1 Thess 5:1-6, 9-11 / Luke 4:31-37
It is when people are saying "How quiet and peaceful it is" that the worst suddenly happens. That is one of the statements from the 1st reading.
That may be similar to what they say about the lull before the storm. It is also a strategy used in warfare to attack the enemy when the enemy is most unprepared and not alert.
It seems to be such a drastic contrast that when things are quiet and peaceful, it is also a time that chaos and havoc can spring up suddenly.
The point in the 1st reading was the call to stay awake and sober, and not to slide to complacency and carelessness and forget that we are called to greater and higher things in life.
The urgency of the call is not for a later time or to be postponed, but it is for an immediate response.
In the gospel, as the people came to the synagogue for a time of prayer, they were expecting a time of quiet and peace.
But that was shattered when a man who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean devil shouted at Jesus with the top of its voice.
The people could be shocked by it, or perturbed or irritated or agitated by it, and the initial reaction would be to drag that possessed man out of the synagogue and restore the quiet and peace.
But let us remember that peace is not the absence of disturbance. Rather peace is about being aware of THE Presence.
In the gospel, the presence of Jesus drove out the evil from the possessed man. May the presence of Jesus also bring about peace and quiet in our hearts amidst the chaos and havoc around us.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Sunday, August 30, 2015
22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 31-08-15
1 Thess 4:13-18 / Luke 4:16-30
Life and death may sound like opposites. But there is also a ironic connection between life and death.
That connection is put into quotes like: If you don't live for something, you will die for nothing.
So as much as the finality of life ends with death, yet life without a purpose is also a life that is meaningless. In that sense death has already taken place.
With that we may understand what St Paul said in the 1st reading: We want you to be quite certain about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like the other people who have no hope.
He was referring to those who have come to believe in Jesus during their lifetime and have died.
It was because of their faith that they had the hope that death would be the passage to the glory that Jesus had promised them in the afterlife.
And Jesus Himself, in the gospel, had this great vision to live for as He proclaimed that passage from the prophet Isaiah.
It was really something to look forward to, something great to live for and Jesus knew that He was the one who is to bring and as well as to be the Good News to the poor.
So the rejection from the people of His home-town was not going to deter Him nor was He going to let them end His life just like that.
Jesus had something great to live for, and in the end He had something even greater to die for.
He died in order to save us so that in turn we can bring the Good News to others and even be the Good News for others. That is really something to live for. To wait further is to let death push us down the cliff.
Life and death may sound like opposites. But there is also a ironic connection between life and death.
That connection is put into quotes like: If you don't live for something, you will die for nothing.
So as much as the finality of life ends with death, yet life without a purpose is also a life that is meaningless. In that sense death has already taken place.
With that we may understand what St Paul said in the 1st reading: We want you to be quite certain about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like the other people who have no hope.
He was referring to those who have come to believe in Jesus during their lifetime and have died.
It was because of their faith that they had the hope that death would be the passage to the glory that Jesus had promised them in the afterlife.
And Jesus Himself, in the gospel, had this great vision to live for as He proclaimed that passage from the prophet Isaiah.
It was really something to look forward to, something great to live for and Jesus knew that He was the one who is to bring and as well as to be the Good News to the poor.
So the rejection from the people of His home-town was not going to deter Him nor was He going to let them end His life just like that.
Jesus had something great to live for, and in the end He had something even greater to die for.
He died in order to save us so that in turn we can bring the Good News to others and even be the Good News for others. That is really something to live for. To wait further is to let death push us down the cliff.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
22nd Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 30.08.2015
Deut 4:1-2, 6-8 / James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27 / Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
The word “smart” is generally used to describe the intelligence level of some people.
When we say that a person is smart, it would mean that the person is clever, bright, intelligent, sharp-witted, quick-witted and maybe even shrewd and astute.
And if we say that a person looks smart, it means that the person is neat and well-dressed and maybe even stylish. But that’s only for the looks; it does not say much about the intelligence.
Nowadays the word “smart” is not just used to for people but also for devices and appliances.
So there is the smart phone, the smart TV, the smart car, and whatever they could make smart and smarter.
