Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12 / John 5:1-3, 5-16 (2020)
It is difficult to see any good in a bad and depressive situation, just as it is difficult to imagine that a beautiful butterfly can come from an ugly caterpillar.
Much more difficult it will be to see or even imagine anything glorious coming up from something that is destroyed.
In the 1st reading, the prophet Ezekiel gave a vision of the Temple from which life-giving and healing waters flow.
But the problem was that just a few years back, the Temple had been destroyed and now Israel is in exile in Babylon.
But that prophetic vision was fulfilled when Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross, and He became the Temple of God, and from His side flowed blood and water which symbolized life and healing.
That prophetic vision strengthens us when our faith wavers and we lose hope in a situation of turmoil and depression.
Because in a seemingly hopeless and despairing situation of being nailed to the cross, Jesus still issued forth His life-giving and healing grace.
This grace is given to us whenever we meet with struggles and difficulties, so that we can look forward with faith and hope to the glory of the resurrection.
Jesus is not just our Healer. He is our Saviour who leads us to see the beauty in the ugly and victory over vice.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
4th Week of Lent, Monday, 15-03-10
Isaiah 65 : 17-21 / John 4 : 43-54 (2017)
This period of Lent is especially for the Elects of the Church to prepare for the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil.
They are prepared to go through this final preparation with fasting, prayer and alms-giving over the 40-day period.
They are prepared to go through this because they have a faith-story to tell.
It is essentially a deep experience of God and His love for them that drives them to look forward for their baptism.
In short, these Elects have experienced what God did for them in their journey of life and journey of faith.
It is not a question of what God might do for them. Rather it is about what God will do for them.
Even we, who are already Catholics, can learn a lot from these Elects, just as we can learn from the court official in today's gospel.
The court official chose to believe in Jesus and that He will cure his son.
Today's gospel presents us with a challenge to renew and deepen our faith in Jesus and in what He has promised us.
Jesus does not tell us "Maybe". Jesus tells us that "it will be".
Let us believe in Jesus, so that as the 1st reading puts it, we will be renewed in "Joy" and "Gladness".
This period of Lent is especially for the Elects of the Church to prepare for the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil.
They are prepared to go through this final preparation with fasting, prayer and alms-giving over the 40-day period.
They are prepared to go through this because they have a faith-story to tell.
It is essentially a deep experience of God and His love for them that drives them to look forward for their baptism.
In short, these Elects have experienced what God did for them in their journey of life and journey of faith.
It is not a question of what God might do for them. Rather it is about what God will do for them.
Even we, who are already Catholics, can learn a lot from these Elects, just as we can learn from the court official in today's gospel.
The court official chose to believe in Jesus and that He will cure his son.
Today's gospel presents us with a challenge to renew and deepen our faith in Jesus and in what He has promised us.
Jesus does not tell us "Maybe". Jesus tells us that "it will be".
Let us believe in Jesus, so that as the 1st reading puts it, we will be renewed in "Joy" and "Gladness".
Saturday, March 13, 2010
3rd Week of Lent, Saturday, 13-03-10
Hosea 5:15 - 6:6 / Luke 18:9-14 (2019 / 2023 / 2025)
One of the preparations before going for the Sacrament of Reconciliation is to use the 10 Commandments for the examination of conscience.
Breaking any of the 10 Commandments is indeed a grave sin.
Hence not going for Mass on Sundays, disrespect for parents, stealing, adultery, all these are grave sins. Blatantly grave.
But what is blatant can be equally destructive as what is subtle.
We avoid obvious grave sins, yet we can forget that there are sins that are not so obvious that will cause us to trip and fall.
In today's gospel parable, the Pharisee was proud that he did not commit any grave sin ; in fact he did credible deeds.
But why was he not at rights with God?
As always, pride comes before the fall.
His problem was spiritual pride - he called another person a sinner without acknowledging to be one himself.
He propped himself up, at the expense of another person.
It was subtle, but evil. So we need to watch ourselves.
If we think we are virtuous, are we also getting self-righteous?
We can make sacrifices and perform credible deeds.
But what the Lord wants is not sacrifice. What He wants is our love for Him and for those around us.
And we if should fall, then we only need to turn to God and say : God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
One of the preparations before going for the Sacrament of Reconciliation is to use the 10 Commandments for the examination of conscience.
