Exodus 3:13-20 / Matthew 11:28-30
Throughout the course of history, there are wicked kings, tyrants, dictators, rulers and those with authority and might who will resort to oppressing people.
And most of the time, the people are quite helpless and powerless against such oppression and they can only hope and wait for deliverance.
Such was the case of the Israelites in the 1st reading. They suffered under the oppression of the Pharaoh and the Egyptian slave-drivers and they cried out to God for deliverance.
And God did hear their cry, and as God said, "For myself, knowing that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless he is forced by a mighty hand. I shall show my power and strike Egypt with all the wonders I am going to work there. After this he will let you go".
But someone has to be the deliverer and Moses was the chosen one. But he was not too willing to take on the task and he tried to find ways to get out of it.
After all he was a free man, but his people were held under the bondage of slavery in Egypt. It would mean that he will have to make the sacrifice to go back to Egypt and to face Pharaoh.
It comes back to the recurring situation in life where everybody wants to benefit but no one is willing to make the sacrifice.
But Jesus tells us in the gospel to shoulder His yoke and to learn from Him. He made the sacrifice of His life so that we can be free and be saved.
So when our charity is spreading thin and we are not that willing to make the sacrifice for the good of others, let us go to Jesus with our fatigue and burdens.
We will find rest for our souls, and with a gentle and humble heart, we will follow Jesus to lift the oppression and the burdens of others.
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
15th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 19-07-17
Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12 / Matthew 11:25-27
As much as we have the ability to see and to hear, yet the power of observation is like a variable factor.
So as much as we see and hear a lot of things, we also exercise selective seeing and selective hearing.
Then from what we want to see and want to hear, the next thing is what is it that captures our attention or our interest, and that will be the object of our observation.
In the 1st reading, what captured the attention and interest of Moses was the bush that was blazing but it was not being burnt up.
His curiosity led him towards the burning bush, and that was when the Lord God called out to him and revealed His plan for him.
Of course it was the strange sight of the bush that was blazing but not being burnt up that caught the attention and interest of Moses and he went further to observe it.
We may not have this unique experience of seeing a burning bush as what Moses had.
Nonetheless God still reveals Himself to us in what we see and hear, and what catches our attention and interest.
And when we "observe" all these signs in prayer, then God will reveal Himself to us and prompt us to discover His will for us.
So we need to have the heart of a little child to observe and look deeply at the things around us. Then we will know that God speaks to us all the time, and reveals Himself to us in those situations where He wants His will to be done.
As much as we have the ability to see and to hear, yet the power of observation is like a variable factor.
So as much as we see and hear a lot of things, we also exercise selective seeing and selective hearing.
Then from what we want to see and want to hear, the next thing is what is it that captures our attention or our interest, and that will be the object of our observation.
In the 1st reading, what captured the attention and interest of Moses was the bush that was blazing but it was not being burnt up.
His curiosity led him towards the burning bush, and that was when the Lord God called out to him and revealed His plan for him.
Of course it was the strange sight of the bush that was blazing but not being burnt up that caught the attention and interest of Moses and he went further to observe it.
We may not have this unique experience of seeing a burning bush as what Moses had.
Nonetheless God still reveals Himself to us in what we see and hear, and what catches our attention and interest.
And when we "observe" all these signs in prayer, then God will reveal Himself to us and prompt us to discover His will for us.
So we need to have the heart of a little child to observe and look deeply at the things around us. Then we will know that God speaks to us all the time, and reveals Himself to us in those situations where He wants His will to be done.
Monday, July 17, 2017
15th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 18-07-17
Exodus 2:1-15 / Matthew 11:20-24
Indifference is generally defined as a lack of interest or concern. But the degree of it depends on the situation and the circumstances.
Indifference to the untidiness of our work station is not the same as indifference to an act of evil or wickedness.
In the 1st reading, the mother of Moses could just be indifferent and lamented that God was not protecting His people by letting the Egyptians kill their baby boys.
