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.