Lenten Reflections - Week 1, Feb 28 Sat

by Kenny Soosai

Readings: Deut 11:18-28, Heb 5:1-10, John 4:1-26

Gospel: Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself was not baptizing, just his disciples), he left Judea and returned to Galilee.

He had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."

His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." (The woman) said to him, "Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water?

Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water." Jesus said to her, "Go call your husband and come back."

The woman answered and said to him, "I do not have a husband." Jesus answered her, "You are right in saying, 'I do not have a husband.' For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true." The woman said to him, "Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.

Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem." Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews.

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Anointed; when he comes, he will tell us everything." Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking with you."

Reflection: Jesus was travelling from the South of Israel to the North. He passed through Samaria, a shortcut. Jews will usually avoided Samaria and would go the long way along the river Jordan to get to Judea. The Jews despised the Samaritans even though the two are closely related. Once Israel was one kingdom but split into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms shortly after King Solomon’s death. The Northern Kingdom was called Israel and consisted of 10 tribes while the Southern Kingdom was called Judah (that is where we get the name Jews) and was made up of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin & Levi. The Northern Kingdom was eventually captured by the Assyrians and the 10 tribes of Israel were mostly exiled. In their place, the Assyrians brought in foreign people who intermarried with the locals, effectively wiping out the 10 tribes. So the Jews saw the Samaritans as half-breeds whose customs were mixed with foreign religion. As the Samaritans had their holy mountain on Mount Gerizim where they sacrificed on, the Jews also saw them as competitors to the Temple in Jerusalem.

For Jesus, a Jewish Rabbi to be asking for water from a Samaritan woman in the middle of the afternoon was breaking Jewish protocol on many levels. Women normally collected water in the cool of the morning or the evening and were usually never alone. This women, who came out alone in the afternoon suggests that she is shunned by her own community.

Jesus asks the woman for a drink, inviting her into a conversation. Along the conversation, the roles reverse and the woman asks Jesus for ‘living water’. Jesus then asks her to bring her husband to him and in the process, reveals her adultery.

The woman then recognizes that Jesus is a prophet. As Jesus reveals more spiritual truths to her, the Samaritan woman accepts that Jesus is the Messiah. With one conversation with Jesus in the afternoon and this Samaritan woman who is an adulteress has the spiritual insight to see that He is the Messiah.

Earlier in chapter 2, Jesus also has a conversation with Nicodemus who is a Pharisee and a religious scholar. Even as Jesus reveals spiritual truths to Nicodemus, this so called learned man cannot ‘see’ who is speaking to him and the Pharisees can’t even recognize Jesus as a prophet.

Here we see how the wisdom of God can sometimes escape the ‘learned’ and elevated but can be appreciated by the simple and those we deem unworthy.

A Step to Consider: Have you come to Jesus to listen to his voice this Lent? Or do you already know all there is to know about Lent? Sometimes even when we haven’t fulfilled our Lenten or even Christian obligations, Jesus is still willing and waiting to talk us. If we hear him, He is still willing to offer us ‘living water’ and perhaps even more.

Lenten Reflections - Week 1, Feb 27 Fri

by Kenny Soosai

Readings: Deut 10:12-22 Heb 4:11-16 John 3:22-36

Gospel: After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing. John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized, for John had not yet been imprisoned.

Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew 13 about ceremonial washings. So they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him." John answered and said, "No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said (that) I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him.

The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease."

The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things. But the one who comes from heaven (is above all). He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy. For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit. The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.

Reflection: Some scholars believe that John wrote this passage to bring the remnant followers of John the Baptist into the Christian community. He reminds his audience that Jesus is the true Messiah and that John the Baptist testified to this truth. John the Apostle himself and Andrew, brother to Simon Peter were likely also followers of John the Baptist as hinted in John 1:35-42.

John the Baptist knew what his mission was and supported whole-heartedly the ministry of Jesus. In his humility and wisdom, John the Baptist accepted that his job was to clear a way for Jesus.

A Step to Consider: Pray for humility and wisdom to know what God’s plans are for us. This could be at home, at work or at church. Do we need to take a step back to make way for others? For some of us, it might mean taking a step up to answer God’s call.

Lenten Reflections - Week 1, Feb 26 Thurs

by Kenny Soosai

Readings: Deut 9:23-10:5 Heb 4:1-10 John 3:16-21

Gospel: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

Reflection:

When I was a member of the AOG Pentecostal Church, John 3:16 was a much beloved piece of Scripture that everyone knew by heart. You only had to hint at the verse and automatically you would get a reply from anyone in that congregation.

This passage describes the love of God which is so strong that He would deny us nothing, not even His own son. Having a son of my own now, I can appreciate the depth of this love. God the Father gave His Son, so that we might be adopted into His divine family and be called children of God. The cost of this adoption was pain, suffering, rejection and ultimately, a humiliating death on a cross. Jesus died the death of an Earthly criminal so that we may become citizens of Heaven. What an amazing expression of love…

The passage also deals with the theme of light and darkness. Stephen Hawking once commented “Religion is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark”. John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University and Christian Apologist replies that “Atheism is a fairy story for people afraid of the light”.

