salvation in God

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Monday, 3 March 2014 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Peter 1 : 3-9

Let us praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for His great mercy. In raising Jesus Christ from the dead He has given us new life and a living hope. The inheritance that does not corrupt nor goes bad nor passes away was reserved to you in heavens, since God’s power shall keep you faithful until salvation is revealed in the last days.

There is cause for joy, then, even though you may, for a time, have to suffer many trials. Thus will your faith be tested, like gold in a furnace. Gold, however, passes away but faith, worth so much more, will bring you in the end praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ appears.

You have not yet seen Him and yet you love Him; even without seeing Him, you believe in Him and experience a heavenly joy beyond all words, for you are reaching the goal of your faith : the salvation of your souls.

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Sunday, 2 March 2014 : 8th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Worry not, for God did not and never ever will He want to leave us uncared for unprovided. He loves all of us, just as He had always loved since the beginning when He created us. He provided for everything, and for us mankind, He had allocated many things to be our possession and inheritance, if only that we follow His ways and remain faithful to Him throughout the difficult times.

One thing which often clearly separated us from God is the concerns we have for the world and all of its goodness. We are often unable to detach ourselves from the desires of our heart, our eyes, and our stomachs, and we often succumb to these desires, ending up not following the Lord, but instead fall into the trap of the devil.

The devil offered us all many things that this world can offer, be it in food, in money and wealth, as well as in terms of illicit and dark pleasures of the flesh. These he offered us, that our minds be filled with desires and concerns for them, rather than be filled with the knowledge and the love for God. We often are ignorant of what goodness that the Lord had given us and the many blessings He had granted us every single moment of our life.

Remember this, our very life is not something for us to take for granted. We often forget that there is nothing greater in our lives than life itself. Our every breath that we take every second, every minute, and every hour, is a gift from God, that is a gift of life. We all have been given life by God, and we ought to recognise that fact. We are often too worried and concerned about many things that we end up forgetting that our life itself had been a great blessing to us.

Yes, brethren, without life, we would be nothing but one of the dead things in this world. It is life that differentiates us from them, and yet, there is an even greater gift God had given us. God has bestowed on each one of us, His own Spirit, that is the Spirit of life. He has breathed into us the spirit of life, that gave life to us, and made us special among all the other creations.

Although we were special, but we also followed the devil in his rebellion, which made us tainted and unworthy of God’s grace and perfection. Nevertheless, He continued to love us regardless, and He continued to care for us in the same way as before. He blessed us, watched over us, and protected us, and yet we often forget about His love and dedication for us.

It is often that we confuse and mix up what our needs are and what we want. It if often that we seek something that we desire, and often that this means material goods, wealth, or worldly fame and affluence. We prefer to seek these and seek solace in them rather than the One who had given us everything that is most important in our life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, shall we be like those who choose this world over that of God? Shall we be lacking of gratitude to the One who had given us so much and yet much forgotten? Let us change our ways if we had done so, and from now on, put our trust ever greater in God.

May our Lord continue to provide for us, and strengthen us, in case we falter. Let us all be thankful to the Lord and receive His kindness to us, and from now on no longer be worrying about the world, but instead, let us live in the grace of God and let Him from now on guide our path, that we may walk towards Him and towards the eternal glory that He had promised us. Let us all give Him thanks and praise Him for His love. Amen.

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Sunday, 2 March 2014 : 8th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 6 : 24-34

No one can serve two masters; for he will either hate one and love the other, or he will be loyal to the first and look down on the second. You cannot at the same time serve God and money.

This is why I tell you not to be worried about food and drink for yourself, or about clothes for your body. Is not life more important than food, and is not the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow, they do not harvest and do not store food in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not less worthy than they are?

Can any of you add a day to your life by worrying about it? Why are you so worried about your clothes? Look at how the flowers in the field grow. They do not toil or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his wealth was clothed like one of these. If God so clothes the grass in the field, which blooms today and is to be burnt tomorrow in an oven, how much more will He clothe you? What little faith you have!

Do not worry and say : What are we going to eat? What are we going to drink? Or  : What shall we wear? The pagans busy themselves with such things; but your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Set your heart first on the kingdom and justice of God, and all these things will also be given to you.

Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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Sunday, 2 March 2014 : 8th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 61 : 2-3, 6-7, 8-9ab

My soul finds rest in God alone; from Him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and salvation; with Him as my stronghold, I shall not be overcome.

Find rest in God alone, o my soul; from Him comes my hope. He alone is my rock and my salvation; with Him as my stronghold, I shall not be overcome.

On God rests my salvation and my honour; He is my refuge, my mighty Rock. Trust in Him at all times, my people; pour out your hearts before Him.

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Saturday, 1 March 2014 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all know, that children are the greatest of the gifts of God to us. Children are the fruits of love, and they were born pure and innocent. Why are they then so great in their faith? That is because the faith of a child is the purest kind of faith, one that is unadulterated and untainted by the concerns and corruptions of this world.

The Lord Jesus showed His disciples, that if they reject these children, who came to Him in faith, that means they too also reject Him, because they failed to understand that their faith needs to be like these children’s faith. Faith is often clouded and hidden behind a thick cloud of darkness, that is the corruption of sin, and all the concerns of the world.

When we were all still a child, we do not have much worries and concerns. We do not have much things to think about, and like what many of us who have children will know, we understand that children wants just care, love and concern by their loved ones. They were innocent, pure, and if they believe in something, they truly believe in it.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, have our faith been like the faith of children? Or have our faith been muddled with the corruptions of the world? We have many good things in this world, all the pleasures and the joy that this world can offer. The wealth and prosperity which this world can give to us, if we follow the ways of the world.

But if we do so, then are we faithful to the ways of the Lord? The way of this world promotes excessiveness, it promotes self-indulgence and hedonistic lifestyle. It does not necessarily mean bad thing, but if we immerse ourselves too deeply with the concerns of this world, more likely than not, our faith will gradually wear down, and we will then prefer to walk on our own way.

We like to complain and be angry, especially at God, when we face difficulties in life. And we especially are angry with Him when we think that He had not heard us or abandoned us. We often question Him and His love for us, without realising that our every breath is the proof of God’s love and dedication for us.

When we pray and when we ask God for help, much of the time, we do not make those prayers in full sincerity. We pray because we need something, and we need that something be taken care of. Yet, we often fail to realise that prayer is mainly the means of communication between us and our Lord who loves us, so much that He wants to talk to us regularly and continuously. Yet, our stubbornness and lack of true faith prevent the Lord from speaking to us, and for us from listening to Him.

Brethren, this is how the Lord wanted to show us that we have many things we can learn from a child. In particular, we should be like a child in his or her faith. A child’s faith is pure, and untainted by human desires. While we are already tainted by the world and its desires, and by the power and influence of sin, what we can do, is to aspire towards having the faith of a child.

We should all aim to be faithful in the same way a child is faithful. We should unconditionally love and trust the Lord our God, without any hidden agenda or desires that keep us from having a pure faith in the Lord. If we are able to do that, then our lives will be more meaningful, because we will be firmly rooted in the Lord, and no matter what happened to us, we will always be strongly devoted to the Lord and His ways, and we will not be taken away from salvation due to us.

May the Lord therefore continue to foster in us, a strong love for Him, a constant and living faith, that we may persevere and indeed, grow further in our faith to Him. Let us also on our side, do our best to dedicate ourselves in love to the Lord and to His children, our own brothers and sisters. God be with us all. Amen.

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Thursday, 27 February 2014 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 48 : 14-15ab, 15cd-16, 17-18, 19-20

This is the fate of people trusting themselves, the future of those who rely on their strength. Like sheep led to the grave, they have death as their shepherd and ruler.

Quickly their form will be consumed in the world of the dead, which is their home. But God will rescue my soul from the grave by receiving me unto Himself.

Fear not when someone grows rich, when his power becomes oppressively great, for nothing will he take when he dies; his wealth and pomp he will leave behind.

Though he praised himself in his lifetime, “All will say that I have enjoyed life,” he will join the generation of his forebears, who will never again see the light.

