. This means that a disciple needs to give up all forms of security such as a good job, a good family, or even a good education, to follow Jesus. The second man was unable to follow Jesus immediately because he needed to fulfil his filial obligation to bury his father. Yet even this, according to Jesus, does not take precedence over the call to follow Jesus. Finally, the third man is reminded that if one is to follow Jesus, there is no turning back: “once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” These three situations are examples of the high cost of discipleship. However, Jesus is not asking us to be not filial or to discard our obligations to our parents and elders, since service to God should never be used as an excuse to escape from one’s obligations to one’s parents. But what the Gospel is telling us is that one must be prepared to die to one’s personal needs, likes and dislikes, and even agenda to follow Jesus.

The first reading tells us of Elisha, who answered the call of Elijah, and slaughtered the oxen and burned the plough. What Elisha was doing is that he is giving up everything: he is abandoning his life as a farmer to be a prophet and follow Elijah. This is a sign of firm commitment. Are we willing to make a firm commitment like Elisha did, to follow Jesus? Remember that once we have truly and sincerely decided to follow Jesus, there is no turning back. Are we willing to sacrifice everything for Jesus, for the sake of the Kingdom of God?

It is interesting to observe how some people view God. Some people seem to long for a god that would bless them with riches and good fortune, that would protect them from all harm, that would solve all their problems, that would give them happiness and peace. Perhaps this was what Peter in today’s Gospel was hoping for, when Jesus came into his life. Peter had hoped and thought that Jesus had come to liberate Israel from the Romans, and lead Israel as a nation back to their glorious past. But Jesus gives a very different picture of his role, by speaking of Himself as being “destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death.” Jesus is trying to help Peter and His disciples understand that He is God who is prepared to suffer and die for us because He loves us.

What does this mean to us? It means that, to be a disciple of Christ, we must as Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel: “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it.” Whatever we seek in this world merely brings temporary satisfaction, and we can become easily dissatisfied and search for other things that may satisfy; but nothing can truly satisfy but God’s love. It also means that as a disciple of Christ, we are one in Christ, as St. Paul in the second reading reminds us: “You are, all of you, sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. All baptised in Christ, you have all clothed yourselves in Christ, and there are no more distinctions between Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female, but all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” This means that as one people in Christ, we need to help each other and together experience God’s love.

Some of us may wonder: how are we to deal with suffering? Is suffering a bad thing? No, Jesus taught us through His life example that suffering is not a bad thing or our enemy. In fact, Jesus is showing us through His life example that we all experience pain and suffering, but when suffering comes, we can either choose to complain and become bitter and angry; or we can choose to see how God can bring goodness out of this experience. Today, let us not fear or despair if we are experiencing suffering, since God is there to help us and guide us, transforming us into something beter, for His glory.

We sometimes come across people who think they are good Christians because they observe and keep God’s laws and the laws of the church faithfully. They think that being a Christian or having a Christian faith means keeping such laws. The problem with such thinking is that when we begin to think of our religion as merely a set of laws, our faith is then based on fear of judgment and punishment from God. Some of us begin to think that if we obey these laws we will be blessed and nothing bad will happen to us, but if we break these laws then we will be punished and cursed. When religion is based on fear, we become judgmental. We begin to judge others by external appearances and behaviour, and we are ready to catch people when they make a mistake and are quick to condemn them or even ostracise them from the community. But is this what Christianity really all about? As Christians, how do we see others? Do we often judge others by appearance, remember their mistakes and use it against them?

In today’s readings, we are reminded of what it really means to be a Christian. In the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that “what makes a man righteous is not obedience to the law, but faith in Jesus Christ.” This means that it is not enough to just follow a set of rules and laws, as our faith is based on relationship with God and the heart of our faith must be love. God relates to us not as a judge waiting to punish us when we have done wrong but as a God who loves us, as St. Paul tells us of his faith: “The life I now live in this body I live in faith: faith in the Son of God who loved me and who sacrificed himself for my sake.”

Moreover, we are also called to mercy instead of judgment. Today’s gospel gives us the beautiful story of Jesus and the sinful woman. In the Gospel, the Pharisee who invited Jesus to his house only saw a sinful woman. This woman is described as one who had “a bad name in town.” For the Pharisee, this woman’s sin was too great and cannot be forgiven, and that she was already condemned and doomed. But Jesus saw the woman differently. He knew that she was a sinner but he also knew she could change if given the opportunity. Mercy and forgiveness creates the opportunity for change, and allows us to leave the past behind. Mercy and forgiveness is how God relates with us and challenges us to also show mercy and forgiveness to others.

Today, may we begin to show mercy, understanding and forgiveness to one another. May we recognise that we are all sinners and acknowledge that we are not perfect. May we admit that we have hurt one another by our pride, ego, and selfishness. But let us not remain trapped by our failings, because God has shown us a way forward through forgiveness and mercy. May we press on in our journey, as we learn to forgive and be forgiven, and let our loving God be our help and guide.