But she did something to protect her baby from the impending evil.
Similarly, the adult Moses did not look away neither was he indifferent to the violence an Egyptian inflicted on his countryman.
In the gospel, Jesus made a pointed reproach on the indifference of the towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida and Capernaum.
Indifference is a sign of internal decay and as such the three cities mentioned in the gospel are now in ruins.
Indifference is also a sign that our faith is decaying and that we are not sensitive to the promptings of God in our hearts.
May our hearts be softened by God's love and may we be aware of the needs of others around us.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing about it." (Edmund Burke)
Indifference is generally defined as a lack of interest or concern. But the degree of it depends on the situation and the circumstances.
Indifference to the untidiness of our work station is not the same as indifference to an act of evil or wickedness.
In the 1st reading, the mother of Moses could just be indifferent and lamented that God was not protecting His people by letting the Egyptians kill their baby boys.
But she did something to protect her baby from the impending evil.
Similarly, the adult Moses did not look away neither was he indifferent to the violence an Egyptian inflicted on his countryman.
In the gospel, Jesus made a pointed reproach on the indifference of the towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida and Capernaum.
Indifference is a sign of internal decay and as such the three cities mentioned in the gospel are now in ruins.
Indifference is also a sign that our faith is decaying and that we are not sensitive to the promptings of God in our hearts.
May our hearts be softened by God's love and may we be aware of the needs of others around us.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing about it." (Edmund Burke)
Sunday, July 16, 2017
15th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 17-07-17
Exodus 1:8-14, 22 / Matthew 10:34 - 11:1
We have accomplishments that we are proud of. Those accomplishments are not just a proof of our abilities but we are proud of them especially when those accomplishments have helped others in their difficulties and solved their problems.
Those accomplishments are not just like feathers in our caps or medals on our coats, they also remind us that people were grateful to us for the help that we rendered to them in their time of need.
But we also have to accept that over time and over generations, the good that we have done are forgotten and our names may not even be remembered by those who benefited from us.
Such was the case in the 1st reading. There came to power in Egypt a new king who knew nothing of Joseph. Yes, times have changed. The generation that knew what Joseph did for Egypt is gone. And what Joseph did was forgotten. And the people of Israel has become a threat to the Egyptians. Furthermore Egypt was not their homeland.
And it is futile for the Israelites to say to the Egyptians, "Don't you remember Joseph and what he did for you? How can you be so ungrateful?"
The people of Israel will now have to think of a way out of this. They will have to fend for themselves. But they themselves must not forget that God had also done great things for them.
Obviously, the help of man is in vain, but the mighty works of God will be from age to age and from generation to generation.
So let us not expect others to remember the good that we have done for them or want to have them beholden to us. And neither should we expect them to come to our help when we are in some kind of trouble.
Let us remember that our accomplishments are of no value if it is for self-gain. Whatever good that we do must be for the glory of God and for the good of our neighbour. And in our time of need, God will come to our help.
We have accomplishments that we are proud of. Those accomplishments are not just a proof of our abilities but we are proud of them especially when those accomplishments have helped others in their difficulties and solved their problems.
Those accomplishments are not just like feathers in our caps or medals on our coats, they also remind us that people were grateful to us for the help that we rendered to them in their time of need.
But we also have to accept that over time and over generations, the good that we have done are forgotten and our names may not even be remembered by those who benefited from us.
Such was the case in the 1st reading. There came to power in Egypt a new king who knew nothing of Joseph. Yes, times have changed. The generation that knew what Joseph did for Egypt is gone. And what Joseph did was forgotten. And the people of Israel has become a threat to the Egyptians. Furthermore Egypt was not their homeland.
And it is futile for the Israelites to say to the Egyptians, "Don't you remember Joseph and what he did for you? How can you be so ungrateful?"
The people of Israel will now have to think of a way out of this. They will have to fend for themselves. But they themselves must not forget that God had also done great things for them.
