Fr Henry Siew

Year II. Saturday of Week 19 in Ordinary Time. First Reading. Ezekiel 18:1-10, 13, 30-32   Ancient Israelites believed that whatever wrongs the ancestors had done, their offspring would pay the penalty. So there was a saying among them: “Fathers have eaten unripe grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge”.   However, Ezekiel did not agree, saying: “there shall no longer be anyone among you who will repeat this proverb in Israel. For all lives are mine: the life of the father is like the life of the son, both are mine; only the one who sins shall die.” In other words, if anyone suffered, their parents or grandparents should not be blamed. Everyone is responsible for the consequences of his own wrongdoing – “only the one who sins shall die”.   He gave a list of actions which could be expected from the virtuous. Among the good things listed are: Not eating on the mountains (not to perfom idolatrous rituals on the shrines in the mountains); Not having adulterous relations with a neighbour’s wife; Not oppressing people; Giving back a pledge which had been offered when money was paid back after a loan; Not committing robbery; Feeding the hungry and clothing the naked; Not lending at interest or demanding extra payment for a loan; Judging fairly in a dispute; and living by the Lord’s statutes and ordinances. Such a person and will surely live.   On the other hand, if a person violated all these things, he shall surely die. “His death shall be his own fault.” God would judge “each of you by what he does”. And finally, there was a call to repentance and renewal. “Renounce all your sins, avoid all occasions of sin!” Positively, they were to “make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit… I take no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies… Repent and live!”   Each one of us is personally responsible for the guilt of his or her wrongdoing. We are not to blame anyone else for the free choices of our lives. And know that the Lord takes no pleasure in the death of anyone. What he desires is that we shall renounce our sinful way, put on a new heart, and be alive in Him.   APPLICATION Do you at times blame others for your faults? How should you renew your heart?   GOLDEN VERSE Ez 18: 32 I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, it is the Lord who speaks. Repent and live!   Gospel. Matthew 19:13-15 The disciples were trying to protect Jesus by shooing those mothers away who brought their children to Him. But Jesus rebukes the disciples saying: “Let the children come unto me…for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  Is it because children most often are without guile?  Or that children have not yet been caught up in affairs of the world so they have not created strange gods to serve?   Children are able to just be in the moment. They taught us to marvel at the different songs of the birds or to shriek with delight at the silly squirrels who jumped back and forth between a slender branch and the roof of our garage.  They challenged us to slow down and to see the amazing things going on right in front of my eyes.  So many things we had never noticed or taken the time to appreciate before.    A child is someone pure and innocent, not corrupted by the world in which we live. As adults maybe we would come to Him only when the problems of the world disturb us. We would come to him when we were sad, afraid, hurt or disappointed. We forget about God when things are smooth, and question how He could allow bad things to happen to us.  This passage invite us to be aware of God’s presence in our lives and come to him with complete faith and trust APPLICATION What can you learn from little children in relating with God? GOLDEN VERSE Mt 19:14 Let the children alone, and do not stop them coming to me.

But there are also some people who have accepted consecrated life for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Consecrated people commit to giving everything (poverty) and doing anything (obedience) in God’s service, as a loving response to God’s love for them (chastity). Consecration means “set apart.” Those called to consecrated life are “set apart” by God for this way of life to witness to the values of the kingdom. Today, we recognize that people who live a single life without joining a religious community could be consecrating their lives in a unique way to God, by witnessing to God’s presence, love and life-giving in their singlehood. APPLICATION How do you appreciate your calling to marriage or consecrated life? How are you to become more faithful and fruitful in living up your vocation?  GOLDEN VERSE Mt 19:6 They are no longer two but one body. So then, what God has united man must not divide.   Mt 19:12 There are eunuchs who have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.

