Farmer of Hearts - How Not to Miss God’s Voice

From the moment Jesus’ Heart was torn apart by the accusation of the Pharisees and scribes, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2) which had also set the stage for our 40-Day Lenten Retreat, we have now come to the last scene. The Pharisees and scribes were also the lost sheep, which Jesus loved as well. Their pride and hardened hearts pierced the Heart of Jesus, who was Himsel...

Yesterday we said that God shows no partiality. You may wonder, is that really true? Didn’t Jesus have His favourite friends and disciples? The first ones who come to our minds could be Jesus’ friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus. As Jesus was also a human being bound by time and space, He could not be there for many people at the same time during His short three years of public ministry. He needed t...

God the Father spoke three times in the New Testament that could be heard. We will talk about two of these incidents today. The first time was at Jesus’ baptism,  After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon Him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved...

As we are invited to remain close to Jesus, we will be able to witness clearly and firsthand how much Jesus has suffered for us. This is done through meditating on the Gospel. This is crucial as we strive to build an intimate relationship with God, which will then sustain our spiritual growth.  If we do not know how much God is willing to suffer for us, we do not know how to appreciate God’s love....

Like all the apostles who promised Jesus not to desert Him as He went through His Passion, we know that in reality, most of us will. When you were asked yesterday whether you would choose to be a deserter or a faithful follower, what was your choice? None of us want to be identified as a deserter. But why, in reality, only so few of us are found at the foot of the Cross? What is going on here? Let...

We should humbly accept that we are still far away from our Father’s Heart, like the two brothers in the parable. We have, to different extents, deviated from the right path. We are all in some forms of a distant country. Whether we like it or not, we are all like the elder and the younger sons in different ways. Aren’t we stubborn and tied up by our bad habits and attitudes, wrong beliefs, prejud...

Yesterday, we talked about the Father’s Pain, the Father’s Passion... Nothing is more devastating to the Father than to see His children drifting away from the source of life, entrapped in sins willingly or unknowingly, killing and trampling on one another along the way, intoxicated and suffocating by the venom of the snake, and unconsciously entering the dark valley of death, slowly passing away…...

Through the previous reflections, have you gained a better understanding of the nature of our Heavenly Father?  He prefers collaboration to competition. He desires mercy over justice. Even though He is THE JUDGE, He withholds His anger to give us chances to repent.  Instead of demanding from us, He likes to give unconditionally and abundantly. And in order to save us from eternal damnation and to...

While the two brothers in the parable have very different personalities and they have followed very different paths in lives, there are a lot of similarities between them.  While the younger son is addicted to pleasures and sinful activities, the elder son has clinged to status and personal achievements and is obsessed with following rules. Both are forms of slavery.   As the younger son demands h...

In our society, we often ask, “What is my fair share?” “What is my entitlement?” It is as if the world and others owe us many things that should rightfully be ours. How much is enough? Our wants seem to be endless. We often ask, “How can I protect my rights so that I am not taken advantage of?” But where should we draw the line?   Instead of asking, “Am I getting enough?” How about asking, “Am I g...

Yesterday we learned from the Catechism of the Catholic Church the definition of the virtue of justice: Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbour (CCC 1807). This is a concept that not many people are aware of or consciously practicing. The lack of this mentality leads to all sorts of conflicts among individuals and groups who ar...

“Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.” (Luke 15:29-30) The elder son felt very defeated to know that the Father was celebrating the younger son’s return. Not only did he feel un...

Now the older son had been out in the field and , on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ He became angry… (Luke 15:25-28) “What is happening here in the...

Yesterday, we witnessed the huge change in the younger son. In him, we see what true repentance should be like. It is his determination and the resulting actions that moved his father’s heart. The father looked beyond his sinful past in order to receive this penitent son with wide open arms. The father understood that it was much easier for this son to permanently walk away from him.  Facing the h...

As you read this parable, an objection might pop up in your mind: the father’s action upon the return of his son does not make sense. Being a rich and successful person, the father was not naive enough to spoil his recovered son upon his return. The father who knew his son well also knew what was best for him. He knew it took his son great courage, determination, and perseverance in order to make...

While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. The younger son said to the father, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.” But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sa...

Yesterday, we were faced with an invitation to choose between two extremes: good vs. evil; heaven vs. hell. Even though the choices and their consequences are presented before our eyes, our fallen nature can still drive us to make the wrong decisions. We have also seen that Satan, the master of deception, seizes every opportunity to devour us. While Satan can tempt us into actions that are obvious...

The deeper we enter into our distant country, the further away we are from the true Light. It is like entering into a jungle by yourself, you will easily get lost and risk being devoured by wild beasts, that is the devil. It is also like a one-way-ticket into a black hole, devoid of light, love and every goodness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth, as described in the Scriptures (M...

Yesterday we said that our earthly pilgrimage is in fact our journey back to the Father’s House. We also described how treacherous and full of dangers this homecoming trip can be. Imagine how the younger son left home “rich”, and after squandering all his inheritance, he found himself empty, wasted, defeated...returning home broken and “stripped”. Beauty and glory no more. In such a vulnerable con...

Yesterday, we talked about the spiritual warfare in which we are engaged in. Nobody wants to lose in a battle. The coach of a sports team requires the players to understand and analyze the strategies of the opponent so as to maximize the chance of winning. As the Chinese proverb says: “Know the enemy, know yourself, and in every battle you will be victorious.” How well do we know ourselves and how...

Whether we like it or not, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. It is also a necessary path through which we sanctify ourselves and others. It is how we can put our faith to test and to practice, and so it becomes a gateway to heaven —— back to the Father’s House. However, Satan does not want us to know that we are at war with it. Satan wants us to believe that everything is fine, and nothing is u...

Even though the younger son has repented for his past sins and made up his mind to return to his father, the journey home would not be without obstacles. In fact, we should expect that it would be as difficult as the initial hurdle of facing our own transgressions and those we had hurt. Our journey home from our distant country will not be as easy as the path we used to leave home. Besides, who do...

I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” (Luke 15:18-19)  To face someone whom we have hurt is very difficult. Excuses, emotions, and pride prevent us from mustering up the courage to face that person. In this parable, the initi...

In our previous reflection, we talked about how important it is to learn from Jesus to routinely retreat from work in order to spend time with God the Father in silence and in solitude. In silence, we begin to reflect on many things, especially on ourselves. It is like seeing our own reflection in a mirror. We need to face ourselves as we see more clearly our weaknesses and brokenness. That is why...

Coming to his senses he thought, “How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger.” (Luke 15:17) Yesterday, we talked about the magic moment of our awakening. That is the aha moment that awakens our senses to know how restless and helpless we are in our distant country. And we begin to realize that our Heavenly Father that we took for grant...