22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 04-09-2025

Colossians 1:9-14 / Luke 5:1-11   

The world that we live in is so orderly that we often take it for granted.

The laws of nature and the wonders of the world are like little miracles happening before our eyes.

The rising of the sun and its setting are so glorious yet we might be too busy to admire it.

The melodious singing of the birds is often drowned out by the noise of the world.

So, the little wonders and miracles of life and nature are often blocked by the noise of the world and also our eyes keep looking at the small screens of our mobile phones.

But there are times when God works a sign that is big enough and loud enough for us to see and hear.

In the gospel, when Peter did what Jesus said and put out into deep water, he thought it was rather futile and it would come to nothing.

Then before his very eyes was that huge catch of fish.

But his eyes saw more than just fish. His eyes saw a revelation, he came to see himself as a sinner, and then left everything to follow Jesus.

So too, our eyes should see deeper into this world and see the signs and wonders that He is showing us.

And the 1st reading reminds us of this:

God has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of His Son whom He loves, and in Him, we gain our freedom and the forgiveness of our sins.

Let us see that the greatest wonder is to be loved by God and that our sins are forgiven.

22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 03-09-2025

Colossians 1:1-8 / Luke 4:38-44   

 

Whenever we buy a gadget, or a device or an electrical apparatus, we would be more interested in getting it working immediately.

But enclosed in the packaging is something else which is important and useful. 

And that is the operating instructions or the operating manual.

It may be just a piece of folded paper or a little booklet, and it provides instructions for safely and efficiently using, operating, and maintaining a product.

But often we just glance through it or don’t even look at it.

We just want to use the product immediately and we are not too interested about the product’s details.

When Jesus healed the people’s diseases and cast out devils, He did not allow the evil spirits to announce who He is.

Jesus wanted the people to discover His true identity and not just think of Him as a miracle healer and deliverer.

So when Jesus went off early in the morning to a lonely place to pray, the crowds came looking for Him.

They even wanted to prevent Him from leaving them, because they wanted more from Him.

But Jesus knew who He is and what He was sent to do.

Jesus wants to answer our prayers and give us what we need.

But He also wants us to know who He is and that He came to proclaim the Good News to us so that He can make His home in our hearts.

Let us take time to go off to a lonely place and enter into the Heart of Jesus.

22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 02-09-2025

1 Thess 5:1-6, 9-11 / Luke 4:31-37   

There is a game that is played often in parties, or functions, or in radio and tv shows.

Generally that game is called " Name the tune", and the contestants try to guess the title of the song with the fewest notes or bars that is played.

When Jesus spoke, His words carried authority and power.

But more than that, His words also carried a peculiar resonance, and the evil spirits immediately recognized that it was from the Holy One of God.

In short, the words of Jesus carried a holy and sacred resonance.

The evil spirits were repulsed by it. But we should be moved by it, meaning to say, we should immediately recognize it and respond to it.

But if like what St. Paul said in the 1st reading, if we were living in the dark and are spiritually asleep, then the words of Jesus would not resonate in us.

But we would know if the words of Jesus resonate in us or not.

Because if it does, then we would be able to name the tune, the spiritual tune, that God is playing for us.

In the ups and downs of the music of our lives, there is also a spiritual tune that God is playing gently and softly for us.

When we can recognize that spiritual tune, then we will know what God's will for us is.

That tune is nothing less than holy, because God's will is holy.