Wednesday of the 1st Week of Lent

Jews and Ninevites were sworn enemies during the time of the Prophet Jonah. The Ninevites (a.k.a. the Assyrians) were Israel's most hated enemy, as they were the ones responsible for wiping out the northern Kingdom of Israel, and continuing to harass the Southern Kingdom of Judah. And now Jonah, a Jewish prophet, was sent to this pagan nation to preach about destruction in 40 days time. Such a deed would have been revolting, shocking or disgusting to the Israelites. Just imagine: a Jewish prophet helping the enemy to repent and change their ways? Absolutely incomprehensible! But that is exactly what happened: Jonah went and warned the Ninevites about their impending disaster and doom, and today's reading tells us that the Ninevites actually repented with fasting, penance and prayer. Even more shocking, God actually relented and did not inflict on the Ninevites the disaster which He had threatened.

What does this tell us? God is impartial; God's mercy and compassion is for all, not exclusive or restricted only to a certain people or to a certain group. The Israelites thought that God would only care for them and destroy all others, but today's reading shows us otherwise. As long as we are willing to show our repentance by taking our penance seriously, God would be merciful to us just He had done for the Ninevites. Are we willing to learn from the Ninevites, and make every effort to repent and seek forgiveness, especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation? May we not waste the many opportunities given to us to return to the Lord and walk in His ways.

Tuesday of the 1st Week of Lent

Throughout our lives, some of us would have asked our parents for something. When we ask for something, some of us could have sounded quite whiny and some of us even started using baby-like noises, hoping that our parents would give in to our requests. Sometimes, some of us may even start bargaining with our parents, promising to behave, do better in school, or some other thing, hoping to convince our parents that we deserve what we are asking for. But do we really need to do or say such things? When we ask God for things, help, healing or something else, would we resort to such tactics, hoping that God would give in to our wants and needs, just like how some of our parents may do?

In today's Gospel, we are reminded not to "babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard." Instead of having to sound whiny or say so many things to God, Jesus taught us a simple but significant prayer: The Lord's Prayer or the Our Father. If we observe the way the prayer is prayed, we are actually asking for things which would give God the glory. Also, we are asking that God would help us to change, to be more loving and forgiving, and that truth and justice would increase in the world. Perhaps when we pray the Lord's Prayer with sincerity and conviction, the Lord may grant us our wants and needs, since what we are asking for is not for our own personal glory, gratification or to boost our ego, but for the greater glory of God.

Monday of the 1st Week of Lent

We sometimes take for granted the small issues or matters in life. We think that such small issues or matters are insignificant or not worth too much of our effort or time. We sometimes hear of people telling us: "Don't sweat the small stuff." But sometimes, small issues could lead to big issues, if we do not deal with them, or take appropriate action, or throw caution to the wind and make necessary preparations. For example, you have a minor toothache, and the pain subsides. This does not mean that the toothache is no longer there. It simply means that the affected tooth is temporarily not giving you any pain, but the pain could flare up at any time, and sometimes the pain we experience could get worse compared to the first few times we experienced it. If we do not go to the dentist for proper treatment, we may experience even greater pain and discomfort.

In today's reading, the Israelites were reminded of the many small issues that needed to be observed. These many small issues are the dos and don'ts that helped the Israelites to learn how to love their neigbour as themselves, in an effort to "Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy." Likewise, in the Gospel, Jesus also talked about paying attention to the many small issues of Christian life, issues like feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked and visiting those in prison. If we do not pay attention to these small issues mentioned in the reading and the Gospel, if we become complacent and neglect them, if we procrastinate and think that we have plenty of time to act later, then we may suddenly find ourselves faced with a big issue, and that big issue could involve our eternal future. Are we willing to take the risk and lose it all? After all, there is a Malay saying: "sedikit-dikit lama lama menjadi bukit" (roughly translated as: "little by little a hill is formed"). Let us do our part today, even if it is little by little, and let our God guide us and help us grow closer to Him.

Friday after Ash Wednesday

I find it quite interesting to observe how fasting has become like a commercial opportunity or a show of so called piety for some people. What do I mean, you might say? Take for example, when the time for fasting arrives for certain people, we begin to see lots of advertisements on television or radio, inviting and enticing people to break fast in a restaurant or hotel, with a huge buffet of exquisite dishes to savour. I have also seen some of such people waiting hungrily and longingly for the time to break fast at a food court or restaurant, with the food all ready in place, and when the time comes to break fast, these people attack the food with such ferociousness like lions that have not eaten for days. Is fasting meant to be an excuse for people to eat lavishly when the time to break fast comes? Or is fasting such a torture or hassle that some folks just cannot wait to break fast, instead of giving thanks to God for the privilege and opportunity to fast? Why do such people fast in the first place?

