Ezekiel 34 : 11-16 / Romans 5 : 5-11 / Luke 15 :3-7
If we ask ourselves what is the greatest gift from God, we will surely come to this answer.
The greatest gift from God is surely His only Son Jesus.
And the greatest gift of Jesus to us is His love for us: "Love one another as I have loved you."
And Jesus showed that He loved us to the end by laying down his life for us.
The Church uses the image of the Sacred heart to symbolize this love.
The heart of Jesus is crowned with thorns but yet burning with love for us.
It is in the Sacred Heart of Jesus that our own hearts will find the love that we are looking for, and it is a love that Jesus wants to give us.
In the Sacred Heart of Jesus we will find the peace and joy that we are longing for.
Yes, our hearts will not rest until they are rested in the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
So the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus reminds us that Jesus is always loving us and holding us close to His heart.
His heart burns with love for us. May our hearts also burn with love for Jesus and for others.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
13th in Ordinary Time, Thursday, 30-06-11
Genesis 22:1-19 / Matthew 9:1-8
One of the vows or promises that a priest or religious takes at ordination or at the solemn profession is the promise or vow of obedience.
And more than celibacy and poverty, the vow or promise of obedience is the foundation of the person's relationship with God.
So a person can meditate for hours and live a life of austerity and asceticism, but if he does not submit to the directions of his superiors, then all he does is in vain.
Similarly for Abraham in the 1st reading. More than a test of his faith in God, it was also a test of his freedom and decision to choose to obey God or not.
In his obedience to God, he also made this statement of faith - God will provide.
Indeed, God will provide whatever is necessary as long as we are willing to obey Him.
So whenever we find it difficult to obey and do God's will, let us remember that God will provide us the necessary graces to heal us and strengthen us to accept His will.
Abraham obeyed God and received His blessings. May we too be obedient to God and do His will and also receive God's blessings.
One of the vows or promises that a priest or religious takes at ordination or at the solemn profession is the promise or vow of obedience.
And more than celibacy and poverty, the vow or promise of obedience is the foundation of the person's relationship with God.
So a person can meditate for hours and live a life of austerity and asceticism, but if he does not submit to the directions of his superiors, then all he does is in vain.
Similarly for Abraham in the 1st reading. More than a test of his faith in God, it was also a test of his freedom and decision to choose to obey God or not.
In his obedience to God, he also made this statement of faith - God will provide.
Indeed, God will provide whatever is necessary as long as we are willing to obey Him.
So whenever we find it difficult to obey and do God's will, let us remember that God will provide us the necessary graces to heal us and strengthen us to accept His will.
Abraham obeyed God and received His blessings. May we too be obedient to God and do His will and also receive God's blessings.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
St. Peter and Paul, Apostles, Wednesday, 29-06-11
Acts 12 : 1-11 / 2 Timothy 4 : 6-8, 17-18 / Matthew 16 : 13-19 (2018)
When we read about the life-stories of great people like Beethoven and Thomas Edison, we will see something common.
And that is when they were young, they were written off as slow, stupid and hopeless.
But yet they emerged as prominent figures in history who went against the odds of life.
We know the background and the stories of St. Peter and St. Paul.
St. Peter was brash and impulsive. And of course there was his triple denial of Christ.
St. Paul persecuted Christians until he took that road to Damascus.
By our logical reasoning, both will be written off.
But how can they do such grievous deeds and yet become great saints in the Church?
Yet, that is the mystery of the grace of God. And along with that mystery, we can see that no one is hopeless or unworthy for salvation.
By God's grace, St. Peter repented. By God's grace, he was saved from prison and he went on to lead the Church, as we heard in the 1st reading.
By God's grace, St. Paul was converted. And by God's grace, he spread the faith to the Gentiles and in the end he willingly gave up his life for Christ.
By God's grace too, we know we are forgiven and saved. By God's grace too, we know that the sinner in us can be turned into a saint.
By God's grace too, we know that we can be like St. Peter and St. Paul, and we too will bear witness to Christ and pour out our lives to serve the Lord and His Church.
When we read about the life-stories of great people like Beethoven and Thomas Edison, we will see something common.
And that is when they were young, they were written off as slow, stupid and hopeless.
But yet they emerged as prominent figures in history who went against the odds of life.
We know the background and the stories of St. Peter and St. Paul.
St. Peter was brash and impulsive. And of course there was his triple denial of Christ.
St. Paul persecuted Christians until he took that road to Damascus.
