Isaiah 25:6-10 / Matthew 15:29-37
There is something different about the mood of Advent; different from say the mood of Lent.
Advent brings about a longing and a waiting. In the festive sense, it may mean a longing to get the Christmas shopping over and done, and a waiting for the celebrations and the presents to begin.
But in the more important spiritual sense, the 1st reading creates in us a longing for the promise of God to be fulfilled, as well as for the day of rejoicing in the Lord to come.
These aspects are portrayed concretely as the Lord giving a banquet where there will be rich food and endless rejoicing.
Every tear will be wiped away and the people's hope of salvation is realized as they rejoice and feast with the Lord.
Yet this hope and longing must be translated into life's moments of difficulties and challenges.
In the gospel, the challenge was the shortage of food coupled with difficulty of the time and place.
Jesus again showed that our hope and longing for the Lord is not in vain.
God will provide and He will see us through.
He only wants us to trust in Him and to rejoice in His love for us.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
St. Andrew, Apostle, 30-11-10
Romans 10:9-18 / Matthew 4:18-22 (2020 / 2023)
In the gospel account, we hear of Jesus calling St. Peter along with his brother St. Andrew.
But there was something else about St. Andrew.
In the gospel according to St. John, St. Andrew was initially a disciple of John the Baptist.
And when John the Baptist pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God, Andrew in turn followed Him.
So we can say that St. Andrew was the first disciple of Jesus.
And it was St. Andrew who brought St. Peter to see Jesus, after telling him that he had found the Messiah.
We can learn much from St. Andrew, especially his attitude as a disciple.
After staying with Jesus and coming to know Him, St. Andrew did not keep this experience to himself, but shared it with his brother St.Peter.
So saints are not nicely sculptured statues, or just pretty colourful pictures on the stained-glass of churches.
They are common people who are opened to Jesus when He came into their lives, and after experiencing Him, they also shared Him with others, just like St. Andrew did.
Let us pray that we will continue to experience Jesus daily and like St. Andrew we will go forth to share Him with others.
In the gospel account, we hear of Jesus calling St. Peter along with his brother St. Andrew.
But there was something else about St. Andrew.
In the gospel according to St. John, St. Andrew was initially a disciple of John the Baptist.
And when John the Baptist pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God, Andrew in turn followed Him.
So we can say that St. Andrew was the first disciple of Jesus.
And it was St. Andrew who brought St. Peter to see Jesus, after telling him that he had found the Messiah.
We can learn much from St. Andrew, especially his attitude as a disciple.
After staying with Jesus and coming to know Him, St. Andrew did not keep this experience to himself, but shared it with his brother St.Peter.
So saints are not nicely sculptured statues, or just pretty colourful pictures on the stained-glass of churches.
They are common people who are opened to Jesus when He came into their lives, and after experiencing Him, they also shared Him with others, just like St. Andrew did.
Let us pray that we will continue to experience Jesus daily and like St. Andrew we will go forth to share Him with others.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
1st Week of Advent, Monday, 29-11-10
Isaiah 4:2-6 / Matthew 8:5-11
An average dictionary has got about 55,000 over entries with over 70,000 definitions.
That is a lot of words, with equally a lot of definitions.
Yet, despite their abundance, words still remain powerful.
A carefully chosen statement can save a situation, whereas a careless choice of words can ruin everything.
So if the pen is mightier than the sword, then the word is as powerful as the action.
In the gospel, the centurion recognized the authority of Jesus and the power of His word.
The centurion was himself a man of authority and so he believed that what Jesus says is as good as being done.
Jesus has said that we are forgiven and healed. He said that He wants to give us peace and joy.
What Jesus has said He has already done for us.
The season of Advent is to prepare us for the coming of Jesus.
May this season also help us realize what Jesus has already done for us.
An average dictionary has got about 55,000 over entries with over 70,000 definitions.
That is a lot of words, with equally a lot of definitions.
Yet, despite their abundance, words still remain powerful.
A carefully chosen statement can save a situation, whereas a careless choice of words can ruin everything.
So if the pen is mightier than the sword, then the word is as powerful as the action.
In the gospel, the centurion recognized the authority of Jesus and the power of His word.
The centurion was himself a man of authority and so he believed that what Jesus says is as good as being done.
Jesus has said that we are forgiven and healed. He said that He wants to give us peace and joy.
What Jesus has said He has already done for us.
