Micah 7:14-15, 18-20 / Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
A turning point may refer to a climax of a story or a book or a movie.
Or it may also mean a defining moment in a person's life when that person realizes something about his/her character or identity.
There may be a few turning points in the gospel parable, depending on the angle of our reflection.
One turning point could be that phrase about the wayward son - "Then he came to his senses ... "
It was a turning point in the gospel parable, it was also a defining moment for the wayward son and also a defining moment in his relationship with his father.
The character and the identity of the son and the father was revealed and realized.
Yet the defining moment in today's gospel passage could be at the beginning, when the passage begins with saying that the tax collectors and sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what He had to say.
The tax collectors and sinners knew who they were and where they stand in the eyes of God.
They came to seek the company of Jesus and hear what He had to say because Jesus was their hope and a symbol of God's mercy and compassion.
May the gospel passage and its parable lead us to our defining moment with God and may it also be a turning point in our Lenten journey.
Friday, March 2, 2018
Thursday, March 1, 2018
2nd Week of Lent, Friday, 02-03-18
Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13, 17-28 / Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46
In our more logical moments, we can't help but be amused with those fortune-tellers, whether they are palm-readers, or crystal-ball gazers or whatever.
We are amused because we may be thinking that if they can foretell the future of others, then why can't they foretell their own future.
Yes, it is amusing, but yet on a more serious note, the counter argument is that we don't expect a surgeon to perform an operation on himself.
In the 1st reading, Joseph was called, in contempt, by his brothers "the man of dreams".
But Joseph did not ever dream that his own flesh-and-blood brothers would think of harming him and even consider taking his life, or selling him off as a slave.
Yet in the gospel, Jesus was aware that chief priests and the scribes were plotting against Him and eventually would even take His life.
Jesus was also aware that while the people seemed to be in approval of Him, the time will come when the tide turns and they will reject Him and even oppose Him.
As for us, we do not know our future and we don't need to know.
God knows we can't handle the future so He gives us moment by moment.
And everything that happens in every moment has a reason and a purpose.
Our life and our future are in the hands of God. Let us renew our faith in God and trust that His plans are always for our good. (For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord ... plans to give you hope and a future - Jeremiah 29:11)
In our more logical moments, we can't help but be amused with those fortune-tellers, whether they are palm-readers, or crystal-ball gazers or whatever.
We are amused because we may be thinking that if they can foretell the future of others, then why can't they foretell their own future.
Yes, it is amusing, but yet on a more serious note, the counter argument is that we don't expect a surgeon to perform an operation on himself.
In the 1st reading, Joseph was called, in contempt, by his brothers "the man of dreams".
But Joseph did not ever dream that his own flesh-and-blood brothers would think of harming him and even consider taking his life, or selling him off as a slave.
Yet in the gospel, Jesus was aware that chief priests and the scribes were plotting against Him and eventually would even take His life.
Jesus was also aware that while the people seemed to be in approval of Him, the time will come when the tide turns and they will reject Him and even oppose Him.
As for us, we do not know our future and we don't need to know.
God knows we can't handle the future so He gives us moment by moment.
And everything that happens in every moment has a reason and a purpose.
Our life and our future are in the hands of God. Let us renew our faith in God and trust that His plans are always for our good. (For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord ... plans to give you hope and a future - Jeremiah 29:11)
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
2nd Week of Lent, Thursday, 01-03-18
Jeremiah 17:5-10 / Luke 16:19-31
It is said that “The best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don't tell you what to see.” (Alexandra K.Trenfor)
As we think about this statement, we would want to think about what life has taught us, as life and its experiences are one of the best teachers.
And as we think about the 1st reading, we will agree with what the Lord had said in it - "A curse on the man who puts his trust in man, who relies on things of flesh, whose heart turns from the Lord."
"A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord, with the Lord for his hope."
So our many experiences of life with its ups and downs has many lessons to teach us, yet we have to decide for ourselves who to put our trust in.
In the gospel, Jesus told a parable of the rich man and Lazarus. In his lifetime, the rich man looked at many things but he did not or didn't want to see Lazarus. But it was only when he was in Hades that he looked up and saw Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham.
As much as that parable has many teaching points, Jesus is also showing us where to look but not what to see.