But no matter how smart things can become, they depend on one thing – that little chip that is called the CPU (central processing unit).
So smart devices or appliances can’t choose to do whatever they like. They can only do what they are programmed to do, and we can’t tell them to do otherwise.
So there is no point shouting at the computer or handphone or calling it “stupid”. They are only following their programmed instructions and they will stick to it.
In a way we can call them “robots of habit” – they will just do what they have been programmed to do and they won’t ask why. They can’t.
In today’s gospel passage, we heard the Pharisees and scribes asking Jesus why His disciples do not wash their hands before eating, and hence not respecting the tradition of the elders.
Jesus called them hypocrites, because they were only interested in regulations and traditions.
Putting it in another way, the scribes and Pharisees are like “robots of rituals”.
They have been programmed by human regulations and human traditions which they follow meticulously.
And these “robots of rituals” can also talk – they criticize others for not following the programmed regulations and traditions.
And the quotation from the prophet Isaiah sums up the crux of the matter : These people honour me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me.
In other words, the scribes and Pharisees follow the regulations and traditions like “robots of rituals” and they can even criticize others for not doing so.
But the heart is not there. Just like robots have no heart; they only a CPU that runs the program.
While regulations and traditions have a useful purpose and rituals can help to sanctify, it is the heart that matters.
Because it is the heart that gives life to regulations and traditions and rituals, and then they become expressions of love.
Without the heart, we become like “robots of rituals” that only look smart but with no meaning or understanding.
There was once a monastery, where the abbot had a very punctual cat. Every morning, just before prayer, it would begin wonder around and distract the monks.
After a few weeks of this irritating habit, the abbot gave permission for the cat to be tied up. After a few years, the abbot died, and the cat outlived him, and the practice to tie up the cat continued. Eventually, the cat died.
The monks of the monastery, upon realising that there was no cat to tie up before prayer, brought in another cat, and so, every morning, the cat would be tied up so that prayers could go ahead.
The tradition continued and original cord that was used to tie up the cat was revered as a relic. Books on devotions and novenas were written on the spiritual significance of tying a cat before prayers.
Prayers to the “holy cat” were compiled and studied devotedly and pictures of the cat were being mass produced.
Just a story to show how absurd traditions can become and people can turn into “robots of rituals”.
And this can even happen at Mass. We come for Mass and a programme kicks in and we become “robots of rituals”.
We know when to stand, when to sit, when to kneel, when to say “Amen” and when to take out some money to put into the collection bag.
But is there anything happening to our hearts? Do our hearts feel the love of God that makes us aware of the sinfulness that is lurking in our hearts?
Jesus pointed out what could be the sinfulness of our hearts – fornication, theft, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly.
All these make our hearts unclean but we come before the Lord in the Mass so that He can cleanse our hearts with the precious blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross.
When we want to be cleansed, then our hearts will change. We won’t be “robots of rituals”; we become God’s holy people and we offer a worship that is pleasing to God as we offer to God a humble and contrite heart.
We are not called to be smart. We are called to be holy so that we will be holy in our worship and in our relationships and we become truly human and we will also become truly loving.
Then we will be able to cleanse this world of sin and evil, and we will also help to turn robotic human beings into persons of love.
The word “smart” is generally used to describe the intelligence level of some people.
When we say that a person is smart, it would mean that the person is clever, bright, intelligent, sharp-witted, quick-witted and maybe even shrewd and astute.
And if we say that a person looks smart, it means that the person is neat and well-dressed and maybe even stylish. But that’s only for the looks; it does not say much about the intelligence.
Nowadays the word “smart” is not just used to for people but also for devices and appliances.
So there is the smart phone, the smart TV, the smart car, and whatever they could make smart and smarter.
But no matter how smart things can become, they depend on one thing – that little chip that is called the CPU (central processing unit).
So smart devices or appliances can’t choose to do whatever they like. They can only do what they are programmed to do, and we can’t tell them to do otherwise.
So there is no point shouting at the computer or handphone or calling it “stupid”. They are only following their programmed instructions and they will stick to it.
In a way we can call them “robots of habit” – they will just do what they have been programmed to do and they won’t ask why. They can’t.
