Monday, March 18, 2024

St. Joseph, Spouse of the BVM, Tuesday, 19-03-2024

2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16 / Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22 / Matthew 1: 16, 18-21 or Luke 2:41-51

St. Joseph is certainly one of the great saints of the Church.

He is also known by many eminent titles like “Patron and Guardian of the Church”, “Patron of the dying”, “Patron of priests, husbands and fathers”.

He is also the “Patron of workers” and his feast-day on the 1st May is often celebrated with processions and “high” Masses.

But the title of “Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary” is the most profound.

That’s because it tells of who St. Joseph is, it tells about his faith, his character and integrity, and his calling to be the husband of Mary and guardian of the child Jesus.

Although the gospels did not have any quotes or sayings of St. Joseph, the title of “Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary” says it all.

St. Joseph was a man of honour and also a man of faith.

His faith leads him to trust in the Lord’s calling to accept Mary as his wife and to care and protect mother and child.

His faith was expressed in his actions and in his commitment to God and to Mary and Jesus.

May our faith, our words and our actions also express our trust and commitment to God. 

Sunday, March 17, 2024

5th Week of Lent, Monday, 18-03-2024

Daniel 13:41-42 / John 8:1-11    

A stone is a natural object that can be used for a number of purposes.

It can be used as part of an artistic creation or some other meaningful purposes.

But a stone can also be used for other intentions.

In both the readings, stones were used as a means for execution.

In the 1st reading, God intervened through Daniel and the innocent Susanna was saved from accusation and execution.

The two evil elders however, did not escape punishment, and they got the punishment that they had intended to inflict on Susanna.

But in the gospel, the woman who was caught committing adultery, was brought before Jesus for His opinion on the judgement.

His famous line “If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” was enough to rattle hearts of stone.

Jesus is the corner-stone referred to in the Scriptures. A corner-stone is an important stone as it holds the other stones of a gateway.

May Jesus be the corner-stone of our faith, and may our hearts of stone crumble and give way to forgiveness and compassion.


Saturday, March 16, 2024

5th Sunday of Lent, Year B, 17.03.2024

Jeremiah 31:31-34 / Hebrews 5:7-9 / John 12:20-33   

In our social interactions, we talk about a wide variety of topics. 

Generally, we would talk about things at the peripheral. So, we will talk about the weather, about food, about where to go for holidays. 

Some conversations will go a bit deeper, like health issues, work problems, family matters.

And of course, we also like to talk about others, and somehow we end up gossiping about them. 

And we will also indulge in our favourite pastime, which is complaining. Seems like we have quite a lot to complain about - about the high cost of living, about inconveniences, about people we don't like. 

But when we come before Jesus in prayer, what are we going to talk to Him about? 

It might be about things that are mundane, or that we just want to complain. 

But what is it that Jesus wants to talk to us about? 

In the gospel, some Greeks wanted to see Jesus, but their purpose was not stated. Maybe they were curious because they had heard about Jesus and so they wanted to see Him. 

As for Jesus, He had other matters in His mind. In the gospel passage, Jesus is telling us what matters to Him and what should matter to us. 

He talks about a wheat grain and the harvest it can produce. He talks about eternal life. And then He says that His soul is troubled, and ask His Father to save Him. 

But He also knows that He is like the grain that must die in order to produce a rich harvest. And when He is lifted up from the earth, He will draw all men to Himself. 

In other words, Jesus was thinking about His suffering and death on the Cross. 

Jesus also wants us to think about our life and also about our death. 

For a Christian to think about death is not taboo or morbid. Because to think about death is to think about life and about eternal life. 

I remembered that when my late sister was in the final stages of her terminal illness, she had her questions about her life and about her illness. 

She had difficulty in coming to terms that her illness was terminal, and the pain and suffering didn't make it any easier. 

I prayed for her to accept it, so that she could have peace when the day comes for her to return to the Lord. 

Then my brother came back from his overseas assignment, and I went to fetch him from the airport to the hospital where my sister was. 

On that particular afternoon, the three of us had a good sibling-time.

We talked about our childhood days, and how she was the big sister always keeping an eye on us to stop us from being too naughty.

We talked about things that mattered, that she doesn’t have to worry about anything, that we will be with her and look after her, and that we will pray for her.

We didn’t talk about death or funeral arrangements, but it seems that my sister sensed that it won’t be long, and she told us that she just wanted to be comfortable.

We had a good conversation as we talked about things that mattered to us.

It was only when she said that she was tired that we let her rest. And my sister seemed to be at peace and even happy. 

