Is 58:7-10/ 1 Cor 2:1-5/ Mt 5: 13-16
Today is already the 4th day of the Chinese New Year.
But when does Chinese New Year actually starts?
On Thursday? Which is the first day of Chinese New Year?
I would say that Chinese New Year starts with the Reunion Dinner.
Because with the Reunion Dinner, the Chinese New Year celebrations will begin, because that’s when we celebrate family love, family unity and family relationships over dinner.
So does the Reunion Dinner have anything spiritual?
Well, let us listen to this story and see how the Reunion Dinner can be something spiritual.
Well, after the Reunion Dinner, some people would go down to Chinatown, to shop for bargains.
So, this little girl was walking with her mother when she saw balloons for sale, the type that are filled with helium.
So, she asked her mum to get one for her, and she was thrilled and happy with the balloon floating in the air as she held on to the string attached to the balloon.
Then accidentally, she lost grip of the string and the balloon began to float and rise up to the sky.
Happiness turned into sadness and she cried over the loss of the balloon.
Her mum wanted to console her. Now, what do you think she would say to her?
By and large, we would think that her mother would tell her that it’s alright, don’t cry and that she will get her another balloon. (Right? That’s what we would most likely say.)
Well, the mother thought for a while, and said to her little girl.
Don’t cry, the balloon has gone up to have Reunion Dinner with its family. Just like we go home for Reunion Dinner, the balloon has gone home for Reunion Dinner.
When the little girl heard this, she stopped crying and became happy for the balloon.
Interesting to note what the mother said to her girl.
No religious talk, no big faith concepts, just a little something about what the little girl understood.
In the gospel, Jesus used two common things to help us realize who we are and what we are.
As much as Jesus talked about salt and light, yet we also know that these two things do not exist for themselves.
Salt gives taste but we don’t eat salt as it is.
Light does not shine in, light shines out.
So, salt and light are in many ways similar to faith and love.
Faith does not exist for itself. Faith helps us to realize the presence of love and the presence of God in all situations (where there is love, there is God).
Jesus Himself was salt and light when others forgot about the presence of God in several instances in the gospels.
Remember that instance, when He was asked if it was necessary to pay taxes?
He asked for a coin, he asked them whose image was on the coin, and then He said: Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.
The people were talking about taxes, a tasteless thing.
Jesus put in some salt and made them realize the presence of God, and more importantly that all things belong to God. So what belongs to Caesar, actually belongs to God.
In another instance, when Jesus was asked where His authority came from, He in turn asked them where the authority of John the Baptist came from. From man or from God?
Well, His question was the answer for them, and they had no reply to that.
Because the moment God comes into the picture, their question becomes redundant and pointless.
So Jesus Himself showed us what salt and light are all about.
Any situation without the involvement of God is a tasteless situation.
Faith is like salt that brings in the presence of God and it enlightens the situation with the love of God.
Just want to share with you another story about balloons.
A balloon-seller was holding on to a bunch of balloons of various colours- red, yellow, blue, green, white.
And children gathered around him, thrilled by the balloons that were dancing in the air.
So he asked them what was their favourite colour, and they said red, blue, green, yellow, white.
So he asked them which balloon will rise faster up if he let all of them go at the same time.
And the children said that it will be the balloon of their favourite colour.
And then the balloon-seller let go all the balloons, and the children shouted with delight as the balloons danced and floated up towards the sky.
As the balloons slowly disappeared out of sight, the balloon-seller said to the children.
So you see, it is not the colour of the balloon that will make it rise faster, it is what is inside the balloon.
Yes, it is not what is outside that is important, it is what is inside that matters.
Well, as I prepare to move on to my next parish appointment, I know what it is inside of me.
Inside of me is filled with your prayers, your love, your care.
You have affirmed me, you have supported me, you have been patient with me when I am in my cranky moods.
From what filled your heart, you have filled my heart.
To me, you are a great parish community, very heart-lander, very real, very loving.
Jesus tells us that we are to be salt of the earth and light of the world.
I would just add on and say that may you also be like the balloons that will rise up to heaven and give glory and praise to God.
May you always be aware of what fills your inside, and of WHO fills your inside.
And from what you are filled with, may you in turn fill others. Amen.