13th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 01-07-2022

Amos 8:4-6, 9-12 / Matthew 9:9-13   

It is not really easy for someone who has done wrong to get back onto the track of life again.

Even if they truly repent of their wrong-doing, their guilt remains etched on the minds of people.

For example, for those who have been released from prison, the label "ex-prisoner" will always be in the minds of those who know them.

And as long as people keep harping on guilt, then life is being drained away. Even if one has repented and made amends for the guilt, the chains of the past bind them again when others recall the guilt.

Often, those with a guilty past are made to feel that self-respect and self-worth count for less than zero.

That was the case with Matthew the tax-collector. He gained his wealth but he lost his worth. He got his revenue but lost his respect.

And it is indeed surprising that of all the virtuous people, Jesus would call such a person who is less than zero in the eyes of others.

It will take some time for us to understand that the Divine Healer came for the sick.

It will take some time for us to understand that the Saviour came for the sinner.

But in the meantime, what we need to show to those who have done wrong is to show them the mercy of God.

Because we ourselves will need that mercy when we fall.

13th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 30-06-2022

Amos 7:10-17 / Matthew 9:1-8  

Whenever we listen to someone speaking, we would surely want to understand what the other person is saying.

But are we trying to understand what is being said from our own interpretation?

Or do we try to understand what the person really means?

Of course, it would be easier to understand what is being said from our own interpretation.

To try to understand what the other person really means would entail further questions and clarifications, and more time and effort will be needed.

In the gospel, when Jesus said to the paralytic that his sins are forgiven, the scribes immediately denounced it as a blasphemy.

In the minds of the scribes, only God can forgive sins. And they would rather hold on to their opinion and judgement rather than to seek clarification and enlightenment.

Likewise, in the 1st reading, if only Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, had wanted to understand the prophecy of Amos, he could have averted a tragedy for the nation. 

So to truly understand what someone is saying, then time and effort is needed on our part. 

And to truly understand someone, then love will be needed.

God will give us that love, if only we truly want to understand

Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, Wednesday, 29-06-2022

Acts 12:1-11 / 2 Tim 4:6-8, 17-18 / Matthew 16:13-19  

Many things in life are closely connected but yet they are in some sense distinct as well as different.

A coin has two sides, there is night and day, there is left and right, and other analogies that reflect a similarity and yet there is a difference.

The feast of St. Peter and St. Paul brings up many similar aspects between the two saints, yet at the same time, there are also distinctions.

Their characters and personality can be said to be different.

Their status in life before becoming disciples were also different.

And how the Lord called them and how they responded were also different.

But despite all these differences, they had one great similarity, and that is they had a deep conviction about who Jesus is and were deeply committed to Him, even to laying down their lives in witnessing to Jesus.

St. Peter and St. Paul are like reflections of the Church, which in many aspects are distinct and different.

But as the Church founded on Jesus and built on the Rock of the confession of Peter's faith, we must be united in love and in the conviction that Jesus is the Saviour and to be committed in loving God and others.

Then the gates of the underworld cannot hold out against the Church and we the members of the Body of Christ must go forth courageously to proclaim the Good News of salvation to the world.

 

13th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 28-06-2022

Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12 / Matthew 8:23-27

When things happen all of a sudden, there is usually not much time to think about what to do next.

We will react with our instinct, and what will happen next depends on the course of action we take.

For example, when the stove catches fire, we may immediately run away to safety and let the fire die down by itself.

But that is certainly not a good course of action because it may result in the fire spreading and burn the house down.

Or we may try to put out the fire to the best of our ability in order to prevent the fire from spreading.

In the gospel, a violent storm broke over the lake without warning and the waves were breaking right over the boat that the disciples were in.

With that sudden mortal danger, they have to decide what course of action to take immediately.

And they had that sensibility to call on Jesus, and to wake Him up.

When danger suddenly appears and fear strikes, let our first course of action be to call upon the Lord Jesus for help.

May we have that little faith to believe that Jesus will help and save us.

13th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 27-06-2022

Amos 2:6-10, 13-16 / Matthew 8:18-22     

No one, in the right frame of mind, would want to do something with nothing to gain.

No one would want to work without getting paid.

And no one would follow a leader who does not promise them some form of security and a future.