In today's reading, we see that there are some people who fast just to put on a show. The reading tells us: "Why should we fast if you never see it, why do penance if you never notice?’ Look, you do business on your fast-days, you oppress all your workmen; look, you quarrel and squabble when you fast and strike the poor man with your fist. Fasting like yours today will never make your voice heard on high. Is that the sort of fast that pleases me, a truly penitential day for men? Hanging your head like a reed, lying down on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call fasting, a day acceptable to the Lord?" When we fast just to put on a show, or we are mean or nasty towards others, then are we really fasting in the first place? Is our fasting helping us to grow closer to God, and to love God and neighbour, or are we making a joke or mockery of fasting, through our actions, behaviour and conduct? May we not fall into hypocrisy when we fast, since we ought to be doing so not to boost our ego or for our personal gratification, but to give glory to God.

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Every once in a while, we are faced with choices. Sometimes the choices we are given are straightforward and clear-cut, and making a choice is easy. Sometimes the choices given may be quite difficult, and choosing one could cause us to lose the other and vice versa. For example, some of us may have faced a difficult situation where we can choose to listen and obey our parents, but in doing so we may be going against God's commandments; but if we obey God's commandments, we may risk losing our parents (one possible outcome from the choice made could be to be disowned by our parents). If we are faced with such choices, where there is no middle ground or third option, where it is either one or the other, what would you choose?

In today's reading, the Israelites were given a choice: "choose life and you will live and increase; choose death and you will most certainly perish." There was no middle ground or alternative; only one or the other. In the Gospel, Jesus gives us a choice: "For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it. What gain, then, is it for a man to have won the whole world and to have lost or ruined his very self?" If we are asked to choose now, what would we choose? Would we choose life as in the reading, or choose to lose our life for Jesus' sake as in the Gospel? Or would we choose otherwise? Remember, there is no middle ground, it is one or the other. May we make our choice wisely, as there is no turning back or alternatives.

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent. When we think of the season of Lent, what are some of the things we think of? Some of us think about going to church to receive the imposition of ashes on our forehead on Ash Wednesday, some think about abstinence and fasting on certain days, some think about the Way of the Cross which is usually held on Fridays during Lent, some even think about making a confession at one of the churches having penitential service. All these thoughts are practices and they are good. But what sort of practices are these? These are outward forms or external practices of piety, and if we get caught up with only such external practices, we may end up losing the whole point of Lent, and that is to lead us to reconciliation with God and with each other, and eventually lead us to an inner conversion. But are these practices already mentioned enough? Perhaps we need to relook at three practices which we often hear about especially during Lent, but we may not have fully comprehended or understood what they mean. The three practices are prayer, fasting and giving alms.

When we speak of prayer, we are talking about establishing a closer relationship with God. Sometimes we may have become so used to rattling out prayers such as the rosary, the divine mercy, prayer to the Sacred Heart, or some other form of devotion, that our prayer is prayed out of habit or out of a tradition that was passed down to us from our elders. But by praying such prayers, are we really growing closer to God? Prayer should change us and lead us to trust more in God and to place our lives in His control. Are our prayers enabling us to do so? Or have our prayers become a form of babbling, saying so many things but without meaning?

When we speak of fasting, we are fasting not because we want to torture or punish our bodies, and fasting is not meant to be used as an excuse or a means to lose weight. We fast because we want to thirst for God, and place God first in our lives. Fasting helps us reconsider our values in life, and guides us to reject and deny the lures of temptations, especially to satisfy our own wants. Fasting sets us free from greed, and makes us more sensitive to the needs of others.

When we give alms, we do so not because we pity the poor or those who are less fortunate. We give alms because it reminds us of the need to be in solidarity with all, especially with the poor. Giving alms reminds us that all things come from God, nothing really belongs to us, and thus we should not cling on to these things selfishly. Giving alms remind us that people are far more important than things.

As we begin the season of Lent, let us take courage and let the Lord help us deepen our prayer life, and help us to be humble and docile in our fasting and also in our generosity to share with the poor. Let us do these things not because they are merely external practices, or to show off, but because we want to grow closer to God, walk in His ways, and let Him be our providence and guide.

Tuesday of Week 5 Year 2

Why do we call ourselves Christians? Are we Christians only in name? Or do we really follow the ways and teachings of Christ? Sometimes we come across people who call themselves Christians, but they follow their own version or understanding of Christianity. Such people have laws, rules and regulations which have been formulated to suit their purposes and convenience. Could we have become like such people?

In today's Gospel, we come across the scribes and Pharisees who essentially were good people trying to follow God's laws. Their problem was they were following God's laws according to what they think was right, not according to the actual teachings, rules and regulations that God had given them from the beginning. God's laws can be summarised into love God and love neighbour, and as Jesus taught and showed in many ways, one's neighbour is not restricted only to one's friends or acquaintances, but also others, including one's enemies. In today's Gospel, we see how the Pharisees were so engrossed in maintaining and obeserving their numerous traditions and practices, that they put aside the commandment of God. This is why Jesus admonished them when He said: "This people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me."

We too could fall into the same trap, if we start treating our own rules and regulations as more important than God's commandments. We could be like the scribes and Pharisees, when we begin to pick and choose only those laws and regulations that suit us or benefit us or are convenient to us, instead of observing them entirely, in the form of loving God and loving neighbour completely. Are we still stubbornly clinging on to our own ways, or are we willing to change and follow Jesus' ways?