In today’s gospel passage, we heard the Pharisees and scribes asking Jesus why His disciples do not wash their hands before eating, and hence not respecting the tradition of the elders.
Jesus called them hypocrites, because they were only interested in regulations and traditions.
Putting it in another way, the scribes and Pharisees are like “robots of rituals”.
They have been programmed by human regulations and human traditions which they follow meticulously.
And these “robots of rituals” can also talk – they criticize others for not following the programmed regulations and traditions.
And the quotation from the prophet Isaiah sums up the crux of the matter : These people honour me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me.
In other words, the scribes and Pharisees follow the regulations and traditions like “robots of rituals” and they can even criticize others for not doing so.
But the heart is not there. Just like robots have no heart; they only a CPU that runs the program.
While regulations and traditions have a useful purpose and rituals can help to sanctify, it is the heart that matters.
Because it is the heart that gives life to regulations and traditions and rituals, and then they become expressions of love.
Without the heart, we become like “robots of rituals” that only look smart but with no meaning or understanding.
There was once a monastery, where the abbot had a very punctual cat. Every morning, just before prayer, it would begin wonder around and distract the monks.
After a few weeks of this irritating habit, the abbot gave permission for the cat to be tied up. After a few years, the abbot died, and the cat outlived him, and the practice to tie up the cat continued. Eventually, the cat died.
The monks of the monastery, upon realising that there was no cat to tie up before prayer, brought in another cat, and so, every morning, the cat would be tied up so that prayers could go ahead.
The tradition continued and original cord that was used to tie up the cat was revered as a relic. Books on devotions and novenas were written on the spiritual significance of tying a cat before prayers.
Prayers to the “holy cat” were compiled and studied devotedly and pictures of the cat were being mass produced.
Just a story to show how absurd traditions can become and people can turn into “robots of rituals”.
And this can even happen at Mass. We come for Mass and a programme kicks in and we become “robots of rituals”.
We know when to stand, when to sit, when to kneel, when to say “Amen” and when to take out some money to put into the collection bag.
But is there anything happening to our hearts? Do our hearts feel the love of God that makes us aware of the sinfulness that is lurking in our hearts?
Jesus pointed out what could be the sinfulness of our hearts – fornication, theft, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly.
All these make our hearts unclean but we come before the Lord in the Mass so that He can cleanse our hearts with the precious blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross.
When we want to be cleansed, then our hearts will change. We won’t be “robots of rituals”; we become God’s holy people and we offer a worship that is pleasing to God as we offer to God a humble and contrite heart.
We are not called to be smart. We are called to be holy so that we will be holy in our worship and in our relationships and we become truly human and we will also become truly loving.
Then we will be able to cleanse this world of sin and evil, and we will also help to turn robotic human beings into persons of love.
Friday, August 28, 2015
The Passion of St. John the Baptist, Saturday, 29-08-15
Jeremiah 1:17-19 / Mark 6:17-29
Today's gospel for the memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist has a rather intriguing sentence that sticks out like an extra digit on a finger of a hand.
The mood of the passage would have flowed quite well except for this sentence: When he heard him speak, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.
Why was Herod perplexed when he listened to John the Baptist speak, and yet he liked to listen to him?
Given the historical facts about Herod, it would be quite obvious that he would have ordered the head of John the Baptist to be lopped off before he could finish saying anything about Herod and Herodias.
But Herod being Herod, he probably wanted to watch John the Baptist die a slow and painful death for saying such embarrassing things about him.
Yet, that hideous desire slowly became a great perplexity for him. But he still liked to listen to John the Baptist.
Logically it may sound strange but that's the power of the Word of God. It comforts those who are disturbed but disturbs those who are comfortable.
And the Word of God is to be proclaimed by prophets such as John the Baptist and by Jeremiah (1st reading).
And the Word of God is to be proclaimed by us who are baptized into the prophetic mission of Jesus.
It may mean that we are to stick out and cause others to be perplexed. But deep in the heart of hearts we still want to hear the Word of God. The question is what are we going to do about it?