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Wednesday, 26 February 2014 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 48 : 2-3, 6-11

Hear this, all you peoples! Listen, all you inhabitants of the world, high and low together, rich and poor alike!

Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers ring me round – those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?

For no ransom avails for one’s life, there is no price one can give to God for it. For redeeming one’s life demands too high a price, and all is lost forever.

Who can remain forever alive and never see the grave? For we see that the wise die, and pass away like the fool and the stupid leaving to others their fortune and wealth.

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Friday, 21 February 2014 : 6th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, make a choice, between good and evil, and between the Lord and Satan. We must make a stand in the battle for our souls, in whether we choose to follow the Lord or instead, the path of the devil. We cannot be half hearted in this matter. Be confident and faithful in our choice, and we will be rewarded.

Jesus Himself had told us, through His disciples, how important is the salvation of our souls, and that nothing in the world can compensate or match with how much our soul is worth. Yet, many of us, either because we are unaware, or because we lack the faith, choose to let our souls be corrupted and lost, as a price for gaining the powers and influence in this world.

Yes, the temptations and allures of this world are great indeed, that they can pull mankind away from the path towards the Lord, with all the tempting and good offerings of the good that is in the world. The devil is very resourceful and he has all the world and all of its goodness in his power and possession. If we are not vigilant, brothers and sisters in Christ, we will fall to the trap of the devil.

The devil attacks us daily with these temptations and goodies of the world, trying to steer us away from our way towards salvation in God. He does not want to see us saved, and therefore will definitely try his best to prevent that by doing what I have just mentioned. His attacks are relentless and merciless, and he will not stop before we lay separated from the love of God and suffer with him in hell.

If we are to defend ourselves from evil, then we have to commit ourselves fully to the Lord, by dedicating ourselves to Him and following Him with all of our heart and with all of our might and strength. We cannot be uncertain or reluctant in this, for doubt and lack of seriousness hamper our progress towards salvation. No, brothers and sisters, our faith must be firm and genuine!

Yes, our faith cannot be just empty words or repeated professions of faith made without meaning or concrete examples. If we do so, then we are the perfect hypocrites, whom the Lord condemned in the Pharisees, as they were outwardly faithful and devoted, and yet their prayers were empty and there was no God inside of them. Indeed, they let themselves be corrupted by the devil, and follow his ways rather than the Lord.

Brethren, our faith cannot be like that of the Pharisees’ or God will also condemn us in the same way. Our faith, as according to St. James in his letter, must be alive and active, and cannot be a dormant and empty faith. How to do so? Faith that is alive and active means that the faith is substantiated and affirmed with action and love.

And as St. James again mentioned, that faith cannot be separated from action, and neither can action for the good of the Lord and mankind be separated from the faith. Our faith must be alive and supported with our active participation of the faith. Let our faith be one of a living Creed, firmly founded on our loving actions, in our devotion and love for God, and in our concern and love for our brethren.

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Peter Damian, a well known religious and teacher of the faith, who was truly faithful to the Lord and showed it in his actions, that his faith was a living, not an empty one. St. Peter Damian was renowned for his emphasis on holy living, one based on sincere and strong discipline, maintaining the purity of one’s soul through hard work, discipline, and loving acts towards the brethren in need.

St. Peter Damian also contributed enormously to the Church, by his teachings and acts in showing the faith he has for God, by championing reforms in the Church, and he was eventually made an influential Cardinal by the Pope despite his initial refusal. St. Peter Damian used his new position to garner even more work and effort to ensure that the Church and the people of God remain faithful to the Lord.

St. Peter Damian exhorted his brother Cardinals to live and lead by example, and to shine in their faith. He showed that actions and deeds cannot be separated from faith, and faith must be substantiated by love, in loving both God and our fellow brothers and sisters. Today we are again reminded both how important our faith is to us, and how we have to also lead by example as St. Peter Damian had done.

May through the inspiration and intercession of St. Peter Damian, we will be able to get closer to the Lord, and may our faith in Him be ever living, vibrant and genuine, that the Lord who sees how faithful we are, will reward us with eternal glory in His heavenly majesty. God bless us all. Amen.

