1 Cor 3:18-23 / Luke 5:1-11
We have heard of words like ordinary and extraordinary and we know what those two words mean in everyday language.
Probably the words with the closest meaning to that would be usual and unusual.
Whether extraordinary or unusual, we are not likely to associate the meaning of those two words with weird.
Because weird would mean like strange or funny or annoying or foolish.
But the ways of God can be said to be unusual or extraordinary in a polite sense, and it also be said to be weird in crude sense or in a more spiritual sense, it is mysterious.
Some examples in the Bible are Abraham and Sarah having a child in old age; the fall of Jericho where the Israelites marching around the city blowing trumpets before the city walls crumbled; the donkey talking with the pagan prophet Balaam, etc.
The 1st reading says that the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. Hence, it can also be said that the ways of God seems to be foolishness and weird and strange.
In the gospel, Peter may have also thought that what Jesus told him to do was rather weird and strange and maybe even foolish. But it was until he did it that he discovered for himself the wonderfully mysterious ways of God.
Today as the Church observes the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, let us also do our part in protecting our environment and to care for the world we live in.
Making the effort to recycle materials and prevent wastage may not not be extraordinary or unusual.
But in doing so we are acknowledging that God is the Creator and we are stewards of His creation.
May our prayer for the care of creation also lead us to into action in caring for creation and enhancing the beauty of God's creation.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 31-08-16
1 Cor 3:1-9 / Luke 4:38-44
If others were to give an honest opinion of us as Christians, would they say that we are different from non-Christians?
Or would they say that we are no different from non-Christians, and maybe at times behave in a lesser way than them!
In the 1st reading, St. Paul would not accept that Christians in Corinth were behaving like non-Christians and even regressing into behaviours like jealousy and wrangling.
They were even dividing themselves into unspiritual clans with slogans like "I am for Paul" and "I am for Apollos".
Obviously, they had forgotten the teaching and example of Jesus of which we saw in the gospel.
Jesus loved and cared for the people by teaching them and healing the sick and He restored the spiritual dimension in the lives of the people.
In fact, He Himself highlighted how important the spiritual aspect is when He would go to a lonely place early in the day to pray.
People saw how different Jesus was and what an extraordinary life He lived.
They saw the spiritual dimension in His life and they experienced God's presence in Him.
Jesus showed us how to live life. We cannot live it any lesser.
If others were to give an honest opinion of us as Christians, would they say that we are different from non-Christians?
Or would they say that we are no different from non-Christians, and maybe at times behave in a lesser way than them!
In the 1st reading, St. Paul would not accept that Christians in Corinth were behaving like non-Christians and even regressing into behaviours like jealousy and wrangling.
They were even dividing themselves into unspiritual clans with slogans like "I am for Paul" and "I am for Apollos".
Obviously, they had forgotten the teaching and example of Jesus of which we saw in the gospel.
Jesus loved and cared for the people by teaching them and healing the sick and He restored the spiritual dimension in the lives of the people.
In fact, He Himself highlighted how important the spiritual aspect is when He would go to a lonely place early in the day to pray.
People saw how different Jesus was and what an extraordinary life He lived.
They saw the spiritual dimension in His life and they experienced God's presence in Him.
Jesus showed us how to live life. We cannot live it any lesser.
Monday, August 29, 2016
22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 30-08-16
1 Cor 2:10-16 / Luke 4:31-37
All kinds of people come to Church. Of course, by and large, it is mostly Catholics who come to Church.
And there may be visitors who just stroll in to find out what the Church is like. but these may be far and few between.
People come to Church for Mass, to worship, to pray, to find peace, to reflect and meditate upon the things of God.
In the gospel, Jesus was in Capernaum and on the sabbath, He taught in their synagogue, and His teaching made a deep impression because He spoke with authority.
And then something unusual happened. In the synagogue there was a man who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean devil and it started shouting at the top of its voice.
What is unusual is that why would a man who was possessed by the devil go to the synagogue in the first place. In fact, that would be the last place for a man who was possessed to go to.
Could it be that the possessed man was seeking deliverance in other places and by other means and finally came to the synagogue as a last resort?
Could he have been led there by another spirit, namely the Holy Spirit, who reaches to the depths of everything, as the 1st reading puts it.
And it was there at the synagogue, that the possessed man finally received deliverance from Jesus.
