Life is Worth Living

In Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12, the prophet Amos asked a series of questions to provoke faith in those he was prophesying to (that is, the people of Israel) because there seemed to be no reciprocity in their relationship with God. It appears the people of Israel did not practically live out their own terms of agreement in their covenant with God. And so, Amos the prophet asked very piercing questions in order to bring them to faith, to a certain knowledge or reminder of their relationship with God and their commitment to Him.  This portion of the prophecy of Amos also serves as a reminder to us that our relationship with God should not be a parasitic kind of relationship: it must be reciprocal. It is a covenant which requires a commitment from us. And we can better appreciate this when we come to know through faith that we have made some commitment which we must keep, that we too have some roles to play in our relationship with God. In the event of the calming of the storms, Jesus also pro...

Sometimes, we may be tempted to give up on God just because we seem not to have received what we ask for in prayers. Sometimes, we are quick to come to a very funny conclusion that God does not care about what we go through. It's been whispered at certain quarters that many people have given up on God because of the ravaging effects of the pandemic. They believed that God should have swept the virus away, but nothing seems to have been done. So, why should they continue to believe in Him and take Him seriously? This is one amongst the different forms of crisis of faith. First, we must assimilate the painful truth that God doesn't owe us anything. We have not been hired by God as labourers are hired, and so we must not expect some pay or reward from Him for our good works. If the above is properly understood, our approach to God then should basically be an approach of humility. And what is humility? Recognising and admitting that we are sinners, that we are nothing, and that w...

Anyone can be sick anytime; but there are sicknesses that are more horrible than the rest: In this context, I use the adjective "horrible" not in the sense that those sicknesses are terminal or more serious but in the sense of the social stigma or discrimination that is associated with them. In our time, there are a few of them which we know very well but in the ancient Jewish times, leprosy was one. In fact, any virulent skin disease was diagnosed as leprosy. And once someone is declared leprous, he becomes unclean, is quarantined and cut off from others. That's the worst state any Jewish person could find himself or herself. Probably, this explains the reason why the leper, in the Gospel reading (Matthew 8:1-4), ignored the social/physical distancing protocol meant to be observed by lepers, and hurriedly went to Jesus that he may cure him and make him clean again. We hardly see lepers in our time. Probably, they are hidden away for treatment. In fact, modern science m...

The metaphors of rock and sand may not be too difficult to understand and grasp. Those are elements that are very common to us: we see them often; we use them from time to time. Their properties will help us understand what Jesus was talking about and why He used them to teach. Amongst other things, a rock is strong and impervious; impervious in the sense that it cannot be affected by destructive elements; it cannot be penetrated particularly by water. With this property, a rock is immune to damages. But sand lacks the above qualities, that's why it easily crumbles when it comes in contact with erosive elements such as water and wind. Jesus describes a person who listens to His words and acts on them as a sensible person who built his or her house on a rock. When elements hit it hard, it won't collapse because it is built on the rock. But anyone who listens to His words and does not act on them is like a foolish person who built his house on sand. The elements came, hit it har...

When a child is conceived or born, there is joy or excitement, sometimes worry or anxiety. In fact, there's a whole spectrum of emotions depending on the circumstances surrounding the conception and birth of the child. If a woman mistakenly conceives, she will be worried: worried about what people will say, about her reputation, about her finances, about her job, etc; and may be tempted to terminate the pregnancy but will surely be disturbed about the long-term psychological, spiritual and biological consequences of the act. If a child is born to a poverty-stricken couple, there's worry. If there are dramatic events leading up to the birth of a child, there's anxiety, there is worry: what will this child turn out to be in future, and so on. If a child is joyfully expected and finally arrives, there are endless streams of joy and happiness. All in all, circumstances, to some degree, determine how the news of the conception or birth of a child will be received. And to a large...

"Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you" (Matthew 7:6). What a shocking statement from Jesus!  Of course, Jesus wasn't speaking literally: his language was purely metaphorical, using the metaphors of dog and swine to address real life situations. But what is it about DOGS and SWINE that Jesus should use them to communicate some truth? What was actually the situation of his time that he should speak about it in such a manner? Who was he addressing? And who or what was he talking about? One statement, so many questions! But I may not be able to supply all the answers. We can supply the rest after deeper reflections.  Those few words are part of the general teaching of Jesus (generally known as the Sermon on the Mount) which he addressed to the disciples. Of course, the entire teaching began in Matthew 5:1. And the primary audience was the disciples (those being trained to become w...

JUDGE NOT! This seems to be one of the oft-quoted and possibly one of the most misunderstood scriptural sayings. Often, I even find it very hard to know which attitude is judgemental and which is corrective. The ordinary dictionary meanings of the verb "to judge" are "to label", "to form an opinion on", "to pass sentence on" and "to condemn". If we are to go by these simple dictionary definitions of the word "JUDGE", then we can as well say that each of us might have been guilty of judging people at certain times in the past. From the above semantic background of the word JUDGE, it seems to me that the act of judging itself appears to be definite, giving no room for reconsideration, and assessing the other side of the story. When I pass sentence on something or someone, what it means is that I have accepted my opinion as true, definite and final. Now, the following possibilities can hardly be ruled out when we judge. First,...

Another interesting feature of light is that it exposes. When it shines in the dark, it disperses darkness and exposes what has been hidden in the dark. Agents of darkness hide their "ugliness" in the dark, that's why they are afraid of light or exposure. And any provider of light must suffer the brutal oppression of the agents of darkness. My dear brother and sister, if you represent the light, be ready for attacks. Why? Your life exposes evil. And those who choose evil won't let you be. A Christian is an ambassador of light, a bearer of light. That's why sufferings and persecutions must be part and parcel of the Christian life. The world will never let you be, because your life exposes the rottenness in the world. Jeremiah faced a similar situation. He was an agent of light, and the darkness around him didn't let him be. His situation was even more terrible because those who came after him were not people from afar, they were not outsiders. Jeremiah 11:21 te...

A child does not fall from heaven. He or she is conceived and born of a woman. A child must have a mother. Under normal circumstances, there must be a very strong emotional link between a mother and her child. A mother is much more affectionate towards her child than whoever. The state of the child must affect the mother. No matter how good or bad a child is, the mother's heart is always deeply touched by the situation of the child. Yesterday, we celebrated the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. And it was a great opportunity for us to remember that the Heart of Jesus was/is a Heart filled with love and compassion for humanity to the point of bleeding endlessly for humankind. Jesus was filled with so much love and compassion for us that He went about doing good, suffering for the sake of goodness and dying for the sake of those He came for. Yes, it is only a Heart that is filled with love that can willingly choose to suffer for the beloved. Let's not think that the ...

The heart is the seat of all emotions, actions and inactions. Everything begins in the heart: thoughts are conceived in the heart; and then churned out as actions or inactions. A little analogy can be of help. If you add some ink to the source of any water, the entire water will obviously be coloured and what comes out at the other end for collection is coloured water not pure water. The heart is, if you like, the origin or the source of our thoughts and imaginations. But it must reflect on or think about something, not just on itself. If what we inject into the heart is unwholesome, our thoughts will be polluted and consequently our actions will be reprehensible. If it is something good, then our thoughts will be good and our actions commendable and admirable.  We are celebrating a heart that is filled with love, not hatred; a heart that is filled with compassion, not animosity; a heart filled with optimism, not pessimism; a heart laced with sacrificial love, not with selfish am...

The father-child or parent-child relationship ought to be so strong and deep that it shouldn't be tampered with, redefined or negatively affected by status or position. No matter how royal or exalted a king may appear to be, he is still a father. No matter how ferocious or tough-looking a warrior may appear to be, his fatherly heart can't be like that of a fierce-looking lion ready to devour. When it is time to act as a father, he descends to the level of fatherhood. His status as a king or warrior should not cow his child and make the child believe that the father has become less a "father" and more a "terror". The Old Testament writings have a lot to say or communicate to us about God, but there's no strong emphasis on the image of God as a father in the OT. Further research on this may be helpful. The Book of Sirach (48:1-14) eulogises Elijah for his prowess as a prophet, presenting to us a long litany of Elijah's prophetic track records. As gre...

