Saturday of Week 22 Year 2

What does it mean to “Keep holy the Sabbath” and what is the reason for this commandment? The Sabbath rest was meant to be a time to remember and celebrate God’s goodness and the goodness of his work both in creation and redemption. It was intended to bring everyday work to a halt and to provide needed rest and refreshment. So Jesus’ disciples were scolded by the scribes and Pharisees, not for plucking and eating corn from the fields, but for doing so on the Sabbath. But is this what keeping holy the Sabbath really mean, where absolutely nothing could be done?

In today's Gospel, Jesus defending His disciples by asserting that human need takes precedence over ritual custom. He reminds the scribes and the Pharisees of what David and his companions did. In their hunger, they ate the bread of offering which only the priest can lawfully eat. Then he concludes with these words, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” What Jesus is trying to tell the scribes and Pharisees and us too, is that the Sabbath is meant to be used to honour the Lord in the way you treat your neighbour, while celebrating the Lord’s Day. Instead of being over legalistic or petty, we should seek the good of our neighbour in all situations with respect and kindness. May we make every effort to honour the Lord in our work and in our rest.

Saturday of Week 22 Year 2

It is tempting and easy for us to begin interpreting church teaching according to our whims and fancies, or even according to our benefit, preference, convenience and advantage. When a certain church teaching is not to our liking, some of us begin to question why such teachings are there in the first place, and some even begin to try and circumvent such teaching. For example, when it comes to the 10 commandments, how many of us have tried to interpret the 10 commandments according to our liking? For example, you see a mango hanging just slightly outside the fence of your neighour's garden. We are told in the 10 commandments not to covet or steal. But when we see the juicy, ripe and deliciously looking mango, would we adhere to the 10 commandments, or would we begin to make excuses to take the mango?

In today's reading, St. Paul tells us to "Keep to what is written." St. Paul was referring to the Scriptures and to the written teachings that were handed to the Christian community at Corinth, because the Christian community at Corinth were beginning to interpret the teachings for their own convenience and advantage, especially where such teachings seemed too demanding and affected them personally. What St. Paul was doing was to help the Christian community at Corinth to come to their senses and to help them grow spiritually according to what they have been taught.

What about us? Are we willing to stick to the teachings of our Christian faith? Or have we begun to pick and choose what is pleasing or convenient to us, and change or ignore teachings which we do not agree with or find uncomfortable? May we not stray from true and proper Christian teaching, and help others to do the same, as we strive to grow spiritually and grow closer to God.

Saturday of Week 22 Year 1

Living a Christian life in the world is certainly not easy. We face all sorts of challenges and temptations, especially since quite often, the ways of the world are not the same as the ways of Christ. We are often faced with choices: to do what is right and just, or to do what is expected of us so that we can maintain our livelihood. For example, some of those in the medical field may have been challenged to perform an abortion, or risk losing their job. When faced with such a choice, what would you do? Would you be willing to find work elsewhere, even if it means that one may possibly not be able to get a job for a while?

In today's reading, St. Paul reminds us: "Now you are able to appear before him holy, pure and blameless – as long as you persevere and stand firm on the solid base of the faith, never letting yourselves drift away from the hope promised by the Good News..." The reading here reminds us to persevere and stand firm. This means that we must do our very best and not give up, even if it means we may face persecution or challenges. It also means that we must remain steadfast in our faith, and not allow the ways of the world to influence us into watering down or even abandoning the ways of Christ. May we continue to trust and depend on Jesus, and let Him be our help and guide.

Friday of Week 22 Year 1

We sometimes come across certain faithful who are stuck with doing things according to a certain previous parish priest's way of the past. Even though such ways of doing things are already outdated or no longer relevant in today's context, such faithful would stick to their belief that such ways are the only ways to get things done. But the reality is that things change, and what worked in the past would no longer work in the present or even in the future. For example, in the past, people, especially adults, were taught catechism on a one to one basis, before baptism is given; nowadays, people are taught through RCIA before they are considered for baptism.

In today's Gospel, Jesus speaks about not putting a new cloak to patch an old cloak, and using only new skins to store new wine. Jesus is telling us to move on from old ways to new and better ways of being disciples and of growing in relationship with God. He is telling us not to be like the scribes and Pharisees, who focused in only meticulously observing the law, but to refocus in the law of loving God and loving neighbour, which was the whole idea and purpose of the law in the first place. Jesus was showing us a new and better way of living, by living the way of love.

