5th Week of Lent, Monday, 07-04-2025

Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 / John 8:12-20 (Year C) 

Some of the common things that give out light is the candle and the electric lamp.

When the lamp is switched on, the light that it emits fills the room.

When a candle is lit, the light from the candle shines in the darkness.

The lamp and the candle simply do what they were made for.

They don’t have to outdo themselves to become something that they are not.

In the gospel, Jesus says that He is the light of the world.

Anyone who follows Him will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life.

Jesus was a testimony unto Himself because He knew who He is.

He did not try to become what others wanted Him to be.

Jesus is the light of the world, and He is also the light of our lives.

The light of Jesus shines into our hearts to help us know who we are.

We are children of God and we are called to be children of the light.

May the light of our lives shine quietly and humbly like the electric lamp and the candle.

And may our light help others to see God and to become children of light.

5th Sunday of Lent, Year C, 06.04.2025

Isaiah 43:16-21 / Philippians 3:8-14 / John 8:1-11 

One ordinary item that can be found almost everywhere is the mirror. 

Mirrors come in all shapes and sizes. 

It can be found in bedrooms and in the restrooms. 

It can be found in hairdressing saloons and in boutiques. 

So, mirrors can be found in high and mighty places, as well as in ordinary and lowly places. 

Regardless of where it may be found, if there is a mirror, we would certainly want to look at it or at least glance at it. 

That is because we like to look at ourselves in the mirror. 

It may be out of vanity to see how good we look. 

Or it may be out of curiosity to see if we look good. 

But most of the time, we are concerned with the externals, we are concerned with our appearances. 

Mirrors don't show us the emotional and psychological state of ourselves. 

In the gospel, scribes and Pharisees brought before Jesus, a woman who was caught committing adultery. 

They said that according to the Law, that woman is to be condemned to death by stoning. 

When the scribes and the Pharisees persisted with their question, Jesus made this stunning statement: 

If there is one of you who have not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. 

There was probably silence after that statement. There is no need for any further discussion or questions. 

No stones were thrown, and no one wanted to be around to see if anyone would throw a stone. 

All went away until only Jesus and the woman were left alone. 

That statement of Jesus was like a mirror that each one had to look at. 

What they saw, they had to look away and walk away. 

While they may judge other people's sins, they could not and would not want to look at their own sins.

So, that statement from Jesus was like the mirror of truth that reveals, and yet also conceals. 

We may recall this phrase “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” 

That phrase is from the fairy tale Snow White and the Seven dwarfs, and it was said by the evil queen. 

While that mirror told the truth that the evil queen was the fairest of all, the time came when Snow White was born and that mirror had to say that Snow White was now the fairest of all. 

So, what reflections and thoughts do we have about that statement from Jesus: 

If there is one of you who have not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. 

That statement could be like the mirror of truth that reveals to us that we all have sinned. 

But we may also want to conceal the truth and direct the attention to other people's sins. 

So, even when we look into the mirror of truth, we may accept it for what it reveals. 

Or we can turn it around and let the truth be concealed. 

The problem with this is that we would rather be ruined by praise than to be saved by criticism. 

As we reflect and think about that statement of Jesus, may the Lord God turn the stones of our sins into stepping stones that will lead us to God's mercy and forgiveness.

4th Week of Lent, Saturday, 05-04-2025

Jeremiah 11:18-20 / John 7:40-52  

It is really something when one has a status or a reputation in the world.

It may be in the form of credentials, or qualifications, or titles, etc.

Add on to that with power and authority and the world will pay attention to whatever one says and does.

But the ways and the preferences of God are mysterious.

God often speaks through the voices of the humble and lowly.

But the voices of the high and mighty often drown out that of the humble and lowly.

In the gospel, the Temple police actually attested that Jesus spoke with authority.

And the Pharisee Nicodemus actually spoke up for justice and truth.

But their voices were not heeded and pushed aside by the high and mighty.

In the world, we hear many voices. Some are loud and sharp, while others are gentle and mellow.

But let us pay attention to the voices of the humble and low.

