Romans 15:14-21 / Luke 16:1-8
Many a times, our best ideas come about out of a desperate situation.
It takes an urgency to get us to try out ideas that we may not have even thought of before.
Such was the case with the steward in today's gospel parable.
It might sound rather confusing to us that that master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness.
But the point here is not about the steward's dishonest but his astuteness.
Jesus is focusing on the urgency and energy with which a worldly man secures his future at a time of reckoning.
And He even urged that we, the children of the light, should learn from that, and ensure that our own future is not in jeopardy.
We must not be dishonest or immoral; in fact we are called to be upright and moral especially when we are faced with so much temptation to enter into the dark side.
But we are children of the light. We must believe that the light will prevail and scatter the darkness. Then the truth of each person will be revealed.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
31st Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 07-11-19
Romans 14:7-12 / Luke 15:1-10
We can see the same thing and yet have our individual and differing points of view and opinions, and we are entitled to our opinions.
And our opinions are neither right or wrong, because we see it from our own angle and perspective.
But when we impose our opinions on others and put a judgement tag to it, then that is where other moral issues may arise.
Others may be influenced by our judgements, which are actually mere opinions, and they in turn will subscribe to the same judgement.
The 1st reading has this to say: You should never pass judgement on a brother or treat him with contempt, as some of you have done. We shall all have to stand before the judgement seat of God. It is to God therefore that each of us must give an account of himself.
In the gospel, when the tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what He had to say, the Pharisees and the scribes complained, and made a judgement when they said: This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.
And even when we hear the parable of the shepherd leaving the ninety-nine in the wilderness to look for the missing one, we might think it is rather absurd to do so.
But if we are that missing one, then we will certainly change our opinions.
So instead of letting our opinions turn into a judgement, let us judge ourselves first. Then we will be able to give an account of ourselves before God.
We can see the same thing and yet have our individual and differing points of view and opinions, and we are entitled to our opinions.
And our opinions are neither right or wrong, because we see it from our own angle and perspective.
But when we impose our opinions on others and put a judgement tag to it, then that is where other moral issues may arise.
Others may be influenced by our judgements, which are actually mere opinions, and they in turn will subscribe to the same judgement.
The 1st reading has this to say: You should never pass judgement on a brother or treat him with contempt, as some of you have done. We shall all have to stand before the judgement seat of God. It is to God therefore that each of us must give an account of himself.
In the gospel, when the tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what He had to say, the Pharisees and the scribes complained, and made a judgement when they said: This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.
And even when we hear the parable of the shepherd leaving the ninety-nine in the wilderness to look for the missing one, we might think it is rather absurd to do so.
But if we are that missing one, then we will certainly change our opinions.
So instead of letting our opinions turn into a judgement, let us judge ourselves first. Then we will be able to give an account of ourselves before God.
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
31st Week,Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 06-11-19
Romans 13:8-10 / Luke 14:25-33
To express some spiritual realities, it may be helpful to use ordinary and understandable everyday life experiences and realities.
When St. Paul wanted to talk about sin and its consequences, he used the idea of a debt as an analogy.
He put it in such a way that when we sin, we owe God something. Maybe that is where we get this idea that we will have to pay for our sins.
Today's 1st reading tells us to avoid getting into debt. It means that we must not owe anyone money or borrow things without returning it back.
It also means that we must avoid getting into sin and to "owe" God an explanation for not keeping His commandments.
And we know what God's commandments are. And we also know that they are not impossible to keep.
And we also know that to love God and love neighbour will be for our good and our salvation.
Yes, we know that in keeping God's commandments we live in the freedom of truth and love.
When we sin, we not only put ourselves in debt, we also do not know the cost of our sins.
Hence Jesus tells us in the gospel to "work out the costs". If we have a sinful intention or motive, do we know what is the cost and can we ever pay it?
The debt of sin is painful and destructive. But the debt of love cannot hurt anyone because it is the answer to every one of the commandments. Hence, let us continue to love God and our neighbour.
To express some spiritual realities, it may be helpful to use ordinary and understandable everyday life experiences and realities.
When St. Paul wanted to talk about sin and its consequences, he used the idea of a debt as an analogy.
He put it in such a way that when we sin, we owe God something. Maybe that is where we get this idea that we will have to pay for our sins.
Today's 1st reading tells us to avoid getting into debt. It means that we must not owe anyone money or borrow things without returning it back.
It also means that we must avoid getting into sin and to "owe" God an explanation for not keeping His commandments.
And we know what God's commandments are. And we also know that they are not impossible to keep.
And we also know that to love God and love neighbour will be for our good and our salvation.
Yes, we know that in keeping God's commandments we live in the freedom of truth and love.
When we sin, we not only put ourselves in debt, we also do not know the cost of our sins.
