Jeremiah 26:11-16, 24 / Matthew 14:1-12
At times we wonder if being good and doing good is really worth it.
Because very often, we see, and even experienced, that good is being re-paid with evil.
John the Baptist just wanted Herod to repent and live a good life.
Because what Herod did was leading towards self-destruction.
John the Baptist had compassion for Herod.
In fact, Herod knew it, and that was why he was distressed when he had to give the orders for John's execution.
But goodness cannot be silenced or put to death.
Because in the person of Jesus, Herod was once again reminded of the goodness of John the Baptist.
When we live out the Christian values of love, patience, gentleness, humility, etc., and we get slapped in the face, we may wonder if it is worth it.
But let us remember that all good comes from God.
When we do good, the benefactors are not just the others.
We ourselves begin to realize our Christian identity and see the power of goodness and the power of God's love happening in the lives of others.
Friday, July 31, 2020
17th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 31-07-2020
Jeremiah 26:1-9 / Matthew 13:54-58
Life would be very nice and easy if everybody agrees with us on anything that we say and do, and life would be even nicer and easier still if everybody does what we want and do it our way.
But that would be like an impossible dream.
If ever we can make everybody agree with us or make them do what we want, it will certainly be with threats and the use of force.
Whether others agree with us or not, or do what we want them to do, it is understandable that everyone has their own opinions and ideas.
We cannot force them to agree with us, nor can we force them to do whatever we want them to do.
But when there is a collective majority opposition against us, then it can be quite painful to bear.
Jesus felt this pain when He went back to His hometown, and then after teaching in the synagogue, He faced rejection from His own people.
He would have felt disappointment that even the people of His own hometown rejected Him.
He could have let frustration and resentment eat into Him. But He moved on and He didn't want to let that rejection and criticism affect Him and His mission.
And we can be certain that in life we will face rejection and criticism.
But like Jesus, we must be clear of our motives and purposes.
If we are really doing the will of God, then like Jesus, we will just move on and get along.
After all, the will of God will not bring us to where the grace of God will not accompany us.
Today the Church also honours St. Ignatius of Loyola. He too faced rejection, opposition and criticism in his mission. But he persisted and persevered.
The following is a prayer by St. Ignatius of Loyola. May it also be our prayer as we carry out the will of God:
"Dear Lord teach me to be generous; teach me to serve You as You deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that I do Your will. Amen."
Life would be very nice and easy if everybody agrees with us on anything that we say and do, and life would be even nicer and easier still if everybody does what we want and do it our way.
But that would be like an impossible dream.
If ever we can make everybody agree with us or make them do what we want, it will certainly be with threats and the use of force.
Whether others agree with us or not, or do what we want them to do, it is understandable that everyone has their own opinions and ideas.
We cannot force them to agree with us, nor can we force them to do whatever we want them to do.
But when there is a collective majority opposition against us, then it can be quite painful to bear.
Jesus felt this pain when He went back to His hometown, and then after teaching in the synagogue, He faced rejection from His own people.
He would have felt disappointment that even the people of His own hometown rejected Him.
He could have let frustration and resentment eat into Him. But He moved on and He didn't want to let that rejection and criticism affect Him and His mission.
And we can be certain that in life we will face rejection and criticism.
But like Jesus, we must be clear of our motives and purposes.
If we are really doing the will of God, then like Jesus, we will just move on and get along.
After all, the will of God will not bring us to where the grace of God will not accompany us.
Today the Church also honours St. Ignatius of Loyola. He too faced rejection, opposition and criticism in his mission. But he persisted and persevered.
The following is a prayer by St. Ignatius of Loyola. May it also be our prayer as we carry out the will of God:
"Dear Lord teach me to be generous; teach me to serve You as You deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that I do Your will. Amen."
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
17th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 30-07-2020
Jeremiah 18:1-6 / Matthew 13:47-53
Christianity is a religion of love. It is about God's love for us and that love is expressed in the person of Jesus Christ who came to show us God's love and died on the Cross to save us.