But as we look at our lives, may we see what is for temporary and what is for eternity, that the good we do on earth will be acknowledged up above, and that we have to put our trust in God and not in man.
Let us ask to Lord to help us to look as well as to see.
It is said that “The best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don't tell you what to see.” (Alexandra K.Trenfor)
As we think about this statement, we would want to think about what life has taught us, as life and its experiences are one of the best teachers.
And as we think about the 1st reading, we will agree with what the Lord had said in it - "A curse on the man who puts his trust in man, who relies on things of flesh, whose heart turns from the Lord."
"A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord, with the Lord for his hope."
So our many experiences of life with its ups and downs has many lessons to teach us, yet we have to decide for ourselves who to put our trust in.
In the gospel, Jesus told a parable of the rich man and Lazarus. In his lifetime, the rich man looked at many things but he did not or didn't want to see Lazarus. But it was only when he was in Hades that he looked up and saw Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham.
As much as that parable has many teaching points, Jesus is also showing us where to look but not what to see.
But as we look at our lives, may we see what is for temporary and what is for eternity, that the good we do on earth will be acknowledged up above, and that we have to put our trust in God and not in man.
Let us ask to Lord to help us to look as well as to see.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
2nd Week of Lent, Wednesday, 28-02-18
Jeremiah 18:18-20 / Matthew 20:17-28
When it comes to being involved in the ministries in Church, some people may see it as just volunteering to do some work in Church or to do some work for God.
Volunteering is generally considered as an activity to provide services for no financial or social gain to benefit another person, group or organization.
But for Jeremiah of the 1st reading, he didn't volunteer to be a prophet. He was called by God to be a prophet. If he had volunteered to be a prophet, he would have given up in the face of persecutions against him.
But that doesn't mean that he had no complains. In fact, he lamented about it: "Listen to me Lord, hear what my adversaries are saying. Should evil be returned for good? For they are digging a pit for me. Remember how I stood in your presence to plead on their behalf, to turn your wrath away from them."
Jeremiah had every reason to complain and lament, because for doing what God wanted of him, he had to face persecutions from his own people and he was left alone to fend for himself.
In the gospel, Jesus knew He too would face those kind of persecutions and abandonment. He even told the Twelve what was going to happen to Him.
But the mother of Zebedee's sons as well as the rest of the Twelve don't seem to get it. In their minds, it seems that they were following Jesus in order to get some benefits or to see what they can gain from it.
The season of Lent helps to purify and enlighten our minds and hearts as to who Jesus is. Jesus came to serve and not to be served, and even to give His life as a ransom for many. May we understand that whether we are serving in the Church ministries or not.
When it comes to being involved in the ministries in Church, some people may see it as just volunteering to do some work in Church or to do some work for God.
Volunteering is generally considered as an activity to provide services for no financial or social gain to benefit another person, group or organization.
But for Jeremiah of the 1st reading, he didn't volunteer to be a prophet. He was called by God to be a prophet. If he had volunteered to be a prophet, he would have given up in the face of persecutions against him.
But that doesn't mean that he had no complains. In fact, he lamented about it: "Listen to me Lord, hear what my adversaries are saying. Should evil be returned for good? For they are digging a pit for me. Remember how I stood in your presence to plead on their behalf, to turn your wrath away from them."
Jeremiah had every reason to complain and lament, because for doing what God wanted of him, he had to face persecutions from his own people and he was left alone to fend for himself.
In the gospel, Jesus knew He too would face those kind of persecutions and abandonment. He even told the Twelve what was going to happen to Him.
But the mother of Zebedee's sons as well as the rest of the Twelve don't seem to get it. In their minds, it seems that they were following Jesus in order to get some benefits or to see what they can gain from it.
The season of Lent helps to purify and enlighten our minds and hearts as to who Jesus is. Jesus came to serve and not to be served, and even to give His life as a ransom for many. May we understand that whether we are serving in the Church ministries or not.
Monday, February 26, 2018
2nd Week of Lent, Tuesday, 27-02-18
Isaiah 1:10, 16-20 / Matthew 23:1-12
The story of the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah can be found in the book of Genesis 19.
