Friday Gospel Recharge: A Reflection on the Gospel of Luke 8: 1-3

 

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A reflection on Luke 8: 1-3 

(24th Friday of Ordinary Time, Year B of the Liturgical Calendar, 2024)

Unfadingly merciful: through all time and circumstances 

Since my time at the hospital as a chaplain in palliative care, I have found the work highly challenging. Breaking the ice with the dying and their loved ones is often difficult. The phrase “I’m sorry” is the first thing that comes to mind when I attempt to offer words of comfort, though I recognise that it is insufficient and often ill-timed. On one occasion, I mistakenly offered condolences to the family of a dying patient who, in fact, was still alive. Despite these struggles, I have been told that palliative care is a significant and important ministry.

 

More recently, I encountered a woman nearing the end of her life, with whom I had journeyed from the beginning of her time in care. This experience was different. My supervisor encouraged me to visit her, given that many of my previous attempts had often felt like missed connections rather than encounters. This particular patient experienced profound anxiety about death and took comfort in anyone’s presence. She was a gentle woman, and I found a quiet joy in simply sitting with her. While my presence may have provided her comfort, it was she who offered me a valuable opportunity for growth. I learned that enduring silence with the dying is a vital aspect of end-of-life-care, a lesson that shaped my understanding of this ministry. 

 

Through these sessions with her, I learned fragments of her life. She lacked the energy to speak much, yet she shared enough to reveal the source of her anxiety about her nearing death. She had been christened as an evangelical and attended church services that taught it was a sin to breathe sideways. When an irrational fear is instilled from the pulpit throughout one’s life, it is no surprise that she would carry that anxiety with her toward the end of life.

 

Like all of us, she was a sinner, though I did not know the specifics of her past. Whatever her sins may have been, we are all culpable when we sin. In today’s Gospel, Luke tells us that Jesus cured many women who were tormented by demons, one of whom had seven demons cast out. The significance of this number should not be overlooked, particularly for those who fear death, which, in truth, includes all of us. Luke emphasises that Mary Magdalene was a great sinner, so much so that her life was vulnerable to demonic possession. Her many sins left her bound by the devil.

 

What Luke the Evangelists seeks to convey is that the gravity or the number of our sins does not matter to God, as He always remains ready to forgive us. He has shown us this through the person of Mary Magdalene. We need not fear death if we approach God as sorrowful sinners. Death cannot separate us from God if we have the conviction to turn from sin and the courage to seek forgiveness. Even in our final moments, Jesus stands ready to forgive. A spec of His mercy is more powerful than all our sins combined. Our task, therefore, is to follow Him in the sacrament and to live as repentant sinners. In doing so, He will free us from the bondage of sin, the very sin that allows the devil to enter in our lives and make us spiritually sick. 

 

We are often shaped by what we seek. If we desire to be with God, where peace and prosperity reigns, our hearts must be conformed to His will. A key part of His will is His desire to forgive us and liberate us from sin. Let us turn to God in prayer, asking for His mercy, so that the temptations of the devil may no longer hold power over us.

Friday Gospel Recharge: A Reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 23: 34-40

 

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A Reflection on Matthew 23:34-40 

(20th Friday of Ordinary Time, Year B of the Liturgical Calander, 2024)

True Love's essence in a secular world

The phrase “love is love” is an empty and meaningless expression because it fails to define what love truly is. By merely repeating the word, it offers no deeper insight. This phrase does not originate from Catholic tradition, where words are used with care and intent. We can therefore conclude that its roots are secular, reflecting the world’s distorted priorities regarding the true essence of love: a forgetting of what it truly means to love. 

 

In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees challenge Jesus, asking Him what the greatest commandment is. The text reveals their malicious intent: they seek to find fault in Jesus, hoping to humiliate Him if His answer deviates from tradition. In this way, the behaviour of the Pharisees mirrors modern misunderstanding of love. They are intent on causing harm, and as we know, evil has no place in love. Their actions reveal a forgotten or ignorant understanding of love’s virtue, for if they truly understood their actions, they would recognise that their motive to be anything but loving.

 

However, Jesus surprises the Pharisees on two fronts. First, He recites the Shema, reminding them what they already know, that love of God is before all things. Then, He elaborates on what this love should look like, highlighting that their actions have proven otherwise. Love of God is not merely lip service but a tangible experience, manifested in our love for others as we love ourselves. When we respect and care for others our love for God – with all our heart, soul, and mind – is truly observed.

 

Loving others as ourselves requires a level of self-denial. Many people are in need – this is evident in the tabloids, in our communication with others, and in those we encounter who seem lacking. To address their needs, we provide from our surplus, even at the cost of our own comfort, so that the deprived may experience the love we have for ourselves - the love they too would have for themselves if they were not in want.

 

Loving our neighbour as ourselves entails more than the offering of material assistance; it also includes sharing of intellectual gifts, such as truth, with those who are ignorant, even if it puts us in danger. This act of love also makes the lover vulnerable. Throughout the four Gospels, Jesus often risked His own safety for the sake of others, as seen in his preaching ministry. This is reflected in today’s Gospel, where Jesus reminds the Pharisees that sacrificial love towards our neighbour is integral to fulfilling the greatest commandment: love of God. Even before Jesus could teach them, they were already set on to discredit him. Preaching the truth from a place of love can indeed come at a high cost. 

 

In a world where individualism dominates and error often prevails over truth, it’s no surprise that a meaningless and empty phrase like “love is love” has replaced a truer understanding of love. As Christians, we have a duty to restore love’s true meaning. Jesus implores us to actualise this love by mirroring our love for self in our love for our neighbour. We are not called to a self-centered life, as this contradicts Jesus’s teaching from this Gospel. God has breathed life into our souls so that we may share our lives with others, just as He has shared His life with us. Every Christian is called to preserve their life, which means having a proper love for self. Only when we love ourselves properly can we extend that love freely to others, loving them for their own sake. By doing so, we dignify their lives and help them reach their full potential. 

