Ac 2:1-11/ 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13/ Jn 19:20-23
The history of mankind has seen many great conquerors who built great empires.
We have read about Alexander. He was called the Great and rightly so. His empire stretched from Europe to Asia.
Then there was Caesar and the great Roman Empire.
Then a period of time passed before another great conqueror surfaced in Europe.
I am sure we have heard of Napoleon Bonaparte. He also marched through Europe and conquered most of it.
In the year 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte captured the city of Rome, and took Pope Pius VI prisoner.
Napoleon thought that he could intimidate the Pope and force him to become his puppet because the Church had considerable political power at that time.
But the Pope refused to cooperate with Napoleon nor be his puppet, and in a fit of anger, Napoleon shouted at the Pope: If you do not do as I command, I will destroy the Church.
The Pope replied: Oh no, you won’t. Napoleon retorted: Oh yes, I will - within a year.
To which the Pope calmly replied: If we, who are the Church, have for 1800 years, failed to destroy the Church with our sins, I doubt very much you will succeed.
Well, the Church still exists, whereas Napoleon Bonaparte had passed on as just another memory in the pages of history books.
But Napoleon was not the first to think he could destroy the Church.
In every age, the Church has been attacked and persecuted, and threatened with destruction to the point of extinction.
Even in the very first century of their existence, the Roman emperor Nero thought that if he were to capture and execute St. Peter, then he would have destroyed the Church.
When Jesus said that the gates of hell would never prevail against it, He certainly meant it.
The Church may look like another human organization, but there is more to it, just like there is more to the Eucharist than just bread and wine.
Today, as we celebrate Pentecost, we acknowledge that the Church is human as well as divine.
Yes, the Church is also divine, because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church.
In the 1st reading, we heard about how the Holy Spirit descended as a mighty wind and tongues of fire on the Church, and raised her up and propelled her into the mission of salvation.
The Church became a sign of unity and salvation.
Yet as we gather in this Eucharist, we are also like the disciples in the gospel passage who were huddled together in the room.
The disciples in the gospel were a very different picture from the same disciples portrayed in the 1st reading.
The disciples in the gospel passage were in fear, broken and all messed up and lost.
They were reaching the point of self destruction when Jesus appeared and gave them peace.
And with a gentle breath, He also gave them the Holy Spirit.
And Jesus still breathes gently on us, the Church.
From the Pope right down to the baptized infant, and to each and every one of us, Jesus breathes into our hearts, the Holy Spirit.
And with the Holy Spirit in the depths of our hearts, our mouths will speak.
And that is also where we face the problem and the obstacle.
Too often we lose control of our tongues and we say harsh and hurtful words.
And when we lose control, we will also end up saying the “f” word.
I guess I don’t have to elaborate what the four-letter “f” word is.
We may not say it aloud, but muttering it under our breath also says it all.
On this day of Pentecost, Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit into our hearts so that we can speak the language of peace and love.
On this day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit wants to teach us a new “f” word - “f” to stand for forgiveness.
Yes, the Holy Spirit lifts us up from our human sinfulness to divine holiness, from the sinful “f” to the holy “f”, the holiness of forgiveness.
We have heard it being said that to err is human, to forgive is divine.
The Church is human as well as divine.
By our human sinfulness, we have committed error and caused hurt and torment and pain. We have tried to destroyed ourselves and even tried to destroy the Church, but like Pope Pius VI said, we cannot succeed.
Yes, all have sinned. Each one of us is a sinner. But God loves us and He forgives us and He will always forgive us.
And He even gives us the Holy Spirit to teach us how to forgive by first learning the new “f” word - forgiveness.
Well, back to Napoleon Bonaparte. Towards the end of his life, he was exiled on the rock of St Helena.
There, the conqueror of civilized Europe had time to reflect on his life and even on Jesus Christ.
He made this statement: Other conquerors founded their empires by force. Jesus Christ alone founded His empire upon love.
Napoleon Bonaparte finally understood why he cannot destroy the Church.
Because the Church is human as well as divine - the Holy Spirit dwells in the Church.
The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of love; it is the Spirit of forgiveness.
Love and forgiveness cannot be destroyed.
Click the links under My Blog List to get to Chinese and English weekday homilies.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
7th Sunday of Easter, Year B, 20.05.2012
Ac 1:15-15, 20-26/ 1 Jn 4:11-16/ Jn 17:11b-19
In Singapore, there is a so-called rite of passage for males. It is called “National Service”.
Yes, National Service separates the boys from the men, and National Service turns boys into men.
More so if the National Service entails a tough military training, then boys become men in double quick time.
Yet, doing National Service in the military is certainly not a holiday camp.
It is a time of worry and anxiety for those boys-going-to-be-men, and also for their parents.
So let’s just say if you have a son who is going to start off his National Service with the BMT (Basic Military Training), what would you want to give him that will help him stay out of trouble, that will keep him safe, and that you can still recognize him when he comes back home?
