All Saints, Friday, 01-11-2024

Apocalypse 7:2-4, 9-14 / 1 John 3:1-3 / Matthew 5:1-12   

As Christians, we are called to a life of holiness on earth.

It is the God of holiness, our Creator, who is calling us to reflect His holiness on earth.

That is our mission, that is our destiny and that is also our salvation.

So, we must strive to be holy, and when our journey on earth comes to an end, we will join the Saints in heaven.

That is our belief, that is our hope and that is our eternal destiny.

As we celebrate a feast of All Saints, we renew our hope in the mystery of the Communion of Saints.

We believe that the multitude of Saints in heaven are praying for us to join them in eternity to praise God.

These Saints, whether they are officially canonized, or among the multitude of other Saints in heaven, have strived for holiness on earth and are now in heaven.

The Church proclaims this mystery as revealed by the Holy Spirit, and today we celebrate the reality of that mystery.

And we also believe that the Saints are praying for us.

So, our Christian Mission does not come to an end.

We live a life of holiness on earth, and when we eventually enter into heaven, our mission is to pray for those on earth to be saved.

That is what the Saints are doing for us, that is also what we must do for others on earth, because that is also what we will be doing in heaven for eternity.

30th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 31-10-2024

Ephesians 6:10-20 / Luke 13:31-35   

Unity has its foundation in love, whereas sin is the cause of division.

In other words, love unites, but sin divides.

God is love and He wants all peoples to be united in His love.

But the devil tempts us to sin and causes us to go against each other.

That is why in the 1st reading, St. Paul urges us to grow strong, with the strength of the power of God’s love.

And God’s love is the armour that will enable us to resist the devil’s tactics.

The devil’s tactic is to use us to go against each other, and even to fight and cause bloodshed.

So, St. Paul tells us plainly that it is not against human enemies that we struggle against.

We should be fighting against the power of the darkness of this world, the spiritual army of evil.

Hence, we must rely on God’s power of love and that will be our armour to resist the devil.

We fight against evil and the devil by loving God and others and letting God’s love shine and scatter the darkness of sin and evil.

With God’s love, we will be united and sin and evil will be defeated.

30th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 30-10-2024

Ephesians 6:1-9 / Luke 13:22-30  

The human tendency is to want to do things our way and live life the way we like it.

When restrictions are in our way, we feel that our freedom is being obstructed.

And when we have to comply or obey what we don’t like, then we would tend to resist or look for a way to get round it.

In the gospel, Jesus teaches us about entering by the narrow door.

He also says that many will try to enter and not succeed.

But the narrow door is the way to true freedom.

And to enter the narrow door requires obedience and faithfulness.

In the 1st reading, St. Paul urges children and slaves to be obedient to their parents and masters.

But he also tells parents and masters to be obedient to the Lord’s laws of love and justice.

We are not our own masters. God is the Divine Master.

Let us obey God and be faithful to Him and we will have true freedom and happiness.

30th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 29-10-2024

Ephesians 5:21-33 / Luke 13:18-21  

Human determination, will-power and commitment are certainly noble and inspirational.

Yet, we also know that human beings are weak and prone to failings.

And from our own experience, we know that we ourselves have fallen short in our determination, will-power and commitment.

In the 1st reading, St. Paul reflects about the marriage commitment between husband and wife.

As much as determination and commitment is need for married couples to keep their marriage strong, St. Paul also brings in another factor.

He brings in the God-factor in marriage. When married couples understand the necessity of the presence of Christ in their marriage, then their marriage will be blessed with the love of God.

And it is the love of God that will empower the human determination and commitment, and also guide married couples and humanity to understand the will and the plan of God.

The gospel parables points to the power of God in bringing growth to nature.

And the love of God also empowers nature to bear fruit for His glory and for the good of humanity.

And it is the power and the love of God that will bring our determination, will-power and commitment to fulfill His will and His plan.

Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles, Monday, 28-10-2024

Ephesians 2:19-22 / Luke 6:12-19  

Not much is known about the two saints whose feast we celebrate today.

Simon was called Zealot probably because of his zeal for the Jewish independence before he was called by Jesus.

Jude or Thaddeus is the author of the letter in the New Testament in which he warned Christian converts against false teaching and immorality.

He is also venerated as the patron of "impossible cases"

Traditional sources had it that both of them were together in their missionary work in Persia and they were martyred.

Both of them also tell us something about the people Jesus chose to be His disciples.