 

As we journey towards the 21st Sunday of the liturgical calendar, let’s commit to living for others through the love we have for ourselves. This kind of love is the only way we can truly love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. It not only uplifts others but also helps us to reach our potential: to love God more perfectly in every thought, word, and deed. Let’s not be afraid now to commit our lives to loving others and God in this manner.

Friday Gospel Recharge: A Reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 13: 54-58

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A Reflection on Matthew 13:54-58 

(17th Friday of Ordinary Time, Year B of the Liturgical Calander, 2024) 

Avoiding Familiarity's Contempt

We are all familiar with the phrase “familiarity breeds contempt.” This expression suggests that an overexposure to someone can lead to annoyance or disdain. However, the phenomenon of contempt arising from familiarity has various associated causes.

One explanation why this phenomenon occurs is boredom. Over time, due to repetition and over exposure, we can become bored with a person. When this happens, their presence can lead to a sense of ennui and frustration. As a result, we may begin to hold those we once valued with contempt. 

In today’s Gospel, we glean again the people’s contempt for Jesus. Like many of us, Jesus is rejected by his people due to familiarity. The Gospel recounts how the people asked, “is this not the carpenter's son?” They were amazed at Jesus’s teachings, wondering where it had originated. However, their contempt for Jesus was not based on boredom or frustration on unmet expectations for the Gospel tells us that he left his audience astonished. Instead, they rejected Jesus based on his social standing as a commoner. As a commoner, Jesus knew better: he had no right to amaze them with his teaching; instead he was supposed to remain silent.

It is obvious Jesus understood the concept of familiarity breeding contempt. In this Gospel, Jesus is given the last reply, addressing his adversaries with the saying, “a prophet is only despised in his own country and his own house,” before moving on to a neighbouring village to preach. Here, Jesus highlights that familiarity proved an obstacle to his ministry.

As baptised people, we are commissioned to spread the Gospel, often beginning where it’s most convenient: familial territory. It is natural to begin there because there is degree of attachment to friends and kinsmen that we don’t have with strangers; even Jesus began there. However, this Gospel teaches an important lesson: those we know and love dearly will reject us.

This does not mean we can’t communicate the Gospel to people we love. Home is often where our heart is, and that’s where we usually begin. Effective preaching and teaching must be done intelligently to avoid breeding contempt among those who know us well. This might mean steering away from a particular topic or waiting for the right time to share with those who might normally find a topic displeasing. For instance, people don’t like discussing the moral conundrum of premarital sex or divorce, and lapsed Catholics may not want to be reminded of their obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Feast Days of Obligations such at Easter and Christmas. Therefore, any sharing of the Good News requires discernment about when and where to communicate it.

The late pope Benedict XVI, in his encyclical Deus Caritas Est, wrote that a “Christian knows when to speak about God and when it is better to say nothing.” His sentence emphasises the discernment that us Christians must exercise in our interactions with others. It suggests that actions can speak louder than words sometimes. This idea aligns with the notion that familiarity requires a balance of words and deeds. To avoid breeding contempt among those familiar to us, we must be smart in our interactions, speaking at the right time while always being a virtuous agent in the world, guided by the Holy Spirit. 

While we should be prudent in our preaching, there will be times even in our best efforts may give rise to contempt. Reflect on Jesus in today’s Gospel. Jesus, being God, he knew when to speak and when to remain silent. As Christians, we ought to be prepared to face rejection and learn to accept it without personalising it, especially when it results from our work in Jesus’s name. Recently, the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics demonstrated this contempt in its blasphemous parody of the Last Supper, which hurt and offended many of us Christians. While we may feel sensitive to this, it's important to remember that blasphemy is ultimately against God and not us, even if we are the recipients.

Many Christians think that they cannot change anything. However, we should stand up and be counted, not only to at least try to change something but also to register our protest when necessary. Without doing anything, we are passively blaspheming as well. Again, Jesus leads by example, objecting the people’s contempt for him, in the last reply, saying, “a prophet is only despised in his own country…”  Following Jesus’s lead, we can register our objection by sending emails, organising a parish petition, or encouraging the local Ordinary to protest on an international level, showing that making fun of our faith and traditions is not acceptable. 

This week, let’s make pray for the right words to share with others and the courage to accept rejection for the sake of our Lord and Saviour. 

Friday Gospel Recharge: A Reflection on the Gospel of John 21: 15-19

 

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A Reflection on John 21: 15-19 

(7th Friday of Eastertide, Year B of the Liturgical Calendar, 2024)

Lessons from St Peter

The essence of this gospel centres on St Peter’s role and leadership in the Church, as well as the death he faces for following Jesus.

Leadership in this Gospel is highlighted in Jesus’s conversation with Peter. Jesus speaks only to Peter her, asking him to feed his sheep, despite the presence of the other ten apostles. This private exchange underscores St Peter’s unique leadership role.

The nature of St Peter death is not detailed here, only that he will die for Jesus’s sake. Tradition holds that St Peter’s death was excruciating; he was crucified upside down at his request, feeling unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus.

Contrary to popular culture, the upside-down cross is not a satanic symbol. Etched on the Chair of Peter, where the pope sits, is an upside down cross, signifying the martyrdom of St Peter. Our tradition teaches this, so any accusation of belonging to a satanic cult is unfounded.

This Gospel, while focused on the Apostle’s death, also speaks to us. Like St Peter, who was crucified for following Jesus, we too are all called to follow Him, and be prepared to lay down our lives for the Good News. This is easy said than done. However, we are reminded of Jesus’s love shown on the cross. If he died for us, should we not be willing to die for him too?