Well, as you think about what will be the best thing for your son to bring to BMT, let me bring you back 70 years to WWII.
At the height of that terrible war, America was sending her young men to the battlefronts of Europe and the Pacific region.
That was certainly not BMT, it was battlefront, and it’s not some kind of computer game.
But out of that war, came a soldier’s story; it goes like this.
A bunch of soldier boys had been on a long hike, and they arrived in a little town.
The next morning, being Sunday, several of the boys went to church.
A Sergeant commanded the boys in church,
and after the chaplain had read the prayer, the text was taken up next.
Those boys who had prayer books took them out,
but, this one boy had only a deck of cards, and so he spread them out.
The Sergeant saw the cards and said, "Soldier, put away those cards".
After the services were over, the soldier was taken prisoner,
and brought before the officer.
The officer said "Sergeant, why have you brought this man here?"
"For playing cards in church Sir."
"And what have you to say for yourself Son?"
"Much, Sir," replied the soldier.
The officer said, "I hope so, for if not, I shall punish you more than any man was ever punished."
The soldier said, "Sir, I have been on the march for about six days,I have neither Bible nor prayer book, but I hope to satisfy you, Sir,with the purity of my intentions."
And with that, the boy started his story.
"You see sir, when I look at the Ace,
it reminds me that there is but one God,
and the deuce, reminds me that the bible is divided
into two parts, the old and the new testament.
When I see the trey, I think of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.
And when I see the four, I think of the four Evangelists who preached
the Gospel. There was Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
And when I see the five, it reminds me of the five wise virgins
who trimmed their lamps, there were ten of them.
Five were wise and were saved, five were foolish,and were shut out.
When I see the six, it reminds me that in six days,
God made this great Heaven and Earth.
When I see the seven, it reminds me that on the seventh day,
God rested from His great work.
And when I see the eight, I think of the eight righteous persons
God saved when he destroyed this Earth.
There was Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives.
And when I see the nine, I think of the lepers our Saviour cleansed,
and, nine out of the ten, didn't even thank him.
When I see the ten, I think of the ten commandments,
God handed down to Moses on 2 tablets of stones.
When I see the king, it reminds me that there is but one King of Heaven,
God Almighty.
And when I see the Queen, I think of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Who is Queen of Heaven, and the Jack of Knaves is the Devil.
So, you see Sir, my pack of cards serves me as a Bible, and a prayer book. And Sir, this pack of cards was given to me by my father, and he taught me what the cards meant.
That was the young soldier’s story of a pack of cards.
Needless to say is that the soldier’s father also prayed that God will protect his son in battle.
Yes, we believe in God and we also believe that God will also protect us from harm and danger.
Yet, it is not just a matter of belief. It is actually a promise that is made with a prayer.
In the gospel, we heard Jesus praying to His Father.
In that prayer, Jesus said He had watched over those who were His.
And then Jesus said this in His prayer: Father, I am not asking You to remove them from the world, but to protect them from the evil one.
So Jesus is telling us that God will protect us. It is a promise made with a prayer.
In this world, there will be trouble. Wicked people will do evil things to us.
Being a disciple of Jesus in this world is like being sent to the battlefront.
Yet Jesus promises us and guarantees us God’s protection.
On our part, we have to believe in that promise, we have to pray on it, and we have to act on it.
We must believe that God will protect us, simply because He loves us. It’s a protective love.
And we have to pray on it. We have to let God’s protective love reinforce and strengthen our faith.
And having said that, we have to act on it.
So, back to the question about what are you going to give your son as he goes off to BMT for his National Service.
Giving him a pack of card may not be a good idea. He might think you are asking him to go to the casino.
So, give him what the Church has given us as a means for asking for God’s protection, namely the crucifix, the rosary, the holy medals, the scapular.
These are not as bulky as a pack of cards. Moreover these are also the Church’s means of invoking God’s protection.
And it’s not just for sons going to BMT, it’s also for daughters as well as children who will, sooner or later, have to face the world that is sleazy and crafty.
More importantly, it is our responsibility to tell our young what Jesus has communicated to us, and that is the protective love of God.
We can even use the Psalms (many psalms are an invocation of God’s protection and salvation) and Ps 91 is a good example. (He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, and abides in the shade of the Almighty, says to the Lord, “My refuge, my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!”)
We can take a verse from that Psalm and write it on a good piece of paper and laminate it and maybe even sign on it.
It will be the best gift and the best means of blessing and protection you can give to your sons and daughters.
Yes, in this world we will face trouble and danger. But Jesus has overcome the world.
And God will protect us. That is the promise, and prayer of Jesus.
In Singapore, there is a so-called rite of passage for males. It is called “National Service”.
Yes, National Service separates the boys from the men, and National Service turns boys into men.
More so if the National Service entails a tough military training, then boys become men in double quick time.
