punishment

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Saturday, 14 September 2013 : Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Scripture Reflection)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate a very important feast of our faith, the very centre of our faith itself, and the foundation of our faith, that is the Most Holy Cross of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. The cross is the symbol of our salvation, and not just mere symbol in fact, as the cross is where the Lord our God was lifted high up in between the heavens and the earth, bleeding and suffering.

The cross was the common way for the Romans to punish criminals, particularly those considered as dangerous threat to their Empire, and that was the punishment meted out by them on Jesus, on the advice of the Pharisees and the chief priests. It is truly a humiliating way to die, the criminals’ death, that He was lifted up, left almost naked on the cross, bound and pierced with nails, and left hanging there until He gave up His Spirit to the Father.

That cross, the humiliating cross, was taught by the enemies of Christ, prime among all, Satan himself, as the end of the road for Christ, as the victory that he finally achieved in his rebellion against God, as the ultimate foiling of the Lord’s long conceived plan for salvation of mankind and the world. The enemies of Christ rejoiced in His seemed ‘defeat’ and death. The cross become their symbol of victory against the Messiah and the Lamb of God.

And yet, the cross truly is the symbol of victory, as it has been transformed from the humiliating cross, into the triumphant cross of glory. The cross was transformed from the symbol of humiliation, defeat, and despair, into the sign of hope, of victory. All of that was because of Jesus and His death, which happened as He hung on that wooden cross in suffering.

Jesus who was without sin and perfect as One fully divine and fully human, and yet He was punished for all of our sins, and He bore all that as He carried His cross to Calvary and as He hung between the heavens and the earth. His bleeding wounds are symbols of His suffering of bearing our faults and sins, the punishment that we should have endured ourselves, but the Lord in His love, endured them all for our sake, that we may live.

Just as when the people of Israel suffered because of their rebellion, when the Lord punished them with fiery serpents, for having doubted His power and complained repeatedly for the Lord having shown His love and kindness to them. The serpents represent the punishment for sins that we have committed, and the wickedness that we had committed and found wanting in the eyes of God. Yet, He showed great mercy on all of His children, by giving them a new hope, on the bronze serpent, lifted up high by Moses, that all who looked at it will not die but live.

Jesus Christ is the bronze serpent for all of us, that through His loving sacrifice on the cross, just as He mentioned to Nicodemus, that He was lifted up high between the heavens and the earth on that cross, for the exactly same purpose, that all who look at Him and believe, will not die, and not just any death, but death everlasting, will live. He died so that we may live, and have eternal life in us, the life God the Father had given, the Spirit had nurtured, and the Son had renewed through His death.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we commemorate this important feast of the Holy Cross of Christ, let us always keep in mind, the painful suffering that our Lord, the Lamb of God led to His slaughter, endured for our sake, so that we may live and not die. Let us also always be mindful of the numerous wounds on His Body, which represent each and every one of our sins without exception. Remember that every time we sin, or every time we are tempted to sin and do something against the commandments of the Lord.

Let us also put our hope in Christ, the victorious and conquering Lord, putting our hope in His triumphant cross, the symbol of victory against sin and evil. Do not turn our back on the cross or be shy about the Lord on the cross. Remember that with every cross, there is also Christ there, because just as He is a triumphant God, He is also a suffering God, who so loved the world that He willed Himself to descend unto our world and be the redemption for our sins, paying to the last cent, our faults and iniquities, that we ought to have suffered from.

Let us rejoice in Christ and His Holy Cross, giving thanks and praise for the One who gave up His life on the cross, that we may live. May the cross lead us and inspire us to take up our own crosses and follow Christ at all times. Amen.

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Saturday, 31 August 2013 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White

Matthew 25 : 14-30

Imagine someone who, before going abroad, summoned his servants to entrust his property to them. He gave five talents of silver to one servant, two talents to another servant, and one talent to a third, to each according to his ability; and he went away.