Every conscious act must have been INTENDED: must have been thought about, aimed at, prepared for before it is finally done. In order to assess any human action, the intention of the doer must be put into strict consideration. Not just the act itself, the intention matters a lot. To be good or to do good is GOOD & COMMENDABLE if the intention is good. But when there's a vested selfish interest which is evil, that so-called goodness must be seen and understood as ill-intentioned no matter how good it may appear. From the above background, we can now understand what Jesus really meant when he warned his disciples "not to PARADE their good deeds before people in order to ATTRACT their notice" (cf. Matt. 6:1-6). In such context, the word "PARADE" is negative, having a strong sense of ostentatious display or show-offism in order to win people's attention or admiration. You get the point! It's all about doing good deeds for goodness sake, not doing them i...

As reflected upon yesterday, often we expect everyone to reap what he/she has sown. If I sow wickedness and hatred, why on earth should I expect to reap the fruits of love and peace? When we hear about an expected turn of events for the wicked, we are very likely to say with joy, "YES, IT SERVES THEM RIGHT". However, "God's ways are not our ways, and His thoughts not our thoughts" as the Bible reveals (cf. Isaiah 55:8-9). When we have thought of B, God does A. When we joyfully expect Him to do B, He shows up with D. Out of sheer wickedness and greed, Ahab conspired with the wife Jezebel; killed Naboth a poor man and forcefully possessed his vineyard (cf. 1 Kings 21:1-16). I am very sure we are shocked by such a wicked and reprehensible act just as many of us are shocked by the suffocation of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin, a white cop. Sheer acts of injustice and wickedness! When we hear about such crimes and acts of extreme wickedness, we want and expect just...

"To err is HUMAN," as the saying goes, "to forgive is DIVINE." This implies that it's our nature to err, but God's nature to forgive. As beautiful as it may sound, the saying may indirectly mean that forgiveness is not a human trait. Maybe, we shouldn't even bother ourselves trying to forgive wrongs.  Be that as it may, the saying communicates a much deeper truth than we may ordinarily understand or see. Our depraved human nature is prone to error, but the image in which we are created is an image of a God who is forgiving, relenting of evil, slow to anger and abounding in love. UNFORGIVENESS which sometimes presents itself as REVENGE never solves any problem. It's nothing but a psychological reaction of a punctured ego. Unforgiveness is an emotional self-incarceration. It brings along with it a baggage of pains and woes: a person with an unforgiving spirit has little or no peace of mind; his/her joy is elusive; he or she puts up a façade of sati...

The more grains of food we drop on the ground for a fowl, the friendlier it becomes and the closer it comes to us. Food conditions animals to become attached to the person who feeds them. This is a very natural conditioning which is also operative in the human person.  Our attitude to food is built on the instinct of survival which is found in every living thing. If we don’t eat, we will wither away like a grass without water. Food is needed for our survival, growth and development. No two ways about it! And that is why Jesus considered food/bread a good starting point for his teaching on the Eucharist which later turned out to be a hard teaching for many of His followers even to this day. Yes, He knew that it would be a hard teaching; that is why he began with bread, using something that was very common to the people, in order to drive them into the mystery which will be very difficult for them to accept. We see that His entire teaching on the Eucharist in John 6 all started wit...

Greatness doesn't fall from the trees like dry leaves. It does not come to us on a platter of gold. It is something that we must work for. We see and hear about great people (for example, the saints) and we are filled with admiration for them. But we must also admire the positive attitudes and mindsets that transformed them into giants. One thing very certain is that great people are those who made serious "TURNING POINTS" at certain moments in their lives.  By the way, what is a TURNING POINT? A turning point is that very auspicious moment when we must break away from and say goodbye to our ugly past(s) and be committed enough to embrace the future more positively. It won't be as easy as it is described: it must involve a TOTAL and RADICAL COMMITMENT TO TRUTH and HARDWORK, and must leave no room for COMPROMISE WITH FALSEHOOD. In 1 Kings 19:19.21, when Elijah called Elisha to succeed him by the ritual act of "casting of the mantle upon Elisha ", Elisha p...

