Life is Worth Living

Many of us hardly treat injustice, attacks, criticisms and insults with kid gloves especially when we are at the receiving end. Consciously or unconsciously, we often react in a certain way to injustice, ridicules and insults. In response to attacks, insults and injustice, some people choose to do or say nothing; while others choose violence or force. To be silent, to endure insults and to suffer injustice quietly without doing anything to correct it is not a good approach. Anyone who consciously chooses to do nothing about evil or injustice passively collaborates in it and encourages it to thrive. Using force or violence shouldn’t be a good approach either. Of course, violence destroys more than it intends to correct. We know what has become of those societies or countries that have employed extreme form of violence or force in correcting injustice. In Isaiah 42:1-7, Isaiah talked about the “SUFFERING SERVANT” whom he described as “not crying or lifting up his voice, or making it hear...

The word “PASSION” describes strong emotions of fear, love, hatred and anger. Remember the stories of passionate lovers such as Romeo and Juliet; Jack and Rose of Titanic; etc. That word can as well mean “an unlimited zeal and enthusiasm for something”; and this enthusiasm can be negative or positive. We remember the stories of passionate leaders like Nelson Mandela (who was passionate for the liberation of the South African blacks during the Apartheid); passionate freedom-fighters like Martin Luther King Jr of America (who was passionate for the freedom of the Black Race in America); and so many others. As we reflect on “passion”, let’s take note of the following! Passion propels one to action. Whatever you are not passionate about, you cannot achieve. And to be passionate to achieve something involves full concentration on what you intend to achieve. The Latin word “passus” is derived from the Latin infinitive “pati” which means “to suffer”. If you’ve not come to the point of sufferi...

I hope we have not forgotten that Prophet Ezekiel prophesied during the exilic period of the Israelite history. And one thing that chiefly characterized the prophecy of this period is hope and optimism that God is going to restore what has been ruined.   In Ezek. 37:21-28, Prophet Ezekiel foresaw the restoration, reconciliation with God and the reinstatement of the people of Israel in their own land: “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from the nations they have gone… and bring them to their own land” (cf. Ezek. 37:21). Now, when I think about the prophecies of hope and God’s imminent salvation and restoration, I remember seeing a picture of a group of happy people on board in a ship, facing an imminent shipwreck (the ship was about to capsize). And I asked myself: Why were they happy in the face of imminent disaster? When I looked at the picture again, I saw a lifeboat approaching the sinking ship. I then understood why they were joyful. The people were happy because there is ...

The Psalmist, expressing his total trust in God, exclaims: “In my anguish I cried to God for help; and He HEARD me” (Psa. 18:6). In Jer. 20:10-13, the prophet Jeremiah recounted his ordeals from familiar friends because he was a harbinger of truth and advocate of justice. In Jn. 10:31-42, Jesus was almost stoned and arrested by the Jews on account of the truth. In all of their trials and ordeals, God was apparently silent. From the human point of view, their lives may have ended tragically. But from God’s point of view, it was a glorified ending.   One thing we must learn is the GREAT FAITH and TRUST in God expressed by Jeremiah and Jesus even in their trying moments. In this God who seemed to be silent and deaf to his ordeals, Jeremiah placed his faith and trust. Ant that is why he said: “But the Lord is with me as a dreaded warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, they will not overcome me” (Jer. 20:11). Though, Jeremiah may not have physically experienced God’s assistance...

Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10 will be better understood in its historical context. Around 733 BC, Syria and Israel were planning to invade Judah (i.e. Jerusalem) because Judah had refused to join them in revolting against Assyria. Because of this threat from Syria and Israel, Ahaz (the king of Judah) and the entire people of Judah were thrown into confusion and fear. Isaiah went to Ahaz; encouraged him not to fear, and invited him to put his trust in God (cf. Isa 7:4-9). However, Ahaz did not listen to the word of the prophet; and the consequence was terrible. He suffered great humiliations from the Assyrians; and Judah was forced to pay heavy tributes. To encourage Ahaz once again to entrust himself and the entire nation to God’s help, Isaiah then gave him a sign that “a VIRGIN shall CONCEIVE and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa 7:14) which means GOD-WITH-US (cf. Isa 8:10). We now understand that this promise was later fulfilled in Christ the Emmanuel. But how was it fulfille...

