18th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 31.07.2022

 Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23 / Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11 / Luke 12:13-21

Generally speaking, when we talk about a house, what comes to mind is a place with a few rooms. 

It may be a HDB flat, or a condo unit, or a landed property, and possibly even a mansion. Whether it is a flat or a mansion, there would be at least two rooms. 

So, in the house where we are staying, which we call home, which is the biggest room? 

Obviously, it would be the living room, because that is where the family members would gather, and it is also a place where guests are welcomed. 

But if we had a choice to design the layout of our house or home, which would be the biggest room? 

Could it be the bedroom, because we want to put a king-size bed there? But other than sleeping, we don't really spend much time there. 

Could it be the study room? If we love to read and collect books, and take pride in having a library at home, then maybe the study room would be the biggest. 

Or would it be the kitchen? But even if we love to cook, we are not running a restaurant, so the kitchen need not be too big. Also with all that cooking, it is going to be difficult to clean.

And there is no need to talk about the toilets or the store room. Those rooms need not be that big, unless they have unique and odd purposes. 

In the gospel parable, we heard of a rich man who had a good harvest from his land, and he didn't have enough room to store his crops. 

Then he decided to pull down his barns and build bigger ones so that he could store all the grain and goods in them. And it is all for himself only. 

So, for the rich man, the biggest and most important room is not even in his house. It is the barn which is outside his house. 

Come to think of it, isn't it strange, that the biggest and most important is not within, but outside. 

That would tell us what kind of person that rich man is like. 

The teaching point of Jesus in that parable is that when a man stores up treasure for himself instead of making himself rich in the sight of God, then his life is futile. It is like what the 1st reading calls it - vanity of vanities. 

So, what does it mean to make ourselves rich in the sight of God? 

Let us go back to the discussion on the rooms in our home, about which room is the biggest and which room is important. 

The living room is important and possibly the biggest because that is where family life is shared, and it is the first room where our guests step in and it is there we share friendship. 

But which room do we think is the heart of the home? Could it be the kitchen? And why is the kitchen the heart of the home? 

Whether small or large, the kitchen is the hub of the home. It is where the meals are created, and those meals nourish the bodies, the minds and the souls of the family and friends. 

Some say that while life is created in the bedroom, it is certainly lived out in the kitchen. 

And the kitchen does not just churn out food. Food is used to express love. Courting couples spend their time over food. Mothers cook for their children. 

If we care about someone, we will share our food with them, whether it is preparing it for them, serving it to them or eating it with them. 

Jesus said that He is the Bread of Life. In the Eucharist, He invites us to partake of the Bread of Life that He wants to give us.

It is the Bread of life and love that Jesus gives to us so that we too can share life and love with others.

So Jesus uses food to point to life and love, and He also gives us a foretaste of the heavenly eternal banquet where we will rejoice in God’s love and have eternal life.

Food is a language of love, and sharing food and eating together can have a healing effect. 

Food is not to be stored in barns outside of the home and only for self-consumption. 

Food as a sign of love is to be shared with others and to enrich others. 

To be rich is to help others in their need and to share and give of what we have.

That is how we can make ourselves rich in the sight of God and in the sight of others.

17th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 24.07.2022

 Genesis 18:20-32 / Colossians 2:12-24  / Luke 11:1-13

There is no doubt, and it shouldn't be surprising, that life is difficult and has its problems. 

And these problems make us question about life, about the meaning of life and also the meaning of our existence. 

So, when we are faced with the big and difficult problems of life, we will certainly have serious questions. 

But even for the small and little things of life, there are some strange questions. For example: 

- Why is a round pizza put into a square box?

- Still on pizza, why is a round pizza cut into triangles?

- Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the tube or the bottle? 

- Why do we hurt our hands by clapping when we like something? 

Well, enough of questions about the strange things in life and there may or may not be answers. 

And as much as there are questions about life, then when it comes to questions about God, that's when things get a bit edgy. 

When the going is stable and smooth, we won't have that many curious questions about God. 

But when we hit turbulence, when there are trials and tribulations, we will have our questions. 

One of the frequently asked questions about God is this: Why doesn't God answer my prayer in my time of need? And if God loves me, why do I have to go through pain and suffering in life? 

There are certainly more burning questions about God, but essentially it this: Does God really love me? Does God care about me? 

As much as we have our questions about God, would it be surprising to know that God also has some questions for us? 

In the gospel, God is asking us those questions when Jesus said: What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? 

Jesus goes on to say: If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! 

So, God wouldn't mind when we ask questions, and even burning questions about Him. 

But when God asked us those questions in today's Gospel passage, our answers will be instinctively quick. 

Certainly, we will want to give what is good to our children and to our loved ones. We won't want to hurt them or harm them. 

And if we can say that about ourselves, then we too must say the same about God. 

Because God created us in His image and with His love. And it is with the Spirit of love that we turn to God to ask, to search and to know which door to knock on. 

It is the Spirit of love that teaches us how to pray and to address God as “Our Father”. 

And essentially in the prayer of the “Our Father”, we pray that we will love just as God loves us, and that we hold on to our faith in God when we face the trials of life. 

And if we want to know about the love and the truth of God, and about the nature and sincerity of God, here is something for our reflection: 

The sincerity of a husband is known during the sickness of his wife. The sincerity of a wife is known during the difficult financial situation of husband. 

The true love of the children is known during the old age of the parents. 

The true nature of siblings is known during distribution of inheritance. 

The sincerity of friends is known during hard times. 

The true relatives are known when one is far from his country or lonely or sick. 

True love is known when there is no means of benefit. 

And a true believer is known during times of hardship. 

So, what is good, what is true, what is beautiful, what is loving, comes from God. 