Following Jesus means promising to nourish others. Jesus tells the Apostle three times to “feed my sheep,” emphasising the cost of discipleship. Jesus never demands more than we can give. He asks us to give from what we have, not from what we lack. This recalls the miracle of the loaves and fish, where Jesus fed five thousand people with just two loaves and three fishes from his disciples.

We can achieve much with the very little we possess. Our task is to be faithful to Jesus’s call, trusting he can use our small contributions to change many hearts. From the calling of the twelve, Jesus was able to transform countless lives across cultures worldwide. It takes a few dedicated spirits to work wonders.

Like St Peter, we are called to die to our own self-interests for the Gospel’s sake and embrace the possibility of martyrdom if it is so God’s will when carry the Gospel with us. Remember, Jesus said to St Peter - and He tells us - to feed his sheep. Nourishing the flock even at the prospect of martyrdom.

On this seventh and final Friday of Eastertide, let us be brave enough to say yes to following Jesus, even if it costs us the ultimate price of our own lives.

Friday Gospel Recharge: A Reflection on the Gospel of John 16: 20-23

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A reflection on John 16: 20-23 

(6th Friday of Eastertide, Year B of the Liturgical Calendar, 2024)

Hope in Suffering

The question of why do good people suffer is an ancient one and has puzzled humanity for centuries. Various attempts to answer this complex question have been made, but none has satisfied everyone. From a Catholic point of view, suffering is seen as meaningful, as it allows us to participate in the saving work of Christ. Conversely, modern atheistic views reject this perspective, arguing that if God exists and is good, suffering would not exist. Thus, secular thinkers tend to view the phenomenon of suffering purely a natural and social factor, addressed solely by human effort alone.

Suffering in itself is inherently linked to evil. However, evil is found within us rather than outside us as an existing force. The definition of evil isn’t the devil, or some other being; it’s more accurate to think of it as a deprivation of a good within us. An apt analogy is the hole in a sock; just as a hole deprives a sock of its function, evil deprives us of goodness. This evil has persisted since  the fall of our first parents and is an inevitable part of our temporal existence, ceasing when we die.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus forewarns his followers about the suffering they will endure, likening it to the pain of childbirth followed by the joy of new life. Here Jesus speaks to them about the sorrow they will experience of his crucifixion, but also the joy they will experience afterwards. Similarly, as modern day believes, we are called to endure suffering for our faith in Christ, knowing that it is temporary and will ultimately lead to joy.

Dealing with suffering demands an outward-thinking perspective on life. We should refrain from harbouring desires for vengeance or bitterness towards the hurt we have endured or may yet endure in or devotion to God in Christ. Instead, we must bear it like the woman in childbirth, maintaining an inner serenity while fixing our gaze on the promise of the resurrection, where joy awaits us despite the inevitability of our suffering, Jesus accompanied us through it and awaits us at its conclusion.

In recent events, the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, an Iraqi-born bishop head of the Assyrian Church in Australia, served as a stark reminder of the reality of suffering by believers. Despite controversy surrounding him, Bishop Mar exemplifies unwavering faith in the face of adversity, refusing to respond to violence with hatred but instead clinging to the hope of the resurrection.

As Catholics, we are reminded that suffering, though inevitable, is without hope.  By embracing our crosses for the sake of Christ, we can find peace amidst the struggles of life. As an exercise this week, let’s ponder on areas in our lives where we have abandoned hope and shunned our crosses, and look towards Christ’s example of enduring suffering with faith and hope.

Friday Gospel Recharge: A Reflection on the Gospel of John 14: 6-14

 

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A Reflection on John 14: 6 - 14 

(5th Friday of Eastertide, Year B of the Liturgical Calendar, 2024)

In Jesus name we pray

In the last two verses of this passage, Jesus makes a promise: anything we ask for in his name he will do it. To add the strength of this promise, Jesus says not once but twice: “I will do it.” So, if we ask for it, he will indeed fulfill our requests. Anything he does in response to prayer, however, is not for his own glorification - although we glorify him because our faith teaches us he is God- but for the majesty and glory of the Father in heaven. Jesus, in his ministry, did all things in the Father’s name, and so, to demonstrate this, he acts when we beseech him.

When we pray in Jesus's name, we can ask for anything that speaks to our hearts. If we desire winning the lottery, ask that in prayer; if we have a broken bone and want it to heal well with no complications, we can ask for healing in Jesus name; if we yearn for High Distinctions when facing academic challenges - again, ask in Jesus's name. However, many times our prayers don’t materialise right away, making us think Jesus isn’t listening. This assumption is wrong because Jesus always listens to us, as his Spirit resides in the sanctuary of our hearts. When Jesus doesn’t seem to respond, we must persist in prayer. Our perseverance signifies our reliance on divine providence rather than solely on our own strength. Sometimes, we might make that common mistake of not having praying earnestly enough. Perseverance and genuine prayer are two pivotal habits in the Christian prayer life.

When we fulfil the requisites and pray accordingly in Jesus name, it’s true that Jesus doesn’t grant all our prayers. Jesus has good reasons for this. The succinct answer is that Jesus knows what’s best for us, and sometimes, what we request may not align with our ultimate wellbeing, despite our innate pursuit to be happy. Indeed, if we are emotionally or physically broken, God desires healing in those areas, and it’s important that we petition God’s grace for healing. To neglect this would erroneously assume that God is indifferent, which is far from the truth. However, healing in these domains often involves a gradual process. In instances where things are not promptly improving, Jesus, in his infinite compassion, provide us with grace to endure the pain, transforming our sufferings into a source of beauty and a testament to his boundless love for us.

