2nd Sunday OT B-2017 14-01-18
1 Sam 3:3-10, 19 / 1 Cor 6:13-15, 17-20 / John 1:35-42
Between sight and sound, it is difficult to say which has a more appealing advantage.
Before the era of television, when radio ruled the airwaves, listening is understanding. But with television, seeing is believing.
Still, hearing is essential. Try to watch a movie without the audio, or with a lousy audio, and it can be very frustrating.
And it can be equally frustrating for a hearing-impaired or a deaf person. While a blind or visually-impaired person is easily noticeable, a deaf or hearing-impaired person looks as ordinary as the rest.
Hearing aids may be helpful but it depends on the situation and surroundings.
An elderly man had serious hearing problems for many years. Finally he went to see a doctor and then the doctor had him fitted with new hearing aids and told him to come back a month later.
A month passed and the elderly man went back to the doctor and the doctor asked about his hearing aid.
The elderly man said that it was working very well. And the doctor said, “Oh, your family must be happy that you can hear again.”
The elderly man replied, “Oh, I haven’t told them. I just sit around and listen to their conversations. And I have already changed my will three times. ”
Yes, be careful with what we say. Even walls have ears. And hearing aids can make a difference!
In the 1st reading, the young Samuel heard a voice and he thought it was Eli calling him. But after the third time, Eli understood that it was the voice of the Lord calling out to Samuel and he taught Samuel how to respond: Speak Lord, your servant is listening.
And with that Samuel became the prophet of God and the voice of the Lord was now heard through him.
In the gospel, there was the voice of another prophet – John the Baptist. He had this to say, “Look, there is the Lamb of God” as he pointed out Jesus to his disciples.
Hearing this, the two disciples followed Jesus. Jesus turned round, saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
So the voice of the Lord as we heard in the 1st reading is calling out to us, and the voice of Jesus as we heard in the gospel is asking us, “What do you want?”
As we think about what Jesus is asking us, as we think about what we want, there is an article in the Catholic News about the 19 Catholic clergy and religious who were killed in Algeria between 1993 and 1996, during the armed conflict that devastated Algeria.
Among the 19 were seven French Trappist monks who were kidnapped from their monastery of Tibhirine and later killed by the extremist rebel groups.
Their story is made into a movie titled “Of Gods and Men” The monks of the Tibhirine monastery knew they were in danger, and would be killed if they remained in Algeria and they had a choice to leave the country. But they deliberated and debated among themselves, prayed and listened to the voice of the Lord, and they chose to stay.
Fr Christian de Cherge, the slain abbot of the monastery, had written in a letter nearly three years before his death that he and the other monks would willingly offer themselves as a sacrifice for the people of Algeria.
“When the time comes, I would like to be able to have that stroke of lucidity which would permit me to ask forgiveness of God and of my brothers in humanity, forgiving wholeheartedly, at the same time, whoever my killer may be,” he wrote, “May we meet each other again, happy thieves, in paradise, should it please God.”
Even though they lost their lives, their martyrdom teaches us something about listening to the voice of the Lord in the face of danger and death.
The title of the movie made about them “Of Gods and Men” is also rather enigmatic. It refers to a verse from Psalm 82 shown at the beginning of the film -“I said, ‘You are “gods”; and all of you, sons of the Most High.’ But you will die like men; you shall fall like any of the princes.”
The gods of this world with their shrilling voices are shouting at us, taunting us, with their power and might, and luring us to play into their games of hatred and violence.
These false gods claim to have powers of divinity by wielding weapons of violence and bloodshed. Their murderous voice stirs fear and confusion in us that tempt us to fight back with violence and hate.
But it is the voice of the true God that passes judgement on these false gods and those seven Trappist monks were the instruments of God’s judgement.
By the gospel values of love and peace and forgiveness, by prayer and the Word of God, those monks listened to the voice of the true God and became His instruments of judgement as the mighty are cast down from their thrones and the lowly are raised.
Yes, we must listen to the voice of the one true God. As Jesus asks us what do we want, let us ask Jesus to grant us the faith to believe in His truth, that through prayer and perseverance, with love and forgiveness, we will overcome the power and might of those false gods and silence their taunts.
Like Samuel, let us say, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” When the Lord speaks, we will know, because it is a voice that speaks of peace, it is a voice of love.
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Friday, January 12, 2018
1st Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 13-01-18
1 Sam 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1 / Mark 2:13-17
To be the first in anything is indeed a great achievement.
It is not just a rank or a position. It is also foundational and directional.