Breaking any of the 10 Commandments is indeed a grave sin.
Hence not going for Mass on Sundays, disrespect for parents, stealing, adultery, all these are grave sins. Blatantly grave.
But what is blatant can be equally destructive as what is subtle.
We avoid obvious grave sins, yet we can forget that there are sins that are not so obvious that will cause us to trip and fall.
In today's gospel parable, the Pharisee was proud that he did not commit any grave sin ; in fact he did credible deeds.
But why was he not at rights with God?
As always, pride comes before the fall.
His problem was spiritual pride - he called another person a sinner without acknowledging to be one himself.
He propped himself up, at the expense of another person.
It was subtle, but evil. So we need to watch ourselves.
If we think we are virtuous, are we also getting self-righteous?
We can make sacrifices and perform credible deeds.
But what the Lord wants is not sacrifice. What He wants is our love for Him and for those around us.
And we if should fall, then we only need to turn to God and say : God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
Friday, March 12, 2010
3rd Week of Lent, Friday, 12--3-10
Hosea 14:2-10 / Mark 12:28-34 (2019)
In our worship, we use very lofty and transcendent names for God.
We say prayers like "I confess to Almighty God ..." or "We believe in one God, the Father Almighty".
It is an expression of who God is and that we are His creatures.
Yet the image of an almighty God was reduced to that of a broken-hearted father who is pleading with his children to return to him, as the prophet Hosea put it in the 1st reading.
God was also portrayed as a father yearning for his children's love.
But how can!? How can God be portrayed as going down on His knees and pleading with His creatures?
Could not God have used His almighty power to work some spectacular signs and bring His people back to Him?
Or just give the ultimatum : Come back or else!
Surely He could. But of course God knows better.
God knows that a forced loved is not a true love.
True love comes from a freedom to love.
As Jesus puts it in the gospel - to love with all the heart, all the soul, all the mind and all the strength.
That is the kind of love that God has for us, and an everlasting love at that.
We know how to love Him in return - and that is by loving others.
God has made His choice to love us. It is now up to us to make our choice.
In our worship, we use very lofty and transcendent names for God.
We say prayers like "I confess to Almighty God ..." or "We believe in one God, the Father Almighty".
It is an expression of who God is and that we are His creatures.
Yet the image of an almighty God was reduced to that of a broken-hearted father who is pleading with his children to return to him, as the prophet Hosea put it in the 1st reading.
God was also portrayed as a father yearning for his children's love.
But how can!? How can God be portrayed as going down on His knees and pleading with His creatures?
Could not God have used His almighty power to work some spectacular signs and bring His people back to Him?
Or just give the ultimatum : Come back or else!
Surely He could. But of course God knows better.
God knows that a forced loved is not a true love.
True love comes from a freedom to love.
As Jesus puts it in the gospel - to love with all the heart, all the soul, all the mind and all the strength.
That is the kind of love that God has for us, and an everlasting love at that.
We know how to love Him in return - and that is by loving others.
God has made His choice to love us. It is now up to us to make our choice.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
3rd Week of Lent, Thursday, 11-03-10
Jeremiah 7:23-28 / Luke 11:14-23 (2019)
Whenever we say that history repeats itself, we are more inclined to think that it is the mistakes of the past that are repeated.
These mistakes only show that the present generation has not learned much from the prior generation or from the past events of history.
This was also what the prophet Jeremiah was saying in the 1st reading.
Just about 120 years before, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had been annihilated by Assyria.
And now, the Southern Kingdom of Judah was facing the same threat from Babylon.
And God was warning them through Jeremiah. But why were they not heeding? Why were they not listening?
If anything, it is not too much to say that that the people do not love God.
Because one of the fruits of love is to listen.
Just like if we love our parents, our spouse, our children, our friends, we will listen to them with a heart of love.
Similarly when we love someone, we will also speak to that person with a heart of love.
When we listen and speak with a heart of love, then with Jesus we gather others into the peace of God's kingdom.
It is either we gather people into the peace and love of God's kingdom, or we scatter and bring division.
There isn't a third option.
Whenever we say that history repeats itself, we are more inclined to think that it is the mistakes of the past that are repeated.
These mistakes only show that the present generation has not learned much from the prior generation or from the past events of history.