Sometimes we too could be guilty in following the ways of the scribes and the Pharisees, or the ways of certain faithful who are stuck in old ways. May we be humble and willing to change, so that we would be free to listen to God's voice again, and grow deeper in relationship with Him, while using new ways and methods to do His will and glorify Him..

Monday of Week 22 Year 2

Not everyone in this world is gifted in public speaking or have the gift of the gab. When it comes to speaking clearly, effectively, dynamically and captivatingly, one needs to treat public speaking as an art, and so training as well as practice is necessary. However, when it comes to preaching the Word of God, what sort of criteria do we really need? Do we apply the same criteria as public speaking? To some extent, the criteria required for public speaking applies, but there are some key differences. What sort of differences are there?

In today's reading, St. Paul said that he preached without any show of oratory or philosophy, although he did mention about great "fear and trembling." Also, when it came to preaching the Word of God, it is the power of the Holy Spirit complimented with the spirituality and conviction of St. Paul that mattered more. While St. Paul preached in a sensible and logical manner, it was more of the power of God that opened the hearts of his listeners, and so the one who preaches is merely an instrument in proclaiming the Good News and giving glory to God.

When it comes to preaching, it is tempting for us to seek attention, power and prestige, since our preaching could bring us quite a crowd. This is where we need to be humble and realise, just as St. Paul did, that ultimately, our preaching is not for our personal gratification, or to boost our ego, or to glorify ourselves, but to give all glory and honour to God.

Saturday of Week 22 Year 1

It is certainly not easy to live a Christian life, especially when we are bombarded with all sorts of temptations and worldly attractions. If we are not careful, we may end up trapped in such temptations and worldly attractions, and risk ruining our relationship with God. So how does a Christian overcome such temptations, values and ways of the world?

The answer can be found in today's reading, where St. Paul reminds us: "Now you are able to appear before him holy, pure and blameless – as long as you persevere and stand firm on the solid base of the faith, never letting yourselves drift away from the hope promised by the Good News..." The keywords here are to persevere and stand firm. This means that we must do our very best and not give up, even if we fall, since Jesus gives us many oppotunities to pick ourselves up and try again, especially by going for confession to cleanse away our sins. May we remain steadfast in our faith, and continue to trust and depend on Jesus, and let Him be our help and guide.

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 22 Year 2

Some of us seem to excel in coming up with conclusions about others or judging others. Just because a person is not doing things the way we expect; or we hear about the person doing this or that and we act upon such news without careful investigation; or we have already assumed certain things about certain persons without fully understanding the person and where he or she is coming from; we pass judgement on the person so quickly. Sometimes, we end up eating humble pie, or we discover a little too late that we have made a terrible mistake in making such judgments. The thing is, we are being reckless and presumptuous when we jump to conclusions or make judgements in this way. Unkind words and actions cannot be taken back, once they are said or meted out.

In today's reading, St. Paul cautions us: "There must be no passing of premature judgement. Leave that until the Lord comes; he will light up all that is hidden in the dark and reveal the secret intentions of men’s hearts. Then will be the time for each one to have whatever praise he deserves, from God." This does not mean that we do not make judgements at all, but we should refrain from making impulsive or premature ones. Sometimes it may be best to wait and see, and let God guide us in our thoughts and actions, so that we would be patient and compassionate towards others. After all, we too have done wrong before, and yet God is ever patient and merciful towards us. Likewise, we too should do the same towards others.

Thursday of Week 22 Year 2

From a young age, many of us were told by our parents to study hard and excel in school. Even our teachers would sometimes pay extra attention to those students who were bright or hardworking, since these were the students who were obedient and were serious in their studies. When we went for higher studies, some of us may have been reminded by our parents to "study hard, work hard, don't break your parents hearts" (a so called idiom I recall hearing a few times, but have no clear idea where it originated from). But all these efforts in doing well and succeeding in life, are they an indication that a person would be wise? Sometimes we come across people who we consider wise but who may not be so highly educated, or may not be wise according to the expectations of the world, but we say that they are wise in a different way. In fact, can anyone really claim to be wise?

In today's reading, St. Paul reminds us: "Make no mistake about it: if any one of you thinks of himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the word, then he must learn to be a fool before he really can be wise. Why? Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As scripture says: The Lord knows wise men’s thoughts: he knows how useless they are; or again: God is not convinced by the arguments of the wise. So there is nothing to boast about in anything human..."

As humans, our so called wisdom is limited. We could claim to be wise to a certain extent, but we may not be so wise in the eyes of God. That is why we should not think too highly of ourselves, since all our wisdom, knowledge, abilities and skills ultimately come from God. Instead, let us remain humble and always be thankful to God for the many gifts and talents He has given us, and use such gifts and talents for His greater glory.