In the context of today’s Gospel, Jesus promises the disciples that he will sustain their vocations as disciples when they pray in his name. Jesus wants the world to know the Father’s love for them, and he chooses to only achieve this with our cooperation, now that he has risen and ascended to heaven. We cannot effectuate the conversion of the world through our own efforts alone; it necessitates the grace of God to transmute the heart of men through our testimony to Jesus. Therefore, St Paul urges that when we pray, we should do so in a manner that beseeches God to open doors for the Word to touch the hearts of many (Colossians 4:2-6).

Being a witness of Jesus is not solely arduous work; it also requires a rigorous way of life. It demands relinquishing worldly attachments and enduring significant trials and tribulations because of the world’s opposition to God’s message. When challenges cross our paths as witnesses, only the solace of God’s providence can alleviate the burdens inherent in the work of discipleship. Undoubtedly, the charity of God’s people, be it material or emotional support, eases some of the hardship, but the transient goods of this world pale in comparison to the enduring grace of God. When we implore God’s support, he lightens our load by sustaining us with the hope of the resurrection, the fortitude to persevere and all the other gifts of the Holy Spirit, empowering us to be effective agents in the world.

Heaven holds treasures for us- whether it be the reunion with lost loved ones, a perfect and glorified body, or eternal relief from trials and tribulations. Yet, the most sublime gift awaiting us is God himself. Nothing surpasses the gift of God over all other blessings he could bestow upon us. Let us pray in such a manner that we may be reunited with God once again. This is the one request that Jesus will never deny to those who sincerely seek this communion. In prayer, let us petition for the giver rather than solely for the gifts bestowed.

Friday Gospel Recharge: A Reflection on the Gospel of John 6: 52-59

 

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A Reflection on John 6: 52 - 59 

(3rd Friday of Eastertide, Year B of the Liturgical Calander, 2024)

Navigating doubt: Exploring the real presence of the Eucharist

The dynamics of doubt in human experience are multifaceted and can be influenced by various factors. Doubts may arise due to the uncertainty of an idea or situation, such as the idea found in the discourse in today’s Gospel: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” We can also doubt due to fear of the future: “If I take this job opportunity, would it really establish a new base salary for a promising and better future? If it doesn’t, what a waste of time and effort.” Cultural influence, another important factor, shapes one’s belief and attitudes in a particular way, making us sceptical and critical of other ideas, leading to moments of doubt too.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus sparks doubt with his doctrine on the Eucharist, which we profess to be Jesus’s true body and blood. The Jews, with the customs and rituals, are troubled by this saying, since Jesus presents them a new commandment which looks akin to cannibalism, a practice forbidden by the law of Moses. Like our Catholic tradition, the Jews believed in the sanctity of human life due to our created image and likeness to God, and so eating a human person is forbidden. However, the Jews, while zealous for Godly things, were preoccupied with purity. They were forbidden to touch a diseased person, eat an animal found dead, nor drink the blood of animals, for all these things made them impure. Purity was important as it made a person more like God; purer your actions closer you related to God. Eating Jesus flesh and blood therefore would make them not only cannibals but impure.

Cannibalism, however, is not what is practiced in the Church. The Eucharist, while it is Christ’s body and blood, is not a physical and literal presence of Christ. Although it is the actual deified body of the Lord presented under the accidents of bread and wine, at the same time not a symbolic representation, even though the external appearance remains. To believe the miracle of the Eucharist is Christ requires, therefore, the eyes of faith to see.

In our modern world, doubters of the Eucharist exist, many being baptised and confirmed Catholics. This is unfortunate news because Catholics are required to believe in the real presence; there are no two ways about it. Before receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, we prepare for our first reception of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and in the preparatory stages, candidates are informed in what we believe as Catholics in the Eucharist and that they are required to believe it in order to receive this gift given to us from heaven.

Pope Benedict XVI, and like many before him, have emphasised the doctrine of the transubstantiation of the Eucharist is confirmed in the scriptures. For example, in today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that his body is “real” food, and his blood is “real” drink. This is the first of the two references of the Eucharist. What Jesus means to say is that the Eucharist is indeed not a symbol but truly his body.  If he meant anything else, he would have said this is “like” my body, or a “metaphor” for my body. For this reason, the Church has always believed that the Eucharist is truly Jesus Christ. Since many Catholics today lack grounding in scripture and tradition, this doctrine has become difficult to accept and misunderstood.

Doubt surrounding the real presence of the Eucharist can be overcome by turning to what the church has taught and defended over the centuries. Controversy over the real presence is not recent; it’s been defended since the 1st century. The Didache, a 1st-century document, offers glimpses of what the early Church taught. Many people have died for this teaching. St Justin Martyr, an apologist and philosopher in the early to mid-2nd century, died, among many other Christians, for believing and defending in the real presence. His defense can be found in the 1st Apology, chapter 66. Today, people mock and threaten us for our belief. In more recent times, Richard Dawkins, a world-renowned English biologist, said once in an interview and also to a public crowd that atheists should mock and ridicule Catholics for professing in the real presence. 

If Jesus did not mean what he meant about our participating in his body and blood in the Eucharist, he would have said so. God is neither a liar nor a deceiver, and so he has been very clear with his words, referring to the Eucharist as his own body and blood. He wants what is best for us, and that is our reunification with him in heaven. When we consume Jesus in the Eucharist, it signifies that reality of what is to come: life with God or communion with him.

We cannot return to God using our own strength; we need God’s strength to help us along the way. God, in a sacramental way, paves that way by giving us himself as Eucharistic food for the journey. What better nourishment is there to have then God himself in the Eucharist?

There is this saying: You are what you eat. Since we are made in the image and likeness of God we become exactly that through partaking in the Eucharist. God wants us, therefore, to be like him.

Let us ponder then where we are at in our spiritual journey in relation to Eucharist.  What is my current belief and what do I need to do to increase my faith in Jesus in the Eucharist?