For example, to be the first president of a country, or the first foreigner to be to acclaimed for an achievement, or the first intake into an elite school, all this say something more than what it means to be just first.
In the 1st reading, we heard how Samuel anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel.
For whatever foundations and directions he set in his kingship, for better or for worse, he will always be remembered as the first king of Israel.
Yet whenever we talk about "first" we tend to think of those in the spot-light, the elite and those who make the headlines.
Yet who were the first followers of Jesus? None other than people like Levi whom He called to follow Him.
As well as those tax collectors and sinners, and the gospel makes it a point to say that there were many of them among His followers.
So most of them were not named in the gospel but they set for us a foundation and a direction.
We don't have to be great achievers in order to follow Jesus; we just have to confess that we are sinners.
After all Jesus did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.
To be the first in anything is indeed a great achievement.
It is not just a rank or a position. It is also foundational and directional.
For example, to be the first president of a country, or the first foreigner to be to acclaimed for an achievement, or the first intake into an elite school, all this say something more than what it means to be just first.
In the 1st reading, we heard how Samuel anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel.
For whatever foundations and directions he set in his kingship, for better or for worse, he will always be remembered as the first king of Israel.
Yet whenever we talk about "first" we tend to think of those in the spot-light, the elite and those who make the headlines.
Yet who were the first followers of Jesus? None other than people like Levi whom He called to follow Him.
As well as those tax collectors and sinners, and the gospel makes it a point to say that there were many of them among His followers.
So most of them were not named in the gospel but they set for us a foundation and a direction.
We don't have to be great achievers in order to follow Jesus; we just have to confess that we are sinners.
After all Jesus did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.
Thursday, January 11, 2018
1st Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 12-01-18
1 Sam 8:4-7, 10-22 / Mark 2:1-12
We tend to have this notion that if we were less busy, we would have more time for prayer and Bible reading and other spiritual activities.
In other words, we may think that if we were less busy, then we would have more time for God.
Maybe for us, the time to look into those things on our KIV list will be maybe when we are on long leave or when we retire.
But does that happen? In fact, and surprisingly, the reverse is true.
The truth is that when we make time for God first, then we will know how to make use of our time.
So it is actually when we let God be the center, then our life and everything else would come together.
This truth is expressed in the gospel when Jesus made the connection between forgiveness and healing.
Because forgiveness is healing, and forgiveness even precedes healing.
Putting in simply, God must come first before we can experience any blessings in life.
But so often we are tempted to do what the people did in the 1st reading when they cried out to Samuel: Give us a king to rule over us, like the other nations.
We get attracted to the achievements and material luxuries of the successful people around us and we want to be like them, without realizing what has been sacrificed for success.
But we are not called to be "like them" ; we are called to be like God, for He is holy and He wants us to be holy.
To be like God means to forgive and heal, because God is forgiveness and healing.
We tend to have this notion that if we were less busy, we would have more time for prayer and Bible reading and other spiritual activities.
In other words, we may think that if we were less busy, then we would have more time for God.
Maybe for us, the time to look into those things on our KIV list will be maybe when we are on long leave or when we retire.
But does that happen? In fact, and surprisingly, the reverse is true.
The truth is that when we make time for God first, then we will know how to make use of our time.
So it is actually when we let God be the center, then our life and everything else would come together.
This truth is expressed in the gospel when Jesus made the connection between forgiveness and healing.
Because forgiveness is healing, and forgiveness even precedes healing.
Putting in simply, God must come first before we can experience any blessings in life.
But so often we are tempted to do what the people did in the 1st reading when they cried out to Samuel: Give us a king to rule over us, like the other nations.
We get attracted to the achievements and material luxuries of the successful people around us and we want to be like them, without realizing what has been sacrificed for success.
But we are not called to be "like them" ; we are called to be like God, for He is holy and He wants us to be holy.
To be like God means to forgive and heal, because God is forgiveness and healing.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
1st Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 11-01-18
1 Sam 4:1-11 / Mark 1:40-45
Whenever we have the luxury of a quiet moment to think and reflect about life, then we may be able to come to this realization.
We may be able to see that there is a purpose for the events that take place in our lives. There are no coincidences. There is a reason for everything.
In spiritual terms, there is God's plan and purpose for the events and situations that happen in life.
In the 1st reading, we hear that the Israelites had lost an earlier battle with the Philistines, with four thousand of their army killed. They then asked this question : Why has the Lord allowed us to be defeated today by the Philistines?
They then embarked on this drastic action of bringing in the Ark of the Lord to accompany them in battle. Obviously their intentions were far from spiritual or noble.