Hence Jesus tells us in the gospel to "work out the costs". If we have a sinful intention or motive, do we know what is the cost and can we ever pay it?
The debt of sin is painful and destructive. But the debt of love cannot hurt anyone because it is the answer to every one of the commandments. Hence, let us continue to love God and our neighbour.
Monday, November 4, 2019
31st Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 05-11-19
Romans 12:5-16 / Luke 14:15-24
A banquet is a formal feast, often involving main courses and desserts. A banquet tends to serve a purpose such as a charitable gathering, a ceremony, or a celebration, with speeches here and there in honour of the occasion or the guest of honour.
And so in our minds, the guests coming for a banquet would be formally dressed, they will be polite and well-mannered, and may even be distinguished persons or people of high standing.
And that's why in the gospel, one of those gathered round the table said to Jesus, "Happy the man who will be at the feast in the kingdom of God." And the rest at the table would certainly agree.
And then Jesus told a parable that certainly astonished and puzzled those who were at the table.
In that parable, those who were invited to the banquet started to make all sorts of excuses not to go.
In the end, the host, in a rage, sent his servants to all the odd places and to bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.
And as if that is not surprising enough, the servants were sent to unlikely places to force people to come to the banquet.
So what is this parable telling us. Among other things, let us not be surprised at who might go to heaven, and who might not. Yes, it may just surprise us.
Also, we are God's chosen people, and we are first in His guest list to come to the banquet of the kingdom of God.
Let us take this invitation seriously, otherwise we might just be surprised that we are not at the banquet of the kingdom of God, and have to spend eternity in regret.
A banquet is a formal feast, often involving main courses and desserts. A banquet tends to serve a purpose such as a charitable gathering, a ceremony, or a celebration, with speeches here and there in honour of the occasion or the guest of honour.
And so in our minds, the guests coming for a banquet would be formally dressed, they will be polite and well-mannered, and may even be distinguished persons or people of high standing.
And that's why in the gospel, one of those gathered round the table said to Jesus, "Happy the man who will be at the feast in the kingdom of God." And the rest at the table would certainly agree.
And then Jesus told a parable that certainly astonished and puzzled those who were at the table.
In that parable, those who were invited to the banquet started to make all sorts of excuses not to go.
In the end, the host, in a rage, sent his servants to all the odd places and to bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.
And as if that is not surprising enough, the servants were sent to unlikely places to force people to come to the banquet.
So what is this parable telling us. Among other things, let us not be surprised at who might go to heaven, and who might not. Yes, it may just surprise us.
Also, we are God's chosen people, and we are first in His guest list to come to the banquet of the kingdom of God.
Let us take this invitation seriously, otherwise we might just be surprised that we are not at the banquet of the kingdom of God, and have to spend eternity in regret.
31st Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 04-11-19
Romans 11:29-36 / Luke 14:12-14
We have heard it said that “With great power comes great responsibility”. The meaning is that if we have the ability to do something, then we have the responsibility to do it for the good of others.
Similarly, it can be said that with a great gift comes responsibility and accountability.
So when parents give their children the great gift of freedom and independence, then the children must make the responsible decisions that they have to be accountable for.
In the 1st reading, we heard that God never takes back His gifts or revokes His choice.
When we think about what is the great gift that we have received from God, it is none other than the gift of freedom to use our intellect and will in obedience to His laws and help others do follow God's ways.
But when we sin, then we abuse the gift of freedom and God can take back that gift of freedom and we become like animals.
But He won't take back His gifts, just as parents won't chain up their children and lock them up just because they make a mistake by abusing their freedom.
Yes, God won't take back His gifts because it is through those gifts that we can also come back to Him through conversion and repentance.
But let us also not take God's gifts and mercy for granted. Because the time will come for us to be accountable and we will have to take the responsibility of how we have used our intellect and will to obey God and to do good for others.
We have heard it said that “With great power comes great responsibility”. The meaning is that if we have the ability to do something, then we have the responsibility to do it for the good of others.
Similarly, it can be said that with a great gift comes responsibility and accountability.
So when parents give their children the great gift of freedom and independence, then the children must make the responsible decisions that they have to be accountable for.
In the 1st reading, we heard that God never takes back His gifts or revokes His choice.
When we think about what is the great gift that we have received from God, it is none other than the gift of freedom to use our intellect and will in obedience to His laws and help others do follow God's ways.
But when we sin, then we abuse the gift of freedom and God can take back that gift of freedom and we become like animals.
But He won't take back His gifts, just as parents won't chain up their children and lock them up just because they make a mistake by abusing their freedom.
Yes, God won't take back His gifts because it is through those gifts that we can also come back to Him through conversion and repentance.
But let us also not take God's gifts and mercy for granted. Because the time will come for us to be accountable and we will have to take the responsibility of how we have used our intellect and will to obey God and to do good for others.