Year II. Friday of Week 19 in Ordinary Time. Frist Reading. Ezekiel 16:1-15, 59-63   In a long allegory the prophet described how God chose his people, cared for them, showered them with all they needed and how in the end they ungratefully abused His mercy and goodness. God was described as the spouse of Israel, the unfaithful wife, who prostituted herself before false gods.   Jerusalem was once the land of the Canaanites, Amorites and Hittites. It had a pre-Israelite history long before the Israelites conquered the land. It came fully under Israelite rule at David’s time. Prior to the formation of the kingdom of Israel, she was like an abandoned baby. The navel cord had not been cut nor had the infant been washed clean of blood. There was no one to rub the baby with salt or to wrap the little body in swaddling clothes.   Then God came along and saw the helpless child still bathed in the blood of birth and growing like a wild plant until God gave his blessing of life and prosperity. From that moment Israel began to grow and mature. However, the girl was still naked. So God told Israel, “Your time had come., the time for love.” That is, the time for marriage.   God covered the girl’s nakedness with part of his own cloak, the sign of his intention to marry her. “I made you mine,” he said, like a groom speaking of his bride. And then the bride was bathed in cleansing water, the polluting blood of idolatry was washed off. She was anointed with oil, dressed in finest of clothes, and fine leather shoes, adorned with bracelets, necklace, nose-ring and ear-rings, and a beautiful wedding diadem. She was “loaded with gold and silver, dressed in fine linen and embroidered silks”, and fed with finest food. She was made a queen, the Lord’s bride.   She was looked up to and admired by peoples everywhere for she was bathed in the glory of the Lord. Unfortunately, she forgot the origins of all her glory. She turned her beauty to prostitution of idol worshipping. However, God remained faithful to his covenant made with her. The people would be pardoned and the covenant would be renewed. On her part, Jerusalem must remember with gratitude and repent the terrible things she had done.   APPLICATION R Recall your personal salvation history. How have you been faithful to God?   GOLDEN VERSE Ez 16:8 I bound myself by oath, I made a covenant with you, and you became mine.   Gospel. Matthew 19:3-12 Jesus mentioned that Mosaic law allowed divorce because the people were unteachable. By commanding someone who had the intention of divorce to write a writ of dismissal, Moses was instructing them not to take divorce lightly. However, Jesus commented that it was not like that in the beginning.  In this dialogue, Jesus highlighted three essential qualities of marriage. One. God is love and God relates. Marriage relationship is meant to reflect the image of our relating and loving God. The more a couple deepen their relationship, the more they can image God in their lives. Two. In marriage, the couple are no longer two, but one body. They are two persons united and becoming one couple. Their differences invite them to respect each other’s uniqueness and allow their strengths to complement and enrich each other. Three. What God has united; man must not be divided. With the grace of God, a married couple pledge to commit their lives to one another for life. They make a conscious choice to remain faithful to each other. It is a decision to remain in steadfast love even when the going gets tough. They are willing to brave any storm that rock their matrimony boat in the journey of life. Divorce is sometimes inevitable because one party may not understand or accept the qualities of marriage mentioned. When things are beyond individual’s control, we surrender them to God. Marriage is part of God’s plan of creation. However, Jesus mentioned that there are people who would not get married and will not be reproducing. There are a few people who might be born without genitive power. There are some who were forced to become eunuchs in the ancient courts.

He forgives because he knows the Heavenly Father has forgiven him. He remains who he is, the child of a Forgiving Father, and will not change his identity regardless how misbehaving the offender is. There is no need to count the score. Just be the forgiving person God wants you to be. APPLICATION Do you count the wrongs of your enemy? When will you ever stop counting? GOLDEN VERSE Mt 18:33 Were you not bound then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?

Year II. Thursday of Week 19 in Ordinary Time. First Reading. Ezekiel 12:1-12   Ezekiel was instructed to go through an elaborate mime as a message to warn the people of the coming deportation from Jerusalem into exile in Babylon. The people were described by God as rebels, those who had eyes but do not see, had ears but do not hear, because they did not want to see and hear.   Ezekiel was told to pack up all his things like a person going off into distant land. The packing was to be done by day in the sight of all but then he was to slip out in darkness, through a hole in the mud wall of his house. He was to cover his face so that he could not see the countryside which he was entering. All this was a symbol for what was going to happen to Israel.   The following morning God again spoke to Ezekiel. When the people would ask the prophet what the meaning of his action was, they should to be told that the oracle was directed against the people of Jerusalem and the whole of Israel everywhere. His prophetic actions showed that the people would go into exile and banishment and King Zedekiah would carry his own belongings and go through a hole in the city wall; his face would be covered so that he would not be able to see the country.   The prophecy would come true during the time of King Zedekiah. He and his army would try to escape through a breach in the city walls. But he was captured and brought to Riblah. There his two sons were killed in his presence and then his eyes were put out before he was brought off to Babylon (see 2 Kings 25). The king’s blindness was a symbol of the blindness of the whole people.   APPLICATION Do you have eyes but do not see; ears but do not hear what God is showing or telling you?   GOLDEN VERSE Ez 12:6 I have made you a symbol of the House of Israel.   Gospel. Matthew 19:3-12 Peter asked Jesus about the frequency of forgiveness, “How often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me?” Then he confidently added his estimation of the number of times, “As often as seven times?” We know that “seven” is a symbolic number, not referring exactly to seven times, but meaning many times. Peter must have heard of Jesus’ preaching on forgiveness before, and he wanted to express his willingness to abide to his teaching. However, he seemed to have a lingering hesitation in his heart, “How many times is enough?” Unspoken, but the question remained in his heart, “if someone keeps offending me, must I forgive him innumerable times?” Jesus answered, “Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.” Again, “seventy-seven” does not refer to an actual number “four hundred and seventy times”. Peter was willing to forgive many times, but he was still counting, and he wondered when the counting should stop. Is there a limit to tolerance? To explain what he meant by seventy-seven times, Jesus gave the parable of the forgiving master and his unforgiving servant. The master in the parable represents God, and the first servant who receive pardon from his master represents an unforgiving person. He had received mercy and forgiveness from God, yet when he met another servant who was indebted to him, he refused to forgive him. As such, he was justly reprimanded by God, “Were you not bound then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” The lesson of the parable is: a person should “forgive your brother from your heart.” And that means a disciple who wishes to follow the teaching of Christ should cultivate an attitude of forgiveness, such that it becomes his second nature, that he has the disposition of forgiveness. He is willing to forgive someone who hurts him not because this person stops offending him, or that he has changed, or that he makes compensation, or anything like that to show his contrition, but because of his own character. Genuine forgiveness reveals who I am, and it is not conditioned by who the offender is and how he behaves. Forgiveness is a defining nature of Jesus, and so every of his disciples wants to develop that same characteristic.