The season of Advent is to prepare us for the coming of Jesus.
May this season also help us realize what Jesus has already done for us.
Friday, November 26, 2010
34th Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 27-11-10
Apocalypse 22:1-7 / Luke 21:34-36 (2023)
It is a general medical opinion that a lot of diseases like heart-attack, stroke, high-blood pressure and diabetes can be prevented and controlled.
It just requires us to be disciplined in our diet and exercise routines.
But when it comes to preventive measures, we don't usually see the concrete benefits of our vigilance.
Hence we slacken, and we say that another piece of fatty meat or missing another day of exercise won't do much harm.
Or we might even throw caution to the wind and say: let's enjoy now and suffer later.
Yet very often, it is while lying on the hospital bed in pain that we start regretting not taking care of our health and our body.
Similarly neither do we want to spend eternity in regret.
What Jesus is asking of us is to be alert and to be with Him in prayer and to have confidence in what He had promised us.
Jesus had promised us eternity with Him. It is by spending every moment with Jesus in our hearts that we will be prepared for eternity with Him.
It is a general medical opinion that a lot of diseases like heart-attack, stroke, high-blood pressure and diabetes can be prevented and controlled.
It just requires us to be disciplined in our diet and exercise routines.
But when it comes to preventive measures, we don't usually see the concrete benefits of our vigilance.
Hence we slacken, and we say that another piece of fatty meat or missing another day of exercise won't do much harm.
Or we might even throw caution to the wind and say: let's enjoy now and suffer later.
Yet very often, it is while lying on the hospital bed in pain that we start regretting not taking care of our health and our body.
Similarly neither do we want to spend eternity in regret.
What Jesus is asking of us is to be alert and to be with Him in prayer and to have confidence in what He had promised us.
Jesus had promised us eternity with Him. It is by spending every moment with Jesus in our hearts that we will be prepared for eternity with Him.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
34th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 26-11-10
Apocalypse 20:1-4, 11 - 21:2 / Luke 21:29-33
If we had lived or spent time in a place or a country where there is a winter season, we will know how dreary it is.
It can be wet, cold, gloomy, and life comes to almost like a standstill.
But winter will slowly give way to spring, and spring is beautiful.
The sun would be shining but yet it is cool. Everything had a bright tinge to it, from the colour of the grass to the colour of the sky.
So winter does not have the last say in the cycle of the seasons and in the cycle of life.
Out of an apparent lifelessness comes about new life.
Jesus had been talking about the disturbing signs of the end times, signs of violence and distress.
But in today's gospel, He talks about yet another sign, the sign of the kingdom of God.
Hence the disturbing signs are inevitable, but they do not have the last say.
Because the last say belongs to the kingdom of God and to the glorious coming of Jesus.
So when we face a turmoil in life, let us know that the turmoil or distress do not have the last say and neither is it the deciding factor.
The deciding factor rests on our hope in Jesus, who will come and reveal Himself to us in the calm after the storm.
It is in that calm that we know the final word belongs to Jesus.
If we had lived or spent time in a place or a country where there is a winter season, we will know how dreary it is.
It can be wet, cold, gloomy, and life comes to almost like a standstill.
But winter will slowly give way to spring, and spring is beautiful.
The sun would be shining but yet it is cool. Everything had a bright tinge to it, from the colour of the grass to the colour of the sky.
So winter does not have the last say in the cycle of the seasons and in the cycle of life.
Out of an apparent lifelessness comes about new life.
Jesus had been talking about the disturbing signs of the end times, signs of violence and distress.
But in today's gospel, He talks about yet another sign, the sign of the kingdom of God.
Hence the disturbing signs are inevitable, but they do not have the last say.
Because the last say belongs to the kingdom of God and to the glorious coming of Jesus.
So when we face a turmoil in life, let us know that the turmoil or distress do not have the last say and neither is it the deciding factor.
The deciding factor rests on our hope in Jesus, who will come and reveal Himself to us in the calm after the storm.
It is in that calm that we know the final word belongs to Jesus.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
34th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 25-11-10
Apocalypse 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9 / Luke21:20-28 (2024)
No one likes to face a disturbing and distressful time. Even just thinking about it makes us uneasy and anxious.
Yet, if we do not have a good grip on our faith, we might just fall into the two-pronged trap of the devil.
This two-pronged trap is called deception and disappointment.