Saturday, November 2, 2019
31st Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 03.11.2019
Wisdom 11:22 – 12:2 / 2 Thess 1:11 – 2:2 / Luke 19:1-10
For the past couple of days, most of us have been quite busy, in the spiritual sense.
We have been quite busy spiritually because we have been coming to church for the past couple of days.
Friday was the Feast of All Saints and being a day of obligation, we have to come to church for Mass.
Saturday was a memorial for All Souls, and although it was not a day of obligation, we would visit our departed loved ones at the columbarium or cemetery, and go for Mass and offer prayers for them.
And Sunday, of course, we come for the usual Sunday Eucharist.
So we have been spiritually busy, or spiritually occupied, for the past couple of days.
And with All Saints and All Souls coming one after another, that should make us do some thinking and reflection.
All Saints make us think a bit about heaven and that’s where we hope to go one day.
All Souls make us think about death and about the souls in purgatory. And also is that where we are quite like to go? So we better pray for the souls in Purgatory, because if we were to go there, then there will be others praying for us.
But maybe we don’t think about the afterlife that much and that often.
What is more real for us is our health, as we go on in years, especially in the sunset years.
A man was talking to his wife about health and old age. He said to her: My dear, never let me live in a vegetative state, totally dependent on machines and liquid from a bottle. If you see me in that state, I want you to disconnect all the contraptions that are keeping me alive. I would rather die.
The wife looked at him admiringly and said. Okay, I will do that.
And then she went to disconnect the TV, the cable, the computer, the laptop, smartphone, the PlayStation, and then she went to the fridge and threw away all the bottles of beer.
As for the man … he nearly died.
So the afterlife is a future concern and the present life is an immediate concern.
But if the future concern and the immediate concern has no connection whatsoever, then that is really a serious concern.
In the gospel passage, the senior tax collector Zacchaeus was a wealthy man. So his life was comfortable and his immediate concerns were taken care off.
So why was he anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was? He even climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass by that way.
So it wasn’t just curiosity. There was an anxiety. But what was the anxiety? Probably it was an anxiety that arose out of a feeling of being empty.
Zacchaeus was wealthy but maybe he was feeling empty. Zacchaeus had plenty, but maybe he was feeling hungry.
That empty hungry feeling made him climb a sycamore tree, so that he could quell his anxiety.
Whichever way we might want to look at it, in Zacchaeus, we see this reality, and that is, when it is not God’s time, you can’t force it. When it is God’s time, you cannot stop it.
So for Zacchaeus, the time had come. The crowd could not stop him. And climbing up a sycamore tree was not a problem, although it was very strange and even funny for a wealthy senior tax collector to be climbing a tree.
And Jesus also knew that the time for Zacchaeus had come, because when He reached the spot, He looked up and said: Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.
Yes, when God’s time has come, there will be no wasting of time.
So it was an anxiety that led Zacchaeus from his temporary concerns to an eternal concern.
We too have our temporary concerns, as well as our spiritual concerns. For example, we may have been offering prayers and Masses for our departed loved ones, and yet we do not know for sure whether they are already in heaven.
But that is not to be our concern. Our duty is to remember and pray and offer Masses for our departed loved ones. And if they are already in heaven, then they will offer up all our prayers to God, especially for the departed forgotten souls and also for our salvation.
So it is time for us to look beyond our temporary concerns to our eternal future.
Jesus came to seek out and save what was lost. And if today Jesus were to pass by our way, let us not waste any more time.
Let us ask Jesus to save us from our temporary concerns and to set our hearts on our eternal salvation.
For the past couple of days, most of us have been quite busy, in the spiritual sense.
We have been quite busy spiritually because we have been coming to church for the past couple of days.
Friday was the Feast of All Saints and being a day of obligation, we have to come to church for Mass.
Saturday was a memorial for All Souls, and although it was not a day of obligation, we would visit our departed loved ones at the columbarium or cemetery, and go for Mass and offer prayers for them.
And Sunday, of course, we come for the usual Sunday Eucharist.
So we have been spiritually busy, or spiritually occupied, for the past couple of days.
And with All Saints and All Souls coming one after another, that should make us do some thinking and reflection.
All Saints make us think a bit about heaven and that’s where we hope to go one day.
All Souls make us think about death and about the souls in purgatory. And also is that where we are quite like to go? So we better pray for the souls in Purgatory, because if we were to go there, then there will be others praying for us.
But maybe we don’t think about the afterlife that much and that often.
What is more real for us is our health, as we go on in years, especially in the sunset years.
A man was talking to his wife about health and old age. He said to her: My dear, never let me live in a vegetative state, totally dependent on machines and liquid from a bottle. If you see me in that state, I want you to disconnect all the contraptions that are keeping me alive. I would rather die.
The wife looked at him admiringly and said. Okay, I will do that.
