28th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 16-10-2024

Galatians 5:18-25 / Luke 11:42-46

No one likes to be criticized or to be told of their faults and failings.

Instinctively, we will be defensive and we will counter-criticize the other person.

That is usually how relationships turn sour and may even turn violent.

In the gospel, Jesus pointed out the faults and failings of the Pharisees, 

A lawyer reacted by saying that Jesus was insulting them too.

We certainly don’t like to be insulted, whether directly or indirectly.

But let us take a moment to check our instinctive reactions.

When we cringe or get angry when others criticize us, then it could be that they have pointed out something that we don’t want to acknowledge about ourselves.

It could be a case that others see the smoke but we don’t want them to see the fire.

But as the 1st reading says, when we are led by the Spirit, we will have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control.

When faced with criticism and negative remarks, let us ask the Holy Spirit for the grace of self-control.

May the Holy Spirit direct us to see our faults and failings so as to rise to a life in the Spirit.

28th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 15-10-2024

Galatians 5:1-6 / Luke 11:37-41

It is always safer to follow instructions.

When we follow instructions, we are not likely to go wrong or get into any kind of trouble.

We can be quite comfortable following instructions and to conform our lives to it.

In fact, we may become rather agitated and annoyed when others don’t follow instructions.

And we can get rather defensive when others question us about the reason for the instructions.

In the gospel, the Pharisee was rather surprised when Jesus had not washed first before the meal.

While Jesus did not question the act of washing before meal, He pointed out a deeper meaning to that washing.

Exterior cleanliness should also make us think about internal cleanliness or spiritual purity.

In the 1st reading, St. Paul says that what matters is faith that makes its power felt through love.

When we are pure of heart, our faith will be seen in our acts of love.

Then we will follow instructions with love, and we will also be able to instruct others with love.

28th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 14-10-2024

Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31 - 5:1 / Luke 11:29-32  

To be literate means that basically a person can read and write.

That would also mean that a person has had some elementary education.

That would enable a person to go from primary education to secondary education and to other higher levels of education.

That would mean that the person would have gone through a learning process.

As it is, learning is a life-long process, and everyday we learn new things.

So, intellectually speaking, we know and have learnt a lot.

However, spiritually speaking, there is the additional aspect of revelation and wisdom.

In the spiritual realm, one learns from the revelation from God and is open to God’s gift of wisdom.

In the gospel, Jesus called the people a wicked generation that is asking for a sign.

They may be literate and have knowledge, but they are illiterate in the ways of God.

They have not learnt from the signs of God and they keep asking for signs.

Let us pray and ask God for the wisdom to learn from the signs about His ways and how to do His will.

28th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 13.10. 2024

Wisdom 7:7-11 / Hebrews 4:12-13 / Mark 10:17-30

Many sayings and opinions have been expressed about the subject of money. 

And it cannot be denied that money is indeed a very useful thing. 

With money we are able to fulfil our basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. 

With money, we will have a comfortable life and we are able to afford the luxuries of life. 

On the noble side, money is used to help the poor and needy, and to fund humanitarian projects. 

Generally speaking, no one would say that they don't want money, or that they have no need for money. 

Indeed, money is useful, and he who has money can be quite powerful. 

But there are things that money cannot buy and have no power over. 

Money certainly cannot buy life. Money can never bring the dead back to life. 

And money cannot buy true friendships. 

And money also cannot buy love. 

In fact, when we have no money, then we will know who will help us, who are our true friends and who will really love us. 

In the gospel, a man ran up to Jesus, knelt before him and asked what must he do to inherit eternal life.

The man kept all commandments and he wanted to know if there is anything else to do. 

Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him. Then he told the man to sell off everything he owned, give the money to the poor and he will have eternal life. 

But that man's face fell, and he walked away sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 

Jesus had looked steadily at him and loved him. 

That man looked at his wealth, but did not look into the eyes of Jesus. 

It is said that the eyes are the windows of the soul. 

Just as Jesus looked steadily at that man and loved him, Jesus looks at us and loves us too. 

But just as that man looked at his wealth, we may be too busy looking at other things. 

Our eyes look and not just money and wealth. Our eyes look at what we desire for sensual pleasure and luxurious possessions. 

When it comes to food, our eyes become bigger than our stomachs and we eat till we overeat. 

So, we are busy looking at earthly desires and our eyes avert from looking at Jesus. 

Still, Jesus continues to look at us with that look of love, with eyes that want to tell us something. 

But we are busy, as busy as a bee. 

Bees may be busy, but they still have time to talk to the flowers. 

It seems that flowers talk to bee using static electricity. If a flower hasn't been visited recently by a bee, it gives off static electricity. 

That static electricity tugs at the tiny hairs on the bees’ back, letting them know which flower still has nectar. 

Like how the flower prompts the bee, Jesus prompts us to look at Him as He looks at us. 

As we feel His promptings, may this hymn also come to our minds: 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, 

look full in His wonderful face. 

And the things of earth 

will grow strangely dim 

in the light of His glory and grace.

27th Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 12-10-2024

Galatians 3:22-29 / Luke 11:27-28 

When it comes to maternal instinct, the one thought that comes to mind is the care and protection of the mother over her children.

That maternal instinct is so amazing that a mother would be willing to sacrifice her life for her children.

And if the mother has only one child, then, needless to say, all her attention and energy will be on that child.

Mary loved and cared for Jesus as her only child. And she also knew that God entrusted her with His only Son.

When the time came for Jesus to carry out His mission, Mary had to let Him go because she knew it was the will of God.

But Jesus is still her son, her flesh and blood, and like any mother, she would have longed for Jesus to stay by her side.

And when Jesus suffered and died on the Cross, the pain is beyond description, as no words can ever express the pain of a parent losing a child.

But over and above her maternal instinct, Mary submitted herself to God’s will.

Mary is the model of faith because she did what God wanted, and not what she wanted or desired.

Jesus gave Mary to be our mother when He was dying on the Cross.

Let us honour her and love her and learn from her to do God’s will.

27th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 11-10-2024

Galatians 3:7-14 / Luke 11:15-26  

In life, there will be people who will like us, and there are people who don’t like us.

We may be curious about why people like us, and we may be a bit more curious about why there are people who don’t like us.

As for those who don’t like us, there are two options for us to consider.

We can try to please them into liking us, or we may just want to ignore them.

In the gospel, when Jesus had cast out a devil, there were people who said rather disparaging things about Him.

Obviously, those people didn’t like Jesus for one reason or another, although what He did was good and was not harmful or offensive.

Still, Jesus did not resent them and even gave a teaching to help them see the truth, if they were receptive to it.

As for us, we know who Jesus is, and with Him we want to gather those who wish to know Him.

As for those who do not like Jesus for some reason, let us pray for them.

Maybe one day, we may be called to gather them and lead them to Jesus.

27th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 10-10-2024

Galatians 3:1-5 / Luke 12:5-13  

It seems like it takes more mouth muscles to say “yes” than to say “no”.

We can say “no” even without opening much of our lips, but to say “yes” we have to stretch our lips.

So, saying no to request for favours is our instinctive response.

In the gospel, Jesus tells a parable to point out our response to requests that do not seem to be of any benefit to us.

Not only are there no benefits, it will also cause inconvenience for us.

But when a person is truly in need of a favour from us, what would our response be?

Before we consider how inconvenient and troublesome it would be for us, let us remember those times when we turned to the Lord in our time of need.

Jesus tells us that God loves us and He would certainly want to help us and give us the good things in life.

When we have had our prayers answered and received blessings from the Lord, we too would want to share God’s blessings with others.

That would help us decide our response to those who come to us for a favour.