Jesus seems to be saying to those who were thinking of following Him that not only there is no security, it is also not going to be easy.

This should make us think about our faith and why do we still want to believe in Jesus.

Whether we are just an ordinary Catholic in the pew or serving in some church ministry, are we expecting anything from Jesus?

Jesus did not promise us any material gain or worldly rewards.

But He did promise us something that the world cannot give, and that is His peace.

The peace of Jesus will help us realise what is true contentment and happiness.

The peace of Jesus will help us realise that Jesus is all we need on earth.

Jesus is our security here on earth, and He will be our reward above.

13th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 26.06.2022

1 Kings 19:16, 19-21 / Galatians 5:1, 13-18 / Luke 9:51-62

In life, we need to have some convictions, or at least a conviction. 

When there is a conviction, then there will be goals and objectives in life. When there is a conviction, then what we think and what we do will be focused and directed. When there is a conviction, there will also be determination. We won't waste our time doing nothing or just lazing away. 

But convictions need not be lofty or profound. They can be simple and practical, so that in every situation, we will have recourse to our convictions and move on in life. 

For example, a simple practical conviction in life can be this: Walking is a good exercise. 

That sounds simple and practical enough. Walking is good for our health and physically it is an exercise that we can maintain in our senior years.

In the emotional aspect, it would be good to walk away from anger, resentment and bitterness, so that we will be at peace with ourselves. 

And in the spiritual aspect, we walk away from sin and we walk towards God. 

So, convictions in life can be simple and practical and achievable, yet it does not make us look obsessive or compulsive. 

The first line of the gospel passage begins with this: As the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely took the road for Jerusalem. 

To be resolute is to be admirably purposeful, determined and unwavering. 

Jesus knew what His mission was. He came to save sinners. He came to teach the truth, to show the way of love, and to give us life to the full on Earth and also eternal life in Heaven. 

That was His conviction, and He was focused, determined and unwavering. So, when He faced rejection from the Samaritans, He did not retaliate. 

Even when His disciples wanted to call down punishment on the Samaritans, Jesus turned and rebuked them and they went to another village. 

And even for those who wanted to follow Him, Jesus asked them if they were resolute enough. 

To follow Jesus, one has to be focused, determined and unwavering. To follow Jesus is to have the conviction that He is the Saviour. To follow Jesus, we too need to have a conviction and to be resolute about it, just like Jesus was resolute. 

And just as Jesus walked away from the rejection of the Samaritans, and walked resolutely to Jerusalem, we too need to do some thinking and to do some walking.

Yes, walking is a good exercise. 

We walk away from arguments that lead to anger. We walk away from people who put us down. 

We walk away from anyone who does not see our worth. 

We walk away from mistakes and fear so as to learn from them. 

The more we walk away from the things that poison our souls, the healthier and happier we will become. 

Jesus walked away from rejection and walked towards the Jerusalem and to the Cross for our salvation. 

Let us walk away from sin, let us walk with Jesus, let us walk in the way of truth and love.

Let us walk with life and walk towards eternal life in heaven. 

The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Saturday, 25-06-2022

Isaiah 619-11 / Luke 2:41-51   

The heart of a mother is a heart that is so lovable and understandable, and yet it is also so mysterious.

We may think that we understand our mothers, but they actually know more about us that we can ever imagine.

After all, we were conceived in the womb of our mothers, and hence we are a part of them and nothing can ever eradicate this mother-child relationship.

And it can be said that nothing can ever separate a mother from her child. A mother's bond to her child is something that goes beyond logic and explanation.

In today's feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the gospel reading gives us a good reflection of the heart of Mary.

Mary made it a point that Jesus had a religious upbringing and that was why she and Joseph brought Jesus to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.

Mary had a heart for God and she wanted Jesus to have what she treasured most - a heart for God.

When Mary and Joseph lost contact with Jesus, Mary would have felt that void most deeply.

Yet when they found Jesus, Mary was like a typical mother reprimanding her son. That makes her so lovable and understandable.

Yet when she did not understand the reply of Jesus, she kept quiet and stored it in her heart. Mary knew how to respond in the face of mystery.

May we too have a heart like that of Mary, lovable and understandable by others. And may our hearts be also open to mystery and to store and reflect in our hearts what we cannot understand immediately.