There is a lot of pain and suffering in the world. Most great religions of the world teach us how to deal with or escape from suffering. The atheistic approach is to get rid of God and just embrace the world as it is. A world which is cold, harsh, unjust and unforgiving. The Christian however, also recognizes that the world can be cold, harsh, unjust and unforgiving. The difference is that we have hope. Our hope is in the love of God and that this is not all there is to life. One day, God will make things right. He will fill the world with His love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness. No matter how tough things get, we know that we matter to God and someday, somehow He will help us break through.

A Step to Consider:

Consider your darkest hour. Think of those who are going through suffering and may be facing death. Perhaps the refugee who doesn’t know how long he/she will be locked up for. Maybe the men who are about to face a firing squad for their crimes. Perhaps the person who has lost his/her job and cannot find another one. Can we do something to bring them hope? Perhaps we can start with prayer and fasting.

Lenten Reflections - Week 1, Feb 25 Wed

by Kenny Soosai

Readings: Deut 9:13-21, Heb 3:12-19, John 2:23-3:15

Gospel: While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."

Nicodemus said to him, "How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother's womb and be born again, can he?" Jesus answered, "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, 'You must be born from above.'

The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus answered and said to him, "How can this happen?" Jesus answered and said to him, "You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this? Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."

Reflection: In the Gospel, the recurring theme of faith or lack of faith continues. At the beginning of the passage, we read about the ones who witnessed the miracles but who do not understand it. For these people, faith depends on what they can see.

Then we are introduced to Nicodemus who is a member of the Sanhedrin (Jewish Court). He comes to Jesus under the cover of night, which could mean that he did not want to be openly seen with Jesus. This could also represent spiritual blindness. Jesus then attempts to explain spiritual matters to Nicodemus and about the need to be born again from above (Baptism). Jesus also goes on to refer to the bronze serpent in the Old Testament (Num 21:4-9). Just as the serpent had the power to heal when it was lifted up in the desert, Jesus alludes to His death on the cross which has the power to heal and save those who believe.

For me as a Christian, faith does not always come easily. I tend to want to believe with my eyes rather than my heart. I want to see how God will make a way for me rather than trust His provision along the journey. I say to God, “Do this for me first and when I see the miracle then I will trust and follow”. But when I care to listen, I hear God say “Follow me and I will provide everything that you need”.

A Step to Consider: Take a moment to be silent and gaze upon the cross. As we struggle with the difficulties in modern life, the stress at work and the demands of family life, do we try to overcome by our own strengths or do we turn to God in prayer? Where do we go to seek a solution?

We can trust that the One who gave His life on the cross for you and me only wants the best for us. 

Lenten Reflections - Week 1, Feb 24 Tues

by Kenny Soosai

Readings: Deut 9:4-12, Heb 3:1-11, John 2:13-22

Gospel: Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, 13 as well as the money-changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, "Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."

His disciples recalled the words of scripture, "Zeal for your house will consume me." At this the Jews answered and said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking about the temple of his body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.

Reflection: Although the ‘Cleansing of the Temple’ is placed at the beginning of John’s Gospel, the event probably happened towards the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry (approx. A.D.28). Here is one of the few scenes which describes Jesus as being angry and He ejects the temple merchants from their stalls violently.

This also shows how human Jesus can be. He experiences anger when only of the most Holy days of the year, the Passover is taken over by commerce rather than devotion to God.

A Step to Consider: What is it that has taken over our hearts? In the New Covenant, our hearts are the new temples of God as His spirit resides within us. Do we have devotion to God or are our hearts over taken for something else? If it is over taken than anything other than the love of God, then we need to invite Jesus to cleanse our hearts.

Lenten Reflections - Week 1, Feb 23 Mon

by Kenny Soosai

Readings: Deut 8:11-18, 1 Cor 1:17-31, Mark 2:18-22

Gospel:  The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to him and objected, "Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins."

Reflection: Fasting for the wrong reasons… In the Gospel, we read that the Pharisees criticise Jesus’ disciples for not observing the fast. For a devout Pharisee, fasting is observed twice a week ((Lk 18:9-14) but the Pharisees in this context fasted more for show than really for the sake of drawing near to God or for the good of their community.

In the Old Testament, fasting is believed to have the power to avert God’s wrath and atone for sins. When a person or community repents, they demonstrate their remorse by fasting and wearing sack cloth. So the purpose of fasting was really to establish a communion with God or to atone for sins. It was not meant to be imposed on another as the Pharisees in the Gospels were on Jesus’ and His disciples.

The Pharisees saw outwardly that Jesus had done things that were ‘unworthy’ of a Rabbi (teacher). Jesus’ by His own authority had chosen to forgive the sins of the paralysed man and took a tax collector, Levi, to be a disciple. Even worse, Jesus ate in the house of Levi, something no respectable Rabbi of that time will ever imagine doing.

