4th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 01-02-2024

1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12 / Mark 6:7-13    

When it comes to human relationships, it is only natural that we like those who like us, and we talk with those who will talk with us.

It does not make much sense to try to like those who don’t like us, nor would we want to try to keep talking with those who don’t want to talk with us.

So, generally speaking, in our human relationships, there are people that we like and we talk with them.

And then there are people that we don’t like, and we will try to avoid them, and it is quite unlikely that we will ever talk with them.

When Jesus sent out His disciples to proclaim the Good News, He told them to take almost nothing for the mission.

And it also may mean that they will have to go to places and to peoples that they may not really like and they would rather avoid if possible.

But in the spirit of the mission, they would still go to these peoples and proclaim the Good News to them.

But Jesus also told His disciples this: If any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust from under your feet as a sign to them.

As for us, if people don’t welcome us because we are Christians, and also refuse to talk with us, then we have to move on with our lives.

May we not let the hostile attitudes of others create a resentment and hostility towards them.

Rather let us walk away with charity. Let that be a sign for them.

4th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 31-01-2024

2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17 / Mark 6:1-6  

It is a human desire to want to prove ourselves. 

And even if we know that we are good at something, we want to hear praise and affirmation.

At the root of it all, it is simply a pride and ego trip.

But pride and ego can also lead to other complicated issues.

In the 1st reading, king David wanted to do a census of the people, so as to know the size of the population.

It may seem that it is just for statistics. But at that time, Israel was the most powerful and wealthy nation in the region.

Though it was not a big nation, yet it grew because of the blessings from the Lord.

In wanting to do a census, king David gave way to his pride and ego, and he wanted to have numbers so as to flaunt it to the other nations.

But later king David realized that he had played into his pride and ego and repented, and submitted to the Lord.

In the gospel, when Jesus returned to His hometown, He met with rejection, but He didn’t try to prove Himself or showed them what He can do.

Rather He just left them with their own opinions and went on His way.

There is also no need to compare ourselves with others in terms of abilities or achievements.

May we know what God’s will is for us and let us set about fulfilling His will for us.

4th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 30-01-2024

2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14, 24-25, 30 - 19:3 / Mark 5:21-43    

The history of humanity is filled with arguments, disagreements and hostility between persons and nations.

The result is often tragic, when people resort to violence and bloodshed, with the inevitable loss of lives, especially innocent lives.

In the 1st reading, it may be said that Absalom got what he deserved, since he rebelled against his father David, and hence his punishment is death.

David would have been relieved to know that Absalom was not a threat anymore.

But instead, David wept and mourned for Absalom. 

Indeed, no one is expendable and every loss of life due to violence and bloodshed is a violation to civilized humanity.

In the gospel, the healing and saving ministry of Jesus highlights the dignity of human life.

Let us remember that we are created in the image of God.

Let us also remember our dignity as God’s children and live our lives in holiness and to work for peace and reconciliation.

4th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 28-01-2024

2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13 / Mark 5:1-20  

Our life experiences are made up of many encounters with people.

These encounters can be anything from happy to sad, from fond memories to those we rather not remember or talk about.

But all these encounters shape our lives to who we are now, and we learn more about life from these experiences.

In the 1st reading, when king David and his men were fleeing from Absalom, a man by the name of Shimei came to confront them.

Shimei called David a “man of blood” and this was his retribution.

David could have silenced him once and for all, but he took it as part of his humiliation and he place his hope in the Lord for mercy and deliverance.

In the gospel, it was a possessed man who came out to meet Him, and the evil spirits in the man were shouting at Jesus not to punish them.

The evil spirits even begged Jesus not to send them out of the district but into the pigs, and He allowed them to do so.

In these two encounters from the readings, there are at least two things that we can learn.

Like David, when faced with hostility, let us not fight fire with fire, but let us turn to the Lord for help and protection.

And like the man who was possessed but healed by Jesus, let us be thankful for the many times God has forgiven our sins and spared us the punishment due to our sin.

Most importantly, when we see the Lord’s presence in all our encounters and experiences, then our lives will be meaningful as the Lord will be in every moment of our lives.

4th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 28.01.2024

 Deut 18:15-20 / 1 Cor 7:32-35 / Mark 1:21-28  

The world that we live in has many sights and sounds for us to interact with. 

From what we see with our eyes, we will be able to make an assessment. 

So, when we see beauty and goodness, we will give thanks to God for His marvellous works.

But when we see wrongdoing and wickedness, we would want to see how to stop it, and pray for God's help. 

And from what we hear with our ears, we are also able to make an assessment. 

When we hear what is good and inspiring, we will give thanks to God for His blessings. 

