Click the links under My Blog List to get to Chinese and English weekday homilies.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

31st Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 31.10.10

Wisdom 11:22-12:2 / 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2 / Luke 19:1-10

Well, to begin with, I must say that we should be happy.
Yes, happy and thankful.

Simply because, just about a week ago, things looked hazy.

Remember the haze? That was only a week ago.

Yes, just a week ago, it was hazy, it was humid, and the air was heavy.

But with the wind and the rains, the air was cleared, and we should be happy and thankful.

So since we are in a happy mood, since I am in a happy mood, let me tell you a couple of jokes ok, to make you happier.

A woman went to see her doctor and complained of an embarrassing problem.

She said: Doctor, I have a serious flatulence problem.             I fart all the time. But they are soundless and have no smell. In fact, since I’ve been here, I farted no less than 20 times.

So the doctor said: Ok, so here’s the prescription. Take these pills 3 times a day for seven days. After that come back and see me.

Well, after a week, the woman stormed into the doctor’s office and said: Doctor, I don’t know what was in those pills, but the problem got worse. I am farting just as much and now they smell terrible. What is this?!?

The doctor said: Ok ok, calm down, calm down. Now that I have cured your sinuses, I will work on your hearing, ok?

If jokes have a moral, than the moral of the joke is this: You will only know what is your real problem when you get someone else to see it for you.

Here is the second joke: A man was talking to his wife about the idea of living and dying.

He said to her: My dear, never let me live in a vegetative state, totally dependent on machines and liquid from a bottle.

If you see me in that state, I want you to disconnect all the contraptions that are keeping me alive. I would rather die.

The wife looked at him admiringly and said: Ok, I’ll do that.

And then she went to disconnect the TV, the cable, the DVD, the computer, the laptop, the smart phone, the Xbox, the play station and then she went to the fridge and threw away all the beer.

Well as for the man… he nearly died!

Jokes make us laugh because there is always something witty in a joke.

There is a twist in the story that brings about some humour.

Today’s gospel might sound like just another gospel story to us.

But for the crowd, the onlookers in the gospel story, it was like a very bad joke, something that they did not expect and something that they didn’t like.

As the story began, all seemed quite normal, and then there was that senior tax collector, Zacchaeus climbing up a sycamore tree to get a better view of Jesus.

 As the story went on, Jesus reached the spot, looked up and saw Zacchaeus and said: Zacchaeus, come down.

From here on, what the crowds expected was a pay-back time.

It was a perfect occasion for Jesus to teach Zacchaeus a public lesson, and a condemnation on injustice and exploitation, and impending punishment.

Or at least, Jesus could make Zacchaeus do a public admission of his guilt and make a public apology.

Here is where the twist comes in : Jesus looked at Zacchaeus and said: Zacchaeus, come down! Hurry, I must stay at your house today.

And the crowd’s reaction was – Huh?!? What is this?

For them, it was not a joke, and if Jesus was joking, then it was a very bad joke, and no one was laughing.

Maybe only Zacchaeus. Yet for him, if he were laughing, it was not because it was a joke.

It was simply because Jesus could accept him for who he was.

Just like the joke about the man whose wife disconnected all his modern contraptions, Zacchaeus had to unplug and disconnect all the stuff he thought was important – his wealth, his income, his possessions, his authority, his power – so that he could have a new life in Jesus.

It was like Jesus pressed the “Reset” button and Zacchaeus went back to his original settings.

Zacchaeus realized that he was freed from the contraptions of life and could live on as a child of God.

Yet, the gospel story is not just about a sinner who repented and was forgiven.

The story is also for the crowd, and for us.

Like the joke about the woman with a serious flatulence problem, we might think that we do not have a big sinful problem as compared to others.

We may think that other people have greater sins and we want them to remain in their sins. We also want to trap them in their sins.

We will know that we want others to be trapped in their sins when we say things like:

Remember last time you cheated on me…
Remember last time you played me out…
Remember last time you stole money from me…
Remember last time how you ill-treated me…
Remember last time they burned the trees and we got the haze …

It’s always a “Remember last time…” and it’s always a smelly past.

We use this phrase to hurt others, and yet we ourselves resent and detest it when others use it on us.

But Jesus is our healer. He gives us His sacred body as medicine to realize our own sins are as smelly as the rest and yet we are forgiven.

Jesus is also our Saviour. He came to seek and save what was lost.
Jesus rejoices over one repentant sinner. Heaven rejoices over one repentant sinner.

That is not a joke. Yet let us repent and rejoice.

Friday, October 22, 2010

World Mission Sunday 24-10-10

Isaiah 2:1-5 / Ephesians 3:1-12 / Mark 16:15-20

Whenever we talk about mission and spreading the gospel several ideas might come to our minds.

We may think of the missionaries who go to other countries like China, Cambodia, and Laos, to build up the churches there.

We may also think that missionaries are usually priests or religious or some specially chosen lay people because speaking the Gospel is a serious thing and not everyone can do it.

We may also think that our task is to pray for these missionaries and also to give them some financial support.

Today’s celebration of Mission Sunday reminds us that we have an important role in the spreading of the gospel.

Let me tell you this story so that we can have a deeper understanding of our role and mission.

An old man was going around planting small fruit trees.

Some asked him when these trees would bear fruit.

He replied: Oh, probably many years after I am gone from this earth.

So then, why plant trees when he won’t be around to enjoy the fruits?

His reply was this: When I came into this world, I didn’t find this world without any fruit trees.

I enjoyed the fruits. Now I plant these fruit trees for those who will come after me, just as those who have done before me.

These are very profound words of the old man – I plant these fruit trees for those who will come after me, just as those who have done before me.

When we reflect upon the words of the old man, we will also come to a deeper understanding of our faith and mission.

