Jn 14:14-21
I wonder if we know what is the hottest news in town. Any idea what is the hottest news in town?
Whatever we think it might be, the hottest news in town is certainly the weather report!
Over the radio, over the tv, over almost every media, there is always the weather report.
And I must say, the weather over the past few days is just hot and hotter.
But even without the weather report, how will we know when it’s really hot?
Maybe let me speculate on some possible indications.
It’s really hot when …
You want to buy milk and all they have is evaporated milk
Beads of sweat appear on the statue of Stamford Raffles
The public swimming pools are now protected areas
The chickens are laying hard-boiled eggs
Anyway all those extremes aside, what precautions are there to take in such a hot and humid weather?
What will we do or say in such a weather condition?
Of course we will say things like …
Drink more water, but that does not mean can drink more beer!
Eat more fruits, but that does not mean eat more durians!
Don’t eat fried or heaty food, you will get sore throat, as well as sore somewhere else
Wear light clothing, but that does not mean wearing shorts or spaghetti straps to Mass!
Yes, in any and in every situation, we will somehow know what we should do.
So be it hot weather, cold weather, sunny day, rainy day, we will have a set of mental rules to follow.
And these rules, although not set in stone, and also more like common sense, these rules help us, as well as remind us of what to do in a given situation.
So rules are helpful, and they remind us of what to do even if it’s about a trivial matter like hot weather.
So if rules are helpful, then how about commandments?
Certainly, the very word itself “commandments” indicate that it is essential, fundamental and even critical.
In today’s gospel, Jesus said : If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
So even though we may not know the Bible by heart, or quote Bible verses, yet we know what Jesus has taught us.
His teachings are His commandments for us.
And just like we know the dos and don’ts for hot weather, we also know the dos and don’ts of the commandments of Jesus.
So we know we should forgive and love our enemies; we should be kind and compassionate and generous.
We know we must pray and be faithful to God; we know we should tell the truth always and to keep our promises.
We also know that we should not lie or cheat, we should not be devious or malicious.
We know we should not judge or condemn or slander others. We know we should not bear hatred or take revenge.
Yes, these are the commandments of Jesus, and we know it.
Or do we know it? And if we know it, are we teaching it?
When it comes to teaching the commandments of Jesus, it is not just to children or to youth. Even adults need to be taught.
But whether it is children, or youth or adults, they need more than teachers. They need witnesses.
Pope Paul VI said that modern man listens more to witnesses than to teachers, and if they do listen to teachers, it is because they are first and foremost witnesses.
So how do we witness to the commandments of Jesus?
Someone by the name of Dr. Kent Keith wrote this :
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, others may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
So, in the FINAL analysis, it is more than what we say. It is about what we do. It is about actions speaking louder than words.
So if our children don’t pray anymore, then we must show them that we will still pray, anyway.
If we think that some people come to church dressed inappropriately or dressed anyhow, then we must show them what is dressing appropriately. Or we will just turn the aircon colder, anyway.
If we think that some of us don’t behave like Catholics, then we must show them what it means to be a good Catholic.
If we truly love Jesus, then we will keep His commandments, and witness to it in our actions.
Hot weather, cold weather, rain or shine, we must know what to do if we truly love Jesus.
And if we know what to do, then it’s either we do it, or we do it.
And as Jesus said in the gospel, the Holy Spirit will help us do it, anyway.