22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 01-09-2022

1 Cor 3:18-23 / Luke 5:1-11   

Whenever we talk about “comfort”, there can be a couple of nouns that we attach to it.

So, we will talk about “comfort food”, which may not be that sumptuous or savory, but it may be just simple food that warms the stomach and eases the mind.

We also talk about “comfort zone”, which does not necessarily mean a place but rather a sense of security and familiarity, and the mind is at ease.

Moving out of the comfort zone may mean anxiety and stress, and it certainly is not a comfortable feeling.

In the gospel, when Jesus told Peter to put out into deep water and pay out the nets for a catch, Peter would have his apprehensions.

It was not that Peter had not gone fishing in the deep waters, but rather it was a carpenter who was telling him, a fisherman, where to fish.

Peter had to move out of his comfort zone of assumptions and presumptions and to agree with what Jesus told him.

In doing so, Peter encountered a “divine mystery zone” that made him realise that he was a sinner.

So, when we had to move out of our comfort zone and go into the deep unknown, let us remember it is Jesus who is leading us into a divine mystery zone.

In that divine mystery, God will reveal to us what we need to know about ourselves so that we will have peace of mind and heart.

22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 31-08-2022

1 Cor 3:1-9 / Luke  4:38-44      

A man once saw an injured bird on the ground, and it was unable to fly.

He picked it up and put it in a bird cage and cared for it. It was a beautiful bird.

His friend came along and admired it and he congratulated his friend for finding such a beautiful pet.

But the man said to his friend, “When it is well again, I will take it out of the cage.”

His friend exclaimed, “But it will fly away!” To which the man replied, “Well, that is the point.”

So, what is the point? The point is that everyone is given the freedom to fulfill his destiny.

When we want to hold on to a person, it is usually with a vested interest and a selfish intention.

In the gospel, the people wanted to prevent Jesus from leaving, but Jesus knew what His mission and destiny is.

In the 1st reading, we heard of people who were holding on to their preferred personalities like Paul and Apollo, and they forgot that they themselves have their own mission and destiny to fulfill.

May God grant us spiritual wings so that we will fly towards Him and find our mission and fulfill our destiny.

22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 30-08-2022

1 Cor 2:10-16 / Luke 4:31-37     

Our senses help us to interact with our surroundings and to be able to understand how to respond accordingly.

So by what we see, hear, touch, smell and taste, we would know what we are encountering and to decide on the next course of action.

But there is only so much that we know about what is around us. 

There is much more than what we can understand with our senses.

That being the case, then what we cannot encounter and comprehend with our senses, we certainly would need help.

In the gospel, the incident in the synagogue where the man possessed by the evil spirit and shouting at Jesus was something that the people cannot understand or comprehend.

And when Jesus cast out the evil spirit from the man, the people were astonished and amazed.

But St. Paul reminds us in the 1st reading that the Holy Spirit reaches the depths of everything.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to judge what we encounter and comprehend with our senses.

That is why prayer is so important in the life of a Christian.

Because when we pray, we let the Holy Spirit reveal to us what God wants us to know about ourselves.

Only when we are able to understand ourselves, then we will be able to see what is God’s plan for us and what He wants us to do.

The Passion of St. John the Baptist, Monday, 29-08-2022

Jeremiah 1:17-19 / Mark 6:17-29   

Many things make sense when we step back and look at them again.

In other words, things can become clearer when we look at them from a distance.

For example, we didn’t know beautiful our Earth is until we got the pictures of planet Earth from outer space.

Similarly, life, and also death, can make sense when we step back and look at them from a distance.

The birth of St. John the Baptist was surrounded with special events like, when he leapt in his mother’s womb when Mary visited her, his father lost the ability to speak until John was born, and the name John was also rather unexpected and surprised the relatives.

The birth of St. John the Baptist may have generated astonishment and amazement, but his death may seem like a disappointment and even an abandonment.

For someone whom Jesus called the “greatest of men” the ending was such a stark contrast to the beginning.

Yet, life and death can be understood when we step back and look at them from a distance.

Then we can see that the birth and death of St. John the Baptist points to the saving plan of God.

St. John the Baptist pointed out Jesus as the Saviour. And then he stepped aside and continued with his message of repentance to the point that he laid down his life for it.

So, in life and in death, St. John the Baptist gave glory to God and carried out his role in God’s plan of salvation.

May we too know our role in God’s plan of salvation, so that, like St. John the Baptist, from the beginning to the end, our life will be for the glory of God.

22nd Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 28.08.2022

Ecclesiasticus 3:17-20, 28-29 / Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24 / Luke 14:1, 7-14

There are many things that can be bought with money, and money can also buy luxuries. 

So, as long as we have the money, and if we can afford it, then we can get almost anything we want. 