Wednesday of Week 22 Year 2

Some of us seem to like comparing one person or thing to another. For example, we may have been compared to a classmate or school mate who seemed smarter than we are; or we have been compared to another person who is more athletic than us; or we have compared one item to another. Even in church, we sometimes hear of comparisons: a parish priest being compared to the previous one; or a leader of a parish ministry compared to the previous one; or even one church compared to another. But as Christians, what sort of attitude should we have towards comparison? Should we compare in the first place?

In today's reading, St. Paul admonishes us: "After all, what is Apollos and what is Paul? They are servants who brought the faith to you. Even the different ways in which they brought it were assigned to them by the Lord. I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God made things grow. Neither the planter nor the waterer matters: only God, who makes things grow. It is all one who does the planting and who does the watering, and each will duly be paid according to his share in the work. We are fellow workers with God; you are God’s farm, God’s building." The reading reminds us that we should not be comparing one person or thing to another, since ultimately, we are serving God, not to boost our ego or to serve ourselves. Each of us have got our own task and our own talents and gifts, so we should use such talents and gifts not to show how great we are, but to glorify God. May we stop all these comparisons, which can create jealousy, enmity and resentment, and instead devote ourselves to serving God and serving others.

Tuesday of Week 22 Year 2

Life on this earth is a journey, and throughout this journey, we need to make choices. Sometimes the choices we make are spiritual, sometimes worldly. But whatever choice we make, we need to be prepared for the outcome, which could be good or bad. Some people choose to focus on only worldly matters, and limit or even totally ignore spiritual matters. Others choose to focus on spiritual matters, while not forgetting worldly matters, since we still need to live and survive. What about you? Are you only interested in worldly matters? Or have you made effort to grow spiritually and grow closer to God?

In today's reading, St. Paul reminds us that "An unspiritual person is one who does not accept anything of the Spirit of God: he sees it all as nonsense; it is beyond his understanding because it can only be understood by means of the Spirit. A spiritual man, on the other hand, is able to judge the value of everything, and his own value is not to be judged by other men." At the end of the day, everything of this world is only temporary. Everything that the world has to offer won't last, and we too won't live forever. It is up to us to decide whether we want to risk our eternal future or make necessary effort and preparations while we still have opportunities to do so.

Housekeeping - Week 22 Year 2

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

28 Aug 2016 - 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
29 Aug 2016 - Beheading of St. John the Baptist
30 Aug 2016 - Tuesday of Week 22 Year 2
31 Aug 2016 - Wednesday of Week 22 Year 2
1 Sept 2016 - Thursday of Week 22 Year 2
2 Sept 2016 - Friday of Week 22 Year 2

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

What does it mean to be humble? Being humble is a Christian virtue, but some of us may have confused and misunderstood its true meaning. Some people think that humility means putting oneself down by being very critical of oneself, one's talents and one's achievements. They do not speak about their talents and gifts because they fear that this would appear to be boasting. Others criticise their own talents, abilities and achievements by saying: "I am not holy enough, don't choose me as a leader in this parish;" "my cooking is just so so, I don't think my dishes taste that great" (even though in reality, the dishes are yummylicious and shockalingam); "My voice is not that great, I don’t sing that well" (though in reality, the person sings like a lark). The problem and irony of such statements is: whenever we criticise and put ourselves down, we are actually hoping and expecting others to praise and admire us and our achievements. Such so called humility is not really humility, but is called false humility, which is a disguise for pride.

Instead, in today's Gospel, Jesus is telling us: "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted." The first reading reinforces what Jesus is telling us: "My son, be gentle in carrying out your business, and you will be better loved than a lavish giver. The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly, and then you will find favour with the Lord." Today's readings tell us that we should not seek any reward, praise, thanks or honour for what we do. We should not look for positions of honour or for recognition of our achievements, since once we have become addicted and attached to praise and human recognition, everything that we do may be with a hidden motive. When others do not praise or thank us, we become fed up, hurt and angry. Humility is serving and giving without asking or expecting anything in return; without needing to please others; and doing all things for the glory of God.

So what should we do? How should we understand humility? Humility is understanding and appreciating one's strengths and weaknesses. Every person has both strengths and weaknesses. If we learn to accept and live with our strengths and weaknesses, we would then be much happier persons. In the same way, we must also recognise and appreciate the weaknesses and strengths of others. We must always remember that no one can do everything, but everyone can do something. Also, humility means accepting all others as persons, as brothers and sisters. We should not pick and choose or stick only to certain groups. Instead, we should recognise everyone as precious, important, significant, valuable and deserving equal respect.