It is from that love that we also come to know that God is merciful and compassionate and He is also forgiving.
But just as there are two sides of a coin, there is also the other side that we must not forget and certainly not to be overlooked.
In the Bible, whenever the people of God sinned and were unfaithful and turned to idolatry, God sent punishment upon them to make them repent.
So when the love of God is overemphasised at the expense of the justice of God who metes out punishment for sin, then God's love may be taken for granted and sin may be taken lightly since God is merciful and compassionate and forgiving.
The two readings express the justice of God against sin and evil.
In the 1st reading, whenever the vessel that the potter was making came out wrong, he would start afresh and work it into another vessel.
And with that came this warning from God: Can I not do to you what the potter does?
In the gospel, Jesus also talks about punishment for sin and evil.
If we believe in God's love, then we certainly wouldn't want to sin.
More than just the fear of punishment, we certainly don't want to lose the peace and joy of God's love.
So let us turn away from sin, and let us give thanks to God for loving us and saving us.
Christianity is a religion of love. It is about God's love for us and that love is expressed in the person of Jesus Christ who came to show us God's love and died on the Cross to save us.
It is from that love that we also come to know that God is merciful and compassionate and He is also forgiving.
But just as there are two sides of a coin, there is also the other side that we must not forget and certainly not to be overlooked.
In the Bible, whenever the people of God sinned and were unfaithful and turned to idolatry, God sent punishment upon them to make them repent.
So when the love of God is overemphasised at the expense of the justice of God who metes out punishment for sin, then God's love may be taken for granted and sin may be taken lightly since God is merciful and compassionate and forgiving.
The two readings express the justice of God against sin and evil.
In the 1st reading, whenever the vessel that the potter was making came out wrong, he would start afresh and work it into another vessel.
And with that came this warning from God: Can I not do to you what the potter does?
In the gospel, Jesus also talks about punishment for sin and evil.
If we believe in God's love, then we certainly wouldn't want to sin.
More than just the fear of punishment, we certainly don't want to lose the peace and joy of God's love.
So let us turn away from sin, and let us give thanks to God for loving us and saving us.
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
St. Martha, Wednesday, 29-07-2020
1 John 4:7-16 / John 11:19-27
Whenever we talk about St. Martha, the image of an active and work-oriented as well as task-oriented person comes to mind.
That may be because of that occasion (Luke 10 : 38-42) when she invited Jesus to her home and she was caught up with all the serving.
And then she complained to Jesus about getting her sister Mary to help her with the work.
But Jesus told her that she worried and fret about so many things and yet only one was important, and Mary had chosen the better part.
Martha must have remembered what Jesus said to her, and so despite the sadness and grief over her brother's death, she knew that only Jesus could comfort her.
And true to her personality, she made the move to go out and meet Jesus and to express her faith in Jesus.
But on this occasion, she also made a profound proclamation.
Martha proclaimed Jesus to be Christ, the Son of God.
Only St. Peter had made that similar proclamation.
Hence, St. Martha, despite her active and work-oriented and task-oriented personality, came to slowly recognize who Jesus is.
St. Martha is an example for us of someone who is active and busy but yet took the time to reflect and to discover who Jesus is.
Like St. Martha we may also have very active lives and busy with a lot of things.
But let us not forget the one important thing - prayer!
It is in prayer that we will attain the peace to know that Jesus is truly the Son of God, our Saviour.
Whenever we talk about St. Martha, the image of an active and work-oriented as well as task-oriented person comes to mind.
That may be because of that occasion (Luke 10 : 38-42) when she invited Jesus to her home and she was caught up with all the serving.
And then she complained to Jesus about getting her sister Mary to help her with the work.
But Jesus told her that she worried and fret about so many things and yet only one was important, and Mary had chosen the better part.
Martha must have remembered what Jesus said to her, and so despite the sadness and grief over her brother's death, she knew that only Jesus could comfort her.
And true to her personality, she made the move to go out and meet Jesus and to express her faith in Jesus.
But on this occasion, she also made a profound proclamation.
Martha proclaimed Jesus to be Christ, the Son of God.