As my brother and I went home, we realized that we never had such a sibling-time with my sister, and we were happy with this blessing from God. 

We talked about what mattered to us, we talked about life, and with that, death didn’t seem such a morbid or scary thing anymore.

As for my sister, when the day came, she went back peacefully to the Lord. 

Her passing on peacefully was a consolation to my family.

And she left fond memories for us too, especially for my brother and me, as we remember that afternoon when the three of us siblings shared life, love and care for each other.

May our lives be like the grain that will bear a harvest of love and care for others. 

And may we pass on from this life to eternal life and to receive that eternal blessing of joy from God.

Friday, March 15, 2024

4th Week of Lent, Saturday, 16-03-2024

Jeremiah 11:18-20 / John 7:40-52  

Life is unpredictable with its many twists and turns.

That is already enough to make us worry and anxious.

To add on to that, people can also be unpredictable.

Especially those whom we once knew as friends suddenly turn against us.

For one reason or another, they chose to go against us and even be malicious and vicious toward us.

Certainly we can retaliate and do unto them what they did to us.

But in the 1st reading, the prophet Jeremiah gives us another perspective.

He was unaware of the schemes of those who were plotting against him.

He may not have even thought of them as his enemies.

But the Lord revealed it to him and hence he was warned.

But Jeremiah knew that he can’t resist them and so he put his life into the hands of the Lord God.

When we, like Jeremiah, commit our lives to the Lord, then we would not think of retaliation or vengeance.

God will protect us and guide us through the dangers and the snares of life.




Thursday, March 14, 2024

4th Week of Lent, Friday, 15-03-2024

Wisdom 2:1, 12-22 / John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30  

The existence of God has always been a topic of reflection and discussion.

Several philosophical reflections, and even some scientific theories, have suggested proofs of the existence of God.

But even with some proofs of the existence of God, to believe in God would require faith.

Faith is a gift from God, and that gift of faith enables human beings to know that there is a God and to respond by believing in Him.

In the 1st reading, the godless, with their misguided reasoning, ridiculed and plotted harm against those who believed in God.

But as the 1st reading concludes: 
This is the way they reason, but they are misled, their malice makes them blind.
They do not know the hidden things of God, they have no hope that holiness will be rewarded, they can see no reward for blameless souls.

As we reflect on that, we can see that those who refuse to acknowledge the existence of God or to believe in Him will have a sad and tragic end.

As for us Christians, we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He is our Master.

He is our Way, our Truth and our Life. Let us follow Him in doing good and loving others.

With faith and with hope, we journey on from this world to the next where we will finally be with the God that we believe in.




Wednesday, March 13, 2024

4th Week of Lent, Thursday, 14-03-2024

Exodus 32:7-14 / John 5:31-47     

There is one fundamental aspect that the season of Lent points to.

That fundamental aspect also points to what the Church is about, what our faith is about, and what the purpose of Christianity is about.

And that fundamental aspect is salvation. 

Salvation can only be understood when we realise the destructive power of sin.

Sin destroys our lives, our relationship with God and also our relationships with others.

But despite knowing the destruction that sin causes, we still are prone to sin.

In the 1st reading, the people sinned against God by worshipping an image of a golden calf and calling it their god.

God wanted to punish the people, but Moses pleaded on their behalf.

Moses wanted the people to repent of their sin and to be saved by the forgiveness of God.

In the gospel, Jesus gave a teaching about who He is, but in short, it is in those words: It is for your salvation that I speak of this.

Let us not take salvation for granted. Let us realise that we are weak and prone to sin.

Let us turn to the Lord our God for forgiveness and healing. 

And God will grant us the blessing of the joy of salvation.




Tuesday, March 12, 2024

4th Week of Lent, Wednesday, 13-03-2024

Isaiah 49:8-15 / John 5:17-30  

One of the quotes from St. Irenaeus (AD 120 – 200) is this: The glory of God is man fully alive.

It is a profound quote, and essentially it says who God is and how mankind is held in relation to God.

God is our Creator and we are His creation, indeed, His best creation.

God is the source of our life, and He is also the source of our love.

The 1st reading and the gospel emphasize this essential teaching.

So, for man to be fully alive, does not merely mean that he is active, productive, effective and efficient.

For man to be fully alive, all that he does must be done in God and for the glory of God.

For man to be fully alive, all that he does must also be for the good of his neighbours.

For St. Irenaeus, whose name means “peacemaker”, he lived up to his name by working for peace.

His life was a life of love. May our lives be lived in love and may we also work for peace.