By our logical reasoning, both will be written off.
But how can they do such grievous deeds and yet become great saints in the Church?
Yet, that is the mystery of the grace of God. And along with that mystery, we can see that no one is hopeless or unworthy for salvation.
By God's grace, St. Peter repented. By God's grace, he was saved from prison and he went on to lead the Church, as we heard in the 1st reading.
By God's grace, St. Paul was converted. And by God's grace, he spread the faith to the Gentiles and in the end he willingly gave up his life for Christ.
By God's grace too, we know we are forgiven and saved. By God's grace too, we know that the sinner in us can be turned into a saint.
By God's grace too, we know that we can be like St. Peter and St. Paul, and we too will bear witness to Christ and pour out our lives to serve the Lord and His Church.
Monday, June 27, 2011
13th in Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 28-06-11
Genesis 19:15-29 / Matthew 8:23-27
Life is just so surprising with its many twists and turns and we have to expect the unexpected.
We can make plans about our lives, plan for the future, plan what to do in a situation, plan what to say in an encounter.
But calm can just turn into chaos with the blink of the eye.
In the 1st reading, Lot had planned to stay in the land and build his future there.
He had never expected the place to be destroyed and to flee for his life.
Similarly, in the gospel, calm turned into chaos in the lake and the disciples feared for their lives.
Even for us, when calm suddenly turns into chaos, fear strikes up and we begin running around looking for solutions and trying to gain control of the situation.
But we only need to cry out like the disciples did: Save us, Lord, we are going down.
And no cry to God is ever left unanswered. And He tells us not to be afraid.
God did not promise us that there will be no chaos or storms in our lives.
But He did promise that He will be with us in every storm and in every chaos.
So let us not fear but believe in God's promise which will be kept till the end of time.
Life is just so surprising with its many twists and turns and we have to expect the unexpected.
We can make plans about our lives, plan for the future, plan what to do in a situation, plan what to say in an encounter.
But calm can just turn into chaos with the blink of the eye.
In the 1st reading, Lot had planned to stay in the land and build his future there.
He had never expected the place to be destroyed and to flee for his life.
Similarly, in the gospel, calm turned into chaos in the lake and the disciples feared for their lives.
Even for us, when calm suddenly turns into chaos, fear strikes up and we begin running around looking for solutions and trying to gain control of the situation.
But we only need to cry out like the disciples did: Save us, Lord, we are going down.
And no cry to God is ever left unanswered. And He tells us not to be afraid.
God did not promise us that there will be no chaos or storms in our lives.
But He did promise that He will be with us in every storm and in every chaos.
So let us not fear but believe in God's promise which will be kept till the end of time.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
13th Week in Ordinary Time, Monday, 27-06-11
Genesis 18:16-33 / Matthew 8:18-22
It is almost everyone's desire to have a comfortable life.
So besides having enough to eat and a cosy place to stay in, we also want financial security and also luxuries like a nice big car and maybe even servants to do our work for us.
Yet these desires only exist in dreams and seldom in reality.
Even if these desires are achievable, yet they are like a bottomless pit and we can never be satisfied and contented.
There is something that Jesus said in the gospel that needs to be contemplated upon.
When He said that He has nowhere to lay His head, Jesus is almost like saying that He has no place in this world and that nothing belongs to Him.
If Jesus can say that, then what about us?
And if we want to be His disciples, are we also prepared to live like Him and have nowhere to lay our head?
We must remember that we live in a passing world and we are only stewards of what we have; nothing really belongs to us forever.
If we have nowhere to lay our head on earth, then the other aspect is that there must be some place where we can have hope in and where our hearts will be at rest and contented.
May our hope be in our faith in God who will grant us peace and protect us from anxiety so that our lives will be lived in joyful hope.
It is almost everyone's desire to have a comfortable life.
So besides having enough to eat and a cosy place to stay in, we also want financial security and also luxuries like a nice big car and maybe even servants to do our work for us.
Yet these desires only exist in dreams and seldom in reality.
Even if these desires are achievable, yet they are like a bottomless pit and we can never be satisfied and contented.
There is something that Jesus said in the gospel that needs to be contemplated upon.
When He said that He has nowhere to lay His head, Jesus is almost like saying that He has no place in this world and that nothing belongs to Him.
If Jesus can say that, then what about us?
And if we want to be His disciples, are we also prepared to live like Him and have nowhere to lay our head?