In the midst of trials and turbulent times, it is easy to be deceived by false promises of security and safety, and we may be disappointed when these securities and safety nets break and fail us and we begin to lose our faith in God.
Yet, in the midst of this fear and disappointment, Jesus comes to proclaim the Good News.
He tells us that we see disturbing and distressful things happening around us, that is a sign that the kingdom of God is approaching.
Even the 1st reading gives a similar portrayal - after the persecutions, those who suffered are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
So let us overcome the deception and the disappointment of the evil one by asking the Lord to renew our hope and strengthen our faith.
Only in trusting in the Lord do we dare to look hopefully into the future and journey on in faith.
No one likes to face a disturbing and distressful time. Even just thinking about it makes us uneasy and anxious.
Yet, if we do not have a good grip on our faith, we might just fall into the two-pronged trap of the devil.
This two-pronged trap is called deception and disappointment.
In the midst of trials and turbulent times, it is easy to be deceived by false promises of security and safety, and we may be disappointed when these securities and safety nets break and fail us and we begin to lose our faith in God.
Yet, in the midst of this fear and disappointment, Jesus comes to proclaim the Good News.
He tells us that we see disturbing and distressful things happening around us, that is a sign that the kingdom of God is approaching.
Even the 1st reading gives a similar portrayal - after the persecutions, those who suffered are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
So let us overcome the deception and the disappointment of the evil one by asking the Lord to renew our hope and strengthen our faith.
Only in trusting in the Lord do we dare to look hopefully into the future and journey on in faith.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
34th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 24-11-10
Apocalypse 15:1-4 / Luke 21:12-19
When we read about the sufferings of Jesus in the gospels, we can see that he underwent three types of tortures.
The first was the scourging and that was to whip the accused 39 times (which was seldom needed) with leather straps that had lead ball-bearings at ends.
The purpose was to whip the person to within an inch of his death and then stop so that other forms of torture can continue.
The third torture was the crucifixion - put the cross on Jesus, march Him up to Calvary and then execute Him slowly.
Those where the soldiers' orders and they carried it out meticulously and mercilessly.
What was difficult to understand was the in-between torture.
The soldiers wanted to make fun of a half-dead Jesus.
The soldiers took off His clothes and put a robe on Him, put a crown of thorns on His head, put a stick on His hand and hailed Him "King of the Jews"
And then, they spat on Him. Spittle was not intended to hurt the body. It can't.
Spitting at a person is meant to degrade him and to insult his dignity. We can say it's a psychological torture.
By doing so the soldiers felt big by making Jesus look small.
Well, as Christians, we may be spared of physical torture, but we can be assured that we will have our share of the spittle.
It comes in form of gossips, back-biting, slandering, lying, accusations.
Oh yes, we have had our share and we have also retaliated with drop for drop.
But let us stop this vicious cycle of spitting at each other by heeding what Jesus told us in the gospel : Your endurance will win you your lives.
Others may spit at us, but we don't have to spit back.
Jesus didn't. In fact He endured the spittle all the way to the cross, and there He won life for us.
When we read about the sufferings of Jesus in the gospels, we can see that he underwent three types of tortures.
The first was the scourging and that was to whip the accused 39 times (which was seldom needed) with leather straps that had lead ball-bearings at ends.
The purpose was to whip the person to within an inch of his death and then stop so that other forms of torture can continue.
The third torture was the crucifixion - put the cross on Jesus, march Him up to Calvary and then execute Him slowly.
Those where the soldiers' orders and they carried it out meticulously and mercilessly.
What was difficult to understand was the in-between torture.
The soldiers wanted to make fun of a half-dead Jesus.
The soldiers took off His clothes and put a robe on Him, put a crown of thorns on His head, put a stick on His hand and hailed Him "King of the Jews"
And then, they spat on Him. Spittle was not intended to hurt the body. It can't.
Spitting at a person is meant to degrade him and to insult his dignity. We can say it's a psychological torture.
By doing so the soldiers felt big by making Jesus look small.
Well, as Christians, we may be spared of physical torture, but we can be assured that we will have our share of the spittle.
It comes in form of gossips, back-biting, slandering, lying, accusations.
Oh yes, we have had our share and we have also retaliated with drop for drop.
But let us stop this vicious cycle of spitting at each other by heeding what Jesus told us in the gospel : Your endurance will win you your lives.
Others may spit at us, but we don't have to spit back.
Jesus didn't. In fact He endured the spittle all the way to the cross, and there He won life for us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)