But when we hear what is sad and bad, or irritating and disturbing, we too will have to do something. 

In the gospel, Jesus was in the synagogue teaching. And His teaching made a deep impression on the people because He taught with authority. 

Then, all of a sudden, there was some shouting, and it was irritating and disturbing. 

It came from a man who was possessed by an unclean spirit, and it shouted: What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God. 

But Jesus said sharply, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” And with that, the unclean Spirit was cast out. 

The people's assessment of what happened was this: He gives orders even to unclean spirits and they obey Him. 

The gospel passage highlights some important aspects of the spiritual world that we need to take note of. 

One of which is the power of God's Word. Whenever the Word of God is proclaimed, goodness is bestowed and evil is exposed. 

Hence, conversion and repentance can only happen when the Word of God is proclaimed and obeyed. 

To obey is to listen, and to listen with faith, so that the power and the goodness of God can be manifested. 

There is a story of a poor woman who had a firm belief in God's providence through the charity of others. 

On one occasion, her family didn't get any food for a few days. 

She prayed and then wrote this notice on her front door: O God, please listen to my prayer and send us some food. 

A rich atheist man passed by in his car and saw the notice, and he thought of doing something to shake her faith in God. 

He instructed his driver to buy a lot of food and provisions, and have it delivered to that poor woman's house with this message: 

This is not sent by your God, but is sent by the devil. 

The driver did as he was told. He bought a lot of food and provisions, and went to that poor woman's house. 

When the poor woman opened the door and saw the driver and all that food, she went down on her knees and praised and thanked God. 

But the driver quickly said, “Wait, wait. This food is not sent by your God, but sent by the devil. 

But the poor woman laughed and said, “God is so great. He provided all this food and He made the devil pay for it, and even sent it over. Thanks be to God! 

Well, blessed are those who trust in God, He will provide for them. 

And blessed are those who hear the Word of God and obey it, they will see the goodness and the marvels of God. 

In the gospel, when Jesus gave the order, that evil spirit had to obey. 

As for us, as we listen to the Word of God, let us also obey, and put God's word into action. 

Let the Word of God also be read in our homes, in our meetings, and in every possible situation and occasion. 

The Word of God brings about healing, forgiveness, reconciliation, peace and love.

 When we listen to the Word of God and obey it, we will see the power and the marvels of God. 

3rd Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 27-01-2024

2 Samuel 12:1-7, 10-17 / Mark 4:35-41  

A personal pronoun is a short word that is used as a simple substitute for the proper name of a person. 

Examples of personal pronouns are I, you, me, he, she, we, they, them, 

When personal pronouns are used in a conversation, it can evoke many emotions and sentiments.

Some may be affirmative, others may be accusative, but one thing for certain, it is personal.

In the 1st reading, the prophet Nathan was sent by God to David, and Nathan told David a story about a poor man and an ewe lamb.

The purpose was to see what judgement David would make.

And when David had done so, the prophet Nathan made the pronouncement: You are the man.

David immediately realized his guilt and admitted to his sin.

In the gospel, when the boat was caught in the storm, the disciples woke up the sleeping Jesus and “accused” Him: Master, do you not care? We are going down!

So, whenever we use personal pronouns, let us know what is the purpose and intention.

Let us not use personal pronouns to accuse, insult and to hurt.

Rather, let us use personal pronouns to affirm, to encourage, and to express love.

Let us use the personal pronoun for God when we worship Him, and let us use the personal pronoun for ourselves for contrition and petition.

Sts. Timothy and Titus, Friday, 26-01-2024

2 Timothy 1 : 1-8 / Luke 10 : 1-9

One of the ways to motivate people to take on higher responsibilities is to recognize the contributions they are already making and the potential they have.

They need to be affirmed of whatever gifts that God has bestowed upon them so that what they have and what they are doing with it can be reinforced.

When St. Paul chose Timothy and Titus to be bishops of their respective churches, he was not looking merely at their gifts or abilities.

In fact, Timothy and Titus were rather young to be the bishops of the churches.

Rather, St. Paul recognized the potential of the faith that they had.

And especially for Timothy, St. Paul reminded him of the sincere faith which was handed down from his grandmother and his mother.

St. Paul affirmed Timothy that he saw this faith in him, and that was sufficient for him to lead the church that was entrusted to him.

Here, it is good to remember that faith, is not so much taught as it is caught.

The faith that we have is "caught" from others - our parents, our teachers, our friends, etc.

Hence we have a faith to share, a faith that others are waiting to catch, so that they too will come to know God and believe in Him.

It may be simple faith, but when we nourish that faith with prayer and good works, then it will grow and bear fruit for the glory of God and for the good of others.