We will come to see that the faith we have had been built upon and handed down to us by the earlier generation of believers.

What we have received, we too must build it up and hand it over to the next generation.

That is not just the work of missionaries, priests, religious and a selected few parishioners.

Each of us has a task in the spreading of the gospel.

Just as trees bear fruit and gives us shade, so is each one of us called to plant trees of faith that bear fruits of truth and love.

Trees are important not just because they bear fruit and provide shade and beauty.

Trees have an ecological importance. A world without trees is like a dry desert wasteland.

Similarly, faith is important for the world. This world needs God and needs to know His truth and love.

A world without God and His truth and love becomes a dark and dangerous world.

So, Mission Sunday reminds each of us that we have a task and a responsibility.
We have to continue planting trees of faith that will bear fruits of truth and love.

And we have to start planting these trees of faith in our homes, in our parish, in our workplace, in our own country.

This world needs to know God. This world needs to know His truth and love.

And we are the ones to show it. We are God’s messengers.

As the 1st reading puts it: All the nations will say – come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, that He may teach us His ways so that we may walk in His path.

Our task and mission is to plant trees of faith along that path so that as people walk towards the Lord, they will also see the fruits of His truth and love.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

29th Ordinary Sunday Year C 17 Oct 2010

Exodus 17:8-13 / 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 / Luke 18:1-8

I wonder if we could still remember this person if I were to mention his name.

It was not that long ago when we heard of this person.

The name is Low Wei Jie. Can we still remember him?

Just about two months ago he was in the news.

We may not quite remember his name, but we will surely remember his story.

He was that 12 year-old schoolboy who followed the Youth Olympic flame torch relay.

The amazing thing was that he was dressed in an orange T-shirt, blue Bermudas and flip-flops.

Armed with a digital camera, he just wanted to take pictures of the Youth Olympic flame torch relay, as it weaved through Sengkang, Punggol and Hougang.

When he started off, it was bright and early.

As the relay began, he followed the torch, and he ran, and ran, and ran.

Over two and a half hours, he covered almost 15km, undeterred by a heavy downpour along the way.

At first, nobody paid attention to the boy in the orange T-shirt as he ran along, snapping pictures as the torchbearers handed the flame from one to the other.

His quest was not without problems though – his feet hurt because he was running with just flip flops.
And to his frustration and disappointment, the camera he borrowed from his parents got jammed because of the rain. But he still continued running along.

Although he didn’t plan to, he followed the torch relay to the end.

By that time, he had already caught the attention of the cameramen, the relay entourage, the officials, the traffic police officers, and of course, the reporters.

At the end of the relay, Low Wei Jie was a sort of a celebrity, a surprise star of the YOG, and words like “determination” and “perseverance” were used on him.

Well, that was Low Wei Jie and his amazing story.

Amazing because who would want to run for two and a half hours in the rain just to take pictures of a torch.

And when the camera had jammed, who would want to keep running to the end? What’s the point?

Amazing also because it was a 12 year-old boy, and there was nothing in it for him.

The good thing was that in the end, he got some recognition for it, besides also getting a brand new camera.

So in a way, we can say that Low Wei Jie got determination, he got perseverance.

But, would we say that he was persistant?

Maybe not. Because persistence may have an irritating and annoying tone to it.

Maybe that’s why Jesus used the word “persistence” in today’s gospel parable.

He used that word to describe the widow who kept seeking for justice from a judge who couldn’t be bothered about her.

But she persisted and persisted until the judge gave in to her, even though it took a long time.

Jesus said we also should pray with persistence.

And Jesus even made this promise. He promised that God will see that justice is done and done speedily.

Yet Jesus is not making a new promise.

In the Old Testament, God already promised to protect His people from danger and from their enemies.

In the first reading, Israel was attacked by the Amalekites.

So Moses prayed for God’s protection over their enemies.

As long as Moses raised his hands in prayer, Israel was winning the battle.

But when he let his arms drop due to tiredness, the Amalekites were winning.

Moses had to persist in prayer, and Aaron and Hur helped him by supporting his arms and even took a stone for him to sit on.

It looked funny and strange, but with 3 men holding up a staff, Israel managed to overcome the Amalekites.

But when it comes to persistence in prayer, nothing can ever sound so strange or funny.
To pray is difficult. To persist in prayer is even more difficult.

A short story to share with you. A woman was late for an important interview, and as she was rushing to catch the bus, she prayed: O God, let me not be late, let me not be late.
Just then she tripped and fell. Picking herself up and straightening her dress, she prayed: O God, let me not be late, let me not be late, but no need to push me ok, no need to push me!!! (she will be in time, won’t be late)

Well, I have come across Catholics who have devised many interesting as well as strange and funny ways to persist in praying for a need or an intention.

Some will have an hourly chime on their watches so that they will stop whatever they are doing and say a short prayer, like an Our Father or a Hail Mary.

Some will come for Mass everyday to pray for their need or intention, especially during this period of school exams.

Another interesting way that I have come across is synchronized prayer.

A group of people wants to pray for a particular need or intention.

But because they are all busy and cannot come together, they agreed upon a particular time of the day, usually at night, to pray together wherever they are.

They even SMS each other to remind each other of their prayer time.

So persistence in prayer also needs support, just as Moses was supported by Aaron and Hur, and even by a stone.

Let us keep faith in what Jesus had promised that God will see justice done and done speedily.

Let is also support each other in persisting in prayer.

If the 12 year-old Low Wei Jie could keep running just to take pictures of a torch, then all the more we should persist in our prayer to keep the flame of faith burning.

Our persistence will be rewarded. That is what Jesus promised us.

Jesus will persist in His promise. May we persist in our praying.