When we hear in them the voice of love and truth, justice and compassion, then we know that indeed, God speaks through the voices of the humble and lowly.

4th Week of Lent, Friday, 04-04-2025

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

To talk about a good deed or doing a good deed is certainly edifying and motivating.

That will get others to want to contribute in whatever ways they are able to.

But to talk about a bad and evil deed in public is disgusting and deplorable.

In the face of such public evil actions, will there be any reactions or response to it.

In the 1st reading, the godless say to themselves with their misguided reasoning.

And what they said seems to be in the public.

Their evil talk and thoughts include trapping and persecuting the virtuous man, put his faith to the test with cruelty and torture, and finally killing him.

But the 1st reading concludes with a response to such evil and their actions.

Their malice makes them blind, and they do not know the hidden things of God.

In the gospel, it also seems that it is public knowledge that the authorities want to kill Jesus.

Those with power and might may publicly propagate their evil intentions and even make know their evil deeds.

But, in the end, they will have to be accountable to God.

Let us pray that we stand firm in the face and evil, and let us also place our hope in Jesus that holiness will be rewarded.

4th Week of Lent, Thursday, 03-04-2025

Exodus 32:7-14 / John 5:31-47   

Whenever we say that we agree with a person, it usually means that we agree with that person’s opinions and suggestions.

But when we agree with a person’s life-style, the person’s habits, the person’s beliefs and principles, then that is something else.

Because that means that we agree and accept everything about that person.

It is like almost one more little step to believing totally in that person in whatever that person does and says.

In the gospel, Jesus declared that He came to testify to God.

And human approval means nothing to Him.

The people look to one another for approval and are not concerned with the approval that comes from God.

In our discussions and proposals, whether at work or in Church, we too would want support and approval for our ideas and suggestions.

But as Christians, we need to place our plans, our ideas and even our inspirations before the Lord.

We need to ask the Lord for His blessings on what we are going to do.

And we must be prepared to change our plans and our ideas according to God’s plan and His will.

In life, we must submit to God’s plan and His will.

Because God’s will and plan is always for our good and the good of others.

4th Week of Lent, Wednesday, 02-04-2025

Isaiah 49:8-15 / John 5:17-30  

People who have a good memory will impress us.

They not only remember names, they can even remember phone numbers, dates and events.

On the other hand, most of us may be hampered by our own forgetfulness, or the forgetfulness of others.

Forgetfulness can happen when we are distracted, when we are too busy or that we are not interested in remembering.

And we also don’t like the thought that we have been forgotten by others, that we are left out because we are not important to them.

In the 1st reading, the people of God lamented that the Lord has abandoned them, that the Lord has forgotten them.

The Lord God responds by saying that even if a woman forgets her baby at the breast, which is almost impossible, He will not forget His people.

And at the favourable time, God will answer them, and on the day of salvation, He will help them.

So God will not forget us. But it is we who will forget God.

In a time of plenty and when we are too comfortable, God may be the furthest from our minds.

The season of Lent reminds us that we are nothing without God.

May we always remember that.

4th Week of Lent, Tuesday, 01-04-2025

Ezekiel 1-9, 12 / John 5:1-3, 5-16   

As human beings, we will fall sick at one time or another.

And when necessary, we will consult a doctor and will be given medication.

And if the illness is serious, then we may have to be hospitalized for medical treatment.

But if there is a place where miraculous healing is said to have taken place, a sick person may consider going there to take a chance.

One such place that we may know of is the healing waters at the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France.

In the gospel, the Sheep Pool in Jerusalem also had the reputation of healing illnesses and diseases.

Jesus asked the man who had an illness for 38 years if he wanted to be well again.

Although that man gave a number of reasons why he could not receive the healing, Jesus still healed that man of his illness.

The 1st reading describes the Temple as the source of water that brings about life and healing.

Jesus is the fulfillment of that Temple and He is our Healer and Saviour.

Let us have faith that Jesus will heal us of our illnesses and He will also give us the strength to bear our sickness.