Saturday of Week 15 Year 1

In today's reading, we are told that "The sons of Israel left Rameses for Succoth... People of various sorts joined them in great numbers; there were flocks, too, and herds in immense droves. They baked cakes with the dough which they had brought from Egypt, unleavened because the dough was not leavened; they had been driven out of Egypt, with no time for dallying, and had not provided themselves with food for the journey."

For some, being driven out of one's country may seem like a tragic or terrible thing. But in the case of the sons of Israel, the reason was to rescue them from Pharoah and Egypt, and as such, it was actually a better thing. We too may have experienced being driven out of a bad or even sinful situation, even if it means we have no time for dallying. By being driven out in this way, it no longer becomes a tragic or terrible situation, but a situation meant to rescue us from evil, and to help us remain in God's ways. Are we willing to be driven out and led by God? Or are we still insisting to remain in servitude in Egypt?

Saturday of Week 15 Year 2

In today's reading, we see examples of persons who "plot evil, who lie in bed planning mischief! No sooner is it dawn than they do it – their hands have the strength for it. Seizing the fields that they covet, they take over houses as well, owner and house they confiscate together, taking both man and inheritance." Such persons don't think about God, and they don't even bother about Him. But to these evil doers, God has this to say: Woe to those who plot evil" and "your necks will not escape; nor will you be able to walk proudly."

When we hear of such evil persons, some of us may condemn them or even shun them, but while it seems easy for us to condemn such persons for doing evil, what about us? Have some of us also committed such evil at some point of our lives? Are some of us persisting in doing evil and committing despicable acts, even after hearing such warning from God? May we examine our lives carefully, and avoid falling into evil, for the betterment of our eternal future.

Saturday of Week 15 Year 1

When we are experiencing peaceful times, we often do not think about war; or losing one's home, property or way of life; or even the possibility of becoming a refugee. Yet, there are some who may have experienced such tragic events in their country; and they may have fled to another country such as the one we live in; and we may have come across such persons before. Some of us would have even helped such persons in whatever way we can.

In today's reading, we are told that "The sons of Israel left Rameses for Succoth... People of various sorts joined them in great numbers; there were flocks, too, and herds in immense droves. They baked cakes with the dough which they had brought from Egypt, unleavened because the dough was not leavened; they had been driven out of Egypt, with no time for dallying, and had not provided themselves with food for the journey."

For some, being driven out of one's country due to war, political strife or some other reason may seem a tragic thing. But in the case of the sons of Israel, the reason was to rescue them from Pharoah and Egypt, and as such, it was actually for the better. In a way, we may have experienced being driven out of a bad or even sinful situation, even if it means we have no time for dallying. Being driven out in this way is no longer a tragic situation, but a situation meant to rescue us from evil, and to help us remain in God's ways. Are we willing to be driven out and led by God? Or are we still insisting to remain in servitude in Egypt?

Saturday of Week 15 Year 2

I believe most of us are doing our best to remain in good terms with God. Even though we may have fallen and sinned, we pick ourselves up and with God's grace, try to avoid sinning again. Of course, this is not easy, since the ways of the world tempt us with many kinds of wrongdoing, and we depend on God's grace and providence to turn away from sin and remain faithful to the Gospel.

However, there are times we come across people who choose to remain evil and do evil or nasty things. Such persons have no qualms about committing despicable acts, as they prefer to remain proud, egoistic and conceited. In today's reading, we see examples of such persons, who "plot evil, who lie in bed planning mischief! No sooner is it dawn than they do it – their hands have the strength for it. Seizing the fields that they covet, they take over houses as well, owner and house they confiscate together, taking both man and inheritance." Such persons don't think about God, and they don't even bother about Him. But to these evil doers, God has this to say: Woe to those who plot evil" and "your necks will not escape; nor will you be able to walk proudly."

What about us? Are some of us persisting in doing evil and committing despicable acts, even after hearing such warning from God? Ultimately, we have a choice: we can choose to stop our evil ways, or to continue doing so, and risk our eternal future.

Friday of Week 15 Year 1

We sometimes come across people who just do not seem to have anything good to say about others. At the slightest opportunity, such persons would condemn the actions or words of others, sometimes without even bothering to verify the facts. To such persons, only they are right and eveyone else is wrong, no matter how much good others have done. Why do such people behave in this way? It is precisely because of their pride, ego and insecurities, that they cannot stand seeing other people doing what is right and what is just.

