Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles - Feast

One of the things which we Christians should never forget is that, in church and in our community, there should be no strangers, since we are all sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters in Christ. This means that we need to be friendly and welcoming towards new members and those we may have not seen or met before. We cannot come to church minding our own business and thinking that it is not our duty or responsibility to show Christian love towards others. Just as Jesus loves all of us and treats each of us as His own, shouldn't we be doing the same as best we can?

In today's reading, we are reminded: "You are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit." If we are part of God's household, then surely we should at the least be familiar and friendly towards others around us, including newcomers. It is unfortunate that we sometimes see newcomers being ignored, while some of us seem so busy socialising with only people we are comfortable with or we seem so busy and focused only with church activities. May we not forget the "human element" of being Christian, and be willing to come out of our comfort zone, so that we would truly be united as God's children.

Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles - Feast

There comes a time in life where we need to make important decisions. Sometimes such decisions could determine our future vocation, way of life, financial happiness, the man or woman we may marry, our family happiness, and many other things which we need to consider carefully here on earth. Some decisions could also determine our relationship with God. We do not want to end up making foolish or rash decisions, only to regret later. So what do we do? How do we find the wisdom, strength and inspiration to make a right and good decision?

In today's Gospel, we are told that Jesus went out into the hills to pray; and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. It was only after spending a substantial amount of time praying and listening to God that Jesus was able to choose twelve from His disciples, and he called them 'apostles.' Jesus took His time in praying, and listening attentively to God, before He made His choice. In the same way, we too should not treat decisions lightly. We should follow Jesus' example in praying earnestly, and taking time to listen to God. Sometimes we can get inspiration and ideas when we humbly and patiently seek God's help and providence through prayer. Are we willing to be patient and committed in prayer, listening to God's promptings, and letting Him help us? Or do we still insist in doing things our way, only to regret our decision later?

Oct 28 - Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

Before we do anything or make any important decisions, do we pray and ask God for strength and wisdom to do what is right? Today's Gospel shows us that Jesus "went out into the hills to pray; and he spent the whole night in prayer to God." Notice that He did not rush through prayer but took time to converse with God and listen to Him. Perhaps we too should take heed of this, as some of us may have the habit of rattling through our prayer without giving God a chance to talk to us and teach us.