APPLICATION What quality of children do you most need in your experience of the kingdom of heaven?  GOLDEN VERSE Mt 18:17 If he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector.

Year II. Wednesday of Week 19 in Ordinary Time. First Reading. Ezekiel 9:1-7; 10:18-22   The reading is an apocalyptic-style account using symbolic language in which God’s punishment comes on all those who have sinned.   As Ezekiel listened, there came the thundering voice of God. He announced the punishment on wrongdoers. Immediately, six men (angels) came from the gate on the north side of Jerusalem, each one armed with a deadly weapon. In their midst was a man dressed in white and with a scribe’s ink horn in his belt; he was the one who kept a record of people’s doings.   They stopped in front of the bronze altar in the Temple. Now the glory of the Lord moved towards the Temple threshold. God was leaving the Temple. Then God instructed the man in white to put a mark on the foreheads of all the faithful remnant of God’s people who deplore the idolatrous practices that were going on. The rest were to be mercilessly struck down.   The punishment began right at the entrance to the Temple where God’s people were, and it began with the eldest. The Temple became defiled with the corpses of people who were unclean. And the Lord left the Temple by the east gate. The east gate was the main ceremonial entrance into the temple and was also known as “the gate of the Lord”. It overlooked the Kedron valley towards the Mount of Olives.   We meet God liturgically in holy places. But of course, God is never confined to one place. He is everywhere and we can and should seek and find him in all things. St Paul says we are called to be his temple, the place where he is present. However, we may reject him and refuse him to stay in our hearts. That would bring ruin on ourselves just as the people of Jerusalem had brough upon disaster on themselves.   APPLICATION How have you experience God’s presence in the place of worship and beyond?   GOLDEN VERSE No verse selected.   Gospel. Matthew 18 15-20 Chapter 18 of the Gospel of Matthew contains teachings on Community living. Today’s text due with the problem of brotherly correction. Suppose one of the disciples has done something wrong, what can be done to help him? The passage presents a course of actions that can be taken. One. Talk to the person privately. It is not helpful if we just brood about it and feel upset and sad and do nothing. Rather, let the person aware that we know about it and among us we see how things can be changed for the better. At times it may be that we have misunderstood and misjudged the person. At other times, an admittance and an apology would be good enough. Two. When a private meeting does not work, then bring along one or two others to assist. It does not mean to assert group pressure or to provide more evidences to accuse the person. At times, the concerned parties just need someone else to provide alternative perspective and more objective views. They are to mediate and to enhance dialogue and mutual understanding among the persons affected. Three. When the second step still fails, the disciples are to refer it to the community. It is presumed that the community has the care and welfare of this person and will do their best to assist him. If members of the community do not have such welcoming attitude, they should be disqualified from exercising this role of reconciliation.  Four. Treat him like a pagan or a tax collector. The impression given is that the community should give out on this person for he is hopeless and beyond redemption. However, knowing the way Jesus treated the tax collectors and sinners, then we are certain that such interpretation cannot be true. Jesus had a soft spot for people who are despised by others and considered as outcaste. He befriended people like Matthew and Zacchaeus who were tax collectors and he dinned with them. Therefore, Jesus meant that after all the effort mentioned above had been done, and if the community still could not win over the person, they should treat him with even more compassion and mercy, like the way he treated the sinners.

Year II. Tuesday of Week 19 in Ordinary Time. First Reading. Ezekiel 2:8-3:4   Ezekiel had a vision of the chariot of the Lord and also the vision of the scroll, of which we read just a part today. God spoke to Ezekiel and called him ‘son of man’. This is a phrase peculiar in the Old Testament to Ezekiel with the exception of two instances in the prophet Daniel. It is used 93 times altogether in Ezekiel and its purpose is to emphasise the great gap between a transcendent God and the human being.   Ezekiel was first called to listen carefully to what God had to say. He was not to be like the people who were rebellious and disobedient. “Be not like this house of rebellion.” He was then to open his mouth and to eat a scroll given him.   The scroll was filled with ‘lamentations, wailings and moaning’. Ezekiel’s mission was first to communicate God’s displeasure with his people and to warn them of the sufferings they would endure as the result of their faithlessness.   In spite of its content, Ezekiel found that the scroll was “as sweet as honey in my mouth”. The contradiction between the message and the taste shows that God’s word, though severe, was spoken with love and with the welfare of the recipient in mind.   The scene was an expression of Ezekiel’s calling to be a prophet and to speak in God’s name. The eating of the scroll is a symbol of Ezekiel totally absorbing and assimilating into himself the word of God. (The image of eating a scroll appears also in the Book of Revelation 10:1-11).   APPLICATION How have you experienced God speaking to you, and how have you responded?   GOLDEN VERSE Ez 3:3 “Son of man, feed and be satisfied by the scroll I am giving you.” I ate it, and it tasted sweet as honey.   Gospel. Matthew 18:1-5,12-14 The disciples asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of God?” The fact that they asked that question showed that they did not understand what the kingdom of heaven was. They were still thinking about the worldly kingdom. And talking about such worldly matters, people think of position and power, prestige, and reputation. But such thoughts were precisely the contradiction of the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of God means the experience of the presence and qualities of God. And if the disciples were to focus on God and doing His will, they would not be bothered about who being the greatest. On the contrary, when people want to be great, to occupy high positions, to get benefit from being in those positions, they are far from the kingdom of God. Jesus remarked, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus told those who wanted to be great to change their attitude and mentality, to detach themselves from the preoccupation of the worldly kingdom, to acquire the characteristics of little children to experience the kingdom of God. What are the qualities of children we should have? One, children are open to others. They accept people without discrimination and prejudice. Their attitude manifests God’s unconditional acceptance of all men, saints, and sinners alike. Two, children are humble and eager to learn. They know they are ignorant and are hungry to learn new things. Some adults, on the contrary, think that they are clever and stop learning and growing. Three, children are trusting. They are dependent on their parents and other significant others, trusting that they will care and provide for them. They have so little, but they are contented and never worry that they do not have enough. APPLICATION What quality of children do you most need in your experience of the kingdom of heaven?  GOLDEN VERSE Mt 18:4 The one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