God has already given us all these even without us asking. Let us discover the nature and the love of God in us as we pray and meditate on the prayer of the “Our Father”, the prayer that Jesus taught us.    

16th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 17.07.2022

 Genesis 18:1-10 / Colossians 1:24-28  / Luke 10:38-42

The ability to see is a really wonderful gift and it certainly must not be taken for granted. 

So, with our eyes, we look at things, we look at people, and from what we see, we form our opinions.

When we look at something good and beautiful, we will admire it and we will say nice things about it.

But when we see something that is irritating or annoying us, then, obviously we would not have nice or good things to say about it. 

So, with our eyes we look at people and situations, and we form our opinions as well as make our judgments. 

But all this while, as we look around and form our opinions, we may have forgotten what our eyes are really for. 

Of course, we know that we have eyes so that we can see. 

But could it be that we are seeing too much, and just like when we eat too much and the stomach becomes bloated, could we be seeing too many things at once and getting distracted? 

In the gospel, Martha welcomed Jesus into her home and she began to serve Him. 

Martha had a sister, Mary, and she sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to Him speaking. 

What Martha saw was Mary sitting at the Lord's feet, listening to Him speak and having an enjoyable time. 

More than that, she saw Jesus waiting to be served and probably she was getting anxious. 

Then, she saw that she wants the only one doing all the serving and no one was helping.

So, finally, Martha couldn't take it anymore, and so she complained to Jesus, saying that He did not care that Mary was not doing anything to help her. 

Obviously, Martha was distracted with too many things. She was looking at too many things, thinking about too many things, and then everything came crashing and she ended up complaining. 

So, Jesus had this to say to her, “Martha, Martha, you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part, it will not be taken from her.” 

But, what is this better part that Jesus is talking about? Is it to be like Mary and sit down and spend the whole time praying, while others are busy doing everything? 

Maybe some are called to be intercessors and to the contemplative life, and hence they spend most of their time praying for others. 

But to choose the better part is to choose to focus on one thing and not to be distracted by everything. 

So, if Martha had just kept her focus on the serving, she would not have ended up complaining. 

When we lose focus, it means that we are looking at too many things at once, and we get distracted. 

Distraction is a tool that the devil uses to make us lose our focus on Jesus. 

And often, the result of distraction is that we complain and say things that are hurtful and useless.

Let us ask Jesus to keep our eyes focused on what He wants us to do, and not to be distracted and end up complaining. 

Our eyes are a gift from God. 

May we see God in everything and see God's blessings in everyone. 

Let us focus on that, and it will be the best part for us.

15th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 10.07.2022

 Deuteronomy 30:10-14 / Colossians 1:15-20  / Luke 10:25-37

When we look at this world and think about life, we may be rather pessimistic. 

The world seems to be messy, with wars and violence, poverty and injustice, disasters and tragedies, sickness and diseases. 

Life also has its problems and difficulties, worries and anxieties, tears and fears. 

But despite what we think and say about the world and about life, we also see something beautiful and wonderful. 

We see people falling in love and getting married. 

We see babies being born and bringing joy to their parents and all around them. 

We see parents loving their children and making sacrifices for them. 

We see people coming to church and praying to God and striving to be good and loving. 

In short, we see the power of love shining through the darkness of life and giving hope for a better world. 

The gospel parable of the Good Samaritan reminds us that the Law of love is written in our hearts, because we are created in love and created with love. 

God plants His love in our hearts so that we have the ability and capacity to be loving even in difficult situations. 

The most powerful form of love is in sacrificial love. 

God shows us the power of sacrificial love by giving His only Son on the Cross for our salvation.

Jesus taught us how to love and to make sacrifices with love.

When we follow that way of love, there will be hope for a better world and that people will be happier with life.

14th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 03.07.2022

 Isaiah 66:10-14 / Galatians 6:14-18 / Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

Whenever there is some work to be done, one of the first questions that will be asked is this: What is there to be gained from it, what is the reward? 

And if the work is unrewarding, and there is nothing to be gained from it, then who would ever want to do it? 

There is this story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done, and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. 

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody was got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job. 

Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. 

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done. 

The story may sound funny but the underlying message is about responsibility and accountability. 

And that story unfolds in companies and organizations, right down to the home. 

Yes, the fact is that when there is some difficult and unrewarding and unglamorous work to be done, we are a bit of that everybody, somebody, anybody and nobody. 

In the gospel, Jesus says that the harvest is rich, but the laborers are few. 

And we know why the laborers are few - because everybody was sure that somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it but nobody did it. 

And Jesus also pointed out why the laborers are few. Who would want to be like a lamb among wolves, and be subjected to stress and tension? 

Who would want to do some rough and tough work and get nothing in return? Who would want to face rejection and criticism, despite the good intentions and sacrifices. 

Given the above, it is not surprising that the laborers are few, though the harvest is rich. 

And so it would be more convenient to just look away and let the harvest rot, than to be a solution to the problem. It is more convenient to run away from the fire than into the fire. 

But just as Jesus sent His disciples into the harvest, so too Jesus is sending us to serve in the Church as well as in the world. 

And it is not about doing some work. It is about the labour of love. 

When we do a work because no one is there to do it, it is the labour of love. 

When we do a work and no one is looking, that is the labour of love. 

When we do some thankless work and our names are not even mentioned, or that someone else takes the credit, that is the labour of love. 

So, whether in church or in the world, whether in the workplace or at home, there is a harvest and Jesus wants to send us to the harvest. 

But He waits for us to say “yes”. It is not about everybody or somebody or anybody to say yes. It is about you and me. 

It is about saying “yes” to Jesus and be laborers of love in the Lord's harvest. 

And there is a reward actually. Our names will be written in heaven. As well as the names of those who we will bring along as laborers of love in the Lord's Harvest.