Unus Deus | One God

"Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist." – 1 Corinthians 8: 6

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Dear friends in Christ Jesus, as we all know that there are many religions in the world and each religion has their own faith and beliefs and practices. When we live in a multi-religious background we need to show respect for each religion. In every religion there is something good that can be adapted. 

Respecting another religion doesn't mean that you worship their god or practice their faith. Certain religious practices are also part of a particular culture that you live in and you won't be able to avoid participating in it. There is nothing wrong in eating some food offered to you by your neighbor who belongs to another religion.

We as Christians,  we know that there is only one God who is real and that is our God: the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. We are created by God and we are able to exist in this world because of him and we are supposed to live our lives for his glory. Jesus came to the world in human form and revealed to us our Father in heaven. We believe in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives and works in the lives of every Christian. Whatever we have with us is a gift from God. Nothing belongs to us and nothing we can carry with us after we are dead. 

So let us be grateful to God first of all for the gift of life and all the blessings that we receive from him. Let us thank our God who is real, true and the only one.

 

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 8: 1-6 by Fr. George Joseph SVD

(Listen to podcast here)

 

Singaculum apostolatus | Seal of my apostleship

"For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 9:2).

Apostle Paul was searching for his own identity. He wanted to understand himself better so he could help other people. He knew that he was an apostle, but some people were questioning Paul's authority because he wasn't one of the original Twelve and because he worked with his hands.

He was called by Jesus Christ. Jesus met him on the road to Damascus, and he saw Him with his own eyes (1 Corinthians 9:1). But he also calls himself "the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle," because he persecuted the Church of God (1 Corinthians 15:9).

Nonetheless, he became a faithful servant of Christ and an ambassador for Him (2 Corinthians 5:20). He was beaten, put in prison, and treated like trash (1 Corinthians 4:11-13). When people said he was not a real apostle, he defended himself boldly (2 Corinthians 11:5).

He told the Corinthians, "You are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 9:2). You are my living letter that everyone can read (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). This is what Christian leadership looks like: I serve you, not the other way around. My power comes from my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). I don't demand my rights - I give up everything for the Gospel (1 Corinthians 9:12). "By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10).

My life proves the Gospel is real when you see Jesus in me - in my love, my sacrifice, and my willingness to suffer for you (Galatians 6:17).

Now, let us ask ourselves: Do we know who we really are? What do we want to achieve in our lives and in our communities? Isn't it enough to follow Jesus and become like Jesus to others?

Do you know your identity? Do you know yourself and your ministry? Maybe you also have sinned, but Jesus has helped you. He took pity on you. Therefore, preach the Good News and work as an apostle of Christ in your own way.

Let us sow spiritual seed among our brothers and sisters, just as Apostle Paul did in his time (1 Corinthians 9:11). Amen. 

Reflection on 1 Cor 9: 1-12 by Fr. Józef Trzebuniak SVD

(Listen to podcast here)

Sinning against your brethren

And so by your knowledge this weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.  Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother's falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall. - 1 Corinthians 8:11-13

Reflecting on 1 Corinthians 8:7-13, focus verses 11-13, and my faith journey. I was obsessed about not eating food offered to idols to the point that I was verbally rude in rejecting food items that my mom had offered in prayers to idols. Thus, I infringed the 4th commandment in the Mosaic Law, which was to honour my parents. 

As a result, I was really conflicted as to what law or commands I ought to follow, until one day I heard a preacher preached on 1 Corinthians 13, where St. Paul summed up his entire treatise on love with this beautiful line in 1 Cor 13:13: "So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." 

That taught me above all else to love others as God has loved me. Also as St John wrote in 1 John 4:19: "We love because he first loved us. "

I'll close my short sharing with this communion hymn:  "Love Is His Word" 

Love is His Word, Love is his Way – James Kilbane

Verse 1 

Love is His word, Love is His way, 

Feasting with all, fasting alone, 

Living and dying, rising again 

Love only love is His way. 

Chorus 

Richer than gold is the love of my Lord. 

Better than splendour and wealth. 

Verse 2 

Love is His way, love is His mark, 

Sharing His last Passover feast. 

Christ at the table, host to the twelve Love, 

only love, is His mark. 

Verse 3 

Love is his mark, love is His sign, 

Bread for our strength, wine for our joy, 

This is my body, this is my blood 

Love, only love is His sign.

Verse 4 

Love is His sign, love is His news, 

Do this He said Lest you forget 

All my deep sorrow, all my dear blood, 

Love, only love, is His news. 

Verse 5 

Love is His news, Love is His name, 

We are His own, chosen and called, 

Family, brethren, cousins and kin. 

Love, only love is His name. 

Verse 6 

Love is His name, love is His law, 

Hear His command, all who are His, 

Love one another, I have loved you 

Love, only love, is His law. 

Verse 7 

Love is His law, Love is His word, 

Love of the Lord, Father, and Word, 

Love of the Spirit, God ever one,

 Love, only love, is His word. 

Youtube: https://youtu.be/kfat_YiZ6v0?si=LJT5P09Z3-pU70ka

Title: Love is His Word, Love is His Way (Richer Than Gold)

Singer: James Kilbane 

Copyright: McCrimmon Publishing

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 8:7-13 by Chris Tan

Hoc Mundo | The world

"And those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present from this world is passing away." – 1 Corinthians 7:31

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Dear friends in Christ Jesus, in this Bible passage which is addressed to the Corinthians by St. Paul, is dealing with the unmarried and widows. St. Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, is trying to make the people understand how important it is to serve the Lord with an undivided heart. Those who marry get distracted and won't be able to serve the lord wholeheartedly. At the same time, St. Paul makes it very clear that it is better to marry than be lured with sexual passions and lust. Jesus was never against marriage. Let no man separate what God has joined together.

When we look into the world that we live in, we come across families who are fully dedicated in serving the Lord, at the same time families who are struggling with their vocations. It is no exception for priests and religious who remain unmarried. They too struggle in their vocations. Every vocation in itself is unique, be it married life or religious life. All of us are called to glorify the one God who has created us. God has a unique mission for each one of us. It is for us to discern our vocation in a spirit of prayer.

The world that we live in is giving us so many unwanted promises and trying to lure our mind with various pleasures. Today, St. Paul is reminding us to be very careful in dealing with the things of the world. We always should keep in mind that things of this world are passing by. Our aim is heaven, eternal life.

Reflection on 1 Cor 7: 25-40 by Fr. George Joseph SVD

(Listen to podcast here)