He who received five talents went at once to do business with the money, and gained another five. The one who received two talents did the same, and gained another two. But the one who received one talent dug a hole, and hid his master’s money.

After a long time, the master of those servants returned and asked for a reckoning. The one who had received five talents came with another five talents, saying, “Lord, you entrusted me with five talents, but see, I have gained five more.” The master answered, “Very well, good and faithful servant, since you have been faithful in a few things, I will entrust you with much more. Come and share the joy of your master.”

Then the one who had received two talents came and said, “Lord, you entrusted me with two talents; with them I have gained two more.” The master said, “Well, good and faithful servant, since you have been faithful in little things, I will entrust you with much more. Come and share the joy of your master.”

Finally, the one who had received one talent came and said, “Master, I know that you are a hard man. You reap what you have not sown, and gather what you have not scattered. I was afraid, so I hid your money in the ground. Here, take what is yours!” But his master replied, “Wicked and worthless servant, you know that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered; so you should have deposited my money in the bank, and on my return you would have given it back to me with interest.”

“Therefore, take the talent from him, and give it to the one who has ten. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who are unproductive, even what they have will be taken from them. As for that useless servant, throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

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Monday, 26 August 2013 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (Scripture Reflection)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we hear the woes that Jesus said bluntly towards the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law, and the religious leaders of God’s people, the chief priests and all who were supposedly holy and became examples for the people to follow. Yet, they abused their authority and subverted the true purpose of their works and instead of serving God and His people, they truly serve only themselves.

To be the disciples and children of God is not enough with just superficial and momentary devotion and prayers to the Lord our God. That is not enough, brothers and sisters, as these mean that most likely we do not have true faith in our hearts, we do not have true love, especially love for our God and love for all His children. Empty prayers and rituals are meaningless and do not have any relevance for our love of God.

That was exactly what the Pharisees and the chief priests, with the teachers of the Law were doing in the time of Jesus and His ministry. They were truly influential leaders of the faithful, as no king had been present in Israel ever since the fall of Jerusalem six hundred years earlier, and the exile of Judah to Babylon. Ever since, the priesthood and the priests had taken control and leadership over the society, and in the process, grow ever more excessive in their worldly excesses and things that displeased the Lord.

Doubling their role as both the religious leaders of the people, and also as leaders in the matters of the world such as politics, economics, and others had corrupted their true purpose, that is to lead the people towards the Lord, and leading them in worshipping the One God who loves them. Instead, they misused their authority to keep everyone in check, that no one should overstep their boundaries and challenge their teaching authority, which they claimed came from the Law itself.

The Lord gave His commandments and laws to His people, that they will continue to walk in His path and remain in His love, and that they will know what is love, both the love for God and the love for men, fellow brothers and sisters, the same children of God. Yet, the Pharisees had made distinctions between peoples, and looked down on those whom they deemed as not pious enough, or rather not as ‘pious’ as themselves. To them piety meant strict observation of the Law and also visible acts of piety such as holy acts and public prayers.

The Pharisees paid much attention into their rites and human-made laws. They worried so much and put so much attention into detail of such laws, such as the absurdity of the handwashing laws, which dictated that they have to observe washing their hands entirely and thoroughly without fail, a washing that entailed complete washing of the entire arm, from the tip of the finger towards the elbow. Failing to do such observances would certainly bring jeers from the Pharisees, as they precisely had done on the disciples of Christ, whom to them were not as pious as them, for not following the ‘Law’.

As you can see, brothers and sisters in Christ, the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law, and the chief priests entirely missed the point of having the Law of God in the first place. The Law is not to be followed for the sake of being followed, nor should it be a kind of obligation or punishment, a yoke placed on the shoulders of peoples, that they live under the slavery of the Law.

Indeed, the Law is intended by God for love, that the love between Him and His people become ever more perfect, stronger, and bound with the seal of that Law. That all of His children learn the value of love, and take care of one another, as the same brothers and sisters, children of the same, One God. He did not wish to add more burden to us, after we had been burdened by the yoke of slavery of sin. Yes, brethren, He in fact had come into this world in Jesus Christ, in order to save it, and free all of us from that bondage to sin and evil.