In the end, Jesus was seeking out the sick and the ones who really thirsts for God’s love. The healer was reaching out for the sick. Jesus saw the hearts of the people while the Pharisees only saw the rules that were broken.

Many years ago, as a born again Christian, I was very meticulous to observe all the Christian commands. I read my Bible daily, fasted appropriately during Lent, making sure not to eat any meat during the week but to be careful not to fast on Sundays as it wasn’t appropriate, made my confession monthly and to say all 4 mysteries of the Rosary before the week was over. I thought that anyone who was not fulfilling these ‘basic’ practices was not really fulfilling his/her Catholic duty. I was being legalistic and judgemental.

Now, anyone who can fulfil these practices should be applauded but only if they are doing this out of love for God.

The real question here is whose love do we crave for more? The love of men or the love of God? Whose heart do we have? The heart of Jesus or the heart of the Pharisee?

A Step to Consider:

Ask yourself what is the reason for fasting? Are we fasting because we are afraid that we will break the ‘rules’ or are we fasting because we want to discipline our carnal desires? Do we see a need in the community where we know we need God’s intervention?

Our fast can be more fulfilling and bring about great change if our hearts are properly aligned with Jesus

I would encourage you to find a good reason to fast, not just to obey the rules. Rules can govern your actions for a while. Rules will never govern your heart, only love can do that. Love also opens our eyes to see the needs of the people around us.

Daily Reflection, 31 December 2014 - A New Joy

by Jean Nathalia

31 Dec – A New Joy

Dear friends,

As 2014 comes to an end, here's to new adventures and joy in 2015:)

God bless,

Jean

________________

1 John 2:18-21

Children, these are the last days;

you were told that an Antichrist must come,

and now several antichrists have already appeared;

we know from this that these are the last days.

Those rivals of Christ came out of our own number, but they had never really belonged;

if they had belonged, they would have stayed with us;

but they left us, to prove that not one of them

ever belonged to us.

But you have been anointed by the Holy One,

and have all received the knowledge.

It is not because you do not know the truth that I am writing to you

but rather because you know it already

and know that no lie can come from the truth.

_________________

John 1:1-18 

In the beginning was the Word:

and the Word was with God

and the Word was God.

He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things came to be,

not one thing had its being but through him.

All that came to be had life in him

and that life was the light of men,

a light that shines in the dark,

a light that darkness could not overpower.

A man came, sent by God.

His name was John.

He came as a witness,

as a witness to speak for the light,

so that everyone might believe through him.

He was not the light,

only a witness to speak for the light.

The Word was the true light

that enlightens all men;

and he was coming into the world.

He was in the world

that had its being through him,

and the world did not know him.

He came to his own domain

and his own people did not accept him.

But to all who did accept him

he gave power to become children of God,

to all who believe in the name of him

who was born not out of human stock

or urge of the flesh

or will of man

but of God himself.

The Word was made flesh,

he lived among us,

and we saw his glory,

the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father,

full of grace and truth.

John appears as his witness. He proclaims:

‘This is the one of whom I said:

He who comes after me ranks before me

because he existed before me.’

Indeed, from his fullness we have, all of us, received –

yes, grace in return for grace,

since, though the Law was given through Moses,

grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God;

it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart,

who has made him known.

_________________

John appears as his witness. He proclaims: ‘This is the one of whom I said”

John is one of the most effective witnesses of Christ that we read about in the bible. His whole life was dedicated to a single purpose: to preach about the coming of Christ. He was faithful to this purpose throughout his life. Faithful to the point that he encouraged his own followers to continue their journey with Christ. It was never about himself but always about God’s will first.

I am not yet a parent but the thought of giving up my energy, my sleep, my free time, my youth, my money, and so much more, for the sake of my future children for the rest of my life is something that I find difficult to swallow. What will I get in return? What if I am abandoned in my old age? What is the point of sacrificing myself? Is it worth it?

According to economical principles, the answer is certainly no. According to self-preservation, no. According to a life of pleasure and luxury, no. But according to God’s plan, yes. Because unlike the world which teaches us to live for only ourselves, God tells us that the greatest joy is in living for another.

If I find it difficult to swallow, it means that I have yet to experience living completely for another. If I have never forgotten myself for the sake of another’s good, then I will never have tasted the joys and the peace that comes with such a life (in spite of the sacrifices that have to be made). Maybe this also explains why I am not looking forward to heaven yet – for I have never been to heaven and therefore do not know a different level of joy and elation can be mine.

I am clinging onto what is familiar to me, as though that is all that I will ever experience. What if life has so much more to offer? What if heaven has much more to offer? What if living for another completely has so much more to offer? What if forgetting myself may bring me the deepest joy that my heart has been seeking? It may not offer the same kind of pleasures and indulgences that self-preservation offers, but it may offer me something that once I taste, I may never want to look back to where I am today.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Jean Nathalia)

_________________

Prayer: Jesus, I am comfortable in my current life, but I want to be open to the possibilities of life and an adventure with you. Open my heart like a child once more.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to our parents for the sacrifices that they have made for us - even if they may not have done so perfectly.