Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Year C

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

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Each and every one of us would have gone through some form of suffering in our lives. Suffering can either make or break us. We are familiar with what some people have done to themselves because of suffering: they become withdrawn; they feel they can’t take it any longer; some even despair and end it all by committing suicide. We are also familiar with how some people have handled their suffering: they could still smile sweetly and live normally, having a positive outlook and depending on God’s help with patience and confidence. What about us? How would we respond to suffering? What about the sufferings of other people? What have we done when we are confronted by the suffering of other people? What have we done when people share their pains and sufferings with us? Have we remained unmoved or have we involved ourselves in their suffering by lending a compassionate ear or extending a helping hand?

In today’s readings we learn that there are people who really do care about other people; that they do not keep their distance from others in their sufferings but instead do something to help them. This was what Elijah did to the widow of Zarephath in the first reading, where Elijah petitioned for God’s help and brought her son back to life. This was also what the townspeople did in the Gospel for the widow of Nain, by giving her their support as her son’s body was being carried out for burial. Jesus also did something spectacular for the widow of Nain, by raising her son back to life.

Do we not see examples of Elijah and Jesus in the way some of us deal with people who come to us? When a person comes to us in need, do we make effort to give him or her our time, or do we often make excuses, saying to ourselves that we have more important things to do? If we are making excuses and avoiding people to do our own thing, then perhaps the words “God has visited his people” in today’s Gospel can never be said of us.

Today, let us make time for others when they are in need. Sometimes, the time we offer to them could mean much more than all the sermons we could utter, or even the financial aid we could offer. Let us be men and women of God, bringing His love and compassion to others, so that in all we say and do, His name be glorified.

Pentecost Year C – Mass of the Day

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Today we celebrate Pentecost, where Jesus finally sends us the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, the one who will teach us everything and remind us of all that Jesus has said. But what does the coming of the Holy Spirit mean to us? What is its significance in our lives?

The coming of the Holy Spirit enables us to overcome our fears. It does not mean we would no longer have any fear, but fear can no longer control us, since the Holy Spirit is in control and will guide us. In the first reading, the apostles were at first fearful, and they hid behind closed doors. When they were filled by the Spirit, they came out from that room to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Also the coming of the Holy Spirit breaks down barriers between us and creates unity among people from diverse backgrounds. The church does not belong to any particular group, since the church is the Church of Christ and all people, regardless of race, color or language are part of it. As St. Paul reminds us in the second reading, we are “children of God”, “heirs of God and coheirs with Christ.” If we live according to the Holy Spirit, then we must not allow prejudice to affect the way we live our Christian lives. This means that since the church is made up of peoples from diverse backgrounds, we must be able to look after the interest of everyone and not only look towards our own interest.

Moreover, the alternative Gospel reminds us that the coming of the Holy Spirit is to “teach you everything and remind you of all I (Jesus) have said to you.” This is because we forget so easily and need to be constantly reminded of our identity as children of God, as brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to be reminded that our life in the Spirit is a life that must be founded on love, and that there is no room for hatred, prejudice, unforgiveness, or selfishness.

Thus, let us give thanks to God for the gift of the Holy Spirit, and allow Him to take control of our lives. Let us always be ready to listen to His promptings and learn to live as brothers and sisters in Christ, children of God. May we let the Holy Spirit transform us, so that we may be united as one and go forth to proclaim the Good News to all the earth.

7th Sunday of Easter Year C

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Sometimes at church, we come across faithful who seem to be more comfortable with their own group, such as a particular ministry, or language group, or some other group which share a common interest or practice. While there is nothing wrong with getting involved in a particular group, we need to be careful not to form cliques, where our particular group is more important or all that matters, and we begin to avoid other faithful, just because of some differences such as interests or language which could alienate us from others. After all, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and one family of God, and there is no room for division and distinction in this one family of God.

This is why, in today’s Gospel, Jesus prayed: “Holy Father, I pray not only for these, but for those also who through their words will believe in me. May they all be one. Father, may they be one in us as you are in me and I am in you.” Jesus was concerned not only for his disciples, those that the Heavenly Father had given to His care, but also for others, including those who rejected him and even his enemies. This is also why we cannot only be praying for our loved ones and friends and only help people who are close to us. We are also called to pray for ‘others,’ including our enemies, people who hurt us, those speak ill of us, those who think differently, those who are of a different skin colour or language. In the first reading, we are reminded that, filled with the Holy Spirit, Stephen did exactly this, since he prayed that God would forgive his enemies their sins as he was being stoned.

Today, we are challenged to remain as one family of God. We are challenged to set aside our differences and let God be our help and guide. It is certainly not easy to come out of our comfort zones and unite with others who seem so different from us, but that is what being Christian is all about, to be able to see others as our brother or sister, and to accept them as part of God’s family. May we be humble and willing to let God take charge of our lives, and keep us as one.

