22nd Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 28.08.2022

 Ecclesiasticus 3:17-20, 28-29 / Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24 / Luke 14:1, 7-14

There are many things that can be bought with money, and money can also buy luxuries. 

So, as long as we have the money, and if we can afford it, then we can get almost anything we want. 

And money has a way of making us look at people as if they were things. In other words, we can use money to buy people, whether it is to get some work done or to be served by them, or to bribe people to get their favours. 

So, money can make us look at people as things which can be bought and used. 

But let us remember that the most important things in life are not things. And the most important things in life cannot be bought with money. 

One of the most obvious important things that cannot be bought with money is health. There can be the best hospitals and the best advanced medicine, but that can't replace the health that is lost, or prolonged life for even a minute. 

Another important thing is peace. Money cannot buy peace, especially when the hatred is deep and the hurt is scorching. No amount of money can buy a peaceful reconciliation. 

And money certainly cannot buy love. True love comes from God, and God cannot be bought with money. 

And since money cannot buy love, then it won't buy respect either. Respect is the fruit of love, and it is when we are loving to others that they will respect us. 

Yes, respect cannot be demanded, it has to be earned, and it is not earned with money, but with love. 

The 1st reading teaches us this: Be gentle in carrying out your business, and you will be better loved then a lavish giver. 

So, a person may be a lavish giver, but if he does so to boost his pride and ego, then he is only exalting himself over others, and he may not receive any due respect. 

So, the expression of true love is when we are gentle in our relationships with others and respect them. 

The 1st reading also teaches us this: The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly, for great though the power of the Lord is, He accepts the homage of the humble. 

So even though we may have money, we know that the important things in life are not things that can be bought with money. 

The important things in life are love, peace, humility, gentleness and respect, and in fact, all those things that cannot be bought with money, those are truly important things. 

There is this story of the richest man in a town and he was proud of his wealth. One day he took a drive around the town to look at his estate. 

When he reached the outskirts of the town, he saw an old farmer who was about to have his simple lunch. 

The farmer greeted the rich man respectfully. The rich man asked the farmer, “How is life?” The farmer replied, “The work is tough, the weather is unpredictable, but I am happy.” And he even offered to share his lunch with the rich man, but the rich man declined. 

As the rich man was about to leave, the old farmer said, “Oh, I had a dream that the richest man in town will die tonight!” 

The rich man scoffed at the idea of dreams, and returned home for lunch, but even though the food was sumptuous, he did not have the appetite. 

He kept thinking about what the old farmer said, that the richest man in town will die that night. He tried to rest but couldn't, and so he called his doctor for a full medical check-up. 

The doctor told him that all was fine and even offered to stay over for the night to make sure that all will be well. The night passed on and morning came and rich man was glad then he was still alive and well. 

While having breakfast with the doctor, a servant came in and asked for the doctor. The doctor asked, “What is the matter?” The servant replied, “Can you come and take a look at the old farmer. I think he died in his sleep last night.” 

So, money and riches cannot buy life, or the important things of life like love, peace, happiness, gentleness and respect. 

That is the teaching of Jesus in the gospel. 

Let us ask God to teach us to be humble and gentle, and we will know how to love and to respect others and to be respected by others.

21st Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 21.08.2022

 Isaiah 66:18-21 / Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13 / Luke 13:22-30

It can be said that by a person's attitudes and behaviour, we can get an idea of that person's upbringing. 

So, the most important years in a person's life is not so much in the schooling days or in the working life. 

The most important years of a person's life is the first 6 years of childhood. During the first 6 years, a child's brain develops faster than during any other period of life, and its early development will set the course for any future evolvement. 

During this period of the first 6 years, the base for a successful education in the future can be laid. That would be the time for character formation and to instil the values and principles in life. 

That is not just important for the individual, it will have bearings in family relationships and on the social fabric. 

Obviously, parents have this great opportunity, as well as great responsibility, of forming their children with good upbringing. 

In many ways, the children's attitudes and behaviour are a reflection of how their parents have brought them up. 

But whether it is parents or children, we know that it is not that easy to teach and to learn to do what is good and right. 

Because there is this human tendency to exercise our freedom to do whatever we want, and that has often led us to do the wrong and bad thing. 

In the gospel, Jesus talked about entering by the narrow door, and he even said that many will try to enter and will not succeed. 

The way of the Lord and the way to life is like trying to enter by the narrow door, and it is not going to be easy. 