GOLDEN VERSE Mt 17:25 From whom do the kings of the earth take toll or tribute?

Year II. Monday of Week 19 in Ordinary Time. First Reading. Ezekiel. 1:2-5, 24-28   Ezekiel belonged to a priestly family and he became a prophet in Babylon, as a member of the first group of exiles deported in 597 BC. His first task was to prepare his fellow countrymen in Babylon for the final destruction of Jerusalem, which they believed God would not allow to happen. But Ezekiel reproached them for their sinful and idolatrous behaviour and foretold more destruction and a second and more complete deportation into exile for the people of Jerusalem, which would happen in 587 BC.   Ezekiel used the phrase, “The hand of the Lord came on me”. This phrase is used six times in his book to indicate a powerful experience of God. The experience described the “Chariot of the Lord”. Its central message is that God transcends any specific place. He is not tied to any place, such as the Temple in Jerusalem, but can also be with his people in their exile.   He had a vision that revealed the presence and power of God: the stormy wind, the great cloud surrounded by light, the fire with flashes of lightning and the “sheen like bronze at the heart of the fire”. In the centre appeared four animals in human form. ‘Four’ represents completeness. The idea appears several times in this chapter and over 40 times in the whole book.   The four creatures were referred to as “cherubim” and they attended on God’s throne. Their appearances are: man, lion, ox and eagle. (They will appear again in the Book of Revelation and are commonly depicted in medieval art where they represent the four evangelists, Matthew the man; Mark the lion; Luke the ox; and John the eagle).   Above the vault over the heads of the cherubim was a sapphire shaped like a throne on which sat “a being that looked like a man”. That figure was surrounded by fire and the colour of bronze. A bright light like a rainbow penetrating the clouds on a rainy day shone all around. To the prophet, all these spoke of the glory and presence of the Lord, and he fell to the ground in adoration. For many centuries, God’s glory and presence had been linked to the Temple in Jerusalem, but now God was being experienced in the land of exile.   APPLICATION How have you experienced the glory and presence of God?   GOLDEN VERSE Ez 1:28 It was something that looked like the glory of the Lord. I looked and prostrated myself.   Gospel. Matthew 17: 22-27 When the question was asked to Peter, “Does your master not pay the half-shekel?” Peter gave a quick answer, then went into the house and referred the question to Jesus. Jesus answered with a parable, saying that the sons were exempted from paying taxes to the kings. Since the tax mentioned was for the temple, that is for God, and Jesus was the Son of God, obviously, he need not pay that tax. In spite of that, Jesus said that they should pay the tax. Jesus incarnate was man, and he wanted to set an example to the people that they should fulfil their social and religious obligations. The more difficult part of this text is the instruction of Jesus to Peter, “Go to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that bites, open its mouth, and you will find a shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for you.” This gave the impression that Jesus was making a fishing miracle through Peter. But think of it, if we take it literally, it will mean Jesus was misusing his miraculous power for a mundane thing like earning a shekel of temple tax. That would contradict the character of Jesus. He could have turned stone into bread, but he refused. He could have jumped down from the pinnacle and been unharmed, but he did not. Jesus would not have used an easy way to solve a life problem when effort should be made. What then is the meaning of Jesus asking Peter to go for a catch? He was not telling him to get a coin from a fish’s mouth. He was asking Peter to go and catch some fish, sell them, and get the shekel needed for the temple tax. APPLICATION Do you at times feel tempted to avoid hard work and attempt to seek an easy solution for the problems in life?