Today, let us follow the example of Jesus, who though was Son of God, humbled Himself and chose to become man, and even humbler still, chose to become a servant of all. As Christians, we should follow Jesus and embrace true humility, doing all things to build God's Kingdom and to give Him all the glory.

Friday of Week 22 Year 1

Change and progress is never easy for some. Some people generally prefer to remain as they are, keeping the status quo, doing as they have been doing for donkey years, sticking to what is familiar. Such people view new insights or new teaching with much suspicion, and they would often put up their defense mechanism to protect their old ways. The problem is, such people may have become so set in their old ways, that they have become a hindrance to allowing God's voice to be heard and for true conversion of heart to take place.

That is why, in today's Gospel, Jesus speaks about not putting a new cloak to patch an old cloak, and using only new skins to store new wine. Jesus is telling us to move on from old ways to new and better ways of growing in relationship with God. He is telling us not to be too focused in only meticulously observing the law, as the scribes and Pharisees do, but to refocus in the law of loving God and loving neighbour, which was the whole idea and purpose of the law in the first place. The scribes and the Pharisees had taken what was supposed to be quite a simple law, and transformed it into lots of rituals and practices, which cause people to be bogged down in mere external practices. But Jesus, like new wineskin and new wine, was showing them and all of us too, a new and better way of living, by living the way of love.

Sometimes we too could be guilty in following the ways of the scribes and the Pharisees in what we do and how we behave towards others. Some of us are so focused in prayers and practices, which are like the old ways of the scribes and the Pharisees, instead of focusing in the new way of Christ, the way of loving all, just as God loves all. May we be humble and willing to change, so that we would be free to listen to God's voice again, and grow deeper in relationship with Him.

Thursday of Week 22 Year 1

Each and every one of us has got a different calling from God. Some of us are called to remain single, some are called to married life, others may be called to be priests or religious. All of these callings are not from our own efforts, but a vocation, a gift from God based on His plan for us. We can choose to respond to His call or to avoid it, for God does not force us to respond to a particular vocation or way of life.

In today's Gospel, we come across the call of Simon Peter. When Simon Peter saw the huge amount of fish caught, "he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, 'Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.' For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.' Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him." Notice that Simon Peter and his companions did respond to Jesus' call, since they left everything and followed Him. Simon Peter might have been unsure or hesitant at first to respond to Jesus' call, but what made him take the plunge is when Jesus said, "Do not be afraid."

If we are called today to serve the Lord in a particular vocation, let us take heed and be assured by Jesus saying, "Do not be afraid." We may experience different storms in life, and some of us may be tempted to abandon our calling, but let us not give up or run away, since we have Jesus as our help and guide. Let us with good cheer and enthusiasm respond to our calling, so that we too in our own way, be fishers of men.

Wednesday of Week 22 Year 1

Good and capable doctors or healers are not easy to find. When we come across one, we would do our utmost best to try and ensure the person remains in our village, town or even city. Many would flock to such a person for treatment, making it less likely for the person to want to move elsewhere, since such a person's services is sorely needed. But sometimes, due to reasons other than economics or popularity, such a person may eventually need to move.

When it comes to priests and religious, they too may be quite sought after, especially when they are good and capable preachers, counsellors, teachers or spiritual guides. We 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 could have easily been happy and comfortable to remain in one place and do His teaching and healing there, but that would mean that He was only satisfying His personal needs. Instead, He 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 need to realise that when a priest or religious is transferred to another place, the priest or religious would move on because he or she is doing the will of God. Instead of making it difficult for him or her to move, let us be thankful for the gift of the priest or religious for having been with us for all these years, and let us 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

Life is such that we can never predict what is going to happen tomorrow. Today we may seem healthy and full of vigour, tomorrow may be a different story. Things can happen all of a sudden, and we may not have time or opportunity to prepare ourselves for any eventuality. This is why we need to always be ready and be consistent in our preparations to be with the Lord, if that is what we hope for.

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 have been consistently making effort to remain in good terms with the Lord and growing in our spiritual life. At the same time, we are also reminded, as the reading tells us, to "give encouragement to each other, and keep strengthening one another" so that together we would be with the Lord. Thus, let us not slack or be caught sleeping, but stay wide awake and sober, so that we may be live united in the Lord.