Because if they had faced the first question that they asked earlier, they would have come to realize why they were defeated in battle.
In the Old Testament, every misfortune, tragedy or defeat points to a problem or a crisis. The word "crisis" comes from the Greek krisis which means "turning point in a disease" (used as such by Hippocrates and Galen)
When understood in that sense, then the defeat was an opportunity for Israel to awaken from their spiritual decay and corruption and turn back to God in repentance.
In bringing the Ark of the Lord to battle, they created another greater disaster for themselves.
Similarly, to be afflicted with leprosy is a great tragedy. Especially in Biblical times, it means corruptible disfigurement as well as permanent expulsion and isolation.
Because leprosy was seen as not only as a communicable physical affliction, it was also a sign of spiritual corruption.
So it actually took a great deal from the leper to come before Jesus and ask for healing. The disease which was a crisis for him, became a turning point in his life as he turned to the Lord.
So every trouble, big or small, every disaster or tragedy, every crisis does not just happen without a reason. All that happens happen within the plan of God ; all that happens are in the hand of God.
God's will is for us to turn back to Him. Even if it means that Jesus, His only Son, had to die a tragic and humiliating death on the cross. That is what God will go through in order for us to turn back to Him.
If we realize this, then it is not just a coincidence or that it just happens. Let us give thanks to God for all that happened and will happen.
Whenever we have the luxury of a quiet moment to think and reflect about life, then we may be able to come to this realization.
We may be able to see that there is a purpose for the events that take place in our lives. There are no coincidences. There is a reason for everything.
In spiritual terms, there is God's plan and purpose for the events and situations that happen in life.
In the 1st reading, we hear that the Israelites had lost an earlier battle with the Philistines, with four thousand of their army killed. They then asked this question : Why has the Lord allowed us to be defeated today by the Philistines?
They then embarked on this drastic action of bringing in the Ark of the Lord to accompany them in battle. Obviously their intentions were far from spiritual or noble.
Because if they had faced the first question that they asked earlier, they would have come to realize why they were defeated in battle.
In the Old Testament, every misfortune, tragedy or defeat points to a problem or a crisis. The word "crisis" comes from the Greek krisis which means "turning point in a disease" (used as such by Hippocrates and Galen)
When understood in that sense, then the defeat was an opportunity for Israel to awaken from their spiritual decay and corruption and turn back to God in repentance.
In bringing the Ark of the Lord to battle, they created another greater disaster for themselves.
Similarly, to be afflicted with leprosy is a great tragedy. Especially in Biblical times, it means corruptible disfigurement as well as permanent expulsion and isolation.
Because leprosy was seen as not only as a communicable physical affliction, it was also a sign of spiritual corruption.
So it actually took a great deal from the leper to come before Jesus and ask for healing. The disease which was a crisis for him, became a turning point in his life as he turned to the Lord.
So every trouble, big or small, every disaster or tragedy, every crisis does not just happen without a reason. All that happens happen within the plan of God ; all that happens are in the hand of God.
God's will is for us to turn back to Him. Even if it means that Jesus, His only Son, had to die a tragic and humiliating death on the cross. That is what God will go through in order for us to turn back to Him.
If we realize this, then it is not just a coincidence or that it just happens. Let us give thanks to God for all that happened and will happen.
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
1st Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 10-01-18
1 Sam 3:1-10, 19-20 / Mark 1:29-39
We all know that the Church is the house of God.
The house of God is also the house of love and among other aspects it is the house of God's healing love.
Even the house of Peter and Andrew was transformed into a house of healing love because of the presence of Jesus, the Healer who heals with love.
The love of Jesus is also a love that searches for those in need of God's healing love, so that was why He insisted on going to the other villages.
God's healing love also ignites the flame of love in a house that has gone cold without love.
In the 1st reading, it was mentioned that the lamp of God in the sanctuary had not yet gone out.
Through the young Samuel, the flame of God's love was ignited again to heal the faith of His people.
God wants His house, the Church, to be a house of love and healing, to be a sign of salvation.
We are the living stones making up God's house. Yet God has also made His home in us.
As we gather in God's house for the Eucharist, may we be healed of our sins and may the flame of God's love burn bright in our hearts, which is also the house of God.
We all know that the Church is the house of God.
The house of God is also the house of love and among other aspects it is the house of God's healing love.
Even the house of Peter and Andrew was transformed into a house of healing love because of the presence of Jesus, the Healer who heals with love.
The love of Jesus is also a love that searches for those in need of God's healing love, so that was why He insisted on going to the other villages.
God's healing love also ignites the flame of love in a house that has gone cold without love.