In today's Gospel, we see an example of such persons in the Pharisees, who refused to acknowledge the good others do. These Pharisees had so easily forgotten, as Jesus reminded them, that what God wants is mercy, not sacrifice. Because of this, the Pharisees had become so proud, arrogant, full of themselves, and egoistic, so much so that they so easily condemned the blameless. Could some of us have become like the Pharisees, when we treat others with contempt, or we belittle others for whatever reasons, or we think that we are right and others are wrong? May we come to realise our attitude and behavior, and change our ways, and do what is right and just for the glory of God.

Thursday of Week 15 Year 1

I remember in my younger days, I had friends living in a village and I would drop by their house for tea. I recall some of them whose parents were farmers and they owned different farm animals, each animal having a different purpose and function. Among the animals they owned, the ox or buffalo seemed quite fascinating, since the ox was often depended upon to prepare the fields for planting. What would normally be done is to place a yoke upon the shoulders of the ox so that it could pull the plough to dig up the earth to enable seeds to be planted easily. In some cases, the yoke was designed so that two oxen could be used to plough the fields. Why two oxen? Firstly, two oxen are better than one, and the field could be ploughed faster. Secondly, one oxen was usually a more experienced one and the other a new one, so that the experienced one could guide or initiate the new one into the task of pulling a plough. So a yoke which could fit two oxen was preferred, for obvious reasons.

In today's Gospel, Jesus is inviting us to shoulder His yoke and learn from Him. Not only that, His yoke is easy and His burden light. Jesus is beckoning us to let Him lead us and guide us as we plough through the fields of life, and when we are humble and willing to let Him do so, we have no need to worry or fear, for He is there for us. May we take this opportunity to shoulder Jesus' yoke, and let Him show us the way to His Kingdom.

Wednesday of Week 15 Year 1

What is a vocation? A vocation is a calling from God to serve Him in a certain way, and we can choose to respond to the calling or not to respond. God does not force us to respond to His call, but sometimes what God is offering us is far better. Sometimes God could be calling us in a spectacular way, sometimes the call may not seem that out of the ordinary, but when God calls us, are we able to identify His voice and respond? Are we willing to respond to God's call or would we try to ignore it, or make all sorts of excuses to try and escape from doing His will?

In today's reading, Moses was called by God to bring His people out of Egypt. Moses was already living quite a comfortable life looking after the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, priest of Midian. Moses was initially quite reluctant to leave his present life and even said to God, "Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?"But God persisted and said: "'I shall be with you,' was the answer 'and this is the sign by which you shall know that it is I who have sent you... After you have led the people out of Egypt, you are to offer worship to God on this mountain.'" With God being so persistent and constant, Moses found it difficult to say no and answered God's call to do as God wanted.

What about us? If God is constantly calling us with such persistence, would we still insist in saying no? Would we try to run away and hide or try to ignore His voice? May we be humble and docile enough to respond to His call and do His will for His glory.

Tuesday of Week 15 Year 1

I like to watch different types or genre of movies, and one type which I find interesting is the "Thriller" or "Drama" or "Suspense" type. Such a genre sometimes gives a twist to the plot or the characters. For example, a character who appears to be good may turn out to be a crook and vice versa. Sometimes, the movie plot could turn out quite differently from what we would expect at the end. This makes such a movie genre unpredictable, interesting, full of suspense, surprising and sort of mysterious, since one could never guess the final outcome.

In today's reading, we see an example of such a movie genre. Moses, as a baby, had been put into a papyrus basket and laid among the reeds at the river’s edge. Many of us would have thought that Moses' mother would have been the one to keep watch, but it was his sister who did it instead. Pharoah's daughter found the child and decided to rescue him and keep him as his own. Then the irony is that in the end, it is Moses' mother who suckled him till he grew up and was given to Pharoah's daughter, who treated Moses as her son. Who would have thought that Moses was rescued in such a dramatic way, and even became a prince of Egypt, but that is exactly what happened.