This was also what the prophet Jeremiah was saying in the 1st reading.
Just about 120 years before, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had been annihilated by Assyria.
And now, the Southern Kingdom of Judah was facing the same threat from Babylon.
And God was warning them through Jeremiah. But why were they not heeding? Why were they not listening?
If anything, it is not too much to say that that the people do not love God.
Because one of the fruits of love is to listen.
Just like if we love our parents, our spouse, our children, our friends, we will listen to them with a heart of love.
Similarly when we love someone, we will also speak to that person with a heart of love.
When we listen and speak with a heart of love, then with Jesus we gather others into the peace of God's kingdom.
It is either we gather people into the peace and love of God's kingdom, or we scatter and bring division.
There isn't a third option.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
3rd Week of Lent, Wednesday, 10-03-10
Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9 / Matthew 5:17-19 (2019)
Children often have some resistance with the things that we ask them to do.
Things like washing their hands before meals, brushing their teeth, going to bed early, etc.
They don't seem to be convinced that what we tell them is really good for them.
But how different are we from children when it comes to keeping God's law?
Do we really understand what it means when Moses said in the 1st reading : Observe them, that you may have life.
Yet we know that whenever God's law is not kept, problems arise and tragedies happen.
The recent global financial crisis was a good example. It is the result of greed and injustice.
It is just another case of God's law not being kept.
That was why Moses added : Tell it to your children, and your children's children.
And Jesus said in the gospel : I have come not to abolish but to complete the Law.
God's law is our life-line. Jesus is not only Law-giver. He is also the Life-giver.
In keeping the Law of God, we will have life.
Children often have some resistance with the things that we ask them to do.
Things like washing their hands before meals, brushing their teeth, going to bed early, etc.
They don't seem to be convinced that what we tell them is really good for them.
But how different are we from children when it comes to keeping God's law?
Do we really understand what it means when Moses said in the 1st reading : Observe them, that you may have life.
Yet we know that whenever God's law is not kept, problems arise and tragedies happen.
The recent global financial crisis was a good example. It is the result of greed and injustice.
It is just another case of God's law not being kept.
That was why Moses added : Tell it to your children, and your children's children.
And Jesus said in the gospel : I have come not to abolish but to complete the Law.
God's law is our life-line. Jesus is not only Law-giver. He is also the Life-giver.
In keeping the Law of God, we will have life.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
3rd Week of Lent, Tuesday, 09-03-10
Daniel 3:25, 34-43 / Matthew 18:21-35 (2019)
Most of us have this experience of lending money to people.
And most of the time, we end up so frustrated and feel like banging our heads against the wall.
Because we lent the money so easily, but it came back to us with so much difficulty and so slowly, if ever at all.
And of course, the higher the amount of money lent, the greater the frustration and the heart-ache.
So when it comes to talking about forgiveness, Jesus did not talk in abstract terms.
He used this experience of loans and payment.
Immediately we will know what it means to forgive. It is almost synonymous to writing off a debt.
But to be able to write off a debt, it means that we have come to the realization and enlightenment that there is something beyond money.
Only then can we let go and move on.
Similarly, to forgive someone who had done us great harm and hurt us grievously, it means that we have come to the realization and enlightenment that there is something beyond the anger, the pain and the hate.
Let us pray for this realization and enlightenment.
Because it is a special grace from God. It is His healing love that is being poured into our hearts.
Most of us have this experience of lending money to people.
And most of the time, we end up so frustrated and feel like banging our heads against the wall.
Because we lent the money so easily, but it came back to us with so much difficulty and so slowly, if ever at all.
And of course, the higher the amount of money lent, the greater the frustration and the heart-ache.
So when it comes to talking about forgiveness, Jesus did not talk in abstract terms.
He used this experience of loans and payment.
Immediately we will know what it means to forgive. It is almost synonymous to writing off a debt.
But to be able to write off a debt, it means that we have come to the realization and enlightenment that there is something beyond money.
Only then can we let go and move on.
Similarly, to forgive someone who had done us great harm and hurt us grievously, it means that we have come to the realization and enlightenment that there is something beyond the anger, the pain and the hate.
Let us pray for this realization and enlightenment.
Because it is a special grace from God. It is His healing love that is being poured into our hearts.
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