We who come to Church are certainly not possessed by any kind of evil spirit. But at the same time, are we filled with the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit reaches into the depths of our being, so that as we come to Church to hear the Word of God, we will go forth to proclaim the Good News of salvation to the world.
All kinds of people come to Church. Of course, by and large, it is mostly Catholics who come to Church.
And there may be visitors who just stroll in to find out what the Church is like. but these may be far and few between.
People come to Church for Mass, to worship, to pray, to find peace, to reflect and meditate upon the things of God.
In the gospel, Jesus was in Capernaum and on the sabbath, He taught in their synagogue, and His teaching made a deep impression because He spoke with authority.
And then something unusual happened. In the synagogue there was a man who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean devil and it started shouting at the top of its voice.
What is unusual is that why would a man who was possessed by the devil go to the synagogue in the first place. In fact, that would be the last place for a man who was possessed to go to.
Could it be that the possessed man was seeking deliverance in other places and by other means and finally came to the synagogue as a last resort?
Could he have been led there by another spirit, namely the Holy Spirit, who reaches to the depths of everything, as the 1st reading puts it.
And it was there at the synagogue, that the possessed man finally received deliverance from Jesus.
We who come to Church are certainly not possessed by any kind of evil spirit. But at the same time, are we filled with the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit reaches into the depths of our being, so that as we come to Church to hear the Word of God, we will go forth to proclaim the Good News of salvation to the world.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
The Passion of St. John the Baptist, Monday, 29-08-16
Jeremiah 1:17-19 / Mark 6:17-29
The life of St. John the Baptist is indeed very dramatic. Even in his mother's womb, he leapt when Mary greeted Elizabeth at the Visitation.
At his birth, there was this amazing occasion of the choice of his name which restored the power of speech of his father Zechariah, and which also left the astonished neighbours wondering what would he grow to be.
His appearance at the river Jordan preaching repentance and baptising people earned him the reputation of "the Baptist" and he even baptised Jesus.
He had an illustrious ministry. Yet in essence, St. John the Baptist was a prophet and his greatest deed as a prophet was to point out Jesus as the Lamb of God.
And as a prophet, he had to fulfil his mission by proclaiming the ways of the Lord and pointing out sin and evil and calling for repentance and conversion.
For that St. John the Baptist paid the price when he pointed out Herod's sin, and for that he was captured and imprisoned in Herod's fortress.
If his life was dramatic and illustrious, his death was equally dramatic, although it was also very gruesome.
His death by beheading revealed the characters of Herod, Herodias, her daughter, and also all the guests present, who did nothing and said nothing to stop the heinous act.
For a great prophet like St. John the Baptist who had such a dramatic and illustrious life and ministry, his death seemed so humiliating.
Yet, today, we the Church honour him. Over and above all else, we honour him for his faithfulness to God and for his courage to accept and fulfil the mission of being God's prophet.
Even for us, in all the drama of life, the spills and the thrills, or even in the mundane and the monotony, what counts for us will be our faithfulness to God.
Because in the end, it is our faithfulness to God that mattered. It mattered to St. John the Baptist. It also mattered to God.
The life of St. John the Baptist is indeed very dramatic. Even in his mother's womb, he leapt when Mary greeted Elizabeth at the Visitation.
At his birth, there was this amazing occasion of the choice of his name which restored the power of speech of his father Zechariah, and which also left the astonished neighbours wondering what would he grow to be.
His appearance at the river Jordan preaching repentance and baptising people earned him the reputation of "the Baptist" and he even baptised Jesus.
He had an illustrious ministry. Yet in essence, St. John the Baptist was a prophet and his greatest deed as a prophet was to point out Jesus as the Lamb of God.
And as a prophet, he had to fulfil his mission by proclaiming the ways of the Lord and pointing out sin and evil and calling for repentance and conversion.
For that St. John the Baptist paid the price when he pointed out Herod's sin, and for that he was captured and imprisoned in Herod's fortress.
If his life was dramatic and illustrious, his death was equally dramatic, although it was also very gruesome.
His death by beheading revealed the characters of Herod, Herodias, her daughter, and also all the guests present, who did nothing and said nothing to stop the heinous act.
For a great prophet like St. John the Baptist who had such a dramatic and illustrious life and ministry, his death seemed so humiliating.