What can we learn from this? God is a God of suspense and surprises. We sometimes go through life thinking that things would happen or take place in a certain way, and that certain choices would lead to certain outcomes. But God does not follow our rules. He does things according to His plan, and sometimes the outcome is far better or quite different from what we expected. May we be humble and ready for whatever outcome God has in store for us, for His greater glory.

Monday of Week 15 Year 1

I believe most of us would want to remain in good relationship or good ties with our parents and siblings. I do not think we would want to cause unnecessary friction or division in the family. But sometimes, some of us may be faced with a situation where our parents or siblings demand that we perform something or carry out an act which would keep the family honour, but goes against God's commandments. For example, your spouse is with child and the doctor examining your spouse discovers that the foetus has some form of handicap which could make raising such a child quite difficult and expensive. Your parents demand that the foetus be aborted, because they believe and fear that having such a child would bring dishonour to the family name. What would you do? Would you remain faithful to God's commandments? Or would you do as your parents demand?

In today's Gospel, Jesus warns us: "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth: it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be those of his own household. Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it."

We know that as Christians, we are reminded to obey and keep God's commandments. But if we obey and keep God's commandments, we would be going against our parents' demands. Likewise, if we submit to our parents' demands, we would be going against God's commandments. Should we be faced with such a difficult situation, may we choose wisely and prudently what is right and just.

Friday of Week 15 Year 2

The scribes and Pharisees were often described in negative or not so good ways throughout the Gospels. Often we hear Jesus mocking them, or scolding them, or telling them of their hypocrisy by showing them how wrong they were in their behaviour and conduct. But actually, the scribes and Pharisees were not entirely bad people or wicked people. They were misguided or extreme in their behaviour and conduct, but from time to time, we do hear of some scribes and Pharisees who were not that bad after all. So, in a nutshell, what was their problem?

The problem with the scribes and the Pharisees is that they were interpreting the Law according to their own terms. They thought that by following the letter of the Law to the minute detail, things would be ok. But what they failed to realise is that there is more to the Law than just the letter. In today's Gospel, Jesus further emphasised the need to follow the Law not so much according to the letter, but according to the Spirit. In the Gospel, Jesus reminded them: "What I want is mercy, not sacrifice." The scribes and Pharisees excelled in making sacrifices and making others do the same, but they failed in showing mercy.

What about us? Are we following God's laws just for the sake of being in His good books? Have we become like the scribes and Pharisees, focusing so much on following the Law so rigidly, that we have lost or misunderstood its meaning? May we learn to be loving and merciful, just as God is loving and merciful to all of us.

Thursday of Week 15 Year 2

How do you train a buffalo or lighten its load? By putting another buffalo next to it so that the other buffalo would help to drag the load, or to pull the cart, or to plow a field. If one buffalo were to do the task on its own, the task may be completed but it may take a longer time to do so. To enable a buffalo to do these tasks, the buffalo needs to be fitted with a device called a yoke. When we see a yoke designed with two openings to be placed on the shoulders of buffalos, then we would know that the yoke is meant for two buffalos, to enable the task to be done faster or more efficiently.

In today's Gospel, Jesus invites us to "Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light." The yoke that Jesus is speaking of obviously has two openings: one for us, and the other for Jesus to shoulder. Jesus is inviting us to join Him in carrying the yoke, so that we can learn how to be like Him and carry out His call to proclaim the Good News. Are we willing to be humble and docile, and let Jesus be our partner in shouldering the yoke? After all, two "buffalos" are better than one, and we have a "buffalo" who is patient and loving towards us.

Wednesday of Week 15 Year 2

Can a person make himself ot herself? Of course not, since each and every one of us are made by God, through the union of our parents. If the conditions were not right, and our parents had not united as one flesh, we would not have been conceived. So we really cannot make ourselves, and if some of us say we are "self-made," then perhaps we may be arrogant or too full of ourselves, forgetting that who we are, and where we are today, is a result of many persons and circumstances.

That is why today's reading questions us: "Does the axe claim more credit than the man who wields it, or the saw more strength than the man who handles it? It would be like the cudgel controlling the man who raises it, or the club moving what is not made of wood!" All that we are, all that we have come to be, is because of the help of many others and especially God's help. So let us not become to proud or conceited, but give thanks for the many help given to us by others, and especially God's help and providence. May we be thankful and grateful, and give God the glory.