And money has a way of making us look at people as if they were things. In other words, we can use money to buy people, whether it is to get some work done or to be served by them, or to bribe people to get their favours. 

So, money can make us look at people as things which can be bought and used. 

But let us remember that the most important things in life are not things. And the most important things in life cannot be bought with money. 

One of the most obvious important things that cannot be bought with money is health. There can be the best hospitals and the best advanced medicine, but that can't replace the health that is lost, or prolonged life for even a minute. 

Another important thing is peace. Money cannot buy peace, especially when the hatred is deep and the hurt is scorching. No amount of money can buy a peaceful reconciliation. 

And money certainly cannot buy love. True love comes from God, and God cannot be bought with money. 

And since money cannot buy love, then it won't buy respect either. Respect is the fruit of love, and it is when we are loving to others that they will respect us. 

Yes, respect cannot be demanded, it has to be earned, and it is not earned with money, but with love. 

The 1st reading teaches us this: Be gentle in carrying out your business, and you will be better loved then a lavish giver. 

So, a person may be a lavish giver, but if he does so to boost his pride and ego, then he is only exalting himself over others, and he may not receive any due respect. 

So, the expression of true love is when we are gentle in our relationships with others and respect them. 

The 1st reading also teaches us this: The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly, for great though the power of the Lord is, He accepts the homage of the humble. 

So even though we may have money, we know that the important things in life are not things that can be bought with money. 

The important things in life are love, peace, humility, gentleness and respect, and in fact, all those things that cannot be bought with money, those are truly important things. 

There is this story of the richest man in a town and he was proud of his wealth. One day he took a drive around the town to look at his estate. 

When he reached the outskirts of the town, he saw an old farmer who was about to have his simple lunch. 

The farmer greeted the rich man respectfully. The rich man asked the farmer, “How is life?” The farmer replied, “The work is tough, the weather is unpredictable, but I am happy.” And he even offered to share his lunch with the rich man, but the rich man declined. 

As the rich man was about to leave, the old farmer said, “Oh, I had a dream that the richest man in town will die tonight!” 

The rich man scoffed at the idea of dreams, and returned home for lunch, but even though the food was sumptuous, he did not have the appetite. 

He kept thinking about what the old farmer said, that the richest man in town will die that night. He tried to rest but couldn't, and so he called his doctor for a full medical check-up. 

The doctor told him that all was fine and even offered to stay over for the night to make sure that all will be well. The night passed on and morning came and rich man was glad then he was still alive and well. 

While having breakfast with the doctor, a servant came in and asked for the doctor. The doctor asked, “What is the matter?” The servant replied, “Can you come and take a look at the old farmer. I think he died in his sleep last night.” 

So, money and riches cannot buy life, or the important things of life like love, peace, happiness, gentleness and respect. 

That is the teaching of Jesus in the gospel. 

Let us ask God to teach us to be humble and gentle, and we will know how to love and to respect others and to be respected by others.

21st Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 27-08-2022

1 Cor 1:26-31 / Matthew 25:14-40

By and large, we are ordinary people and very much like the rest of humanity.

But there are some people who are extra-ordinary in the sense that they are naturally endowed with some special gifts and talents.

They may be gifted and talented in music, or art, or memory, or sports, and that makes them stand out from the rest of humanity.

But gifts and talents can mean nothing if the potential is not put to use.

And gifts and talents mean nothing if it is not for the glory of God and for the service of others.

As the 1st reading puts it, “The human race has nothing to boast about to God”.

That is simply because whatever gifts and talents that we may have come from God, and it is for us to decide how to use those gifts and talents.

We may have only one talent and may having nothing to boast about and nothing to show.

But when we use that one humble talent to help someone, and even to help others, then God will be proud of us because we have used our gifts and talents to give Him glory.

21st Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 26-08-2022

1 Cor 1:17-25 / Matthew 25:1-13     

No one can ever say that he has never made a mistake or has acted foolishly, or even coming close to stupidity.

So, it is understandable that we had been foolish at times and even called ourselves “stupid”.

When we can accept that in ourselves, then we also need to accept that in others.

To make the same mistake twice may also be acceptable, but to make the same mistake more than that is certainly questionable.

Besides that, if we know what is the wise and better thing to do, and yet not wanting to do it, is foolish.

In the gospel parable, the difference between the wise and the foolish bridesmaids is action.

The wise bridesmaids knew what was needed to be prepared for the unexpected and they got down to doing it.

The foolish bridesmaids saw what was done but just didn’t bother about it.

But wisdom is not just about knowing what was needed and to get on with doing it.

The 1st reading tells us about another wisdom as it says this: The language of the cross may be illogical to those who are not on the way to salvation, but those of us who are on the way see it as God’s power to save.

When we understand the meaning of the Cross, and accept to carry the crosses that come along in life, then Jesus will grant us the wisdom to see the power of salvation in the Cross.