Friday Gospel Recharge: A Reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 5: 20-26

 

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A Reflection on Matthew 5: 20 - 26 

(1st Friday of Lent, Year B of the Liturgical Calander, 2024)

Beyond the embodiment of Dogma: mercy

If you're not familiar with the Gospels, Jesus' main opponents are the Scribes and Pharisees. Aware of the Roman occupant and the burdens they impose, Jesus notes their hefty tax on his people, though it's not a significant issue in his earthly ministry. The insignificance of the Roman occupants may relate to Jesus' vision of a new Jerusalem, restructuring the Davidic Kingdom to include all nations and ethnic groups in the divine family.

 

Jesus' concern with the Scribes and Pharisees lies in their strict adherence to the written law, suggesting a legalistic approach to religious practices. Jesus is deeply troubled by their strict interpretation of the law, recognizing the burden it imposes on people's physical and spiritual well-being. They have either forsaken the Mosaic Law in favor of pagan practices or grown accustomed to a rigid observance, lacking mercy in their social and pastoral approach to the Judaic community. To address this, Jesus confronts not the foreign occupants, but those hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees whose understanding and practice of the Law deviate from a traditional interpretation centered on God’s letter of the text—love and mercy.

 

In today’s Gospel, the Scribes and the Pharisees feature once again in another of Jesus’ messages: “‘If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus presents this message to his audience so to challenge them to go beyond the superficial adherence to rules and regulations. Indeed, it’s just “not to kill,” and to present those who do murder “before the court,” which we read here. However, God’s measure of justice goes beyond the strict line that could only see it to mean giving unto one what one only deserves. In fact justice should be an act of mercy and mercy an act of justice. In numerous occasions Jesus presents this notion in his teachings. For example, the parable of the workers in the vineyard, Jesus teaches us that mercy is at the heart of justice. In this parable, the vineyard owner pays those who do a days work a days wage, and those who work only half or one tenth of a days work also a days wage. 

 

In today’s Gospel account, Jesus brings home the message emphasising that mercy is a virtue that proceeds from God. He says, if anyone is angry with his brother, be reconciled with him first, before making your offering of sacrifice. For the measure of love one shows to another will be the measure God will show unto him. Jesus wants us to empathise with those who disappoint or break relationship with us. People are complex beings and often their distorted thinking, their broken ways will determine how they act. They don’t necessarily mean to harm us, it’s just that their judgment in executing the good is an erroneous one, and this can be forgiven. God understands we can fail him a lot of the time too; he is aware that our fallen nature informs our decisions which is unpleasant and frustrating to him; however he wants us to hold off the cane and see how those who have hurt us or others in the community as God would, empathising with his plight.

 

Showing mercy is tough. This is because we have a very bad opponent, the devil, who entices us to remain unreconciled people. Yes, we may have opponents in this world: former friends, colleagues, enemy nation states, although our greatest opponent is the devil: for he influences humans to become our opponents. The best approach to warding off this vile creature is by staying close to the principalities of heaven such as our guardian angel and all the angelic and saintly hosts of heaven. We must pray to them for their protection; indeed we can pray directly to God too for his intercession however God’s community in heaven do not exist in a passive state. They are active in our redemption longing that we might be saved along with them. So, pray to your guardian angel or any other heavenly host with whom you have or want a close relationship. If we fail in this area, we might indeed fester human opponents for a lifetime. As this gospel message suggests, lifelong opponents amounts to an unfavourable judgment. if this case might be, we will then have the devil and his colleagues of hell accuse and torment us for an eternity, asking the question: why did you not reconcile with your brother when you had the chance. A scary yet just and merciful outcome for those who die in their sins.

 

As we continue to journey this Lent, towards Calvary where Jesus died for the forgiveness of sins, let’s pray for the grace to ward off the evil spirits that prey we might become rigid and unforgiving people. Let us also ask for the insight in people’s plight and the grace to be forgiving people. Let us pray that our broken relationships might be mended, representing the divine essence of the tri-persons of God which is love. 

Friday Gospel Recharge: A Reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 9: 14-15

 

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A Reflection on Matthew 9: 14 - 15

(Friday after Ash Wednesday, Year B of the Liturgical Calander, 2024)

Desiring God again through our Lenten observance

As humans, we can be very ambitious creatures. This is very evident in the world we live in today; it’s observed in people’s pursuit for money, power, fame, riches, honour, innovation - a phenomenon that stretches as far back since time began: “Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens’” (Exodus 11:14).

We don’t want a small portion of these pleasurable goods either, it’s always in abundance and more than we could possess. People’s pursuit for pleasurable things come from an innate desire for them. When we desire something, be that money, maybe even just a single scoop of banana flavoured ice cream, the chase is on until we behold the desire stirred within. Until the desirable object is secured, our wanting will still remain strong.

The idea of desire can also be found in today’s Gospel. We hear of Jesus’ disciples criticised for not fasting while the disciples of John the Baptist do. Jesus addresses his critics by saying that when the bridegroom is absent, his followers will fast. After all, what is the point of fasting in times of a feast? When we attend a wedding banquet, often we find an abundance of food, drink, sex. Very rarely - if ever - are we invited to put on sackcloth and mourn for the newly wedded.

The discussion on fasting in this Gospel seems contradictory in comparison with the idea of desire, for desire often draws one towards what they want strongly instead of stepping back from the goods and pleasures that give quality and proper satisfaction. If we desire pleasure of all sorts and to experience them must come through consumption instead of fasting and abstinence of them, then this Gospel indicates something more than what we already know about the phenomenon of human desire.

Other than seeking pleasure in the usual natural goods, people everywhere have a desire for a higher good, something which is not exactly composed of form and matter. “They seek me day after day” says Isaiah in our first reading, “they long to know my ways,” continues the prophet. From all ages, every culture and ethnic race from Solomon Islands to Sweden have wanted to intimately know a higher being known as God. Some cultures have reduced God to an animal or some vegetable matter, while other cultures have reduced him as a man. Perhaps the reduction of God as a form of some material object is so that through our senses, humans of times past might possess that most desirable object which has spoken to the heart since our first parents took their first breath.