In Daniel 3:14-20.24-25.28, we have the famous story of the three Hebrew wise men (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) who were thrown into a burning furnace by a Babylonian king (Nebuchadnezzar) because they sided with the truth. Those Hebrew men were strongly and unshakably convinced that the God of Israel is the only God and only Him must they bow down to. Nebuchadnezzar was infuriated by this truth; and swiftly sprang into action, just to quench the light of the truth. Those brave Hebrew men were strongly bound hands and feet and hurled into the burning furnace. But instead of seeing them burn and roast in the mighty fire, the King, to his greatest dismay, saw them freely walking around in the midst of the blazing furnace. They were no longer three but four, and the appearance of the fourth man was like “a son of the gods”. In this story, we see the LIBERATING POWER of Truth. At those last moments of His earthly sojourn, Jesus continued to say it aloud to the hearing of the Jews who ha...

In Numbers 21:4-9, we are told that the people of Israel became impatient on the way as they journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land. Why? Because there was no food and water! In John 8:21-30, we heard Jesus boldly proclaiming that “the Father who sent Him was with Him and that He has not left Him alone”. Jesus was not afraid because He knew and believed that God His Father was with Him. In the above, we see two contrasting scenarios, two contrasting situations and personalities: the Israelites in Num. 21:4-9 and Jesus in Jn. 8:21-30. The first situation presents us with a people (that is, the Israelites) who lost awareness of God’s presence, were suffocated by fear and thus lost faith and trust. And the second situation presents us with someone (that is, Jesus) who strongly believed that God was with Him and never allowed fear to make Him compromise the trust and confidence He had in His Father. Experiences have shown that most children seem to be more confident, courageous and fear...

When the Bible says “Don’t judge and you will not be judged”, what does it mean? But first, what is judgment? To judge is to form an opinion about someone or a situation; to pass sentence on; to criticize, condemn or label. When Jesus says, “Don’t judge”, does it mean that we shouldn’t form opinions about situations or assess situations? By that statement, I think what Jesus is referring to is CONDEMNATION or RASH JUDGMENT. Of course, we can form opinions. But opinions are opinions; they are not facts. We can’t judge and pass a sentence on someone: first, because we don’t have all the facts; secondly, because we are also weak and limited: our emotions, sentiments of hatred and prejudice can influence our judgments; in simple terms, often we judge according to the flesh. And that is why Jesus said to the Pharisees: YOU JUDGE ACCORDING TO THE FLESH; I JUDGE NO ONE (Jn. 8:15). In Dan. 13:1-9.15-17.19-30.33-62, the two elders who brought false accusations against Susanna acted according to...

In Jn. 12:20-33, Jesus is already in Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover and for His passion and death. He is in His final days on earth. Some Greeks who went up to worship at the feast went to Philip one of the apostles and said to him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus”. The gospel did not specify why they wanted to see Jesus. However, before that time, Jesus had performed signs: turned water into wine; healed the royal official’s son; healed a man who was ill for 38 years; multiplied bread and fish for more than 5000 people; walked on the sea; healed a man born blind; and raised Lazarus from the dead. With these signs, particularly the last sign, Jesus’ fame and reputation must have grown and gone beyond frontiers. It could be that those Greeks wanted to see that miracle worker, great teacher, healer and philanthropist. It could be that they wanted to see Jesus perform more signs and wonders or it could be that they wanted to listen to His teachings or to present a problem to Him. 99.9% (m...