Yet, today, we the Church honour him. Over and above all else, we honour him for his faithfulness to God and for his courage to accept and fulfil the mission of being God's prophet.
Even for us, in all the drama of life, the spills and the thrills, or even in the mundane and the monotony, what counts for us will be our faithfulness to God.
Because in the end, it is our faithfulness to God that mattered. It mattered to St. John the Baptist. It also mattered to God.
Saturday, August 27, 2016
22nd Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 28.08.2016
Ecclesiasticus 3:17-20, 28-29 / Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24 / Luke 14:1, 7-14
The history of mankind has seen many great conquerors who built great empires.
We have read about Alexander. He was called the Great and rightly so. His empire stretched from Europe to Asia.
Then there was Caesar and the great Roman Empire.
Then a period of time passed before another great conqueror surfaced in Europe. We have heard of Napoleon Bonaparte. He also marched through Europe and conquered most of it.
In the year 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte captured the city of Rome, and took Pope Pius VI prisoner.
Napoleon thought that he could intimidate the Pope and force him to become his puppet because the Church had considerable political power at that time.
But the Pope refused to neither cooperate with Napoleon nor be his puppet, and in a fit of anger, Napoleon shouted at the Pope: If you do not do as I command, I will destroy the Church.
The Pope replied: Oh no, you won’t. Napoleon retorted: Oh yes, I will - within a year.
To which the Pope calmly replied: If we, who are the Church, have for 1800 years, failed to destroy the Church with our sins, I doubt very much you will succeed.
Well, the Church still exists, whereas Napoleon Bonaparte had passed on as just another memory in the pages of history books.
One of the follies of becoming mighty and powerful is that one also becomes proud and arrogant.
Power and might become a “right” that is used to push and to pull in order to get what is wanted.
And usually the casualties are the lowly and the powerless and those who cannot defend themselves. They get swept aside to make way for the powerful and the mighty.
But the 1st reading has this to tell us: The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly, and then you will find favour with the Lord; for great though the power of the Lord is, He accepts the homage of the humble.
In the gospel, Jesus told a parable when He noticed how the guests picked the places of honour.
The parable highlights the fact that our human desires go for the first place and not the last; we desire for the lofty and not the lowly; we want the most and not the least.
But the Lord looks on the lowly and He accepts the homage of the humble and He fills the hungry with good things.
Yes, there is something that the lowly and humble can teach us about the ways of God, because it is to the lowly and humble that God gives His blessings.
It is also through the lowly and humble that God shows His power and might, as this story of the lion and the mouse will show us.
A small mouse crept up to a sleeping lion that had just finished his meal. The mouse longed to have some of the scraps of the leftover meal.
"Since he's sleeping," thought the mouse, "he'll never suspect I'm here!" With that, the little mouse sneaked up and tried to pull off a scrap of the meal. The lion awoke and quickly caught the mouse between its claws.
"Please," said the mouse, "let me go and I'll come back and try help you someday." The lion laughed, "You are so small! How could ever help me?"
The lion laughed so hard he had to hold his belly and he let go of the mouse. The mouse jumped to freedom and ran until he was far, far away.
The next day, two hunters came to the jungle. They went to the lion's lair. They set a huge rope snare. When the lion came home that night, he stepped into the trap and was caught in it.
He roared and roared! He tried with all his might but he couldn't pull himself free. The mouse heard the lion's pitiful roar and came back to help him.
The mouse eyed the trap and noticed the one thick rope that held it together. He began nibbling and nibbling at the rope until the rope broke.
The lion was freed and was able to shake off the other ropes that held him tight. He stood up free again!
The lion turned to the mouse and said, "Dear mouse, I was foolish to ridicule you for being small. You not only helped me, you saved my life too!"
So as much as the mighty and powerful lion is noted for its strength and is even called ‘the king of the jungle”, the lowly and humble mouse can be called upon in the time of need.
Well, back to Napoleon Bonaparte. Towards the end of his life, he was exiled on the small rocky island of St. Helena.
There, the former conqueror of civilized Europe had time to reflect on his life and even on Jesus Christ.
He made this statement: Other conquerors founded their empires by force. Jesus Christ alone founded His empire upon love and humility.
Napoleon Bonaparte finally understood why he cannot destroy the Church. His pride is no match for the love and humility that the Church is built upon.
So as the Church we must remember what the 1st reading taught us: be gentle in carrying out your business and you will be better loved than a lavish giver.