According to our faith, God is neither here nor there. He is above and beyond this timely existence; he, as that brilliant theologian has taught, is the act of existence whose essence cannot be distinguished from his existence. Our faith also teaches that God is one of love who knows no limit; this is best represented by Jesus on the cross. However, our faith goes on to teach that irrespective of our personal longing to know God, God is also jealous of our love and attention, delighting in our pursuit after him: “You shall not bow down to them (idols) or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God” (Exodus 20: 5-6).

If our God is one of love and yet is also jealous for our attention, it informs that our means to being with God is through the pathway of love. Love always entails sacrifice, and since God’s love is unconditional, our sacrifices should follow similarly. It means that when we give, we do so from the point where we expect nothing in return, desiring only that the other we have shown service towards may receive the best and all that our labour is worth. When our sacrifices are not geared towards our unfocused-selves, entailing something in return, even just the slightest recognition for the activity done, then our sacrifice cannot be described a true sacrifice. For Jesus our example did not take the honour for his death on the cross but for the glory of God, and it’s because of the glory he gave to his Father we remember him and can truly love him.

Lent is a period in the Church’s liturgical calendar that summons the faithful to fasting and abstinence. It’s a period where we take on more sacrifices. The purpose of our Lenten penances isn’t for the sole purpose of developing a habit to endure self-inflicting pain, or to focus ourselves on glum penances. Instead, Lent is a time to learn to desire God again, through the sacrifices we make for him. It’s in sacrifice of money, wealth, and the other pleasures of life that something greater outside ourselves and the world exists, whose love for us and can give us more than anything the world can give.

This is what Jesus meant by today’s Gospel. When he has gone to the Father, his disciples will desire to be with him again. Until then, they will fast. For now, they remain in the good company of God whose presence satisfies their hearts desires; they need not to fast. So remember, when you have decided your Lenten penance, it’s done to draw us closer to God, to trust in his support for our existence, to support that innate desire to be with him again. Do not fear of giving something up this Lent, for God is with us during this time of fasting and abstinence.

Friday Gospel Recharge: A Reflection on the Gospel of Luke 2: 22-35

 

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A Reflection on Luke 2: 22-35 

(5th Day within the Octave of Christmas, Year B of the Liturgical Calander, 2023)

Christ is Messiah and People Dedicated to God Proclaim this Truth

Dedicating oneself to living in the world as either married or single person can be a hard slog for those people. Often, we approach many societal pressures to compromise the truth of the Gospel in our workspace. Most of the time people are pressured to be silent on the doctrinal moral truths of the Church but today it can be equally pressured to renounce the universality of the Godhead in Jesus Christ. All religions lead to the truth many would want us to think, so why can’t we accept every religion equally since each claim something about God?

In today’s Gospel we learn about Mary and her spouse Joseph dedicating the Christ child to the Lord in the temple. For us Catholics this might seem hard to grasp why Mary and Joesph would do that, since our faith informs us that Jesus is God in the flesh, so why then is he required to be offered to God as prescribed by the Mosaic Law? Two things come to mind in this instance. First, Mary and Joseph were devout Jews; they did what the Law required them. Secondly, Jesus was doing the will of the Father via the agency of Mary and Joseph. In fact, in the life of Jesus all his actions were orientated towards giving activity to the Father’s will, so irrespective of his infancy he, no doubt, would have dedicated himself as the first born to the Lord as per prescription of the Law: ““How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2: 49).

Interestingly in this Gospel we learn of the presence of Simeon the temple priest. Not much is known about him. A very small account of him is provided here. However, his famous words acknowledge a revelation given to him, namely that after he sets his eyes on the Christ child, God would let him see his natural death. 

Now, Simeon was of the Levitical priesthood. Without going much into detail, the Levitical priest dedicates his life to sanctifying the lives of the people by providing doctrinal instructions, offering sacrifices and providing pastoral care. These three aspects are also found in the working dimensions of Catholic priests today. However, Catholic ministerial priests receive their priesthood from Christ and not from the tribe of Levite. Setting this aside, Simeon, an elderly priest of the temple, made a proclamation when he saw the Christ child. He proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah and dedicated the rest of his days proclaiming this truth. 

As Catholics we also belong the priesthood of Christ. By virtue of our baptism we enter into that common priesthood. It is through baptism that we are received into this priesthood. The laity don’t function as ministerial priests since the ministerial priest is at the service of the common priesthood sanctifying, teaching and governing it.  We share in the very work of Christ by being priests, prophets and kings in the world. In other words, we dedicate our lives to be holy, teach and serve those in need.

What are we required to teach as Catholics of the common priesthood of Christ? Indeed we proclaim and embody the moral truths of the Church. However, as Catholics we should be undeniably dedicated to proclaiming Christ as Messiah. He was not just another moral person in times past who embodied decent values. To only proclaim that would be an insult to God and those who gave themselves for the message of the Gospel. Catholics and Christians everywhere are to teach what Jesus taught, and to proclaim what the Church teaches about Christ. He is not only the Messiah. He is also God the Son and God in human form. We’re called to proclaim this truth. We have an obligation to proclaim this since by virtue of our baptism we became priests of the common priesthood and as part of our membership we are required to be wholly dedicated to the things of holiness and truth. 

Although all religions claim to offer some truths about God, Jesus coming to redeem us and to be God with us as Emmanuel makes his coming not only present at Christmas but Jesus as Emmanuel is with us every moment of every day. He wants to be with us in every part of our life. He came to redeem us. He came to be human so that we can learn to be divine. We need to not only know the truths about Him but to have a personal relationship with Him.