6th Sunday of Easter Year C

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Many of us know that the church can never be a democracy, where the opinions and votes of the faithful are important. This is because there are fundamental matters concerning faith and morals that cannot be changed to suit certain people, and if we are to dwell in the opinions of everyone, then we would find it impossible or extremely difficult to make decisions, sometimes decisions which may not be popular or difficult for some to accept. This is because different people would think that their opinion is what matters, and this would lead to disagreements, which may eventually lead to conflict, chaos and disunity.

In the first reading, the early Christian community faced a problem, because some of them believed that they should still follow Jewish customs, for example circumcision and prohibitions towards certain foods. This is because to them, Jesus was a Jew and had also followed Jewish ways and rituals. But there was also another group of Christians who recognised that Jesus was not merely another Jewish teacher wanting to reform his religion, but He was the Son of God who came to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God, where customs and rituals which separated and differentiated one race from the other could no longer be barriers to Christian brotherhood. Towards the end of the reading, we are told that a decision was made, where the Gentile converts should “not be saddled with any burden beyond certain essentials.”

This is where Christian communities throughout the centuries continued to survive and grow with guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to the church and to each of us believers. As Jesus tells us in the Gospel: “I have said these things to you while still with you; but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.” His presence enables us to experience peace in our decisions even in the midst of chaos and problems, because through His guidance, we can still come to a common decision that reflects the will of God, in spite of all our personal opinions and ways of thinking. Without the Holy Spirit, the Church and unity would not be possible.

At the end of the day, our decisions must always be made with reference to the Church and the community as a whole. Some of us may be tempted to think that my opinion is the best and the most important of all, but what matters most is not this or that opinion or even the opinion of the majority, but the will of God that we must search for with guidance of the Holy Spirit. May we continue to discern carefully and listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, for the benefit and good of the entire Church and community, and for the glory of God.

5th Sunday of Easter Year C

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Most of us would be quite familiar with the Synoptic Gospels, that is, the Gospel of Matthew, Mark and Luke. One common theme which could be found among these Gospels is the theme of ‘love’, where the Gospel writers repeat the key teaching of the Old Testament covenant that is to love God and love our neighbour as ourselves. The key point made here is that our love for neighbour must be similar to our love for ourselves. On the other hand, today’s Gospel is from the Gospel of John, and we are told: “I give you a new commandment: love one another; just as I have loved you, you must also love one another.” Many of us are familiar with God’s commandment to love, so what is so ‘new’ about this commandment as stated in the Gospel of John?

The ‘newness’ stems from the fact that our love for one another is not based on the criteria that we love ourselves: “love our neighbour as ourselves”, but the criteria is now that Jesus loves us: “just as I (Jesus) have loved you, you must also love one another.” Our ‘love’ for ourselves is often inadequate and incomplete, and no longer becomes a standard by which we love others, but Jesus’ love for us is what enables us to love. This is because God’s love is perfect, since God is love.

If we are to be Jesus’ disciples, then we must learn to love the way He loves us. We need to show our love through our words and deeds, taking Jesus’ love as our guide and standard. When we do so, then as the Gospel tells us: “By this love you have for one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples.” But we realise that Jesus’ love is a high standard which is not so simple to attain as it sounds, because we are not God. That is why we must continue to support, encourage and pray for each other, following the example of Paul and Barnabas in the first reading where “They put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith.”

Today, let us pray that we will have the strength, patience, perseverance and courage to love one another as Christ loved us. Love is not a sign of weakness or defeat. It is an act of courage that rejects a culture of hatred, pride and prejudice prevalent in the world today. May we take Christ as our example and learn more and more to be like Him in His love for all of us.

4th Sunday of Easter Year C

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Being a Christian disciple is challenging and even disheartening for some. It is not easy trying to live Christian values when the world promotes values contrary to the Gospel. For example, in business, we are told that honest and good people will never be successful, since many in the world believe that to be rich and powerful, one must be prepared to lie, be dishonest, cheat and be involved in corruption. Also, the world seems to tell us that we must be nice to our friends and to those who can help us or are beneficial to us in some way, but we are cautioned to be wary of our enemies. As Christians, we are not supposed to make any distinction between friend and enemy, since Christians are called to love their enemies. But this is something the world is unable to accept, since it would appear as if we are freely allowing our enemies to win and take advantage of us.