Obviously, the help of man is in vain, but the mighty works of God will be from age to age and from generation to generation.
So let us not expect others to remember the good that we have done for them or want to have them beholden to us. And neither should we expect them to come to our help when we are in some kind of trouble.
Let us remember that our accomplishments are of no value if it is for self-gain. Whatever good that we do must be for the glory of God and for the good of our neighbour. And in our time of need, God will come to our help.
Saturday, July 15, 2017
15th Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 16.07.17
Isaiah 55:10-11 / Romans 8:18-23 / Matthew 13:1-23
Over the course of this week, there were a couple of incidents that would have caught our attention. Not only would they have caught our attention, they would have also stirred our emotions.
On Tuesday, the front page of the newspapers had a picture of a man in his 60s standing over the slumped body of another man, with by-standers at a distance looking on.
The man had stabbed the victim who later died of his wounds. It turned out that the victim was the son-in-law of the attacker.
It was certainly a family tragedy as two lives came to a different end, and our hearts certainly would feel for the family in their grief and pain.
Then on early Friday morning, a viaduct undergoing construction collapsed, killing one worker and injuring 10 others. Again, one life was ended and probably many other lives will be changed.
In the face of these two tragedies, and the other tragedies of life, we could only utter a single-worded question – “Why?”
Yes, “Why?”. And we may probably ask further questions like “Why must resort to killing?” and “Why can’t they build things safely and properly?”
Many other questions can also be asked but not many answers can be given. And most of the time, there are no answers.
And as we listen to the gospel parable and think deeper about it, we may also want to ask “Why?”
The sower went out to sow. Some seeds fell on the edge of the path and the birds came and ate it up.
Others fell on patches of rock and didn’t grow for long.
Yet others fell among thorns and got choked.
And then others fell on rich soil and produced a harvest.
But why is the sower so careless in sowing the seeds? There seems to be so much loss and wastage and maybe only a quarter of what is sowed produced a harvest.
Logically and mathematically, this is not productive or effective. On paper, it is a failure.
So logically on paper, the sower is a failure. So why this kind of parable? Is there any meaning to this?
Logically and on paper, it is a failure. But spiritually and on prayer, there is a sublime power.
We have to listen to what the Lord said in the 1st reading: As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for eating, so the word that comes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.
The Lord has sowed the seeds of His Word on us and have the seeds produced a harvest?
Well, in little and simple ways, they have. Last Monday, we began a new journey for the RCIA. We started the journey rather late, maybe we are the last church to start the RCIA. We didn’t expect many Inquirers, maybe just a handful at most.
But we prayed, silently though, because we didn’t want to sound like we were so desperate, but in a way we were. Well, the Lord sent, more than just a handful, 16 Inquirers to be exact. Which is actually very good, considering we started very late, and we are a rather quaint little church. So there is much work to do now, and our prayers are needed for these Inquirers and the RCIA team.
As for the 1st Friday Mass and Devotion to the Sacred Heart and the 13th-of-the-month Rosary, it is not with overwhelming attendance but certainly it is edifying and encouraging to see that people have responded to the call of prayer and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and to the devotion to Our Lady in the Rosary.
Yes, in little and simple ways we are bearing a harvest and more so when we come for Mass each Sunday, we want to offer to the Lord a bountiful harvest of prayer.
More than just praying for ourselves and for the petitions offered to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are called to pray for the Church, for the world, for all peoples.
The tragedies that we see around us are more often than not, man-made. Because when we think about it, it is man that created the problems, and when the problems become too serious, they end up in tragedies.
But where tragedies result in suffering, the remedy is in the praying.
The 2nd reading tells us that the suffering in this life cannot be compared to the glory that is waiting for us in the next life.
But while on this earth, while in this life, we are called to face that suffering with our praying.
And we must believe that there is much more that we can ever imagine that is accomplished by prayer-power than by any human power.