Society thinks that Christmas is just one day whereas as Catholics we celebrate the season of Christmas, including having an octave of Christmas where the Christmas texts are used. This Christmastide let’s be more faithful to proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah who came to redeem and restore us to the Father’s love. Let’s not be afraid to tell others that Jesus who was given to us as a gift from God the Father at Christmas is indeed God and through him we are saved. 

Friday Gospel Recharge: A Reflection on the Gospel of Luke 1: 26-38

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A Reflection on Luke 1: 26-38 

(1st Friday in Advent, Year B of the Liturgical Calander, 2023)

Trusting in God's Plan for Our Lives

As a second-year university student majoring in Environmental Science, I used to contemplate the idea of graduating and what that future might hold: a fulfilling job, a loving and beautiful spouse, all the material luxuries life could offer. However, none of these dreams ever materialized. Even if I had pursued them, I might have only ended up with an ordinary job at best.

During these moments of daydreaming about post-graduate life, I vividly remember feeling a gentle yet persistent call from God, urging me to consider a religious vocation. Whenever I allowed my thoughts to wander toward worldly pleasures, the word "PRIESTHOOD" would suddenly disrupt my fantasies. It was as if God were trying to redirect my path. Instead of embracing this calling, I panicked and concocted a plan to silence it, determined to pursue my own ambitions.

In today's Gospel, we encounter the story of the Virgin Mary and her divine vocation as the Mother of God. What sets her vocation apart from mine is that not only did she have the incredible honour of being Jesus's mother, but she also conceived Him while remaining a virgin, a seemingly impossible feat from a natural perspective. However, as the Gospel emphasizes, nothing is impossible with God, as all creation finds its origin in Him. Mary, with her unwavering devotion to the one true God, willingly surrendered her will to Him, trusting that He could help her achieve the impossible.

As members of the human race, God calls each one of us to respond to His divine plan. In answering this call, He desires that we place our trust in what He has in store for us. Trusting God can be challenging. Some may struggle with the abstract nature of God's presence, doubting His existence or questioning their faith in His inspired Word and the teachings of the Church. Others may find it difficult to believe that what God is calling them to do is not only possible but that He won’t fulfil His part in realising those plans.

One way we can learn to develop a trusting relationship with God is by reflecting on the countless times we have failed ourselves through our own shortcomings or how those we've loved and trusted the most have let us down repeatedly. If we've experienced disappointment from ourselves or others, it begs the question: can we be so sure that God would follow suit if we don't allow some space for God to guide us where He intends us to be? In my own journey, I eventually answered God's call. While I didn’t, at least not yet, achieve ordination, I found God closing certain doors and opening new ones, making the impossible pursuit of a religious vocation possible. All my initial concerns and worries were gradually addressed by God as I progressed in formation and earnestly lived out the evangelical counsels.

If doubt in God's providence remains a stumbling block, this Gospel featuring Mary serves as a reminder that God's assurance is unwavering. Throughout the conception, birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God was steadfastly by her side. Let us turn to her example whenever we feel God calling us to undertake an incredible task. By seeking inspiration from her, we may discover the courage and faith needed to respond with the same resounding YES that she offered. Saying yes to God always opens the door to more possibilities. At Christmas, we are reminded that God's ultimate gift to us is a share in His life—a promise we receive as a precious gift.

During this Advent season, as we prepare to welcome the Christ child at Christmas, let us strive for greater faithfulness in living our lives according to God's plan. Our fidelity to God's ways can only be achieved when we first place our trust in Him.

Friday Gospel Recharge: A Reflection on the Gospel of Luke 17: 26-37

 

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A Reflection on Luke 17: 26-37 

(32nd Friday in Ordinary Time, Year A of the Liturgical Calendar, 2023)

Preparing ourselves for Christ's second coming

As a child the first-time death confronted me, I was playing Marble Madness on the 16-bit Sega Mega Drive console, a very popular gaming console of my time; I was about 7 or 8 years-old. I remember the incident that sparked the curiosity and fears of death in me. It did not register at first, however overtime, as the marble kept falling from the course, due to my amateur gaming skills, I realised that life had an end. I put the console controller down, ran to my father and told him that I did not want to die. From memory, he provided little assurance on the life that awaits us with Christ after death, but to be fair my father was gentle and kind about the situation reassuring me not to worry about it.

We all have loved ones who have died in the past too. Some we have no memory of who might be a grandparent we have never come to know; others have been closer relations. A school friend of mine died in a car crash in the first year out of high school, he was only 18. In the last year or so, politicians and cricket stars have left this world unexpectedly due to heart failure. Not all people die unexpectedly since some live to their final moments, prepared as they were before their soul separates from their broken bodies and go to God. Nevertheless, life for some takes an unexpected turn, leaving us confronted and worried about our own mortalities.

In this Gospel, Jesus confronts us with the reality of his second coming. He tells us that he will return without any warning: as Noah went into the ark and the people were eating and marrying and having a good time, the flood came and destroyed them all. In fact, when the second coming takes place, Jesus warns us that it will be too late for us to do anything else to warrant salvation. Not even our material wealth will sway God to save us: “when that day comes, anyone on the housetop, with his possessions in the house, must not come down to collect them, nor must anyone in the fields turn back either.” However, it is not doom and gloom for all. Again, Jesus tells us that “anyone who preserves his life will lose it, and anyone who loses it will keep it safe.”

Preservation of this life, in Jesus’s point-of-view, is realised in those who seek security in this world. A man pursues not only a good career which secures him money, health insurance and material wealth; he invests his security only in created goods, and not God. Not only does the man place his security in created goods, but he also looks inwardly and sees himself as the only good worth preserving. He spends all that was given and gained on himself. He only eats, drinks, and enjoys life. When one is completely focused on himself, he forgets God and those around him in need. In other words, he forgets to love.