Anyone who really wants to grow can't jettison knowledge. It's an indispensable factor. And it has no business with rigidity. A narrow-minded person hardly accepts new ideas, neither does he bend to better opinions. Even in the realm of faith, knowledge can't occupy an inferior position. In fact, faith builds on knowledge. And that is why faith should not ALWAYS be understood as a "leap" or "jump" in the dark. SOMETIMES, the light of the intellect is needed for us to "see" before we venture into such "jumping" or "leaping". It is good to have "INFORMED" faith.  There are certain things we must further reflect upon, reason out and think through in order to learn, unlearn, understand better and appreciate more. Jesus made headlines today as He repeatedly said in the Gospel reading: "It has been said before ..., but now I say to you" . Certainly, it must have shocked His followers (His immediate audience...

Someone once said that “we need attitude to get to the altitude of greatness; but without gratitude, greatness may be too far to be reached.” And that is why it is said that “history has no known record of successful ingrates”. Success not only builds on hard work; it also builds on gratitude, encouragement and consolation.  Often, we have been given a pat on the back for job(s) well done. Most people have hardly hidden their sentiments of thanks at those times they were inspired or uplifted by great words or actions. Many have been inspired to become a better version of “their-selves” just because of some kind words or gestures of appreciation or commendation they heard or received for something they did well.       We are celebrating a man whose name simply means “a son of consolation”. Originally called Joseph before he was converted to faith but later given the name “Barnabas” which means “a son of encouragement or consolation” because of his helpful and opt...

I saw two black toys somewhere, and least expected the avalanche of comments that followed suit. All in all, people were of the view that the toys are SCARY. From their comments, I now understand why racism may NOT end soon.😂 I may be wrong, but that's my take.  In many worldviews, anything black appears to be symbolic of evil, negativity, unacceptability and disapproval. You see! 🙆🏿‍♀️ Black clothes are worn for funerals; black canopies are mounted; black chairs and tables are used. But white clothes are worn and used for joyful celebrations: birth anniversaries, thanksgiving, and so on.  Things are BLACKlisted to be banned, avoided or shunned. But  things are WHITElisted to show that they are acceptable, known, trusted and explicitly permitted.  OK. Now, I have been told that BLACK toys are not good for children. Why? Because they are SCARY! But WHITE toys are EXQUISITELY beautiful. Though, I have seen SCARIER white toys 😂.  Racism can't be completely ex...

Today's readings ask very important questions as far as our relationship with God is concerned: Do we need to see or experience miracles and spectacular events before we can believe in God and keep His commandments? Or do we just have to believe in God, and consequently obey and teach His commandments in response to our belief? It seems we, humans, have been made to believe that God can only be found in spectacular, extraordinary events. And that's why we are strongly drawn to places where "miracles" happen and to persons who supposedly "perform" such miracles. Possibly, it was such a tendency in humans that made the people of Israel to drift away from the True God and embrace Baal worship, as it reflects in the first reading (1 Kings 18:20-39). It will not be out of place to believe that eerie events and weird religious practices must have characterised the worship of Baal. And those activities and rituals must have strongly appealed to the curiosity and se...

You're the SALT of the EARTH... (Matt. 5:13) "Salt doesn't give AROMA or COLOR to food. It gives TASTE. Likewise, Christianity is not for MERE SHOWS, THEATRICS, FLAMBOYANCE and APPEARANCE. Christianity is for TASTE & VALUE. No one is looking for how colorful salt is, or seeking to know how nice it smells in a pot of soup! It's all about how TASTY it is. Amongst other things, this is where the value of salt lies insofar as food is concerned."