That is why, as is proper for them, the Lord Jesus rebuked the leadership, the authority, and the moral uprightness of the Pharisees, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law, before all the people, that all will learn of the true nature of the Law, and indeed the true nature of God. God is a loving God who is loving, merciful, and slow to anger, and not an angry God who presses hard on His people with strict laws and punishments.

And Jesus Himself made a great example of God’s love, through His own loving actions, teaching the Law in all its fullness, and showing His care for the people of God, in food, in fulfilling their spiritual hunger, and also satisfy their thirst with the everlasting water of life. What is this water of life? It is in all our hearts, brethren, it is none other than love! And Jesus died on the cross, shedding His own life, that we all may live and share His divine and infinite love for us, and ultimately that we may be free.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us ever be mindful of the love God had shown us, through His giving of laws to us that we may remain in His love, and by the giving of Himself for our sake through Jesus Christ our Lord, that we will uphold His Laws, the commandments of love. Let us be loving children of God, and truly be obedient to God instead of paying lip service as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had done. It is not that rituals and observances are wrong, brethren, but we must always remind ourselves that we do them not for the sake of doing them, or for boasting, but for the glory of God and for the love of God. God bless us all. Amen.

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Sunday, 25 August 2013 : 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time, Lay Apostolate Sunday (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Hebrews 12 : 5-7, 11-13

Do not forget the comforting words that Wisdom addresses to you as children : ‘My son, pay attention when the Lord corrects you and do not be discouraged when He punishes you. For the Lord corrects those He loves and chastises everyone He accepts as a son.’

What you endure is in order to correct you. God treats you like sons and what son is not corrected by his father? All correction is painful at the moment, rather than pleasant; later it brings the fruit of peace, that is, holiness to those who have been trained by it.

Lift up, then, your drooping hands, and strengthen your trembling knees; make level the ways for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but healed.

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Sunday, 18 August 2013 : 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Jeremiah 38 : 4-6, 8-10

Then the officials told the king, “This man should be put to death, because he is weakening the will of the fighting men and the people left the city. In fact he is not out to save the people but to do harm.” King Zedekiah said, “His life is in your hands for the king has no power against you.”

So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malchiah the king’s son, in the Guards’ Court. They lowered him by means of ropes. There was no water in the cistern but only mud and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

Ebedmelech went and spoke to the king, “My lord king! These men have acted wickedly in all they did to Jeremiah the prophet. They threw him into the cistern where he will die.” So the king ordered Ebedmelech the Ethiopian : “Take three men with you from here and draw Jeremiah the prophet out from the cistern before he dies.”

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Sunday, 11 August 2013 : 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 12 : 32-48

Do not be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, and an inexhaustible treasure in the heavens, where no thief comes and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Be ready, dressed for service, and keep your lamps lit, like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding. As soon as he comes and knocks, they will open the door to him. Happy are those servants whom the master finds wide-awake when he comes. Truly, I tell you, he will put on an apron, and have them sit at table, and he will wait on them. Happy are those servants, if he finds them awake when he comes at midnight or daybreak!

Pay attention to this : If the master of the house had known at what time the thief would come, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.

Peter said, “Lord, did You tell this parable only for us, or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Imagine, then, the wise and faithful steward, whom the master sets over his other servants to give them wheat at the proper time. Fortunate is this servant if his master on coming home, finds him doing his work. Truly, I say to you, the master will put him in charge of all his property.”

“But it may be that the steward thinks, ‘My Lord delays in coming,’ and he begins to abuse the male servants and the servant girls, eating and drinking and getting drunk. Then the master will come on a day he does not expect, and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him off, and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.”