As human beings, we are called to love the people around us. The Church reminds us that God is love and that we were created out of God’s love so that we could love him and each other in return. In our own existence we feel a call to love even if we are ignorant of what the Church teaches. When we are confronted with evil our heart melts for those who suffer. Sometimes, we even respond to the evil to alleviate the pain of another. This kind of response requires self-sacrifice because we forsake something of ourselves so that someone else might find life again.

When Jesus says “those who lose it will keep it safe” he means that those who invest in God first and not themselves will find security after his second return.  To invest in God requires nothing more than trusting in his plan for us and living it out completely each and every day. It involves living a life of love out of love for God. We do this by first honouring him which consists of upholding The Commandments, praying regularly and every day, and most importantly showing people the same affection, which God has shown us - in other words: loving others as God has loved us.

For two reasons the last commandment should be considered seriously. Firstly, when we love we grow as individuals, realising our best potential. It is in sacrifice in which we discover our real selves, not in hoarding material and wealth for ourselves, nor in drinking and eating. Those who live only for material and pleasurable things not only become unhappier they also lack a story to tell; they are in fact boring people. We all would like our life’s story told by others however that story can be told only if we have something good to share with others. Think of what Jesus did for us on the cross: he died for us so that we might find life and that story remains to be told today. While life is all about getting to heaven where Jesus now reigns, our heavenly journey comes with a story, and it is one which must involve a personal cross. Lastly, we want to love because of this gospel message. A time will come when death or Jesus will come unexpectedly, and when that day arrives, we want to be prepared so that Jesus might take us with him where we will live happily forever.

Do not settle for comfort and pleasure like in the days of Noah and Lot. Indeed, comfort and pleasure are still pursued in our modern day. Instead, put God first and live for heaven’s sake.

Friday Gospel Recharge: A Reflection on the Gospel of Luke 16: 1-8

 

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A Reflection on Luke 16: 1-8 

(31st Friday in Ordinary Time, Year A of the Liturgical Calendar, 2023)

Approaching Times of Crises with Intelligence and Truth

In this parable, Jesus conveys a message that has long puzzled not only me, but many in the congregation and numerous commentators throughout history. Frankly, when I first encountered this passage, I deliberated again and again the decision to reflect on it. The narrative portrays a dishonest manager who, confronting the threat of unemployment, reduces the debts owed to his master. His motive is clear: to ensure that these debtors would support him post-employment. Fascinatingly, at the parable’s conclusion, the master commends the steward for his shrewdness in navigating this critical juncture.

 

This passage presents a perplexing scenario: a master incurs a loss through his steward's actions, yet he commends the steward for reducing debts owed to him. To grasp its meaning, one must see the master as representing Jesus. Therefore, I propose the crux of the message lies in the dishonest manager's response to crisis. Jesus highlights that the manager doesn't dwell on his impending unemployment or wallow in self-pity for his mistakes. Rather, he evaluates his predicament and devises a strategy to regain control over his life.

 

Crisis is an inevitable part of life, sparing no one. For the single person, it often takes the shape of loneliness, possibly due to a lack of confidantes. This solitude can lead to coping mechanisms like binge eating, alcohol consumption, or pornography, culminating in depression. Financial burdens, too, weigh heavily, as single incomes struggle to provide security. In marriage, crises evolve differently. The demands of love, partnership, and parenting can be overwhelming, leading some to seek comfort outside their marriage, tragically breaching their vows and impacting children, in-laws, and the wider family network. For priests and consecrated people, crises might manifest as doubts in their vocation or the burden of false accusations, which they must endure. Diocesan priests face the additional challenge of financial stewardship for their parish and themselves. Meanwhile for consecrated religious, community life can be strained by personality clashes or projection issues among members.

 

Every crisis requires an intelligent response. Indeed, while emotions are a natural part of our response, it's essential to tame them. This control ensures that we are not entirely swayed or blinded by our feelings, as they aren’t concerned with rational decision-making. In any crisis you face, it's important to take a step back and read the situation intelligently. I’m no clinical psychologist but every crisis provides an opportunity for sin, and this makes us vulnerable to the devil even more.

 

Our human nature, flawed as it is, often leads us to make self-centred decisions in times of crisis, much like the dishonest manager in the parable. His shrewdness was acknowledged, but it's worth considering whether he was commended more for his initiative than for the moral judgment of his actions, given that his choices ultimately disadvantaged his master. To navigate a crisis responsibly, it’s important to have a game plan ready. The most effective plan we could adopt is to immediately seek God’s counsel. In our efforts, it's God who orchestrates order from chaos, being the mastermind of all things and who knows the best route for rescuing. However, turning to God in these trying times can be a challenge.

 

As mentioned earlier, emotions heavily influence our decisions during a crisis, often leading us to act out of pride or folly rather than from a place of truth. This is where humility becomes essential — acknowledging our limitations and seeking help from God. Our faith teaches us to turn to God, who is holy, faultless, and whose love is everlasting. This truth is affirmed by His ultimate sacrifice for us on the Cross, even while we were still sinners.

 

Crisis often involves others, as seen in the parable of the dishonest manager whose actions financially and emotionally harmed his master, leading to severe repercussions. The steward's introspective approach to problem-solving disregarded his master's needs. As Christians, we're called to a life of service to others, which demands creative thinking that is outward-looking, in both good and challenging times. This principle especially resonates with married people, who take vows to honour each other regardless of circumstances. Therefore, when a crisis knocks on our door, we should, with God's assistance, remain composed and discern a wise path out of the troubles that may invade our lives. Rather than wallowing in our problems, we're encouraged to seek ways to serve others. It's through this service, even in hard times, that we find peace.

 

Let us love God wholeheartedly, in good times and in times of crises.