YEAR A, 19th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 1 Kings 19:9-13; Rom 9:1-5; Mt 14:22-33 It was the fourth watch of the night, between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m., and it was dark. The disciples were in their boat, struggling against rough seas. When they saw Jesus, they thought he was a ghost—partly because the darkness kept them from seeing clearly, and partly because fear and anxiety had clouded their minds.   Jesus reassured them, saying, “Courage! It is I; do not be afraid.” When Peter recognised him, he said, “Lord, let me come to you.” Jesus invited him forward, and Peter stepped out of the boat and began walking toward him. But when he felt the strong wind and waves, he panicked and started to sink. Jesus reached out, took hold of Peter, brought him back into the boat, and calmed the sea. In the storm, Peter encountered God.   The First Reading from the First Book of Kings presents Elijah’s encounter with God in a different way. Called to stand in God’s presence at Mount Horeb, Elijah did not find God in the powerful wind, the earthquake, or the fire. Instead, he recognised God’s presence in a gentle breeze.   The gentle breeze represents the stillness and calm of life, while the stormy sea symbolises life’s dangers, crises, difficulties, and struggles. How do these experiences shape our response to God?   When life is smooth and trouble-free, we can become so comfortable that we forget God, as though we do not need him. Yet when life becomes hard, we ask, “Where are you, Lord? Do you care?”   We often live with this contradiction: we want God’s providence and help, yet we still want things our own way. We expect God to fulfil our wishes, meet our needs, and solve our problems. For example, when someone prays for a sick person, he may expect God to heal that person immediately. If healing does not come, he may become upset, angry, and begin to question God’s goodness.   People often want quick, easy answers that match their expectations. At times, they may even turn to superstition. They resist taking responsibility or doing the hard work needed to face their problems. They want to remain in control the easy way—and sometimes even try to dictate what God should do.   We need conversion: a change of attitude and behaviour. We trust that God is present, loving, and caring for us, but we must not presume that God will act according to our plans. At the same time, we must accept responsibility and do our part in addressing the concerns before us.   For example, I may care deeply for the welfare of my elderly parents. I must accept their vulnerabilities without expecting them to behave as though they have no difficulties. I must also acknowledge my own limits and inadequacies. I may feel stressed and pressured; I am not a perfect caregiver. So I pray for God’s strength and serenity, asking for patience with my elders and with myself. In our brokenness, I trust that God is present.   APPLICATION How have I experienced God in good times and in bad?   GOLDEN VERSE Mt 14:28 Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.

While others can get beyond the human followers and seek out Jesus, because they have accepted the reality of human frailties and put their trust in God. APPLICATION Are you at times discouraged by the attitudes or behaviours of Christians? Have you learned to overcome that sort of discouragement?  GOLDEN VERSE Mt 17:20 If your faith were the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, “move from here to there”, and it would move. Nothing would be impossible for you.

Year II. Saturday of Week 18 in Ordinary Time. First Reading. Habakkuk 1:12-2:4   Today we have one reading from the Prophet Habakkuk. The book dates from the years 605-597 BC, before Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion of the southern kingdom of Judah which resulted in the capture and destruction of Jerusalem. In addition to the threat of invasion, the city itself had degenerated into a hotbed of political intrigue and widespread idolatry.   The first two chapters, from which our readings are taken, consist of a dialogue between God and the prophet. The third chapter [not part of the reading] is a dirge, filled with reminiscences of Israel’s past. On the whole, God is said to have appeared in all his majestic splendour and would execute vengeance on Judah’s enemies. The prophecy ends with a joyous profession of confidence in the Lord, the Saviour.   In today’s reading Habakkuk complained how God could have tolerate the evil of those who cause so much suffering among his chosen people. Yes, the prophet acknowledged God as the Holy One and it was He who had made Babylon an instrument of justice for the punishment of the chosen people. At the same time, he saw a contradiction here. God is supposed to be too pure to look on wickedness and tyranny and yet he remained silent while the wicked practise their treachery on those, who, though bad, were not as evil as their enemies. The people were treated “like fishes in the sea” who were caught by the dragnet of the enemies.     The prophet complained, “Are they then to empty their net unceasingly, slaughtering nation without pity?” So the prophet went to the watchtower, to see if the Lord had any answer to his complaints. The Lord told him to write down the vision and put it on tablets so that it could easily be carried and read out. The message was “for its own fulfilment” without any specification of when it would happen.   Finally, a contrast is made between two kinds of people. There is the one “who flags, whose soul is not at rights”, and there is also “the upright man will live by his faithfulness”. The Babylonians as well as those people of Judah who had lost confidence in God were numbered among the first kind. The other remained faithful to God no matter what had happened and how long he had to wait.   APPLICATION Are you faithfully waiting for God to fulfil his promise?   GOLDEN VERSE Hab 2:4 See how he flags, whose soul is not at rights, but the upright man will live by his faithfulness.   Gospel. Matthew 17 14-20 A man brought his epileptic boy to the disciples for prayer and healing but to no avail. The people attributed the boy’s condition to the malign influence of the evil spirit, and Jesus responded in the manner befitting their perception. He rebuked the evil spirit and it came out, and the boy was cured. In this incident, we observe both the failure of the disciples and the faith of the boy’s father. They failed because they had little faith, while the father had great faith in Jesus. Jesus commented that “how much longer must I be with you, and how much longer must I put up with you?” It was spoken with the tone of sadness, while at the same time, an anticipated patience that the disciple would learn from the experience. If they were to have the faith the size of a mustard seed, they could say to that mountain to be move from here to there. That was obviously not to be taken literally. It was an idiomatic way of saying the removing of great difficulties. If only they had faith, then even the hardest problem can be overcome. The father of the boy accepted the weaknesses of the disciples. He did not leave disappointed and bitter. Rather he looked out for Jesus knowing that he was the source of healing and liberation. In modern days, at times some people got discouraged by the actions and attitudes of Christians when they observe their weaknesses and failures. They abandon the church entirely, or worse still, they no longer want to believe in God.

