St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Patroness of Missionaries and Missions, Friday, 01-10-2021

Isaiah 66:10-14 / Matthew 18:1-5     

Whenever we think about missionaries and going for mission, some images would come to mind.

We would think of faith-filled and courageous men and women who would leave the comfort zone and go to some distant land to witness to the Good News of salvation.

That is often the obvious image of missionaries and the mission and that is quite true.

For St. Therese, she too had wanted to go for mission, but her frail health did not make that possible.

She prayed about it and then it came to her mind that though she could not be a missionary and go for mission, she could still do her part and pray for missionaries and for those who have yet to know about the Good News of Jesus Christ.

That also highlighted to the Church that missionaries need our prayer support and no mission can bear fruit without prayer.

So praying for missionaries and for the mission of the Church to bear fruit would certainly require our prayer.

May we like St. Therese, offer our prayers for missionaries and for the mission of the Church.

Also in whatever state of life we are in, we are also in a sense, missionaries working and praying for the fruitful mission of the Church.

26th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 30-09-2021

Nehemiah 8:1-12 / Luke 10:1-12    

Anyone who is sensible enough would not ask for a hard or even dangerous job.

Especially more so if the wages are not attractive at all.

But for the harvest of the Lord, labourers are needed, and it is indeed tough and even dangerous work.

And for that kind of work, the wages are like next to nothing.

So what is there for us if we were to be labourers in the harvest of the Lord?

Obviously it is something that the world cannot give. 

Nor can we achieve it on our own.

And that is none other than the peace that the Lord gives to those who will work for Him and labour in His harvest.

And that is also what Jesus sent His disciples to proclaim - Peace

May the peace of the Lord be in our hearts.

May we also be messengers of God's peace, a peace that the world is so much in need of.

The Holy Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Wednesday, 29-09-2021

Dan 7:9-10, 13-14 or Rev 12:7-12 / John 1:47-51    

When it comes to the things of the spiritual realm, what can be discussed is from what has been revealed in the Bible and from the Church's teachings.

From the Bible and from what the Church teaches, there is the existence of the spiritual world of angels.

In this multitude of angels, we know the names of three of them, and the Church calls them "Archangels".

From St. Michael, we know that God protects us and so we pray to St. Michael and there is a prayer that is dedicated to him.

From St. Gabriel, who announced the Good News of salvation to Mary, we know that we too are blessed with the Good News that God loves us and will save us. 

We too pray to St. Gabriel that we will experience the saving love of God and be messengers of the Good News of salvation.

And from St. Raphael, who directed Tobias to obtain the healing remedy for his father's blindness, we know that God will forgive us our sins and heal our spiritual and physical infirmities.

We too ask St. Raphael to pray for us for healing and forgiveness.

In these three Archangels, God is showing us that He loves and protects us, He is our Saviour and Healer.

We give thanks and praise to God, and let us continue to invoke the intercession of these three Archangels.

26th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 28-09-2021

Zechariah 8:20-23 / Luke 9:51-56    

To make public our religious affiliation can have its pros and cons.

When others know that we are Christians, they will certainly expect more from us, especially in the areas of kindness and charity.

And when we are not kind or charitable, then we are criticised for not being a "good" Christian.

On the other hand, when others are edified by our behaviour and attitude as Christians, they may wonder and may even be curious to know what we believe in.

In the gospel, when the people of that Samaritan village did not welcome Jesus and His disciples, James and John wanted them to be punished.

But Jesus turned and rebuked them and they went off to another village. Jesus showed forgiveness and compassion.

Jesus practised what He preached, and He also expected His disciples to practise what He preached.

When we follow the teachings of Jesus, especially in the areas of kindness and forgiveness, then others would certainly want to know what is it that we believe in.

Christian means to be another Christ. Let us be Christ to others and then they will want to know what and who we believe in

26th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 27-09-2021

Zechariah 8:1-8 / Luke 9:46-50

We know that empty barrels make the most noise, simply because they are empty.

So when a discussion begins to turn into an argument, there will only be noise.

Because in an argument, almost everyone will be raising their voice or even shouting, and no one is really listening.