And then she went to disconnect the TV, the cable, the computer, the laptop, smartphone, the PlayStation, and then she went to the fridge and threw away all the bottles of beer.
As for the man … he nearly died.
So the afterlife is a future concern and the present life is an immediate concern.
But if the future concern and the immediate concern has no connection whatsoever, then that is really a serious concern.
In the gospel passage, the senior tax collector Zacchaeus was a wealthy man. So his life was comfortable and his immediate concerns were taken care off.
So why was he anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was? He even climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass by that way.
So it wasn’t just curiosity. There was an anxiety. But what was the anxiety? Probably it was an anxiety that arose out of a feeling of being empty.
Zacchaeus was wealthy but maybe he was feeling empty. Zacchaeus had plenty, but maybe he was feeling hungry.
That empty hungry feeling made him climb a sycamore tree, so that he could quell his anxiety.
Whichever way we might want to look at it, in Zacchaeus, we see this reality, and that is, when it is not God’s time, you can’t force it. When it is God’s time, you cannot stop it.
So for Zacchaeus, the time had come. The crowd could not stop him. And climbing up a sycamore tree was not a problem, although it was very strange and even funny for a wealthy senior tax collector to be climbing a tree.
And Jesus also knew that the time for Zacchaeus had come, because when He reached the spot, He looked up and said: Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.
Yes, when God’s time has come, there will be no wasting of time.
So it was an anxiety that led Zacchaeus from his temporary concerns to an eternal concern.
We too have our temporary concerns, as well as our spiritual concerns. For example, we may have been offering prayers and Masses for our departed loved ones, and yet we do not know for sure whether they are already in heaven.
But that is not to be our concern. Our duty is to remember and pray and offer Masses for our departed loved ones. And if they are already in heaven, then they will offer up all our prayers to God, especially for the departed forgotten souls and also for our salvation.
So it is time for us to look beyond our temporary concerns to our eternal future.
Jesus came to seek out and save what was lost. And if today Jesus were to pass by our way, let us not waste any more time.
Let us ask Jesus to save us from our temporary concerns and to set our hearts on our eternal salvation.
All Souls, Saturday, 02-11-19
Isaiah 25:6-9 / Romans 5:5-11 / John 6:37-40
As we gather on this special day of prayer for our departed loved ones and for all the faithful departed, our thoughts go back to the past.
It is in this past that memories of our departed loved ones are recalled, the moments that we shared with them, and the mark that they left in our lives.
They have departed and are no more with us now. But we remember them in our hearts and in our prayer.
And our faith tells us that they exist in another spiritual realm, and that if they are in Purgatory and undergoing purification, we are able to help them by our prayers, and that is why we offer Masses for the departed.
We commend them into the hands of God who will lead them to His holy mountain where He will remove the mourning veil and the shroud of death and wipe away the tears from every cheek, as we heard in the 1st reading.
Yes, that is our God in whom we hope for salvation. And that is also the God that the departed hope for salvation.
And it is a living hope for us and for the departed, because the 2nd reading tells us that Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and that is the proof that God loves us.
So whether in life or in death, our hope is in the God of love who saves us from eternal death.
And Jesus tells us in the gospel that He will not lose any of those who were given to Him and that He will raise them up on the last day.
So it is with faith and hope that we pray for our departed loved ones, the faithful departed, as well as the departed forgotten ones.
In the mystery of life and death, we commend the departed into the hands of God as we remember them in prayer.
And the God of love, who is the God of the living, will grant eternal rest to those who put their hope and trust in Him.
As we gather on this special day of prayer for our departed loved ones and for all the faithful departed, our thoughts go back to the past.
It is in this past that memories of our departed loved ones are recalled, the moments that we shared with them, and the mark that they left in our lives.
They have departed and are no more with us now. But we remember them in our hearts and in our prayer.
And our faith tells us that they exist in another spiritual realm, and that if they are in Purgatory and undergoing purification, we are able to help them by our prayers, and that is why we offer Masses for the departed.
We commend them into the hands of God who will lead them to His holy mountain where He will remove the mourning veil and the shroud of death and wipe away the tears from every cheek, as we heard in the 1st reading.
Yes, that is our God in whom we hope for salvation. And that is also the God that the departed hope for salvation.
And it is a living hope for us and for the departed, because the 2nd reading tells us that Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and that is the proof that God loves us.
So whether in life or in death, our hope is in the God of love who saves us from eternal death.
And Jesus tells us in the gospel that He will not lose any of those who were given to Him and that He will raise them up on the last day.
So it is with faith and hope that we pray for our departed loved ones, the faithful departed, as well as the departed forgotten ones.
In the mystery of life and death, we commend the departed into the hands of God as we remember them in prayer.
And the God of love, who is the God of the living, will grant eternal rest to those who put their hope and trust in Him.
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