Thursday of Week 22 Year 1

Among the many sins a person may commit, one which is quite serious is the sin of despair. What does it mean to despair? To despair basically means one has had a complete loss of hope, as if there is no longer any way out or one has given up completely. When this happens, some may resort to substance abuse, drugs, or alcoholism to try and numb the pain. Some may even resort to suicide as a way out of despair. But how should a Christian respond when he or she feels as if there is hardly any hope left?

In today's reading, St. Paul encourages us not to despair but to have hope in God: "You will have in you the strength, based on his own glorious power, never to give in, but to bear anything joyfully, thanking the Father who has made it possible for you to join the saints and with them to inherit the light." No matter how difficult or dangerous the situation we may be in, God will help us if we remain steadfast in hope and trust in Him. May we never despair or lose hope, and let God be our providence and guide.

Wednesday of Week 22 Year 1

Priests and religious are becoming fewer in number in some places these days, as there seems to be a drop in new intakes due to lack of vocations. Sometimes this could be because families are having fewer chuldren, and some parents are reluctant to let their children go. In some cases, the children themselves are less interested in answering God's call, due to other attractions in the world. Thus, when a priest or religious is to be transferred, some of us would try to get them to remain with us, and some may go so far as to even write to the bishop or superior petitioning that they stay, but ultimately, they may still need to go elsewhere to serve.

In today's Gospel, the crowds went to look for Jesus, "and when they had caught up with him they wanted to prevent him leaving them, but he answered, 'I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do.' And he continued his preaching in the synagogues of Judaea."

Jesus chose to do the will of God by going to other places to teach and heal, since He was sent to proclaim the Good News to many places, not just remain in one. In the same way, we too should realise that when a priest or religious is transferred to another place, he or she does so to do the will of God. Thus, let us be thankful for the gift of the priest or religious for having been with us for all these years, and continue to pray for him or her, so that he or she would remain faithful to his or her duty and vocation.

Tuesday of Week 22 Year 1

It is very easy for many of us to get carried away with different tasks and different interests. When we are busy with something, we may end up neglecting other things, just to focus on what we are doing. But the danger with such an approach is that we may get the task done, but at the expense of other things. For example, we may be so engrossed with a certain task, that we neglect our family relationships, and as a result, we may lose such relationships. Some of us may even neglect our health, and end up with hefty medical bills or prolonged sickness. When we neglect our relationship with God, we may find ourselves drifting away from God and becoming attached to the ways of the world, at the expense of our eternal future.

In today's reading, we are reminded: "But it is not as if you live in the dark, my brothers, for that Day to overtake you like a thief. No, you are all sons of light and sons of the day: we do not belong to the night or to darkness, so we should not go on sleeping, as everyone else does, but stay wide awake and sober. God never meant us to experience the Retribution, but to win salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that, alive or dead, we should still live united to him. So give encouragement to each other, and keep strengthening one another, as you do already."

What does it mean to stay wide awake and sober? It basically means we stay well-rounded in our tasks on earth, while consistently making effort to remain in good terms with the Lord and growing in our spiritual life. It also means that we are placing more emphasis in preparing to meet the Lord, while encouraging others to do the same. May we not be caught off-guard when the Lord calls us, so that we would live united to him.

Monday of Week 22 Year 1

What sort of attitude do we have towards death? For some, death is the end, and they believe that once a person dies, the person ceases to exist. For some, death is like a door way to a different dimension, where the person believes that he or she would continue living the life he or she is used to while on earth. This is why we notice some ancient civilisations where their rulers and important persons were buried with their treasures and other things which they believe would be useful when they are in the supposingly next world. But how should a Christian respond to death? What sort of attitude should a Christian have towards death?

In today's reading, St. Paul tells us: "We want you to be quite certain, brothers, about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like the other people who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus: God will bring them with him." As Christians, we need to have died in Jesus, by letting ourselves go through a conversion process where we let go of our old selves and put on a new self with Jesus as our help and guide. If we have been faithful and consistent in building a good relationship with Jesus, then we have no reason to worry or fear about death, for God will bring us to Him. Have we been taking the necessary steps to prepare spiritually for our death?

Friday of Week 21 Year 1

For many of us, our lives are often filled with hectic schedules and we are busy most of the time. We seem to think that to do well or succeed in life, one has to work hard and play hard. But the irony is that sometimes, playing too hard and working too hard leads to stress, and we may end up in worse shape than before. Also, when we play too hard and work too hard, we may neglect in other areas in our lives, such as our relationships with others, our health, or even our relationship with God. What happens when we neglect something? We will face the consequences of our neglect later on, and by then it may be too late.

In today's Gospel, we come across ten bridesmaids: five were foolish, five were sensible. All ten were supposed to meet the bridegroom, but the foolish ones only brought their lamps without bringing extra oil, whereas the sensible ones brought both. The bridegroom was late and the lamps of the foolish bridesmaids were running out of oil. So these foolish bridesmaids had to go and buy more oil, and in their absence, the bridegroom came. As a result, the foolish bridesmaids ended up being locked out of the wedding hall.

Have some of us become like the foolish bridesmaids who ended up being locked out? Have we neglected our relationship with God until it is too late? God has given plenty of chances for us to grow closer to Him, and it is up to us to be sensible enough to do our part. So let us not procrastinate any more but stay awake, because we do not know either the day or the hour.

Thursday of Week 21 Year 1

As children, many of us would have been told to excel in life. We would be reminded to study hard, get good grades, get into a prestigeous university and graduate, and then get a good job, so that we could make living and live comfortable lives. Some of us may have chosen to become entrepreneurs or even start a business, with hope of becoming a success. All these efforts are good, but how many of us are ready to meet the Lord, should He call you now?

In today's Gospel, Jesus is cautioning us: "Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." While it is necessary for us to grow and prosper in the world, we should also not neglect our spiritual life. All our achievements and successes in the world are only temporary, but what happens to us when we die is just as important. Our bodies will return to the earth, but our soul will live on. Is our soul in good shape and ready to meet the Lord? Have we been making effort to remain in good relationship with God? Let us not find ourselves "weeping and grinding of teeth" due to our neglect.

Wednesday of Week 21 Year 1

We sometimes hear the saying: "Don't judge a book by its cover." What that basically means is that one should not jump into conclusions about persons, without carefully evaluating them for a while. When we observe a person, especially when we do not know the person at all, or know very little about the person, we could be tricked or fooled into thinking that the person is friendly, good, prayerful or holy. But if we were to take time to observe a person for a while, we may soon discover that the person is not quite what he or she seems..

In today's Gospel, we are once again reminded with an example of why we should not judge a book by its cover. The scribes and the Pharisees were being condemned by Jesus, because of their attitude, behaviour, the amount of pretense at the way they portrayed themselves, and much more. The scribes and the Pharisees chose to obstinately remain as they are, and throughout the Gospel, we can clearly see what sort of people they have become, even though Jesus had many times reminded them of their hypocrisy and tried to help them change.

What about us? Have some of us fallen into the same trap as the scribes and the Pharisees, when we choose to remain stubborn and prefer to do things our way, while lording it over others? Or are we willing to let Jesus change us into something better?