There is a learned man, a philosopher, called Martin Heidegger. He personified truth as a lady. According to him, lady truth dwells or lives in the open region. She can only be found in the open where she shows, reveals or exposes herself. What it then means is that for anyone to be on the side of the truth, the person must come to the open. You can’t identify with the truth at the backyard. You must come to the open, to the frontage: that is where truth dwells. Truth is accuracy; truth is factuality; truth is rightness. To stand on the side of truth is to be on the side of accuracy, factuality and rightness. For Christians, truth is even stretched further to mean “righteousness or uprightness”. In the gospels, Christ identifies Himself as the truth: “I am the way, the truth and the life”. Furthermore, to be on the side of truth then is to be on the side of righteousness or uprightness, it is to be on the side of Christ. If we are to reason along with Heidegger, then any person who cla...

  INTRODUCTION God is not man; He is God: an incomprehensible reality – a compendium of mystery – an unpredictable being. Now, when a man promises us something, we can somewhat predict how it is going to be fulfilled; our whole being becomes conditioned by the words and terms of the promise (man’s) and a certain level of expectation builds up in our minds (an expectation of when, how and where it is going to be fulfilled). The promise of man conditions you to believe that it will be at an exact time and in an exact manner. And that’s why it becomes emotionally catastrophic for certain persons when things do not happen as they expected. That’s the feeling that we can have when we place our trust on man, a predictable and fickle being. But when God (who is mysterious, unpredictable and unquestionably trustworthy), makes a promise, we don’t just hope; we HOPE against hope: that is, hoping strongly that something will happen, although it is very unlikely to happen. In hope, we believe ...

One of the things we may have known about God is that He is unpredictable. Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us that God’s ways are not our ways; His thoughts are not our thoughts. Sometimes we ask for something in prayer, but receive something else as an answer to our prayer. Sometimes, we pray for abundant riches, we pray to have it all just to be happy but sometimes it may be the wish of God that we should lack certain things so that we can be wise. Yes, God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, but Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that His plans and thoughts for us are for our good, not for disaster – to give us a future filled with hope. Sometimes, certain situations in life make it difficult for us to understand this aspect of God. And that is why many of us find ourselves reeling in crisis of faith. How do we relate with a God who is so unpredictable? What should be our attitude before Him? The best attitude should be that of humility, patience, silence and faith. This is where the people of Israel failed ...

As far as I know, no bond seems to be stronger than the bond between a mother and her child. And that’s why many mothers make extraordinary sacrifices for their children. The love of the mother is constant, even if the child proves unworthy for it or becomes irredeemably stubborn. And that is why it is difficult to think that a mother can abandon or forget her child. However, we know that it does happen. There are stories of mothers abandoning or even killing their own children (for reasons best known to them). But it is interesting for us to hear God assuring the people of Israel that even if a mother forgets her own child or has no compassion on the son of her womb, He (God) will never forget them (cf. Isa. 49:15). This is the story of love so great that we see in Isaiah 49:8-15. God continued to show His great love to a people (the people of Israel) who defiantly disregarded the terms of His covenant with them. Yes, for a while, they suffered the consequences of their disobedience; ...

As at the time Ezekiel prophesied, the Israelites were already suffering as exiles in Babylon, a kingdom in the East. Just like other prophets, Ezekiel’s prophecy was meant to inject hope and strengthen the people during those difficult times. In fact, his name was his message: EZEKIEL (a Hebrew word) which means GOD STRENGTHENS or MAY GOD STRENGTHEN. In Ezekiel 47:1-9.12, there are certain symbolic words and actions that will help us understand the message it is trying to communicate. Let’s take note of the following words found in the prophecy: TEMPLE, WATER and EAST. For the Jews, the Temple is a special dwelling place of God. The mention of the word “temple” must have meant a whole lot to the exiled people of Israel who had spent many years in their land of exile having no access to the Temple. We read that “water” flowed from the Temple down to the East. “Water” is a source of life. We need water/liquid to stay alive. Sown seeds need water to germinate. Without water, life ceases....