Both of them, as well as the rest of the apostles, were insignificant people from insignificant backgrounds.

But both of them had  a purpose in God's plan of salvation.

Both of them became zealous for Christ and for the Kingdom and they also became channels of God's grace for those who were seeking God's love and forgiveness, or when they seek God's help when their problems in life seemed hopeless or impossible even.

We may think that we are insignificant persons and hence we think we have no purpose in God's plan of salvation.

But let us ask for the prayers of St. Simon and St. Jude that we will discover our purpose in life and also our purpose in God's plan of salvation.

We may be insignificant but it does not mean that we are impossible. Because with God, everything and everyone is possible.

30th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 27.10.2024

 Jeremiah 31:7-9 / Hebrews 5:1-6 / Mark 10:46-52

A disadvantage is understood as an unfavourable position or circumstance, or a condition that reduces the chances of success or effectiveness. 

Whether the disadvantage is personal or external, it is not something that we are happy about. 

A disadvantage can also be called a problem, and as with any problem, we want to look for solutions. 

So, if we are poor and the others around us are rich, then we wouldn’t buy what those others could buy, and we couldn’t live the lifestyle that those others could have. 

We will have to settle for the minimum.

Or, if we are of poor health, then we can forget about competing in sports or winning medals and trophies. 

But with every problem, there can a solution. It is futile to keep complaining about problems without looking for a solution or an alternative.

But there are some problems that may not have immediate solutions. 

There is this story of a young man who is poor and unhappy because he couldn't find a girlfriend and he wanted to get married. 

So, he went to see a wise men for advice. The wise man looked at him and said, “You will be poor and unhappy and unmarried till you are 40.” 

Then the young man asked, “Until 40? Then after that?”

The wise man replied, “After that you will get used to it.”

Maybe there are some disadvantages and problems in life that require some getting used to. 

In the gospel, Bartimaeus, or the son of Timaeus, was in a difficult disadvantage and with many problems. 

He was blind, and he had to beg for people's sympathy to get on with life, and he had to get used to it. 

More than that, he doesn't seem to have an identity of his own. He was called the son of Timaeus. 

He was really in the depths of poverty. He has no identity, no dignity and maybe even no sympathy. 

Because when he heard that Jesus was passing by, he shouted for Jesus to have pity on him. 

And the people around him scolded him and told him to keep quiet. 

But Bartimaeus only shouted all the louder for Jesus to have pity on him. 

The disadvantage of Bartimaeus was that he couldn't see. 

But his ears could hear that Jesus was near, and he still had a voice to call out to Jesus. 

Even though the people around him tried to silence him, there was one thing that was his advantage, and that was pointed out by Jesus. 

When Jesus asked Bartimaeus what does he want, Bartimaeus asked to let him see again. 

The reply of Jesus is truly a revelation for Bartimaeus - Go, your faith has saved you. 

The disadvantage of Bartimaeus was his blindness. 

But his advantage was that he had ears of faith to hear that Jesus is near. 

He also had a voice of faith to call out to Jesus to have pity on him.

Each of us has our own disadvantages in life as well as our problems. 

Even the famous biblical characters have their struggles: 

Moses had a speech impediment. 

David was considered too young and inexperienced to fight Goliath. 

And when he became a king, he committed two grave sins of adultery and murder. 

Peter was impulsive. 

Paul was a ferocious persecutor of Christians. 

But at the very core of their lives, they had faith in God. 

With faith, we will face our problems with prayer. 

And with prayer God will turn our disadvantages into revelations of how marvellous and wonderful His love is for us. 

And may our prayer be: Jesus, have pity on me. 

29th Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 26-10-2024

Ephesians 4:7-16 / Luke 13:1-9   

We cannot force someone to hear a message that they are not prepared to receive.

But we must not underestimate the power of planting a seed.

The Good News is a wonderful message of salvation.

It is also a powerful reality in the person on Jesus Christ the Saviour.

Jesus Christ came to proclaim the saving love of God in word and in deeds.

Jesus began by proclaiming the need for repentance in order to accept the Good News of salvation.

In the gospel, we hear that need for repentance being emphasized again.

The call to repentance is a difficult message as we need to acknowledge that we are sinners in need of God’s mercy.

Some will heed the call, while others will not. Nonetheless, the seed of the message is planted.

May the call to repentance bear fruits of conversion in us.

And may we bear witness to the call of repentance and the Good News of salvation in word and in deeds.