Year II. Friday of Week 18 in Ordinary Time. Frist Reading. Nahum 2:1,3; 3:1-3,6-7   Nahum is one of the prophets who is ‘minor’, whose writing is very short (just three chapters). He made his prophecy just before the imminent conquer of Nineveh, the Assyrian capital, by Babylon. It is a triumphant song of joy over the fall of this city that was hostile to Israel.   The passage opens with the messenger coming across the mountains of Judah with a message of peace and jubilation. There was deliverance from the threat of Assyria. The people were urged to “carry out your vows”, that is, the promises made to God during the times of distress. The Lord was going to restore the vineyard, that is, uniting the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah, which had been ravaged and ruined by the enemy.   There is a graphic description of the Assyrian war machine, “galloping horse, jolting chariot, charging cavalry, flash of swords, gleam of spears”, which resulted in a “mass of wounded, hosts of dead, countless corpses…”. Those were the cruelties they inflicted on their victims. But now, Nineveh, the proud and arrogant city, would be destroyed and humiliated, “pelted with filth”. Like a disgraced harlot, she would be shamed and made a show of lowliness. Nineveh would be a ruin and no one would have pity on her.   APPLICATION How have you experienced God’s power that triumphs over evil?   GOLDEN VERSE Na 2:1 See, over the mountains the messenger hurries. “Peace” he proclaim   Gospel. Matthew 16 24-28 In Mt 16:24, we have verse which highlights the recurring teaching of Jesus on discipleship. It is “let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me.” There are three things a disciple must prepare to do. A disciple of Christ must deny himself. It is not referring to abstinence, like denying oneself of dessert or other small pleasures. To deny oneself means to adopt a fundamental attitude of letting go of the ego. It is the constant willingness to say no to self and say yes to God. It is a consistent desire to do the will of God and not my own will. Concretely, in all his daily interactions and activities at home and at work, he needs to let go of himself, be less self-preoccupied, think less of winning an argument, feel less to justify himself, and want more to listen, to understand, and to care for others.   A disciple must take up his cross daily. He must be prepared to make sacrifices. He does not have to look for crosses to carry. There are many crosses inherent in service providing and in loving. Often the place that requires his service most the material reward will be small and the prestige insignificant. And the call to serve the poor and needy will consume his time and energy. In relating and caring for family members, he is to make the sacrifice of losing face and to losing an argument. In working with colleagues, he is prepared to take a greater share of the workload, and not to take credits for a job well done and to be overlooked by a careless superior! A disciple must follow Christ. He is to imitate the Lord in every aspect of his life. To become the kind of person Jesus is. To adopt the mentality, attitudes, values, and actions of his master. To love, to serve, to care, to heal, to liberate, and to forgive as the Lord has done. It is to live a life like unto him. The three points given are enough materials for our reflection today. We will keep our reflection on verses 2-25 for the future. APPLICATION Who do you say Jesus is? And how your answer is influencing the way you live your life? GOLDEN VERSE Mt 16:24 If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me Who do you say I am.

August 6th, Feast of the Transfiguration Jesus invites Peter, John, and James up a mountain to pray. There, something amazing happens—He is transfigured! His face changes, and his clothes turn bright white. Moses and Elijah show up and talk to Jesus. Peter even suggests they build three tents for them. Just a week before, Jesus had warned His disciples that the Son of Man would face a lot of trouble, be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, be killed, and would return after three days. This news shook them. The transfiguration shows Jesus’s glorious nature, giving the disciples the courage to handle the persecution and suffering of Jesus they would experience. It also helps them to accept their own crosses. This moment is important for the disciples. The Jews used to think that Moses and Elijah, who were buried and taken away by God, would come back as signs that the end was near. But the Gospel of Matthew says that the “end time” first means the end of the old covenant, not the end of the world. Once the old covenant is finished, a new one will start. This is a surprise for the Jewish disciples, because the Mosaic Law and the prophetic teachings have been their guide. The voice from heaven proclaims Jesus as the Son of God and instructs the disciples to listen to Him. They fall on their faces. When they raise their eyes again, they see no one else but Jesus. This indicates that the old age of the Law and the Prophets has come to an end. Now Jesus the Son of God is their way, truth, and life.  APPLICATION How has your acceptance of Jesus transformed your life orientation? GOLDEN VERSE Mt 17:5 This is my Son, the beloved; He enjoys my favours; listen to Him.