“The servant who knew his master’s will, but did not prepare and do what his master wanted, will be soundly beaten; but the one who does unconsciously what deserves punishment, shall receive fewer blows. Much will be required of the one who has been given much, and more will be asked of the one who has been entrusted with more.”

 

Alternative reading (Shorter version)
Luke 12 : 35-40

Be ready, dressed for service, and keep your lamps lit, like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding. As soon as he comes and knocks, they will open the door to him. Happy are those servants whom the master finds wide-awake when he comes. Truly, I tell you, he will put on an apron, and have them sit at table, and he will wait on them. Happy are those servants, if he finds them awake when he comes at midnight or daybreak!

Pay attention to this : If the master of the house had known at what time the thief would come, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.

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Sunday, 11 August 2013 : 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Wisdom 18 : 6-9

That night had been foretold to our ancestors, and knowing in what promise they trusted, they could rejoice in all surety.

Your people waited for both the salvation of the just and the downfall of their enemies, for the very punishment of our enemies brought glory to the people You have called – that is, to us.

The holy race secretly offered the Passover sacrifice and really agreed on this worthy pact : that they would share alike both blessings and dangers. And forthwith they began to sing the hymns of their fathers.

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My Prayer Intention for 7 and 8 August 2013

1. To all of us the people of God. That we will learn to obey our Lord and God, and does not harden our hearts against His love. Let us not be like the people of Israel when they were in the desert, complaining against God when they have been given enough and plenty, and therefore suffered the punishment of the Lord. May we put our full trust and faith in God at all times, obeying His will, and most importantly, love Him more than any other things, even ourselves.

2. For religious harmony and peace in the world. May the Lord plant the seeds of love in the hearts of men, that they will learn to respect the differences between them, and also strive to achieve peace and harmony in all the things that they do. That all men and women may live together in harmony and peace, filled with love for one another, despite their differences, and learn to put aside their differences for the greater glory of God, and to help serve others who are in need, for our love and for our support instead of fighting with one another.

3. For all people working and involved with legal careers and justice system. May the Lord put the love for His Law and the law of justice in their hearts. May He remind them that their first priority is to make sure that justice is upheld and ensure that those who are wrong be punished, and those who are right be absolved from any false accusations. May He instill in them the love for justice and the love for both God and His people at all times.

Let us bring forth these prayers we have, and all the things we keep in secret in our hearts, to the Lord with great humility and with a contrite heart. May He forgive us our sins and listen to our prayers, and comes to make His power manifest in this world, for our sake and for His love for us. God bless us all. Amen.

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Wednesday, 7 August 2013 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Saints Xystus II, Pope and Companions, Martyrs; and St. Cajetan, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Saints Xystus II and Companions); White (St. Cajetan)

Psalm 105 : 6-7a, 13-14, 21-22, 23

We have sinned like our ancestors; we have done wrong and acted wickedly. When they were in Egypt, our ancestors had no regard for Your wondrous deeds.

But soon they forgot His works and did not wait for His counsel. They gave way to wanton craving and tempted God in the desert.

They forgot their Saviour God, who had done great things in Egypt, wonderful works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Sea of Reeds.

So He spoke of destroying them, but Moses, His chosen one, stood in the breach before Him to shield them from destruction.

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Wednesday, 7 August 2013 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Saints Xystus II, Pope and Companions, Martyrs; and St. Cajetan, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Saints Xystus II and Companions); White (St. Cajetan)

Numbers 13 : 1-2, 25 – Numbers 14 : 1, 26-29

YHVH then spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men to explore the land of Canaan that I am giving to the Israelites; send one man from each of the ancestral tribes, all of them leaders.”

After forty days of exploration, they returned. Then all the community broke out in loud cries and wept during the night. Then YHVH spoke to Moses and Aaron saying, “How long will this wicked community grumble against Me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel against Me.

Say to them : As truly as I live, it is YHVH who speaks, I will do to you what you have said in My hearing. All of you of twenty years or more, numbered in the census, who grumbled against Me, your corpses will fall in the desert.”