In the 1st reading, it was mentioned that the lamp of God in the sanctuary had not yet gone out.
Through the young Samuel, the flame of God's love was ignited again to heal the faith of His people.
God wants His house, the Church, to be a house of love and healing, to be a sign of salvation.
We are the living stones making up God's house. Yet God has also made His home in us.
As we gather in God's house for the Eucharist, may we be healed of our sins and may the flame of God's love burn bright in our hearts, which is also the house of God.
Monday, January 8, 2018
1st Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 09-01-18
1 Sam 1:9-20 / Mark 1:21-28
There are many reasons why people come to church. Besides coming to church for Mass, people come to church in times of need.
In a time of desperation and desolation, they come to church so as find some direction and consolation and an answer to their prayers.
For them, the church is the visible and tangible presence of God and it is where they take refuge in the midst of their troubles.
In the 1st reading, Hannah in her distress went before the Lord, and Eli the priest was observing her and wondering about her intention.
In the gospel, a man possessed by an unclean spirit, began making a scene in the synagogue, with that unclean spirit making a confrontation with Jesus.
But as Jesus expelled the unclean spirit out of the possessed man, the people were astonished and they started asking each other what it all meant.
But we should know what all that means. Whether it was Hannah in her bitterness of soul or the possessed man struggling with the evil spirit within, they have come before the Lord seeking for help.
The church is like a field hospital where people come to seek God and to be healed of the wounds of the heart and to be delivered from whatever evil that is affecting them.
May we offer these people some understanding and consolation and help so that they will truly experience Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and find peace and healing in the House of God.
There are many reasons why people come to church. Besides coming to church for Mass, people come to church in times of need.
In a time of desperation and desolation, they come to church so as find some direction and consolation and an answer to their prayers.
For them, the church is the visible and tangible presence of God and it is where they take refuge in the midst of their troubles.
In the 1st reading, Hannah in her distress went before the Lord, and Eli the priest was observing her and wondering about her intention.
In the gospel, a man possessed by an unclean spirit, began making a scene in the synagogue, with that unclean spirit making a confrontation with Jesus.
But as Jesus expelled the unclean spirit out of the possessed man, the people were astonished and they started asking each other what it all meant.
But we should know what all that means. Whether it was Hannah in her bitterness of soul or the possessed man struggling with the evil spirit within, they have come before the Lord seeking for help.
The church is like a field hospital where people come to seek God and to be healed of the wounds of the heart and to be delivered from whatever evil that is affecting them.
May we offer these people some understanding and consolation and help so that they will truly experience Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and find peace and healing in the House of God.
Sunday, January 7, 2018
Baptism of the Lord, Monday, 08-01-18
Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 / Acts 10:34-38 / Mark 1:7-11
The Christmas season is not just about celebrating the birth of Christ.
We celebrated the birth of Christ on Christmas Day. The birth of Christ is then announced to the world in the feast of the Epiphany, when the wise men came to adore Jesus and present Him with the gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh, to symbolize His identity.
The mystery of the Incarnation at Christmas comes to its peak with the Baptism of the Lord.
And with the Baptism of the Lord, the mystery of salvation moves from the Incarnation to the Mission.
Christ came into the world to save sinners. At His Baptism, Christ was revealed to the world as the Beloved Son of the Father.
In this, we are also reminded of our own baptism, that we too, in Christ, are the beloved of the Father.
Indeed, love is the soul of mission. Without love, there can be no meaning or purpose or direction in life. Without love, there can be no mission.
Jesus came to save us by showing God's love for us.
Through baptism, we are united with Christ in His mission. May we show God's love for others. That is the meaning, the purpose and the direction of our lives.
The Christmas season is not just about celebrating the birth of Christ.
We celebrated the birth of Christ on Christmas Day. The birth of Christ is then announced to the world in the feast of the Epiphany, when the wise men came to adore Jesus and present Him with the gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh, to symbolize His identity.
The mystery of the Incarnation at Christmas comes to its peak with the Baptism of the Lord.
And with the Baptism of the Lord, the mystery of salvation moves from the Incarnation to the Mission.
Christ came into the world to save sinners. At His Baptism, Christ was revealed to the world as the Beloved Son of the Father.
In this, we are also reminded of our own baptism, that we too, in Christ, are the beloved of the Father.
Indeed, love is the soul of mission. Without love, there can be no meaning or purpose or direction in life. Without love, there can be no mission.
Jesus came to save us by showing God's love for us.
Through baptism, we are united with Christ in His mission. May we show God's love for others. That is the meaning, the purpose and the direction of our lives.
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