That is why God wants to sow the seeds of His Word in us. So that we can produce a harvest of prayer, and signs and wonders will rain down from heaven, and bring healing and reconciliation on earth.
Over the course of this week, there were a couple of incidents that would have caught our attention. Not only would they have caught our attention, they would have also stirred our emotions.
On Tuesday, the front page of the newspapers had a picture of a man in his 60s standing over the slumped body of another man, with by-standers at a distance looking on.
The man had stabbed the victim who later died of his wounds. It turned out that the victim was the son-in-law of the attacker.
It was certainly a family tragedy as two lives came to a different end, and our hearts certainly would feel for the family in their grief and pain.
Then on early Friday morning, a viaduct undergoing construction collapsed, killing one worker and injuring 10 others. Again, one life was ended and probably many other lives will be changed.
In the face of these two tragedies, and the other tragedies of life, we could only utter a single-worded question – “Why?”
Yes, “Why?”. And we may probably ask further questions like “Why must resort to killing?” and “Why can’t they build things safely and properly?”
Many other questions can also be asked but not many answers can be given. And most of the time, there are no answers.
And as we listen to the gospel parable and think deeper about it, we may also want to ask “Why?”
The sower went out to sow. Some seeds fell on the edge of the path and the birds came and ate it up.
Others fell on patches of rock and didn’t grow for long.
Yet others fell among thorns and got choked.
And then others fell on rich soil and produced a harvest.
But why is the sower so careless in sowing the seeds? There seems to be so much loss and wastage and maybe only a quarter of what is sowed produced a harvest.
Logically and mathematically, this is not productive or effective. On paper, it is a failure.
So logically on paper, the sower is a failure. So why this kind of parable? Is there any meaning to this?
Logically and on paper, it is a failure. But spiritually and on prayer, there is a sublime power.
We have to listen to what the Lord said in the 1st reading: As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for eating, so the word that comes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.
The Lord has sowed the seeds of His Word on us and have the seeds produced a harvest?
Well, in little and simple ways, they have. Last Monday, we began a new journey for the RCIA. We started the journey rather late, maybe we are the last church to start the RCIA. We didn’t expect many Inquirers, maybe just a handful at most.
But we prayed, silently though, because we didn’t want to sound like we were so desperate, but in a way we were. Well, the Lord sent, more than just a handful, 16 Inquirers to be exact. Which is actually very good, considering we started very late, and we are a rather quaint little church. So there is much work to do now, and our prayers are needed for these Inquirers and the RCIA team.
As for the 1st Friday Mass and Devotion to the Sacred Heart and the 13th-of-the-month Rosary, it is not with overwhelming attendance but certainly it is edifying and encouraging to see that people have responded to the call of prayer and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and to the devotion to Our Lady in the Rosary.
Yes, in little and simple ways we are bearing a harvest and more so when we come for Mass each Sunday, we want to offer to the Lord a bountiful harvest of prayer.
More than just praying for ourselves and for the petitions offered to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are called to pray for the Church, for the world, for all peoples.
The tragedies that we see around us are more often than not, man-made. Because when we think about it, it is man that created the problems, and when the problems become too serious, they end up in tragedies.
But where tragedies result in suffering, the remedy is in the praying.
The 2nd reading tells us that the suffering in this life cannot be compared to the glory that is waiting for us in the next life.
But while on this earth, while in this life, we are called to face that suffering with our praying.
And we must believe that there is much more that we can ever imagine that is accomplished by prayer-power than by any human power.
That is why God wants to sow the seeds of His Word in us. So that we can produce a harvest of prayer, and signs and wonders will rain down from heaven, and bring healing and reconciliation on earth.
Friday, July 14, 2017
14th Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 15-07-17
Genesis 49:29-33; 50:15-26 / Matthew 10:24-38
Death is a reality that we see every day, whether it happens to our loved ones or in the obituaries.
As it is, death is the finality in life, and whether there is a hereafter depends on what we believe in.