The psalmist, full of joy, expresses his unbounded gratitude to God as he exclaims: “I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up. O Lord, you have lifted up my soul from the grave, restored me to life from those who sink into the pit. You have changed my mourning into dancing. O Lord my God, I will thank you forever” (Ps 30:1a.3.11a.12b). What could be the reason for this great feeling and expression of gratitude? Isaiah 65:17-21 gives us a clue. I am sure this might have been the feeling of the people of Israel when they heard God speak through Isaiah: “Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind” (Isa 65:17). Former things? What are they? Isaiah 65 is from the third part of Isaiah which contains prophecies addressed to the people of Israel when they returned from exile. Upon their return from exile, they met devastation and ruins, and were thrown into hopelessness and sorrow. And so, the message of the third part o...

The fourth Sunday of Lent is traditionally called the LAETARE SUNDAY. "Laetare" is a Latin word for “rejoice”. Through the readings, the Church invites us to REJOICE because  “…God sent His Son to us not to judge or condemn us but that we might be saved through him; and that we might have eternal life” (Jn 3:16.17). This may be a very appropriate time for us to talk about how the word “Lent” came about. The word “Lent” is derived from an Old English term, "Lencten" which means "spring." In certain parts of the world, spring is a season between winter and summer during which many plants produce leaves and flowers. It is a time of renewal, growth and regeneration. What a spring is to plants is what Lent is to our spiritual life. Therefore, we may say that Lent is a period of spiritual renewal, a renewal which happens as we relive the events of the passion and death of Christ which will eventually lead to resurrection, newness of life and glorious existence i...

To the people of Israel, Hosea prophesied these words of God: “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God, rather than burnt offerings” (cf. Hos. 6:6). The word “mercy” may be understood as the extension of kindness or forgiveness to someone. And we can’t talk about forgiveness if there is no offense or sin. By the statement above, Hosea invited the people of Israel to think more of mercy and think less of sacrificial offerings. When we sincerely reflect on mercy, two things should happen. First, we will be reminded that we are sinners. And secondly, we will be reminded of the nature of God who is forgiving, holy and perfect. All of this then should teach us humility: we become more conscious of our limitations and imperfections and consequently learn how to think ourselves less.  This is what we ought to experience in prayer. In prayer, we come face to face with a God who is holy and perfect. And, our imperfection becomes clearer in the presence of such a perfect b...

In Child Psychology and Human Development, it has been experimented and found to be true that “in correcting people, softness in speech can produce better results than harsh outpouring of words”. It is a common experience that we cannot deny. A father who flogs his disobedient child with one hand and cuddles him more with another will end up bringing out the best in that child. Prophet Hosea addressed the people of Israel, soothing their wounds of sin and infidelity with the ointment of God’s love (cf. Hos. 14:1-9). Most of the harsh messages of the earlier prophets (like Jeremiah, and the rest) might have made us think that God is harsh and intolerant towards us. But Hosea clearly makes us understand that every action of God towards a sinner always gears towards bringing the sinner back to His fatherly love. Words of love that are spoken softly heal more quickly than the ones that are harshly voiced out. God comes to us with words of love, pleading for our return to His love. He is a ...

In the fourth week of Lent, the emphasis of the readings seem to be on the commandments (or law) of God. In Deut. 4 and Deut. 30:15.19, Moses told the Israelites that the commandments are the route they must follow in order to arrive at life. As we have it in today's reading, Jeremiah takes it out on the Israelites for being a stiff-necked people, for being obstinate and unyielding in their observance of the law (or commandments) of the Lord (cf. Jer. 7:23-28). Christ has summarized those commandments in one word: LOVE. His mission on earth was to UPHOLD, PROMOTE AND FULFIL THE IDEAL OF LOVE. To be on His side (cf. Luke 11:23) is to promote what He upholds: to work for the fulfillment of the law of love. To be against Him is to work against Christian charity. In Luke 11:14-23, Christ performed a work of love: He cast out a demon from a demon-possessed. And some people accused Him of working with the power of the prince of demons. In other words, He was accused of being on the side ...