APPLICATION How do you react when God seems to be silent or God seems to be reprimanding you when you pray? How could you be light-hearted and cheerful when facing a rejection from God? GOLDEN VERSE Mt 15:27 Ah yes sir, but even the house dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.

Year II. Wednesday of Week 18 in Ordinary Time. First Reading. Jeremiah 31:1-7   Today’s reading is the first part of chapter 31, which speaks of the good news of the return from exile, of Israel, the Northern Kingdom. The entire chapter refers not only to Israel, but also to Judah, and then Israel and Judah as a reunited kingdom.   It begins with the recalling of the covenant promise: “I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.” God had not forgotten this covenant though the people had failed Him. Even so, “they have found pardon in the wilderness.”   The Lord expressed his affection for his people. “I have loved you with an everlasting love, so I am constant in my affection for you.” This gentle and tender language is in strong contrast to some of the severe chastisements we have seen in various texts of the prophets.   God promised to restore Israel. There would be music with festive tambourines and dancing, signs of religious joy. They would plant vineyards once more in Samaria. On the mountains of Ephraim the watchmen would shout, “Let us go up to Zion”, that is, to the Temple in Jerusalem.   The prophet cried out, “Up! Let us go to Zion, to the Lord our God.” In the days of King Jeroboam I, the people of the northern kingdom, were required to worship at shrines within the kingdom. But the prophet said they would go to the Temple in Jerusalem – the symbol for a united people. The passage ends with a series of acclamations of joy and triumph. Israel is blessed because of its special relationship with God. The people would cry: “The Lord has saved his people, the remnant of Israel!”   APPLICATION How have you experienced the everlasting love of God?   GOLDEN VERSE Jer 31:3 I have loved you with an everlasting love, so I am constant in my affection for you.   Gospel. Matthew 15 21-28 Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon, north of Palestine, the land of the gentiles. It foreshadowed his intend to go out of the Jewish territories and reach beyond. There he met a Canaanite woman who cried out to him to heal her daughter. The disciples were not at all welcoming to the woman, they did not see a need why their master should entertain her request, who was a pagan woman, a stranger and not a neighbour. For them she was a nuisance. At first Jesus himself appeared to be aloof, not answering her a word. To get rid of her as quickly as possible, the disciples pleaded with Jesus to give her what she wanted. Jesus told the disciples, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.” By these words, he stated his priority in the mission of spreading the kingdom of heaven. The woman pleaded more earnestly, “Lord, help me.” Jesus then said something very surprising to us modern readers, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house dogs.” To call someone a dog is a contemptuous insult and if we hear that being say today, we certainly will feel offended. Jesus was echoing the thought of many Jews who regarded gentiles as not having the same dignity as the chosen ones of God. Calling them “dogs” was a way of proclaiming their own superiority and demeaning the gentiles. He was effectively telling the woman, “do you know that we Jews despise gentile people like you? And do you still want to ask a favour from me?” The woman was quick to see the irony in the words of Jesus and replied, “Ah yes sir, but even the house dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.” She was effectively saying, “yes, I accept all these prejudices against me, but I also trust in your abundance and benevolence. Do have mercy on my daughter.”  We could image Jesus and the woman exchanging a kind smile with a witty smile. The woman knelt before Jesus, humbly expressing her inadequacy and lack, and Jesus responded by praising her, “you have great faith.” And he promised, “let your wish be granted”, and her daughter was well again.

APPLICATION Are you overly concerned about the external practices of religion (stand or kneel, receive communion with mouth or hand, what particular prayer to say and how many times, etc.), or are you focusing on cultivating the interiority of your spirituality?    GOLDEN VERSE Mt 15:11 What goes into the mouth does not make a man unclean; it is what comes out of the mouth that makes him unclean.