The power of love is seen in gentleness and humility. To be gentle and humble is what we are called to be. With that we will overcome the pride and arrogance of the world.
The history of mankind has seen many great conquerors who built great empires.
We have read about Alexander. He was called the Great and rightly so. His empire stretched from Europe to Asia.
Then there was Caesar and the great Roman Empire.
Then a period of time passed before another great conqueror surfaced in Europe. We have heard of Napoleon Bonaparte. He also marched through Europe and conquered most of it.
In the year 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte captured the city of Rome, and took Pope Pius VI prisoner.
Napoleon thought that he could intimidate the Pope and force him to become his puppet because the Church had considerable political power at that time.
But the Pope refused to neither cooperate with Napoleon nor be his puppet, and in a fit of anger, Napoleon shouted at the Pope: If you do not do as I command, I will destroy the Church.
The Pope replied: Oh no, you won’t. Napoleon retorted: Oh yes, I will - within a year.
To which the Pope calmly replied: If we, who are the Church, have for 1800 years, failed to destroy the Church with our sins, I doubt very much you will succeed.
Well, the Church still exists, whereas Napoleon Bonaparte had passed on as just another memory in the pages of history books.
One of the follies of becoming mighty and powerful is that one also becomes proud and arrogant.
Power and might become a “right” that is used to push and to pull in order to get what is wanted.
And usually the casualties are the lowly and the powerless and those who cannot defend themselves. They get swept aside to make way for the powerful and the mighty.
But the 1st reading has this to tell us: The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly, and then you will find favour with the Lord; for great though the power of the Lord is, He accepts the homage of the humble.
In the gospel, Jesus told a parable when He noticed how the guests picked the places of honour.
The parable highlights the fact that our human desires go for the first place and not the last; we desire for the lofty and not the lowly; we want the most and not the least.
But the Lord looks on the lowly and He accepts the homage of the humble and He fills the hungry with good things.
Yes, there is something that the lowly and humble can teach us about the ways of God, because it is to the lowly and humble that God gives His blessings.
It is also through the lowly and humble that God shows His power and might, as this story of the lion and the mouse will show us.
A small mouse crept up to a sleeping lion that had just finished his meal. The mouse longed to have some of the scraps of the leftover meal.
"Since he's sleeping," thought the mouse, "he'll never suspect I'm here!" With that, the little mouse sneaked up and tried to pull off a scrap of the meal. The lion awoke and quickly caught the mouse between its claws.
"Please," said the mouse, "let me go and I'll come back and try help you someday." The lion laughed, "You are so small! How could ever help me?"
The lion laughed so hard he had to hold his belly and he let go of the mouse. The mouse jumped to freedom and ran until he was far, far away.
The next day, two hunters came to the jungle. They went to the lion's lair. They set a huge rope snare. When the lion came home that night, he stepped into the trap and was caught in it.
He roared and roared! He tried with all his might but he couldn't pull himself free. The mouse heard the lion's pitiful roar and came back to help him.
The mouse eyed the trap and noticed the one thick rope that held it together. He began nibbling and nibbling at the rope until the rope broke.
The lion was freed and was able to shake off the other ropes that held him tight. He stood up free again!
The lion turned to the mouse and said, "Dear mouse, I was foolish to ridicule you for being small. You not only helped me, you saved my life too!"
So as much as the mighty and powerful lion is noted for its strength and is even called ‘the king of the jungle”, the lowly and humble mouse can be called upon in the time of need.
Well, back to Napoleon Bonaparte. Towards the end of his life, he was exiled on the small rocky island of St. Helena.
There, the former conqueror of civilized Europe had time to reflect on his life and even on Jesus Christ.
He made this statement: Other conquerors founded their empires by force. Jesus Christ alone founded His empire upon love and humility.
Napoleon Bonaparte finally understood why he cannot destroy the Church. His pride is no match for the love and humility that the Church is built upon.
So as the Church we must remember what the 1st reading taught us: be gentle in carrying out your business and you will be better loved than a lavish giver.
The power of love is seen in gentleness and humility. To be gentle and humble is what we are called to be. With that we will overcome the pride and arrogance of the world.
Friday, August 26, 2016
21st Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 27-08-16 (Memorial of St. Monica)
1 Cor 1:26-31 / Matthew 25:14-30
Today we celebrate the memorial of St Monica, the mother of St Augustine, whose memorial we will celebrate tomorrow.