Today's gospel for the memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist has a rather intriguing sentence that sticks out like an extra digit on a finger of a hand.
The mood of the passage would have flowed quite well except for this sentence: When he heard him speak, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.
Why was Herod perplexed when he listened to John the Baptist speak, and yet he liked to listen to him?
Given the historical facts about Herod, it would be quite obvious that he would have ordered the head of John the Baptist to be lopped off before he could finish saying anything about Herod and Herodias.
But Herod being Herod, he probably wanted to watch John the Baptist die a slow and painful death for saying such embarrassing things about him.
Yet, that hideous desire slowly became a great perplexity for him. But he still liked to listen to John the Baptist.
Logically it may sound strange but that's the power of the Word of God. It comforts those who are disturbed but disturbs those who are comfortable.
And the Word of God is to be proclaimed by prophets such as John the Baptist and by Jeremiah (1st reading).
And the Word of God is to be proclaimed by us who are baptized into the prophetic mission of Jesus.
It may mean that we are to stick out and cause others to be perplexed. But deep in the heart of hearts we still want to hear the Word of God. The question is what are we going to do about it?
Thursday, August 27, 2015
21st Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 28-08-15
1 Thess 4:1-8 / Matthew 25:1-13
There is this quote from an unknown Greek poet : "I shall walk this way but once, therefore, whatever good I may do, let me do it now, for I shall never walk this way again."
It is a very profound reflection because it is so true that we only live this life but once, there is no going back, and yet there is so much to give to life and to learn from it.
Cardinal John Henry Newman had this to say: God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another.
Indeed, as we journey on in this life, there is so much to learn and there is so much to give when we realized how much we have received.
Only if and when we realized how much we have received and to use it wisely and to be holy in all that we do.
As the 1st reading puts it, what God wants is for all of us to be holy.
Today we celebrate the memorial of St. Augustine.
In his early years, he knew about God from his mother St. Monica, but he didn't want to have anything to do with God, until much later in his life.
And when he started searching for God, God was right there for him.
His sombre reflection about his journey of conversion was worded like this:
Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you.
May we always remember that we walk this way once and will never walk this way again.
Whatever good we can do, whatever love we can give, let us do it now.
There is always the work of love to carry out, and we will not rest until our hearts find rest in the Lord.
There is this quote from an unknown Greek poet : "I shall walk this way but once, therefore, whatever good I may do, let me do it now, for I shall never walk this way again."
It is a very profound reflection because it is so true that we only live this life but once, there is no going back, and yet there is so much to give to life and to learn from it.
Cardinal John Henry Newman had this to say: God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another.
Indeed, as we journey on in this life, there is so much to learn and there is so much to give when we realized how much we have received.
Only if and when we realized how much we have received and to use it wisely and to be holy in all that we do.
As the 1st reading puts it, what God wants is for all of us to be holy.
Today we celebrate the memorial of St. Augustine.
In his early years, he knew about God from his mother St. Monica, but he didn't want to have anything to do with God, until much later in his life.
And when he started searching for God, God was right there for him.
His sombre reflection about his journey of conversion was worded like this:
Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you.
May we always remember that we walk this way once and will never walk this way again.
Whatever good we can do, whatever love we can give, let us do it now.
There is always the work of love to carry out, and we will not rest until our hearts find rest in the Lord.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
21st Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 27-08-15
1 Thess 3:7-13 / Matthew 24:42-51 (2023)
When the clouds are heavy, the rains come down. (Ecclesiastes 11:3). Similarly when the heart is heavy, the tears will fall.
The earth has received many tears from humanity since time began and the tears have yet to cease.
We shed tears when in pain; we shed tears when in grief and sorrow; we shed tears when overcome by emotions. When the heart is heavy, the tears will fall.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul mentioned a little about his own troubles and sorrows but with not much details.
But in other letters to the other early Christian communities, he did mention about shedding tears for them.
To shed tears over our own trials and tribulations is understandable; but to shed tears for someone would mean that the person(s) really matter to us.
Such was the story of St. Monica in her prayer for the conversion of her son St. Augustine. St. Monica never gave up her prayers for her son. She would fast, cry and beg God for her son’s conversion. Legend says that a drain formed in the ground where her tears fell while she prayed for her son. St. Monica approached the local bishop and ask him to win her son over to the faith.