In today’s readings, we are reassured and comforted that remaining steadfast to Christian values is the way to go. In the first reading, Paul and Barnabas had enemies who spread lies about them and opposed them, and these enemies managed to get Paul and Barnabas expelled from the town. But the reading does not end on a disheartening note. Instead, we are told that “the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.” How is it possible for Paul and Barnabas to remain joyful even though they had been expelled from the town and it appears as if their enemies had won? It is precisely because these disciples knew that what they were doing is not for their own personal gratification or glory, but for the glory of God. The second reading tells us of the destiny of those who have suffered or died for the sake of the Gospel. They went through sufferings and persecutions, and because they remained faithful, they will no longer experience suffering, hunger or thirst “because the Lamb will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water. God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.” We are also reminded that as Christians, we cannot make every one happy, but we should follow our conscience and do what is right. To follow our conscience to do what is right is what it means to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd, as Jesus in today’s Gospel reminds and assures us: “The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me.”

It is certainly not easy and a challenge being a Christian. Jesus did not promise us an easy life or that he would take away all our problems and sufferings in this life. To be his disciple, we must be prepared to face the same fate as Jesus did, and be ready to endure hardships and persecutions. What Jesus promised us is that He will be our shepherd; will never allow us to despair; will give us the courage and strength to bear the cross; and will lead us to ‘restful waters’ and remain in His love and care. Are we willing to endure temporary suffering and hardship, for eternal joy and peace?

3rd Sunday of Easter Year C

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Have you ever wondered why some of you are not happy, or having feelings of anger and impatience, or feelings of resentment in your life? We could come up with so many possibilities of why some of us are feeling this way, but one reason which seems to crop up among many of us is that we want and need to be in control. We struggle to be in control even from our earliest years. As babies, we cry or bawl away, so that our parents would feed us or hold us to comfort us. As toddlers and as a child, some of us may have thrown tantrums, screamed, refused to do what we are told, or even being nice or behaving well, with the hope that we would get something in return. Even as adults, we try to get our way and be in control through our words and actions. Some of us even become control freaks, and try to control everything, including our spouse, our children, those who work for us, and many others, expecting them to conform to our ways and our demands.

But the truth is, we are not, never and shall never be in control, since God is ultimately in control. In today’s Gospel, Peter thought he was in control when he tried to go back to his old job fishing, but even in that, he fared badly, as he was not in control and failed to catch any fish. It was only when Jesus helped that he was able to catch so many fish. Also, the Gospel tells us that Jesus said to Peter: “when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.” This shows that Peter was not in control of his destiny, and control actually lies with God. Moreover in the first reading, Peter and the apostles reminded the High Priest and the Sanhedrin that God is in control when they said, “Obedience to God comes before obedience to men.” The High Priest and the Sanhedrin could only warn the apostles not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them, but they had no control over the apostles, since the apostles were under God’s control and doing His will.

This is why we should not allow ourselves to become egoistic or proud of our abilities, achievements and talent. The fact is that we are not in control, since we need the grace and strength of God to be able to do all that we do. This is what discipleship is all about: by being at God’s service, by listening to Jesus and be always ready to do God’s will, not ours. We are called to follow Him, to place our lives into His hands and let Him take control of our lives. May we be humble and willing to let go of the need to be in control of our lives and of others, and let God be in control, knowing that He will help and guide us to all we can be, for His glory.

2nd Sunday of Easter Year C

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What does Easter really mean to each of us? Is Easter meant to be experienced in an individualistic manner, or in a communitarian manner? Are we Christians only for ourselves, or are we Christians witnessing to all in a community? Today’s readings gives us an indication of how important it is for us to be an Easter people as a community.

In today’s Gospel, we come across the story of Thomas, one of the twelve apostles. When Jesus appeared to the apostles, Thomas was not there. The Gospel does not tell us why he was not there, but we could later get some glimpses of what was happening among the community of believers. The death of Jesus had effected each of the apostles in a different way. Perhaps in the case of Thomas, the death of Jesus caused him to have disillusionment or doubts about the community, since it was one among them who had betrayed Jesus, and many of them had run away when Jesus was arrested. So when Thomas insisted on seeing proofs of Jesus’ resurrection, he did not doubt Jesus nor the fact that he may have risen. He doubted the words of his brothers, the Christian community. A week later, when Thomas was with the others, Jesus appeared and revealed himself to Thomas and to the others in the community. This time, Thomas realised that his brothers were speaking the truth about Jesus, and he said: “My Lord and my God!”