When an argument started between the disciples about which of them was the greatest, it can be supposed that there was a lot of noise.

Because, in order to prove that he is the greatest, one would have to shout the loudest in order to drown out the rest.

Obviously their argument reached the ears of Jesus and He had to teach them about what is greatness.

Jesus said that the least among all is the greatest, and He set before them a little child as an example.

Indeed the least is the greatest, not in the eyes of men, but in the eyes of God.

Because the least can only depend on God as there is no one else to come to their help.

God comes to the aid of the lowly and the last, and on those humble enough to trust and depend on Him.

May we have that humility and God's greatest blessings will come upon us.

26th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 26.09.2021

Numbers 11:25-29 / James 5:1-6 / Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

There are a few good things to remember in life and we must keep reminding ourselves about them. 

So, there are things like “charity begins at home”, “honesty is the best policy” and “don't do unto others what you don't want them to do unto you”. 

Certainly, these are good principles and values to live by, and to have a direction in life. 

Among the few good things to remember, there are two that are practical and even necessary, and it is this: 

Take care of your thoughts when you are alone, and take care of your words when you are with people. 

We form our own thoughts, and our thoughts shape our words, and our words have an impact and affect others. 

And especially when there are children around, we have to watch what we say and do. 

It is said that children are the world's most valuable resource and the best hope for the future. 

And every day, we make deposits in the memory banks of our children. 

In the gospel, Jesus gives a stern reminder when He said this: Anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone round his neck. 

The little ones would obviously mean children, as well as those little, humble and lowly ones who have simple faith. 

Jesus reminds us that they are the ones to whom the kingdom of God belongs. 

They are the ones who will be impacted and affected by what we do and say. 

So, they are listening to what we say, they are looking at what we do, and their thoughts are being shaped and formed. 

So when children talk back and argue with us, where could they have learned it from? Or when they start shouting in an argument, was it because we shouted at them first? 

We also tend to complain and criticize and blame others for what has gone wrong that caused us inconveniences. 

When the children are listening to our venting, they would also do what we do. 

The current situation is like a fire that is burning with frustrations, disruptions, disappointments and maybe even depression. 

We can give in to complaining, criticizing and blaming. 

But Jesus is calling us to be like a cup of water for a thirsty and heated world. 

And just as water cleanses and refreshes, we need to see the situation with clean and fresh eyes. 

No doubt, the current situation is causing anxiety and worry, and with school exams around the corner, things have become disruptive with things like LOA and QO. 

But let us look at the situation and see it like a caterpillar. Why a caterpillar? Because there is nothing in a caterpillar that tells us that it is going to be a butterfly. 

And there is nothing in this present situation that tells us that there will be beauty and goodness. 

But just as the caterpillar needs to be resilient, from crawling around, to being a cocoon and finally breaking free as a butterfly, we too must give that cup of water to the world to help it be resilient and to be united in charity, so as to look forward in hope for beauty, justice and peace. 

May these be our thoughts, may these also be the words for our prayer, and may the Lord help us to be that cup of water for a thirsty world.

25th Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 25-09-2021

Zechariah 2:5-9, 14-15 / Luke 9:43-45      

If anyone wants to be popular and have a following, he must know how to please the people.

He must know what the people like to hear and be able to entice them to follow him.

Certainly he would use words that would paint a rosy picture of the future and how good life would be if the people were to choose him as their leader.

But in the gospel, what Jesus did was rather quite the opposite.

At a time when everyone was full of admiration for all He did, Jesus said to His disciples: For your part, you must have these words constantly in your mind - The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.

His disciples did not understand what He said; maybe they also didn't want to understand, for fear of being disappointed in their expectations of Jesus.

After all, Jesus was popular and the people were full of admiration of Him, and so His disciples were also afraid to ask about what Jesus said for fear that the rosy picture would be shattered.

But we should know better. Following Jesus would certainly mean nothing less than the cross.

Also we know that our reward for being faithful to Jesus is not in this life but in the next.

Still, we will not be shortchanged of God's blessings in this life. 

The blessings of peace and joy in following Jesus will be our motivation here on earth and a preparation of the eternal peace and joy of above.