From the 2nd reading, we heard that the Lord will correct and reprimand, and we must not get discouraged. 

Because the Lord trains and even punishes those He loves, because He wants to form us well. 

So, suffering is part of our training, so that we are able to enter by the narrow door, and do what is right and good in the eyes of the Lord. 

There is this story of the bowl of noodles with eggs, and the author narrates how his father has formed him with just a bowl of noodles and eggs. The narration goes like this:

When I was a small child, I was very selfish, always grabbed the best for myself. Slowly, everyone left me and I had no friends. I didn’t think it was my fault but criticized others.

My father gave me 3 examples to help me learn about life. One day, my father cooked 2 bowls of noodles and he put the 2 bowls on the table. One bowl has one egg on top and the other bowl does not have any egg on top. He said, “My child, you choose. Which bowl do you want?” Of course, I chose the bowl with the egg! 

As we started eating. I was congratulating myself on my wise choice and decision and gobbled up the egg. 

Then to my surprise as my father ate his bowl of noodles, there were TWO eggs at the bottom of his bowl beneath the noodles! 

I regretted so much! And scolded myself for being too hasty in my decision. 

My father smiled and said to me, “My child… You must remember what your eyes see may not be true. And if you intent on taking advantage of people, you will end up losing!”

The next day, my father again cooked 2 bowls of noodles. One bowl with an egg on top and the other bowl with no egg on top. Again, he put the two bowls on the table and said to me, “My child. You choose. Which bowl do you want?” This time I am smarter. I chose the bowl without any egg on top. To my surprise, as I separated the noodles on top, there was not even a single egg at the bottom of the bowl! 

Again my father smiled and said to me, “My child, you must not always rely on experiences because sometimes, life can cheat you or play tricks on you. But you must not be too annoyed or sad. Just treat this as learning a lesson. You cannot learn this from textbooks.”

The third day, my father again cooked 2 bowls of noodles. Again, one bowl with an egg on top and the other bowl with no egg on top. He put the 2 bowls on the table and again said to me, “My child. You choose. Which bowl do you want?” This time, I told my father, “Dad, you choose first. You are the head of the family and contributed the most to the family.” 

My father did not decline and chose the bowl with one egg on top. As I ate my bowl of noodles, I was expecting that there is no egg inside the bowl. But to my surprise, there were TWO eggs at the bottom of the bowl.

My father smiled at me with love in his eyes, and said, “My child, you must remember! When you think for the good of others, good things will always naturally happen to you!”

I always remember these 3 lessons from my father and live my life accordingly.

Jesus taught us that suffering is part of our training when He suffered and died on the Cross.

May the Cross of Jesus teach us how to live life and to enter by the narrow door of love. And may we always do what is pleasing to God.

20th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 14.08.2022

 Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10 / Hebrews 12:1-4 / Luke 12:49-53

The human brain is classified as an organ. But unlike the other organs of the human body, it is unusual and complex. 

The brain plays a role in every one of the body’s functions, controlling many organs, as well as speech and movements, and even has a memory. 

And when the brain is referred to as the mind, then that is when the mind is understood as the seat of our thoughts. 

And there is nothing in this world that can delight us, or trouble us, more than our own thoughts. 

When we are delighted and happy, we will think about and speak about the good things of life, things that are heart-warming and inspiring. 

But when our minds are troubled or burdened, then we will tend to be easily annoyed and agitated. 

In that state, we will also speak out what is in our minds, and that might surprise some people who may not know us well, or don't know what we are going through. 

Our impression of Jesus is that He is loving and forgiving, kind and compassionate, and everything that is good and beautiful is found in Him. Of course, that is true. 

But the gospels also did portray Jesus in His more human and ordinary aspect. For example, He wept over Jerusalem, and at the death of his friend Lazarus. 

His anger was shown when He drove out those who were doing business in the Temple. 

And in today's gospel, we could sense that there was something troubling and burdening the mind of Jesus. 

What He said in the gospel may even surprise us too. Especially when he said this: Do you suppose that I'm here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 

We could feel that Jesus was serious with what He said. And we could also feel that He was anxious, that something was disturbing and troubling His mind. 

And we could have guessed then Jesus was thinking about His suffering and death on the Cross. 

That was the baptism He was talking about, and He revealed that He was in great distress till it was over. 

It was a distress that He would feel sharply in His agony at the Garden of Gethsemane. 

