The Generosity of God

“The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard” speaks of the reward or payment for one’s labor. The landowner is God. The vineyard is the kingdom.

As we listen to today’s gospel we are tempted to react and share the grumble of the workers who have worked since early morning. In human terms it seems a bit unfair that after slaving all day in the hot sun they got the same pay for their efforts as those were taken on the eleventh hour. If we get too uptight about the injustice of the situation, we miss the point of the story. The parable is not dealing with equal rights for all, or an honest day’s work for honest day’s pay. Its main force is to show the generosity of God in throwing open the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven to all sinners – you and I on equal.

This gospel fills us with an inspiring image of God’s generosity, His gracious and forgiving who love for us no bounds and whose mercy extends to those who have worked all their lives in the service of God. We cannot explain His generosity, but one is certain – God’s way are not our ways.

It is not for us to judge anyone. That’s the Lord privilege. Our task is to continue labouring in His vineyard.

The Mystery of the Holy Cross

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

By His Cross we are saved. The Cross has become a source of life, pardon, mercy, a sign of reconciliation and peace. ‘In order to be healed from sin, gaze upon Christ crucified!’ said Saint Augustine.

By raising our eyes towards the Crucified one, we adore Him who came to take upon Himself the sin of the world and to give us eternal life.

“The Gospel for this feast reminds us of the meaning of this great mystery of the Holy Cross: God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that men might be saved (John 3:16). 

The Gospel reading tells us that Jesus came down from heaven. That's humility! Would you leave the comforts of heavenly perfection to enter into the bad?

Our psalm response tells us: “Do not forget the works of the Lord!” Today’s feast helps us to remember, not forget, the mighty work of God on the Cross. Our possible response: “We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.”

A Healthy Relationship!

The Gospel passage (Mt 18-15-20) recommends a procedure to build a humble community in 3 steps:

Step 1: Go and show him or her fault, just between the two of you, person to person.


Step 2: If he or she will not listen, go a second time accompanied by one or two trusted companions.

Step 3: Bring the case before the Church.

Jesus said, “Go and Show him or her fault.” Affirm the relationship. Let the person know that you are seeking to resolve the conflict, not to assign blame. Let the person know up front how much they mean to you.

 Make observations, not accusations. That means addressing actions that have occurred, rather than pointing a finger or attacking their character. Use “I” statements instead of “you” statements. “I feel that you did me wrong” is better than “You are a liar! You don’t care about anyone but yourself!” Address what you have seen, perceived, and felt. Don’t accuse and put someone on the defensive. Take ownership of your feelings.

 Get the facts. After you make your observations, allow the other person to respond. There may be things that you have misunderstood or not been aware of. We should never correct out of anger, or a desire to punish. When the other person is responding, keep your ears open and mouth shut. Don’t interrupt! Let the person finish.

 The point is not to fight, win, or prove someone wrong. The point is to restore trust and harmony.

Make the effort to find healing in the relationship.

An Authentic Discipleship

"If anyone wants to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." (Matthew16: 24).

An authentic discipleship is a lifelong commitment. Jesus asks for the greatest and most determined commitment of your life.

God doesn’t make mistakes when He chooses a man or woman to be Jesus’ disciple. He doesn’t just close His eyes and randomly picks a man or woman regardless of their heart. God chooses every one of us with a purpose. He knows your weaknesses! He knows your strengths! God knows your abilities, God knows your likes and dislikes.

He chooses to use you to be His disciple so that your life may shine as a hope for those around you who don’t know Jesus and who live in a world of absolute darkness. We must put God’s work and the call of God upon our lives ahead of everything else in life. We must put God first then every other need in life and every other desire of life.

To be an authentic Disciples of Christ and following Jesus mean to learn to be like Him in every way. Learning to trust Him, learning to believe in Him, learning to hear and know His voice, learning to know His will for your life, and learning His Word and its proper interpretation and, last but not least, its learning His compassion and desire to see lost souls saved are all a part of following Jesus.

We commemorate the 57th Anniversary of Merdeka and the 51st anniversary of the establishment of the Federation of Malaysia. May God bless our beloved nation with peace and harmony. “WE MUST CONTINUE TO HOPE”.

Do I Help Build My Church?

“Where is the Church”? Of course I know that my Church is right here around me, still on the same street. That is not what I am asking though; I want to know where the Church that was founded in Matt. 16:18, “You are Peter and on this rock I build My community/My Church, and the gates of underworld can never empower you.” Jesus chooses Peter to be the rock foundation, the head of His Church. This passage is crucial for a proper understanding of what the Church is, and our role in the Church.

The Church is founded on the truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that He forgives our sins and He is the Savior of the world. Without Christ we have no power, no authority and no strength in building the Church.
Going to Church is very important. In fact, if you have no faith in coming to Church, we, priests have no one to celebrate and preach to.
Do I help build my Church?
Jesus did not entrust Peter and His successors alone the responsibility to build His Church. But everyone has a role in building the Church. The Priest cannot run the Church on his own or on one “Our Father” and three “Hail Marys”. 
We need you in building the Church. All God’s people have been called together as co-workers in His vineyard. But we do not own the Church. We belong to the church. The owner of the Church is Christ.
The question we could ask ourselves today is: “How is God using me to build up His Church? Am I letting God use me?” He needs to know from us today!