Year II. Tuesday of Week 18 in Ordinary Time. First Reading. Jeremiah 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22   The readings for today, tomorrow, and Thursday, all taken from chapters 30 and 31, express this hope for a better future. Today’s reading appears at the beginning of what is often known as Jeremiah’s “Book of Consolation”. The decline of Assyria had allowed King Josiah to undertake the re-conquest of Samaria and Galilee. This gave rise to the hope that the exiles of 721 BC might return to a restored kingdom.   The Lord had not abandoned Israel; he would bring the exiles back to their homes; furthermore, eventual religious unity would be restored with Zion as its centre. Later this promise of return was also applied to Judah, the Southern Kingdom, conquered and exiled in its turn. Subsequent oracles in Jeremiah associate Judah with Israel, thus giving the ‘Book of Consolation’ its final, messianic scope: Israel and Judah would unite to serve the Lord their God.   Jeremiah told the people of Judah that their many sufferings were the consequences of their own actions. “All your lovers have forgotten you”, that is, the nations, especially Egypt, on which Judah depended for support against the Babylonians, would not come to their help. They must realise that all of their sufferings were deserved. “Why bother to complain about your wound?… So great is your guilt, so many your sins, that I have done all this to you.” Assyria and Babylon were considered God’s instruments to teach Israel and Judah better ways.   However, restoration would come, “there will come thanksgiving and shouts of joy, the laughter of happy people”. The population would increase and things would be as they were in the good days of the past. They would be ruled by one of their own and not by a governor appointed by the conquering power, Assyria or Babylon. And this prince, chosen from among God’s own people, would have free access to the Lord’s presence.   The passage ends with the great covenant statement: “You shall be my people and I will be your God.” Ultimately, the days of restoration would not only mean a putting back of the old structures but a renewing of the close bond between God and his people.   APPLICATION How should we cooperate with God for the restoration of our families and communities?   GOLDEN VERSE Jer 30:22 You shall be my people and I will be your God.   Gospel. Matthew 15:1-2;10-14   The scribes and the Pharisees questioned Jesus, “Why do your disciples break away from the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands when they eat food.” They were not personally hostile to Jesus, but they were just trying to uphold their traditional religious view and practice.   Note also that they were not talking about physical or moral cleanliness. They were concerned with religious ritual cleanliness. It was to maintain such a state of cleanliness for people to approach God and worship him. The uncleaned would be considered unfit for that.   It is presumed that people might accidentally chance upon touching unclean things, therefore they need to purify themselves every now and then, such as before eating and before participating in a religious ceremony. Failure to observe such tradition of the elders was considered displeasing and offensive to God.   Jesus declared that it was not ritual cleanliness that made someone close to God, but rather it was the state of the person’s heart. What matters is not how we appear, but who we are, what our inner motives and intentions are, and how much do we really love God and our fellow men.   No wonder the Pharisees were shocked to their core. The superficiality of their religion was exposed. If Jesus was right, then their criticism of Jesus was totally unfounded. Their attitude had to change if they were to be teachers of faith to the people. Otherwise, they would be blind men leading the blind, and all of them would fall into the pit.

Year II. Monday of Week 18 in Ordinary Time. First Reading. Jeremiah 28:1-17   Zedekiah had been installed by the Babylonians as a puppet king of Judah. The false prophet Hananiah spoke to Jeremiah in the Temple. He predicted that in two years’ time, the yoke of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon over Judah would be broken. Everything that he had carried away, including the vessels from the Temple, would be brought back. Jeconiah, the exiled son of King Jehoiakim, and all the exiles would return.   Jeremiah sarcastically said that it would be wonderful if the words of Hananiah were indeed true. Then he argued that, “from remote times”, prophets foretold war, famine, and plague. Their prophecies often came true because these things were the results of the people’s sinfulness and idolatry. But “the prophet who prophesies peace can only be recognised as one truly sent by the Lord when his word comes true”. Hananiah would be proven wrong.   To prove his point by a symbolic gesture, Hananiah removed a wooden yoke from the shoulder of Jeremiah and broke it. He claimed that this would be how the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar would be broken within two years. Jeremiah went off but then came back with a message for Hananiah: a wooden yoke is broken, but “an iron yoke is now what I lay on the necks!” The yoke of the King of Babylon would not be broken until the Lord sees fit to do so. Jeremiah pointed out that Hananiah was a false prophet who had not been sent by God.   Hananiah had given the people a false sense of security. He would be removed and he would die within the year. And that indeed happened. His message was seemingly comforting, but was really not true. On the contrary, Jeremiah had earned opposition by his gloomy prophecy of defeat and sufferings, and the condemnation of their sins. It was hard, and the people must face it if they wanted the truth.   APPLICATION Words of truth can be very difficult to stomach. How ready are you to listen?   GOLDEN VERSE Jer 28:9 The prophet who prophesizes peace can only be recognised as one truly sent by the Lord when his words come true.   Gospel. Matthew 14: 22-36   After hearing the news of the beheading of John the Baptist, Jesus withdrew to a quiet place. But he was interrupted by the crowd and so he ministered to them and healed those who were sick. In the evening he multiplied the loaves and satisfied their needs. Then again, he withdrew up into the hills by himself to pray. Jesus would always find time to pray no matter how busy he was.   When evening came, Jesus saw his disciples in the boat on the lake battling a heavy sea and he walked towards them. They were terrified when they saw him. But Jesus encouraged them, “It is I! Do not be afraid.”   When we travel in the sea of life, the wind could be strong, and life is a struggle. We may be battling with illness, loss of job, financial hardship, interpersonal conflict, and sinful temptation. At such a time, be assured that we are not alone, for Jesus comes to us across the storms, and with his calm voice bidding us to take courage and know that he is with us.   Peter spoke and acted impulsively when he saw the Lord, he wanted to walk towards Jesus across the water. But as soon as he felt the force of the wind, he was frightened and began to sink. The moment when he failed, he called out to the Lord “save me!” Jesus put out his hand at once and held him, and they got into the boat together while the wind dropped.   Peter knew and acknowledged his weakness. His greatness was to put his trust in the Lord and to allow the Lord to compensate for his lack. He also did not allow his failures to cripple him. Instead, the negative experience helped him to come closer to the Lord and grow to trust the Lord even more. APPLICATION Recall an experience when you acknowledged your weakness and failure, and allowed the Lord to help you. GOLDEN VERSE Mt 14:28 Courage, it is I! Do not be afraid.