We must remember that we live in a passing world and we are only stewards of what we have; nothing really belongs to us forever.
If we have nowhere to lay our head on earth, then the other aspect is that there must be some place where we can have hope in and where our hearts will be at rest and contented.
May our hope be in our faith in God who will grant us peace and protect us from anxiety so that our lives will be lived in joyful hope.
Friday, June 24, 2011
12th Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday, 25-06-11
Genesis 18:1-15 / Matthew 8:5-17
Hospitality is a concrete act of generosity that is shown to another person who is in need.
More so if that person is a stranger or foreigner who is looking around for some help.
And we would certainly want to he hospitable and offer help.
Yet there is always an "if" or a "but" or a "maybe".
Because such calls for hospitality and generosity often comes at the wrong time.
By the "wrong time" it could be that we are tied up with other matters, or busy with other things, or that we already have more than enough on our hands.
Well, it was the hottest time of the day when Abraham saw the three men.
The hottest time of the day meant that one is most lethargic, most tired and most unwilling to do anything.
Yet Abraham got up to offer the three strangers his hospitality and service.
Similarly, Jesus had just come from a hectic schedule, only to be met with a request from the centurion.
Both situations occur during the so-called "hottest time"of the day.
It was a call for generosity and hospitality, an occasion for showing love and care and concern.
So let us be prepared to hear that call to love and serve during the hottest part of today.
When we welcome someone at the hottest time of the day and show love and care and concern, we can be assured of God's blessings on us.
Hospitality is a concrete act of generosity that is shown to another person who is in need.
More so if that person is a stranger or foreigner who is looking around for some help.
And we would certainly want to he hospitable and offer help.
Yet there is always an "if" or a "but" or a "maybe".
Because such calls for hospitality and generosity often comes at the wrong time.
By the "wrong time" it could be that we are tied up with other matters, or busy with other things, or that we already have more than enough on our hands.
Well, it was the hottest time of the day when Abraham saw the three men.
The hottest time of the day meant that one is most lethargic, most tired and most unwilling to do anything.
Yet Abraham got up to offer the three strangers his hospitality and service.
Similarly, Jesus had just come from a hectic schedule, only to be met with a request from the centurion.
Both situations occur during the so-called "hottest time"of the day.
It was a call for generosity and hospitality, an occasion for showing love and care and concern.
So let us be prepared to hear that call to love and serve during the hottest part of today.
When we welcome someone at the hottest time of the day and show love and care and concern, we can be assured of God's blessings on us.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Friday, 24-06-11
Isaiah 49:1-6 / Acts 13:22-26 / Luke 1:57-66, 80 (2015 / 2017 / 2024)
The name "John" appears for the first time in the Bible in today's gospel.
It is a Jewish name (Yohanan) and it means "God is gracious".
Why Elizabeth have her son that name and why Zechariah confirmed it was not mentioned.
But we can suppose, and quite correctly, that she was expressing her thanks and praise to God for this gift of grace in her son, and that God was merciful to her and saved her from the shame of being barren.
Indeed the name "John" was very befitting for the Baptizer because he was the herald of a more important person.
He ushered in the appointed time of grace.
In fact he ushered in the fullness of grace that was embodied in the person of Jesus Christ.
In Jesus Christ, God came as a man to visit His people and to redeem them from the slavery of sin.
As it was then, so it is now still. Every moment is a time of grace.
God still visits us not only to save us but to make us the light of the nations, so that salvation may reach all nations, as we heard in the 1st reading.
May we live each moment in grace of God, so that we may be instruments of light and life to others.
The name "John" appears for the first time in the Bible in today's gospel.
It is a Jewish name (Yohanan) and it means "God is gracious".
Why Elizabeth have her son that name and why Zechariah confirmed it was not mentioned.
But we can suppose, and quite correctly, that she was expressing her thanks and praise to God for this gift of grace in her son, and that God was merciful to her and saved her from the shame of being barren.
Indeed the name "John" was very befitting for the Baptizer because he was the herald of a more important person.
He ushered in the appointed time of grace.
In fact he ushered in the fullness of grace that was embodied in the person of Jesus Christ.
In Jesus Christ, God came as a man to visit His people and to redeem them from the slavery of sin.
As it was then, so it is now still. Every moment is a time of grace.
God still visits us not only to save us but to make us the light of the nations, so that salvation may reach all nations, as we heard in the 1st reading.
May we live each moment in grace of God, so that we may be instruments of light and life to others.
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