The bishop would often console her saying, “God’s time will come. Go now, it is not possible that the son of so many tears should perish”. St. Monica was a mother who never gave up.
In a way, it can be said that St. Monica "stayed awake" and kept waiting for God's time to come. Her tears for her son St. Augustine saved him from possible "weeping and grinding of teeth".
May we also stay awake at all times, praying and making sacrifices for others, so that their tears will cease, and so that there will be no more weeping and grinding of teeth.
When the clouds are heavy, the rains come down. (Ecclesiastes 11:3). Similarly when the heart is heavy, the tears will fall.
The earth has received many tears from humanity since time began and the tears have yet to cease.
We shed tears when in pain; we shed tears when in grief and sorrow; we shed tears when overcome by emotions. When the heart is heavy, the tears will fall.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul mentioned a little about his own troubles and sorrows but with not much details.
But in other letters to the other early Christian communities, he did mention about shedding tears for them.
To shed tears over our own trials and tribulations is understandable; but to shed tears for someone would mean that the person(s) really matter to us.
Such was the story of St. Monica in her prayer for the conversion of her son St. Augustine. St. Monica never gave up her prayers for her son. She would fast, cry and beg God for her son’s conversion. Legend says that a drain formed in the ground where her tears fell while she prayed for her son. St. Monica approached the local bishop and ask him to win her son over to the faith.
The bishop would often console her saying, “God’s time will come. Go now, it is not possible that the son of so many tears should perish”. St. Monica was a mother who never gave up.
In a way, it can be said that St. Monica "stayed awake" and kept waiting for God's time to come. Her tears for her son St. Augustine saved him from possible "weeping and grinding of teeth".
May we also stay awake at all times, praying and making sacrifices for others, so that their tears will cease, and so that there will be no more weeping and grinding of teeth.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
21st Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 26-08-15
1 Thess 2:9-13 / Matthew 23:27-32
It is said that the greatest tragedy in life is not death, but life without a purpose. (Myles Munroe)
And by the fact that we are here early in the morning for Mass indicates that we have a purpose in life, or many purposes in life, and we come to the Lord first for directions in life.
So our direction in life is very much determined by our purpose in life, which in turn is very much determined by what we believe in.
Some may believe in the power of riches and wealth and so their purpose in life would be to gain as much money as possible and that would be the direction that they take.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul tells the Thessalonians that the Good News that he brought to them was to help them to live a life worthy of God, who is calling them to share in the glory of His kingdom.
And they have accepted it as God's message and not some human thinking, and it became a living power among them who believed in it.
When we believe in the power of the Good News, then we too would want to live a life worthy of God and look forward to the eternal glory of His kingdom.
We will be able to see that the things of this world are passing and we use them for God's glory and to serve the people around us so that they too will come to believe in the living power of the Good News.
To be stuck with the things of this world is, like what Jesus said in the gospel, to be pretty like the whitewashed tombs. That would be the greatest tragedy in life.
It is said that the greatest tragedy in life is not death, but life without a purpose. (Myles Munroe)
And by the fact that we are here early in the morning for Mass indicates that we have a purpose in life, or many purposes in life, and we come to the Lord first for directions in life.
So our direction in life is very much determined by our purpose in life, which in turn is very much determined by what we believe in.
Some may believe in the power of riches and wealth and so their purpose in life would be to gain as much money as possible and that would be the direction that they take.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul tells the Thessalonians that the Good News that he brought to them was to help them to live a life worthy of God, who is calling them to share in the glory of His kingdom.
And they have accepted it as God's message and not some human thinking, and it became a living power among them who believed in it.
When we believe in the power of the Good News, then we too would want to live a life worthy of God and look forward to the eternal glory of His kingdom.
We will be able to see that the things of this world are passing and we use them for God's glory and to serve the people around us so that they too will come to believe in the living power of the Good News.
To be stuck with the things of this world is, like what Jesus said in the gospel, to be pretty like the whitewashed tombs. That would be the greatest tragedy in life.
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