These two cities were eventually destroyed by fire and brimstone because of their unrepentant sinfulness and evil deeds.
In the 1st reading, the prophet Isaiah used the symbolic names of these two cities to warn his people of the anger and the judgment of God that will come upon them if they don't repent.
Even God Himself seemed to be pleading through the prophet Isaiah with these words:
Come now, let's talk this over. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be white as wool.
We may not be committing the kind of atrocious sins of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Yet, it does not mean that the lesser or venial sins are acceptable in the eyes of God.
The human tendency to crave for recognition and status is what Jesus pointed out in the gospel.
Jesus also pointed out that we have this tendency to be self-righteous and even impose our religious beliefs onto the weaker ones when they don't share our views of religious practices.
These may not seem to be major sins but they reveal to us our understanding of our Master.
Jesus our Master came to serve and not to be served.
May we follow our Master and be servants to each other in love and humility.
The story of the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah can be found in the book of Genesis 19.
These two cities were eventually destroyed by fire and brimstone because of their unrepentant sinfulness and evil deeds.
In the 1st reading, the prophet Isaiah used the symbolic names of these two cities to warn his people of the anger and the judgment of God that will come upon them if they don't repent.
Even God Himself seemed to be pleading through the prophet Isaiah with these words:
Come now, let's talk this over. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be white as wool.
We may not be committing the kind of atrocious sins of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Yet, it does not mean that the lesser or venial sins are acceptable in the eyes of God.
The human tendency to crave for recognition and status is what Jesus pointed out in the gospel.
Jesus also pointed out that we have this tendency to be self-righteous and even impose our religious beliefs onto the weaker ones when they don't share our views of religious practices.
These may not seem to be major sins but they reveal to us our understanding of our Master.
Jesus our Master came to serve and not to be served.
May we follow our Master and be servants to each other in love and humility.
Sunday, February 25, 2018
2nd Week of Lent, Monday, 26-02-18
Daniel 9:4-10 / Luke 6:36-38
We know what the golden rule of life is. It is essentially this - Do unto others what we want others to do unto us.
We can find the expression of this rule in almost every religion.
Jesus also taught this golden rule of life.(Mat 7:12 ; Lk 6:31) In the gospel he teaches us not to judge or condemn. Yet Jesus also taught much more and deeper.
When He talked about compassion, it is not so much that we hope that we will receive compassion in return.
Rather we are to be compassionate because God is compassionate and in creating us He has already filled us with His compassion. It is a compassion that is without limit.
In the 1st reading, the prophet confessed that the people acted wickedly and broke God's commandments and turned away from God.
That is simply because they forgot that God is compassionate and that they were already filled with His compassion. Hence, they committed wicked deeds.
The Lenten discipline of prayer and fasting and alms-giving helps us to control the aggressiveness of our human reactions to people who cut into our path.
At the same time, the Lenten discipline also helps us to bring out the compassion for others, to understand them without conditions and to see things from their point of view without judging them.
Let us open our hearts for God to continue pouring forth His compassion, a compassion of full measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over into the hearts of others.
We know what the golden rule of life is. It is essentially this - Do unto others what we want others to do unto us.
We can find the expression of this rule in almost every religion.
Jesus also taught this golden rule of life.(Mat 7:12 ; Lk 6:31) In the gospel he teaches us not to judge or condemn. Yet Jesus also taught much more and deeper.
When He talked about compassion, it is not so much that we hope that we will receive compassion in return.
Rather we are to be compassionate because God is compassionate and in creating us He has already filled us with His compassion. It is a compassion that is without limit.
In the 1st reading, the prophet confessed that the people acted wickedly and broke God's commandments and turned away from God.
That is simply because they forgot that God is compassionate and that they were already filled with His compassion. Hence, they committed wicked deeds.
The Lenten discipline of prayer and fasting and alms-giving helps us to control the aggressiveness of our human reactions to people who cut into our path.
At the same time, the Lenten discipline also helps us to bring out the compassion for others, to understand them without conditions and to see things from their point of view without judging them.
Let us open our hearts for God to continue pouring forth His compassion, a compassion of full measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over into the hearts of others.