The Scriptures have consistently emphasized that the commandments of God are our roadmaps to life. What it then means is that willful deviation from them obviously leads to death. In Deut. 4:1.5-9 and 30:15.19, Moses enjoined the people of Israel to give heed to the commandments and do them that they may live. The implication is that a deviation from the commandments would lead to death. Moses passionately appealed to them to CHOOSE life so that they and their descendants may live. The choice was theirs. The choice is ours too! In Jn. 6:63c, Christ the new Moses spoke to the Jews that “the words (and commandments of God) which He has come to preach (and fulfil) are Spirit and Life”. In Jn. 6:68, Peter confirmed that indeed Christ has the words of eternal life. When these words come to us, they are meant to help us make the right choice. The MERITS of obeying and the CONSEQUENCES of disobeying the commandments are very clear to us. We cannot choose to disobey and expect to get the rewar...

The Book of Daniel tells the story of three Jewish men who were thrown into fire for refusing to worship a statue erected by King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 3:2.11-20 is a touching prayer of Azariah while they were in the heart of the fire. With a humble and contrite heart, he prayed for God’s acceptance, forgiveness, mercy and deliverance because he knew that his people had sinned and worshipped the statue. In His teaching on forgiveness, Jesus ended with the statement: “this is what my heavenly father will do to those who do not forgive others from their heart” (Matt. 18:35). In the world, it is customary to return good for good. But those who are not of the world are expected to go beyond what is customary-in-the-sight-of-the-world and learn to return good for evil. A Christian is a child of God: a God who does not treat us according to our sins as expressed by Azariah. A Christian is a follower of Christ: the Christ who prayed at the height of his suffering and pains that God should fo...

  INTRODUCTION Lenten season, amongst other things, is also a special period of spiritual clean-up exercise. But if we must be cleansed, we must believe that Jesus can do it. Trusting in His cleansing power, let us submit our souls that have been tainted by sin, and humbly implore Him to make us clean again.   HOMILY PROPER Do you know that a dirty clothe is heavier than a clean one? Get two clothes of the same material and size (one clean, the other very dirty) and observe very keenly. You will discover that the dirty one slightly weighs more than the clean one. What sin does to our souls is what dirt does to a cloth. It weighs the soul down and cripples the willpower (the power to resist evil). That’s why whenever we get ourselves enmeshed in a sinful habit, we feel crippled to leave that habit. If I steal today, and get another opportunity to steal tomorrow, I will still steal. The first instance of stealing has crippled my willpower; and whenever there is another oppo...

I can't forget in a hurry my experience of having a phone for the first time. It was really fun with some admixture of serious seriousness, painstaking alertness and brisk attentiveness to the minutest details of phone usage. I carefully read the User Manual of my new phone, and almost found myself in the habit of carrying it around wherever I went. Why? Because I never wanted my phone to be manhandled or misused in any way! Its User Guide or Manual was always close by for direction on usage. I was even more emphatic on insisting that admirers of my newly bought phone should stick to the phone's User Guide because I never wanted to hear stories from anybody that my ever cherished newly bought phone has malfunctioned because of rough usage. Now, if we can pay such a concentrated attention to mere gadgets and other material things that we can possess, why does it not occur to us that we ought to be more careful in our use of those things that do not belong to us? Consider the sta...

On the first Sunday of Lent, we were presented with the image of the “desert” – Jesus was led by God’s Spirit into the desert and there He was tested. And so, the “desert” is a place of testing. Of course, by its nature, the desert is a very difficult place. Last Sunday (the Second Sunday of Lent), we are presented with the image of a “mountain” – Jesus led Peter, James and John up a high mountain and there in their presence, He was transfigured. And a voice coming from a cloud said, “This is my Son the Beloved, listen to Him”. So, the “mountain” is a place of listening – in fact, by its nature a mountain creates an atmosphere for concentrated attention to God. On this third Sunday of Lent, we are presented with the image of a “Temple” – Jesus enters the Temple. Now, let us revisit what the Temple symbolizes. The Temple is a symbol of God’s presence; a special place where God dwells among His people. In a more common expression, the Temple is God’s house. The Temple exclusively belongs...