Only St. Peter had made that similar proclamation.
Hence, St. Martha, despite her active and work-oriented and task-oriented personality, came to slowly recognize who Jesus is.
St. Martha is an example for us of someone who is active and busy but yet took the time to reflect and to discover who Jesus is.
Like St. Martha we may also have very active lives and busy with a lot of things.
But let us not forget the one important thing - prayer!
It is in prayer that we will attain the peace to know that Jesus is truly the Son of God, our Saviour.
Monday, July 27, 2020
17th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 28-07-2020
Jeremiah 14:17-22 / Matthew 13:36-43
Whenever it rains, we don't usually think much about it or make reflections.
It could be that because the weather here is either sunny or rainy, so we may take it rather for granted.
We may even complain that the rain makes our shoes wet or that we have to bring an umbrella along if we are going out.
But in our happier moments, when we see the rain, we will call it "showers of blessings".
Indeed the rain waters the earth and gives life and makes the earth fertile.
Yet, let us not take the rain for granted.
In the 1st reading, the prophet Jeremiah has something to say about rain:
Can any of the pagan Nothings make it rain? Can the heavens produce showers? No, it is you, Lord.
The rain that waters the earth and give life also falls on the good and bad alike.
It waters the good seed and the darnel in the gospel parable.
The next time it rains, let us look up to the heavens and ask God to shower forth His blessings so that all peoples will give thanks and acknowledge that all good things come from God and God alone.
Whenever it rains, we don't usually think much about it or make reflections.
It could be that because the weather here is either sunny or rainy, so we may take it rather for granted.
We may even complain that the rain makes our shoes wet or that we have to bring an umbrella along if we are going out.
But in our happier moments, when we see the rain, we will call it "showers of blessings".
Indeed the rain waters the earth and gives life and makes the earth fertile.
Yet, let us not take the rain for granted.
In the 1st reading, the prophet Jeremiah has something to say about rain:
Can any of the pagan Nothings make it rain? Can the heavens produce showers? No, it is you, Lord.
The rain that waters the earth and give life also falls on the good and bad alike.
It waters the good seed and the darnel in the gospel parable.
The next time it rains, let us look up to the heavens and ask God to shower forth His blessings so that all peoples will give thanks and acknowledge that all good things come from God and God alone.
Sunday, July 26, 2020
17th Sunday, Ordinary Time, Monday, 27-07-2020
Jeremiah 13:1-11 / Matthew 13:31-35
It would be rather awkward and embarrassing to talk about undergarments in a sacred and holy context of the homily.
Even the mention of the word "underwear" will irritate some sensitivities.
Yet the 1st reading was so graphic in description about the loincloth and its decay.
But the purpose of graphic language is to irritate and cause discomfort to us.
Because when we see decay, we get this disgusted feeling.
When God sees our spiritual decay caused by sin, He too gets disgusted.
And He will employ all means to wake us up from our decay and destruction, even using an embarrassing and awkward item like a loincloth.
Whenever we see something that is rotting and decaying, we turn away in disgust.
Yet it is strange that whenever we sin, we turn away from God and we foolishly swirl in rot and decay.
Yet the Lord reaches out to us sinners and binds Himself to us just as man wraps a loincloth closely around his waist.
God wants to wake us up from our foolishness and stupidity so that we will cling to Him as a loincloth clings to the waist of a man.
Yet along with the mercy and forgiveness of God, there is also a stern warning.
As the Lord says : If you do not stand by Me, you will not stand at all (Isa 7:9)
It would be rather awkward and embarrassing to talk about undergarments in a sacred and holy context of the homily.
Even the mention of the word "underwear" will irritate some sensitivities.
Yet the 1st reading was so graphic in description about the loincloth and its decay.
But the purpose of graphic language is to irritate and cause discomfort to us.
Because when we see decay, we get this disgusted feeling.
When God sees our spiritual decay caused by sin, He too gets disgusted.
And He will employ all means to wake us up from our decay and destruction, even using an embarrassing and awkward item like a loincloth.