We celebrate this memorial not simply because St Monica was the mother of a great saint.
The opening prayer for Mass goes like this and it is worth to take note: God of mercy, comfort of those in sorrow, the tears of St Monica moved you to convert her son, St Augustine to the faith of Christ.
St Monica was born of Christian parents. She married a good man but he had a violent temper and was sometimes unfaithful.
But St Monica managed to convert him to Christianity and he was later baptized.
Her son, Augustine, proved to be a much greater challenge.
When she was exhausted and tired with her son's wild and wheeling ways, she approached a bishop to ask him to intervene.
The bishop responded with these prophetic words: Let him be, and continue to pray for him. It is impossible that a son of so many tears should be lost.
St Monica dedicated most of her life praying for the conversion of St Augustine.
All in all, she prayed for something like 30 years before she finally had the joy of seeing St Augustine baptized.
St Monica trusted in the Lord and kept believing that the Lord would be faithful to His promises of salvation. And the Lord rewarded her for her faithfulness to Him.
The consolation, experienced by St Monica and her total abandonment to God can also be ours today when we persevere in patience and in trust.
Today we celebrate the memorial of St Monica, the mother of St Augustine, whose memorial we will celebrate tomorrow.
We celebrate this memorial not simply because St Monica was the mother of a great saint.
The opening prayer for Mass goes like this and it is worth to take note: God of mercy, comfort of those in sorrow, the tears of St Monica moved you to convert her son, St Augustine to the faith of Christ.
St Monica was born of Christian parents. She married a good man but he had a violent temper and was sometimes unfaithful.
But St Monica managed to convert him to Christianity and he was later baptized.
Her son, Augustine, proved to be a much greater challenge.
When she was exhausted and tired with her son's wild and wheeling ways, she approached a bishop to ask him to intervene.
The bishop responded with these prophetic words: Let him be, and continue to pray for him. It is impossible that a son of so many tears should be lost.
St Monica dedicated most of her life praying for the conversion of St Augustine.
All in all, she prayed for something like 30 years before she finally had the joy of seeing St Augustine baptized.
St Monica trusted in the Lord and kept believing that the Lord would be faithful to His promises of salvation. And the Lord rewarded her for her faithfulness to Him.
The consolation, experienced by St Monica and her total abandonment to God can also be ours today when we persevere in patience and in trust.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
21st Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 26-08-16
1 Cor 1:17-25 / Matthew 25:1-13
The term "simple truths" may give the impression that truth is simple enough to be immediately understood.
That may be the case in a logical truth, like the saying "what you sow is what you will reap". This is clear and simple enough as a truth of life.
But there are also other simple truths that require some reflection in order to understand what that truth is.
Because what initially seems to be foolish from the human perspective may actually have the seeds of divine wisdom.
As St. Paul said in the 1st reading, the crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed in terms of philosophy because the language of the cross is illogical from the human perspective.
The Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, and hence the crucified Christ does not make sense to them.
Yet, the foolishness of the cross is the power and wisdom of God, for God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.
But to understand this, we have to look at the cross and the crucified Christ as the supreme expression of God's love for us.
When we understand how much God loves us, then we would want to be like lighted oil lamps which shine through the darkness of foolishness in search of God's wisdom.
Then we will also be willing to be like the oil that is being offered to be burnt and give out light for others. And that is indeed true wisdom.
The term "simple truths" may give the impression that truth is simple enough to be immediately understood.
That may be the case in a logical truth, like the saying "what you sow is what you will reap". This is clear and simple enough as a truth of life.
But there are also other simple truths that require some reflection in order to understand what that truth is.
Because what initially seems to be foolish from the human perspective may actually have the seeds of divine wisdom.
As St. Paul said in the 1st reading, the crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed in terms of philosophy because the language of the cross is illogical from the human perspective.
The Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, and hence the crucified Christ does not make sense to them.
Yet, the foolishness of the cross is the power and wisdom of God, for God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.
But to understand this, we have to look at the cross and the crucified Christ as the supreme expression of God's love for us.
When we understand how much God loves us, then we would want to be like lighted oil lamps which shine through the darkness of foolishness in search of God's wisdom.
Then we will also be willing to be like the oil that is being offered to be burnt and give out light for others. And that is indeed true wisdom.
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