Tuesday of Week 15 Year 2

It is certainly not easy remaining faithful as a Christian, especially when we are being tempted by the ways of the world, or we are facing some sort of trial or persecution. Some people take the easy way out and abandon their faith, preferring to save their skin. But time and again we have seen people who chose to persevere and suffer, even to the point of death. We venerate many of such persons as saints at different times throughout the liturgical calendar.

In today's reading, God tells Ahaz, king of Judah: "Pay attention, keep calm, have no fear, do not let your heart sink..." This is because Jerusalem was under siege, and king Ahaz was fearful of being defeated and destroyed. But God assured him that this would not happen. However, God also reminded the Israelies: "But if you do not stand by me, you will not stand at all." God can and will help us, just as He did for the Israelites, if we remain with Him, and let Him be our help and guide. Are we going to stand confident and steadfast, trusting in God's providence?

Monday of Week 15 Year 2

Sin and God are incompatible, that is, God will not tolerate any trace of sin within us. This means that as long as we have the stench of sin attached to our soul, no matter how small or trivial the sin may seem, we are in danger of drifting away from God. To cleanse us from our sin, Jesus died on the cross to save us and redeem us, but that is only part of the story. We too need to do our part by doing our best to avoid sin, and if we sin, we should not delay in going for confession, to seek forgiveness of our sins and to ask our loving God to help us not to sin again. Of course, this is easier said than done, given the fact that there are many temptations of this world which try to snare us and entice us to sin. This is why we must always remain in the Lord, and let Him guide our thoughts and actions.

In today's reading, the Lord is beckoning us to "wash, make yourselves clean. Take your wrong-doing out of my sight. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good, search for justice, help the oppressed, be just to the orphan, plead for the widow." God is calling out to us to return to His ways. Are we willing to rid ourselves of our sins with His help and mercy?

Housekeeping - Week 15 Year 2

For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:

10 July 2016 - 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
11 July 2016 - Monday of Week 15 Year 2
12 July 2016 - Tuesday of Week 15 Year 2
13 July 2016 - Wednesday of Week 15 Year 2
14 July 2016 - Thursday of Week 15 Year 2
15 July 2016 - Friday of Week 15 Year 2

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

Some of us would still remember our catechism classes or in some cases even at RCIA sessions, where we are reminded of what we can or cannot do as Christians. For example, some of us recall being told that we cannot eat meat on Fridays; or that if we have committed a serious sin we should go for confession first before going for communion; or that we must go to church every Sunday or every day if possible; so many do's and don'ts which could go on and on. It seems as if being Christian means observing so many laws and restrictions, making life appearing to be stifling or suffocating for some. But is Christian living merely about keeping laws? Well, yes and no, since Christian living actually demands that we keep one Law, which is Love, of which must be the basis of all other laws.

Today's Gospel tells us of three different persons who came across a man who had been robbed, beaten up, and left for dead. The first two persons, the priest and the Levite, who walked pass the person in distress, were not being 'bad' people, so to speak, but they were actually merely trying to be good Jews, since to them, keeping the Law was more important. This is because, to the Jews, to touch someone who was covered in blood would be to touch someone considered 'unclean.' The Samaritan, on the other hand, is an outsider, a non-Jew. Yet, it is this Samaritan who reaches out to help the man in need. He goes out of his way to make sure that the man's well-being is taken care of till the man makes a full recovery.

The Samaritan's generosity is an example of the kind love which Jesus speaks about in the Gospel, since as the first reading reminds us, "it is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observance." Love is not merely something we observe or do out of obligation, but must be freely given and freely received. Jesus is the perfect example of this love, by becoming man and dying on the cross for us, so that we may live. In His life and in His death, He was faithful to the greatest law, the greatest commandment, that is the law of love.

Today, let us follow the example of the Good Samaritan, and the example of Jesus, and not merely and blindly follow God's laws like the priest and the Levite. Instead, let us never forget to follow the greatest law of all, that is the law of Love.

Friday of Week 15 Year 1

Every once in a while, we come across people who are extreme in their religious views. Such people seem to believe that only their view of a particular religion is the correct or accepted view, and everyone else is deviant or heretical. Some of these people may even go to extremes by committing acts of violence to try and force others to adhere to their views. We have seen countries torn apart by such extremists, who have no qualms of executing or exterminating even people who share the same faith, but hold a different view of the faith they profess.