In the 1st reading, we hear of two deaths - the death of Jacob and then later on the death of Joseph.
Both had one final wish as they see their death approaching, and that is that they be buried in the land that God had promised to Abraham, Issac and Jacob, or as we call it "the Promised Land".
It was their final desire that their earthly remains be brought back to the land promised to them and be buried there.
It is there that they belong, whether in life or in death. It is there that they know that upon death, they have come back to God.
As much as we will have to encounter death one day, we must also believe in that we pass on from this world to the other world where Jesus is waiting for us.
He promised us that He has gone to prepare a place for us and that there are many rooms in His Father's house, and that will be our eternal inheritance.
When we truly believe that, then we need not worry and fear of the things of earth, especially death. Because there is something much greater and more glorious waiting for us above.
Death is a reality that we see every day, whether it happens to our loved ones or in the obituaries.
As it is, death is the finality in life, and whether there is a hereafter depends on what we believe in.
In the 1st reading, we hear of two deaths - the death of Jacob and then later on the death of Joseph.
Both had one final wish as they see their death approaching, and that is that they be buried in the land that God had promised to Abraham, Issac and Jacob, or as we call it "the Promised Land".
It was their final desire that their earthly remains be brought back to the land promised to them and be buried there.
It is there that they belong, whether in life or in death. It is there that they know that upon death, they have come back to God.
As much as we will have to encounter death one day, we must also believe in that we pass on from this world to the other world where Jesus is waiting for us.
He promised us that He has gone to prepare a place for us and that there are many rooms in His Father's house, and that will be our eternal inheritance.
When we truly believe that, then we need not worry and fear of the things of earth, especially death. Because there is something much greater and more glorious waiting for us above.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
14th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 15-07-17
Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30 / Matthew 10:16-23
When it comes to father and son relationships, what we often hear is the tension, the differences, the generation gap and all those aspects that paint a bleak picture of such relationships.
So essentially, the matter is about the love between father and son, and the fact that it is often a strained love, resulting in father-and-son tensions.
But in the 1st reading, we hear of a very moving story of a father and son relationship.
Joseph was separated from his father for more than 20 years and now, finally, Jacob was united with his son whom he thought was dead.
And all this while, Jacob had not forgotten Joseph, and Joseph was eager to see his aged father after all those years.
That tearful reunion brought about joy and peace for Jacob and Joseph, and for Jacob it was the final fulfillment of his life.
Yet in the gospel, the tension between father and son is brought up again, and this time it's even more heart-rending because it has sunk deeper into betrayal and hate.
It's a reality which we read about in the papers and which we may even see around us or even happening to us.
Let us pray that God who is our Father may pour forth His love into those hurting father and son relationships and that there may be healing and reconciliation.
Like Jacob and Joseph, may fathers and sons also see each other as their fulfillment in life and may the love between Jesus and His Father be the model of their relationships.
When it comes to father and son relationships, what we often hear is the tension, the differences, the generation gap and all those aspects that paint a bleak picture of such relationships.
So essentially, the matter is about the love between father and son, and the fact that it is often a strained love, resulting in father-and-son tensions.
But in the 1st reading, we hear of a very moving story of a father and son relationship.
Joseph was separated from his father for more than 20 years and now, finally, Jacob was united with his son whom he thought was dead.
And all this while, Jacob had not forgotten Joseph, and Joseph was eager to see his aged father after all those years.
That tearful reunion brought about joy and peace for Jacob and Joseph, and for Jacob it was the final fulfillment of his life.
Yet in the gospel, the tension between father and son is brought up again, and this time it's even more heart-rending because it has sunk deeper into betrayal and hate.
It's a reality which we read about in the papers and which we may even see around us or even happening to us.
Let us pray that God who is our Father may pour forth His love into those hurting father and son relationships and that there may be healing and reconciliation.
Like Jacob and Joseph, may fathers and sons also see each other as their fulfillment in life and may the love between Jesus and His Father be the model of their relationships.
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