But we are certainly consoled and comforted to know that Jesus had His troubles and distress, and that He would understand how we feel when we have ours. 

And yes, there is nothing in this world that can trouble us more than our own thoughts. 

But the mind is also like a cup. Whether it is half filled or half empty, it can be refilled. 

Now let's say, we are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into us or shakes our arm, making us spill the coffee everywhere. 

Why did we spill the coffee? Because someone bumped into us!!! Wrong answer. We spilled the coffee because there was coffee in our cup. Had there been tea in the cup we would have spilled tea. 

Whatever is inside the cup is what will spill out. 

Therefore, when life comes along and rattles us, which will certainly happen, whatever is inside us will come out. We can’t fake it. 

So, we have to ask ourselves, “What is in my cup? When life gets tough what spills over?”

The mind is like a cup. We choose what to fill it with. 

Jesus tells us what was troubling and distressing Him in His mind. 

But at the Garden of Gethsemane, He emptied whatever was troubling and distressing His mind when He accepted the will of God and went on to face the Cross. 

May the Cross of Jesus clear out the troubling and distressing thoughts in our minds. 

Like Jesus, let us accept the will of God so that the Cross of Jesus will fill our minds with love, peace and joy. Then gentleness, kindness and forgiveness will flow out of our minds into our words and actions.

And yes, nothing is more delightful than when our mind is filled with the Cross of Jesus.        

19th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 07.08.2022

 Wisdom 18:6-9 / Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 / Luke 12:32-48

Tonight, when we call it a day and go to bed, there will be a few things that we will do. 

We will brush our teeth, and that means we won't be eating anything until breakfast the next morning. 

We will change into our pyjamas, and that means we won't be going out anywhere during the night. 

We will also switch off our handphones and that means that we won't be contactable, nor would we be communicating with anyone during the night. 

And we will also switch off the lights. It is not just about saving electricity, but the fact is that we won't be doing anything that will require the lights to be switched on. 

So, as we can see, going to bed at night is not just about diving in and snoring away. We actually have a procedure and a preparation when we go to bed. 

Whatever the procedure and preparation may be, the purpose is to sleep peacefully, to rest well and to be fresh and ready for the next day. 

As the saying goes, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise”. That is certainly a good practice to follow, so as to have a reasonably healthy lifestyle. 

But, in the gospel, Jesus seems to be telling us to stay awake for the night, to be dressed for action and to have the lamps lighted up. 

He tells us to be alert and to be ready, and He uses the parable of the servants waiting for the master’s return from the wedding feast, even if he comes late in the night or at an odd hour. 

Of course, Jesus wants us to rest well at night. But He is also asking us how prepared are we to expect what will be coming up during the day. 

Jesus wants us to be healthy and strong, so that we are able to be ready to respond to the call of service at any time during the day. 

We are to be ready and alert whenever Jesus calls us to help others at an inconvenient time or at an unexpected moment. 

In other words, we must be ready to love and to serve at any time during the day, or even at night. 

As we think about that, let us remember how we prepare to go to bed at night. We brush our teeth, we change our clothes, we switch off the lights and we do whatever to ensure we rest well and sleep peacefully. 

But then, how do we begin the day? The alarm clock wakes us up, we jump out of bed, we rush because we were running late, and we get flustered and frustrated.

But just as we make preparations to go to bed, we also need to make the preparations to get out of bed. 

A good preparation will make all the difference between being ready and being caught by surprise, between being alert and being careless. 

Yes, preparation makes all the difference. Here is a short reflection and it is called “The Difference” (Author: Alan Grant). 

I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day. I had so much to accomplish that I didn't have time to pray. 

Problems just tumbled about me, and heavier came each task. "Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered. He answered, “You didn't ask," 

I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, grey and bleak. I wondered why God didn't show me. He said, "But you didn't seek.

I tried to come into God's presence. I used all my keys at the lock. God gently and lovingly chided, "My child, you didn't knock." 

I woke up early this morning and paused before I began the day. I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray. 

Yes, that prayer preparation at the start of the day will make all the difference. 

So, sleep earlier, wake up earlier, begin the day with prayer, and we will be ready whenever Jesus knocks at an inconvenient time or at an unexpected moment, to call us to service. 

And when we open the door to serve others, we also open the door to abundant blessings for ourselves. 

And we will also sleep peacefully at night.