In today's Gospel, we come across a group of people who are extreme in their religious views. We call these people the scribes and the Pharisees, who have become so extreme in their interpretation of the law or torah. When it comes to the sabbath, these scribes and Pharisees have gone to the extreme in ruling that no work whatsoever can be done. Even doing a good deed, or caring for someone, or helping someone, is forbidden to them during the sabbath. But Jesus reminded them: "And if you had understood the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the blameless." It is pointless to keep the sabbath by only showing the external practices just as the scribes and Pharisees did, but our attitude, behaviour and conduct is unbecoming of a Christian. May we take heed of what Jesus said, and observe the sabbath with the right intentions, so that in all we say and do, God is glorified.

Thursday of Week 15 Year 1

Throughout our lives, we may have been putting on or taking on many different roles and responsibilities. Sometimes these roles and responsibilities could turn out to be quite difficult and burdensome, especially after carrying and performing such roles and responsibilities for an extended period of time. Some of us may feel tired, worn out, or even burned out as we bear the heavy weight of the yoke of such roles and responsibilities. Some may feel tempted to call it quits, or to seek other forms of comfort to lessen or dull the pain. But what should we as Christians do when we are experiencing such a condition?

In today's Gospel, Jesus is comforting us and assuring us when He said: "Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light." When we have Jesus helping us and guiding us, we are no longer encumbered by the weight of the yoke we are carrying, since we are not alone in the situation we are in. May we be willing to let Jesus care for us throughout our lives, and let Him be our constant guide.

Wednesday of Week 15 Year 1

Each and every one of us have been called in one way or another to serve God in different ways. Sometimes God could be calling us in a spectacular way, sometimes the call may not seem that out of the ordinary, but when God calls us, are we able to identify His voice and respond? Are we willing to respond to God's call or would we try to ignore it, or make all sorts of excuses to try and escape from doing His will?

In today's reading, we come across the call of Moses, who was called by God to bring His people out of Egypt. Moses was already living quite a comfortable life looking after the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, priest of Midian. Moses would have been quite reluctant to leave his present life and he even said to God, "Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?"But God did not let Moses off the hook: "'I shall be with you,' was the answer 'and this is the sign by which you shall know that it is I who have sent you... After you have led the people out of Egypt, you are to offer worship to God on this mountain.'" So Moses went, especially since God's call was so persistent and constant, that it would have been quite difficult to say no.

Today, God may be calling you to serve Him in a particular vocation. His call may be just as persistent as what Moses had experienced. May we be humble and docile enough to respond to His call and do His will for His glory.

Tuesday of Week 15 Year 1

Sometimes we come across people who seem to be not bothered about many things, especially if it does not seem to affect them directly. They only are concerned about themselves, or how wealthy or financially secure they can become, or how popular they can become. But when it comes to others, such people are indifferent towards them (in Malay, it is known as "tidak apa" or :tidak peduli" attitude, or don't care or don't want to know or don't want to get involved attitude). We sometimes see such indifferent attitude when it comes to, for example, parking a vehicle, where some people think the road belongs to them or that any place can be used to park their vehicle, and they park indiscriminately, causing congestion and a dangerous situation for other people and vehicles. It is only when such people are slapped with a traffic summons, or their vehicle is damaged, that they begin to take notice and work up a big fuss, even though they are obviously in the wrong but they choose to be arrogant and refuse to admit it.

In today's reading, we come across the mother of Moses who could have been indifferent towards Moses and send him to his fate. But she did not allow such a thing to happen, and even managed to rescue him by letting him be adopted by Pharoah's daughter. Then, Moses as an adult could have enjoyed his life and live a good life as a prince of Egypt and not bother about his countrymen. But Moses did not do such a thing. He did not look away or was indifferent to the violence an Egyptian inflicted on his countryman and even killed the Egyptian to save and protect his countryman.

What about us? Have some of us become so indifferent towards the sufferings and needs of others? Have some of us become self-centered, only thinking about our needs and wants? May we realise that the world is to be shared and cared for by all, and that as witnesses of the Good News, we should show our faith by helping and caring for others, just as God does for all.