Saturday, February 24, 2018
2nd Sunday of Lent, Year B, 24.02.2018
Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18 / Romans 8:31-34 / Mark 9:2-10
Although we are already in the season of Lent which is a time of penance and abstinence, it cannot be denied that this is also the festive season, and one of the delicacies that will appear on the table is “bak kwa”.
These bak kwa smell as good as they taste, and going at $50 a kilogram, and having to queue up for 6 hours or more just to get it, it is almost as precious as gold.
Bak kwa is usually made from pork, although it is difficult to say which part of the pig it comes from. But it doesn’t matter, as long as it is delicious, we won’t bother.
And we also won’t bother how the pig feels about it. They can’t put up a fight anyway. (But if pigs can put up a fight, they will learn karate, so that they can give a pork chop).
But pigs can’t really put up a fight, and so they end up as ham and bacon and bak kwa.
Pigs can’t fight but they surely can feel. When a piglet is taken away from its mother, there will be tears in the mother’s eyes and she will make a moaning sound, because she knows how the piglet will end up. Yes, pigs and other animals have feelings too, if we pay attention to their reactions.
If animals have feelings, then more so do human beings, and there is a vast vocabulary to express these human feelings and emotions.
But in the first reading, we don’t seem to hear about how Abraham felt when God told him, “Take your son, your only child Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him as a burnt offering, on a mountain I will point out to you.”
The next thing we heard is that they arrived at the place, and Abraham stretched out his hand and seized the knife to kill his son.
Abraham was a man of faith, but he certainly had feelings too. It was he who bargained with God as he tried to save the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And now he has to sacrifice his own son! How did he feel about it? But his obedience was prompt.
We would have guessed that he would be shocked and confused and angry. He would probably asked himself, “How come?” and “How can?” And along the way to the mountain, he would probably be tempted to turn back and delete God from his life totally.
And even as we listen, we will wonder why God made such a demanding sacrifice. More than a demanding sacrifice, it was a human sacrifice.
Feelings and emotions aside, Abraham knew it was God who called him to faith. It was in faith and with faith, that he obeyed. But as Abraham seized the knife to kill his son, he was stopped by an angel.
So, in stopping Abraham from killing his son, God in effect, was putting a stop to human sacrifice. And in effect, God is declaring that the only sacrifice He wants is that of obedience.
But for us, obedience to the will of God is often subjected to our feelings and we question whether it is worth it or not.
But when obedience to God contradicts what we think is good for us, then we have to ask if we truly love God. Abraham loved his son. But what about his love for God then?
A story goes that a king assembled his ministers and handed the chief minister a glowing pearl and asked him how much it was worth. The minister replied that it was worth more gold then a hundred caravans could carry.
Then the king asked the minister to take a hammer and smashed it. The minister replied that he wouldn’t dare do such a thing.
One by one, the king asked the ministers how valuable the pearl was and each would raise the value higher than the other. But when ordered to smash it, none of them would do it.
Then the king’s faithful servant came along and the king asked him how valuable the pearl was and he replied that it was more valuable than he could imagine.
Then the king ordered the servant to smash the pearl. Without hesitation, the servant took the hammer and smashed it into pieces.
The ministers were shocked and screamed at the servant and asked him why he did it. The servant replied, “What the king says is worth more than any pearl. I obey and honour the king, and not some coloured stone.”
With that, the ministers realized their true standing with the king and what the king thinks of their obedience.
Jesus is the Beloved Son of the Father. Yet, he learned obedience through His suffering and He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him (Hebrews 5:8-9).
God did not demand for Jesus to shed His blood on the cross in sacrifice. It was the sin of mankind that demanded for His blood.
Yet, in shedding His blood, Jesus saved us once and for all from our sins, so that there should be no more shedding of blood, no more taking of revenge, no more payback, no more eye-for-an-eye, tooth-for-tooth.
Jesus was obedient even onto death on the cross, so that we too can obey God.
Obedience to God will always produce benefits that far exceed the consequences of disobedience. But faith and obedience must come first then God can answer our prayers. We are obedient not because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see.
A person’s greatness is usually exemplified through simple acts of obedience, like Abraham. Where faith is the root, the obedience is the fruit.
In the Transfiguration, the voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him.”
Let us listen to Jesus, let us follow His obedience to God, because obedience to God is the pathway to the life that we really want to live.