Believing in God and in Jesus isn’t that difficult for most of us. But believing in the community is different matter altogether. We often see the sinfulness, the hypocrisy and the weaknesses of others in the community, and question whether God is really present in such a community. This causes many us to stay away from Church activities because we feel scandalised by the conduct and behaviour of certain persons in the community. But the point is, no community is perfect. The Church is made up of sinners, like you and I. It is in this broken and sinful community, that Jesus continues to be present, guiding us and helping us along the way. But how can we tell that Jesus is in this community and recognise His presence in the Church? Our physical eyes deceive us as they only focus our attention on the weaknesses and sinfulness of others. We must see with the eyes of faith, as Jesus tells us: “Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

Today, let us not doubt or feel disillusioned any longer. Let us look at Jesus as our hope and guide, knowing that no matter how difficult or challenging the community we are in may seem, we have confidence and trust that Jesus would be there to help us. May we do our part and be patient and persistent in our efforts to help our Christian community to grow, for the glory of God.

5th Sunday of Lent Year C

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It is interesting to observe the attitude of some people when they come for confession. Instead of confessing their sins, they begin a litany of condemnation of other people’s faults, shortcomings or sins. When asked why they come for confession in the first place, I sometimes get amusing responses such as: “Oh, but you see Father, such and such a person is like this or like that” or “Wait Father, I am not finished yet…” or “I am ok Father, it is such and such a person who needs to change” and many other strange responses. We call such people self-righteous, since they seem to think that they are faultless and everyone else who do not measure up to their standards or expectations is wrong.

In today’s Gospel, we come across a group of people who have an attitude of being self-righteous. We call these group of people the Scribes and the Pharisees. In the Gospel, we are told that a woman had been caught committing adultery. For the Jews, adultery is a big sin for which there is no tolerance and the penalty is death. It is also interesting to note that only the woman had been caught; what about the man, since it takes two to tango? These Scribes and Pharisees knew about Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness, and they thought they had finally found an inescapable excuse to trap Him when they asked: “What have you to say?” If He granted her freedom, He would be undermining the law. If He observed the law and permitted her death, His preaching on God’s mercy and forgiveness would be meaningless. It appeared as if the Scribes and the Pharisees had finally won. It is obvious that these religious leaders were using this woman for their own selfish reasons; they only wanted to put her down instead of helping her get up; and they were more interested in punishing sin than in preventing it. When pressed to give an answer, Jesus simply replied: “If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Bam! What an answer. The so called trap had been knocked out. Jesus was not telling them that the woman was innocent; instead He was challenging them: “Being sinners yourselves, do not be so quick to condemn others.” Like the woman, they too were in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness. After hearing Jesus’ words, the Scribes and the Pharisees knew that they themselves had been caught, and “they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained standing there.”

What can we learn from this “drama minggu ini or this week’s drama”? Jesus reminds us: “Judge not and you shall not be judged.” Also, the Scribes and Pharisees only saw the woman’s sin and her sinful past, and refused to give her another chance to change her life. On the other hand, Jesus saw in the woman not her sinful past but her saintly future. Jesus is urging us to learn to forgive others, instead of focusing only on their wrongdoings, their past failures, and making sure that everyone knows about them. When we pray the Our Father or the Lord’s Prayer, may we truly and sincerely mean what we say, when we come to the part: “Forgive us our trespasses, just as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

4th Sunday of Lent Year C

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There are many things in life which we could avoid or have control of. Sometimes, it is for our personal good that we have the freedom to choose what we want and need, since some things may not necessarily be good for us in the long run. On the other hand, there are also many things in life which is beyond our control, beyond our choice. For example, we cannot control when we would actually die, since death can come at any time, at any place, at any moment. Another example of something beyond our control is change. As long as we are alive, we are constantly changing physically and biologically, and we have no control of such change. But we do have control over one important aspect, that is our direction in life. However, it is precisely this direction in life which is hardest to change and accept.

Today’s readings tell us of different examples of change and how people respond to such changes. In the first reading, the Israelites had a change of lifestyle in the kind of diet they had been having. They now had finally arrived at their new homeland, after escaping Egypt and journeying 40 years in the desert. From that time on, they no longer had the manna which they ate in the desert; instead they had tasted the produce of that country, unleavened bread and roasted ears of corn. In the Gospel, we come across the younger son who started off on the wrong track but who later repented and decided to change his direction in life. The younger son represented the sinners among Jesus’ followers who had repented and changed from their past lives, whereas the older son represented the pious and religious Pharisees and scribes who continued to hold on to their self-righteous beliefs, refusing to change because they felt that they were already good and they believed that they had no need to change. This is because change can be frightening and disturbing to some of us, but unless we change, we will remain like the elder brother: angry, frustrated, complaining always and we can never allow ourselves to be part of God’s salvation. St. Paul in the second reading reminds us that “For anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has gone, and now the new one is here. It is all God’s work.” If we are indeed a ‘new creation’ then change must take place, and we must begin to live this ‘newness’ of life.

At the end of the day, change of our direction in life can only happen if we are open to God’s love and care. May we pray for grace to accept change, and let our loving God guide us in all we do, so that we glorify Him and move forward in faith, hope and love.