Whenever we see something that is rotting and decaying, we turn away in disgust.
Yet it is strange that whenever we sin, we turn away from God and we foolishly swirl in rot and decay.
Yet the Lord reaches out to us sinners and binds Himself to us just as man wraps a loincloth closely around his waist.
God wants to wake us up from our foolishness and stupidity so that we will cling to Him as a loincloth clings to the waist of a man.
Yet along with the mercy and forgiveness of God, there is also a stern warning.
As the Lord says : If you do not stand by Me, you will not stand at all (Isa 7:9)
Saturday, July 25, 2020
17th Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 26.07.2020
1 Kings 3:5, 7-12 / Romans 8:28-30 / Matthew 13:44-52
If there is anything that we need now, probably the first thing that would come to our minds is a vaccine against the virus that is causing this pandemic.
And it is not just we who need it. The whole world needs, but it doesn’t seem that a vaccine will be available so soon, although it is needed urgently.
This pandemic is just too disruptive. It has disrupted the life of the whole world right down to our personal lives.
Oh yes, we want a vaccine and we want it urgently so that our lives can go back to normal.
But what is this normal life that we have in our minds that we are thinking of?
Is it a life where we can have more time with our loved ones, to have family meals together, to have time for conversation with our family members and even to pray together as a family?
But isn’t that what is happening now, or at least it is possible now.
What seemed so difficult to achieve in the past, now it is possible. But do we want it?
So, the fundamental question is: Do we know what we really want? Do we know what we really need?
And if we are still thinking about that question, let us recall the conversation between God and Solomon in the 1st reading.
God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said: Ask what you would like Me to give you.
Many things could have crossed the mind of Solomon, but he asked for this - he asked for a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil so that he can govern the people of God.
And that pleased the Lord God because what Solomon asked for was not for himself but for the good of the people and for the glory of God.
In prayer we ask for many things. Some are for ourselves and some are for others.
But like what Solomon asked for, may what we ask for be for the good of others and for the glory of God.
Because the glory of God shines brightly when people live out the goodness in themselves and when they understand the ways of the Lord and walk by it.
Let us ask the Lord to give us the heart to understand, the heart that was given to Solomon so that we will be able to discern the signs of the times and to know what the Lord is asking of us.
But let us understand that in these times God wants us to love Him by loving others.
When we do that, then we will receive treasures from above, and we will be given what we need.
If there is anything that we need now, probably the first thing that would come to our minds is a vaccine against the virus that is causing this pandemic.
And it is not just we who need it. The whole world needs, but it doesn’t seem that a vaccine will be available so soon, although it is needed urgently.
This pandemic is just too disruptive. It has disrupted the life of the whole world right down to our personal lives.
Oh yes, we want a vaccine and we want it urgently so that our lives can go back to normal.
But what is this normal life that we have in our minds that we are thinking of?
Is it a life where we can have more time with our loved ones, to have family meals together, to have time for conversation with our family members and even to pray together as a family?
But isn’t that what is happening now, or at least it is possible now.
What seemed so difficult to achieve in the past, now it is possible. But do we want it?
So, the fundamental question is: Do we know what we really want? Do we know what we really need?
And if we are still thinking about that question, let us recall the conversation between God and Solomon in the 1st reading.
God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said: Ask what you would like Me to give you.
Many things could have crossed the mind of Solomon, but he asked for this - he asked for a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil so that he can govern the people of God.
And that pleased the Lord God because what Solomon asked for was not for himself but for the good of the people and for the glory of God.
In prayer we ask for many things. Some are for ourselves and some are for others.
But like what Solomon asked for, may what we ask for be for the good of others and for the glory of God.
Because the glory of God shines brightly when people live out the goodness in themselves and when they understand the ways of the Lord and walk by it.
Let us ask the Lord to give us the heart to understand, the heart that was given to Solomon so that we will be able to discern the signs of the times and to know what the Lord is asking of us.
But let us understand that in these times God wants us to love Him by loving others.
When we do that, then we will receive treasures from above, and we will be given what we need.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)