Although we are already in the season of Lent which is a time of penance and abstinence, it cannot be denied that this is also the festive season, and one of the delicacies that will appear on the table is “bak kwa”.
These bak kwa smell as good as they taste, and going at $50 a kilogram, and having to queue up for 6 hours or more just to get it, it is almost as precious as gold.
Bak kwa is usually made from pork, although it is difficult to say which part of the pig it comes from. But it doesn’t matter, as long as it is delicious, we won’t bother.
And we also won’t bother how the pig feels about it. They can’t put up a fight anyway. (But if pigs can put up a fight, they will learn karate, so that they can give a pork chop).
But pigs can’t really put up a fight, and so they end up as ham and bacon and bak kwa.
Pigs can’t fight but they surely can feel. When a piglet is taken away from its mother, there will be tears in the mother’s eyes and she will make a moaning sound, because she knows how the piglet will end up. Yes, pigs and other animals have feelings too, if we pay attention to their reactions.
If animals have feelings, then more so do human beings, and there is a vast vocabulary to express these human feelings and emotions.
But in the first reading, we don’t seem to hear about how Abraham felt when God told him, “Take your son, your only child Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him as a burnt offering, on a mountain I will point out to you.”
The next thing we heard is that they arrived at the place, and Abraham stretched out his hand and seized the knife to kill his son.
Abraham was a man of faith, but he certainly had feelings too. It was he who bargained with God as he tried to save the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And now he has to sacrifice his own son! How did he feel about it? But his obedience was prompt.
We would have guessed that he would be shocked and confused and angry. He would probably asked himself, “How come?” and “How can?” And along the way to the mountain, he would probably be tempted to turn back and delete God from his life totally.
And even as we listen, we will wonder why God made such a demanding sacrifice. More than a demanding sacrifice, it was a human sacrifice.
Feelings and emotions aside, Abraham knew it was God who called him to faith. It was in faith and with faith, that he obeyed. But as Abraham seized the knife to kill his son, he was stopped by an angel.
So, in stopping Abraham from killing his son, God in effect, was putting a stop to human sacrifice. And in effect, God is declaring that the only sacrifice He wants is that of obedience.
But for us, obedience to the will of God is often subjected to our feelings and we question whether it is worth it or not.
But when obedience to God contradicts what we think is good for us, then we have to ask if we truly love God. Abraham loved his son. But what about his love for God then?
A story goes that a king assembled his ministers and handed the chief minister a glowing pearl and asked him how much it was worth. The minister replied that it was worth more gold then a hundred caravans could carry.
Then the king asked the minister to take a hammer and smashed it. The minister replied that he wouldn’t dare do such a thing.
One by one, the king asked the ministers how valuable the pearl was and each would raise the value higher than the other. But when ordered to smash it, none of them would do it.
Then the king’s faithful servant came along and the king asked him how valuable the pearl was and he replied that it was more valuable than he could imagine.
Then the king ordered the servant to smash the pearl. Without hesitation, the servant took the hammer and smashed it into pieces.
The ministers were shocked and screamed at the servant and asked him why he did it. The servant replied, “What the king says is worth more than any pearl. I obey and honour the king, and not some coloured stone.”
With that, the ministers realized their true standing with the king and what the king thinks of their obedience.
Jesus is the Beloved Son of the Father. Yet, he learned obedience through His suffering and He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him (Hebrews 5:8-9).
God did not demand for Jesus to shed His blood on the cross in sacrifice. It was the sin of mankind that demanded for His blood.
Yet, in shedding His blood, Jesus saved us once and for all from our sins, so that there should be no more shedding of blood, no more taking of revenge, no more payback, no more eye-for-an-eye, tooth-for-tooth.
Jesus was obedient even onto death on the cross, so that we too can obey God.
Obedience to God will always produce benefits that far exceed the consequences of disobedience. But faith and obedience must come first then God can answer our prayers. We are obedient not because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see.
A person’s greatness is usually exemplified through simple acts of obedience, like Abraham. Where faith is the root, the obedience is the fruit.
In the Transfiguration, the voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him.”
Let us listen to Jesus, let us follow His obedience to God, because obedience to God is the pathway to the life that we really want to live.
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