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Friday, 31 January 2014 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White (Priests)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we hear today of the sin of David, the faithful and loyal servant of God. Not just any sin, but a great sin, because not only that David committed adultery with the wife of another man, but he also plotted to have the husband of the woman to be killed in battle, tantamount to direct murder of human life.

Today we are shown the vulnerabilities of our human selves, the temptations of the flesh and the attractions of the world, which assail us day after day without end. Even someone as faithful and obedient as David, was after all still a mortal man, with all of the vulnerabilities and inherent problems that expose one to sin and evil that are in this world.

This world offer us many amenities, joy, and goodness, especially in material goods and pleasures. Humanity can be easily swayed to take up the offer of the world and Satan behind it, and from there, grow towards materialism, desire, greed, lust, and many others. That was what David experienced, as the king of Israel.

Being a king or a ruler brought with it many privileges and goodness, and when he saw Bathsheba in that bath, he was tempted, and he failed. The law of God expressly mentioned the forbidden nature of adultery, and if you remember, that the last of God’s commandments would say that we must not covet the things and properties of others around us. This shows us that David, as the Lord’s most upright servant, should have acted in the way that conformed to the faith, and also obedient to the law.

Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I repeat this proverb once again, because in this case of king David, it is absolutely true. King David is king over Israel, and his words are law. He has the authority and power over all of his servants. But when he found out of the bitter fruits of his adulterous action with Bathsheba, he was gripped with great fear that his deeds would be discovered, and therefore tried to pull Uriah the husband into a fabricated lie likely made by David himself.

When that failed, because of the valiant and unchanging obedience of Uriah to David, the king resolved to plot to kill him, which he succeeded in doing. That made him to sin not just once by that adulterous act, but also to commit another sin of murder. Thus had David sinned before the Lord his God. Nevertheless, unlike Saul before him, and unlike most of us, what David did was truly remarkable. He was genuinely repentant of his sinfulness, and he showed that he was regretful of having committed such sinful acts before God.

God had chosen David to be king over His people Israel, not because David was powerful or mighty, but instead He chose him because of his humility, his good character, and his righteousness. And that was the moment when these characteristics showed up in David, that although he did sin heavily before God, but he showed genuine remorse, and from then on, he resolved not to commit such sins again.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we learn indeed that we all may sin and commit evil things before God, but the most important thing is for us to realise and recognise our sins, and then repent and change our ways, as king David had done. Great sinners are not guaranteed hell as their end, as in fact many great saints had been great sinners.

What differentiates great sinners from great saints is one thing, that is the ability to recognise own sins and then act from it. The saints recognised their weakness and vulnerabilities to sin, and acted upon them, utilising what God has given them, that is the seeds of faith, hope and love in them. They did not fear in showing forth their faith, no matter how small it was, and how great their sins were.

That is in conjunction with what Jesus told His disciples and the people, that even if your faith is as small as a mustard seed, but that is sufficient if you truly utilise that faith, for even a small mustard seed, when grown, will become a large tree and bear fruits. What matters is that if we take concrete steps and actions, so that rather than lingering in our sinfulness, we may come into the light, and through our growing faith, we may bring others too into the light.

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. John Bosco, the patron saint of youth. St. John Bosco was a priest who saw the situation in his surroundings about the youths of the time, many of whom were homeless or even without families, orphans and neglected by the society. He felt sad seeing these children running around the cities at risk from harm and misconduct. Hence, St. John Bosco worked with those children and resolved to guide them that they may not fall to evil.

His many works and dedications, and his contributions to the Church was truly great. He also help founded the religious order now known as the Salesians, and his many other contributions made him a well known saint, and one whom many devoted themselves, asking for his intercession. The example of St. John Bosco should inspire us all, that we should also take action, helping one another, especially those with great risk of falling into the darkness.

Let us therefore, inspired by the examples of St. John Bosco and many other saints, let the faith in us to grow strong and shine brightly, as we act to give our help to bring many towards salvation in the Lord. Let us not ignore the plight of our less fortunate brethren, and show the love of God to them, and just at the same time, our faith too will shine forth, and God who sees all, will reward us. Amen.