Yet, doing National Service in the military is certainly not a holiday camp.
It is a time of worry and anxiety for those boys-going-to-be-men, and also for their parents.
So let’s just say if you have a son who is going to start off his National Service with the BMT (Basic Military Training), what would you want to give him that will help him stay out of trouble, that will keep him safe, and that you can still recognize him when he comes back home?
Well, as you think about what will be the best thing for your son to bring to BMT, let me bring you back 70 years to WWII.
At the height of that terrible war, America was sending her young men to the battlefronts of Europe and the Pacific region.
That was certainly not BMT, it was battlefront, and it’s not some kind of computer game.
But out of that war, came a soldier’s story; it goes like this.
A bunch of soldier boys had been on a long hike, and they arrived in a little town.
The next morning, being Sunday, several of the boys went to church.
A Sergeant commanded the boys in church,
and after the chaplain had read the prayer, the text was taken up next.
Those boys who had prayer books took them out,
but, this one boy had only a deck of cards, and so he spread them out.
The Sergeant saw the cards and said, "Soldier, put away those cards".
After the services were over, the soldier was taken prisoner,
and brought before the officer.
The officer said "Sergeant, why have you brought this man here?"
"For playing cards in church Sir."
"And what have you to say for yourself Son?"
"Much, Sir," replied the soldier.
The officer said, "I hope so, for if not, I shall punish you more than any man was ever punished."
The soldier said, "Sir, I have been on the march for about six days,I have neither Bible nor prayer book, but I hope to satisfy you, Sir,with the purity of my intentions."
And with that, the boy started his story.
"You see sir, when I look at the Ace,
it reminds me that there is but one God,
and the deuce, reminds me that the bible is divided
into two parts, the old and the new testament.
When I see the trey, I think of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.
And when I see the four, I think of the four Evangelists who preached
the Gospel. There was Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
And when I see the five, it reminds me of the five wise virgins
who trimmed their lamps, there were ten of them.
Five were wise and were saved, five were foolish,and were shut out.
When I see the six, it reminds me that in six days,
God made this great Heaven and Earth.
When I see the seven, it reminds me that on the seventh day,
God rested from His great work.
And when I see the eight, I think of the eight righteous persons
God saved when he destroyed this Earth.
There was Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives.
And when I see the nine, I think of the lepers our Saviour cleansed,
and, nine out of the ten, didn't even thank him.
When I see the ten, I think of the ten commandments,
God handed down to Moses on 2 tablets of stones.
When I see the king, it reminds me that there is but one King of Heaven,
God Almighty.
And when I see the Queen, I think of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Who is Queen of Heaven, and the Jack of Knaves is the Devil.
So, you see Sir, my pack of cards serves me as a Bible, and a prayer book. And Sir, this pack of cards was given to me by my father, and he taught me what the cards meant.
That was the young soldier’s story of a pack of cards.
Needless to say is that the soldier’s father also prayed that God will protect his son in battle.
Yes, we believe in God and we also believe that God will also protect us from harm and danger.
Yet, it is not just a matter of belief. It is actually a promise that is made with a prayer.
In the gospel, we heard Jesus praying to His Father.
In that prayer, Jesus said He had watched over those who were His.
And then Jesus said this in His prayer: Father, I am not asking You to remove them from the world, but to protect them from the evil one.
So Jesus is telling us that God will protect us. It is a promise made with a prayer.
In this world, there will be trouble. Wicked people will do evil things to us.
Being a disciple of Jesus in this world is like being sent to the battlefront.
Yet Jesus promises us and guarantees us God’s protection.
On our part, we have to believe in that promise, we have to pray on it, and we have to act on it.
We must believe that God will protect us, simply because He loves us. It’s a protective love.
And we have to pray on it. We have to let God’s protective love reinforce and strengthen our faith.
And having said that, we have to act on it.
So, back to the question about what are you going to give your son as he goes off to BMT for his National Service.
Giving him a pack of card may not be a good idea. He might think you are asking him to go to the casino.
So, give him what the Church has given us as a means for asking for God’s protection, namely the crucifix, the rosary, the holy medals, the scapular.
These are not as bulky as a pack of cards. Moreover these are also the Church’s means of invoking God’s protection.
And it’s not just for sons going to BMT, it’s also for daughters as well as children who will, sooner or later, have to face the world that is sleazy and crafty.
More importantly, it is our responsibility to tell our young what Jesus has communicated to us, and that is the protective love of God.
We can even use the Psalms (many psalms are an invocation of God’s protection and salvation) and Ps 91 is a good example. (He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, and abides in the shade of the Almighty, says to the Lord, “My refuge, my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!”)
We can take a verse from that Psalm and write it on a good piece of paper and laminate it and maybe even sign on it.
It will be the best gift and the best means of blessing and protection you can give to your sons and daughters.
Yes, in this world we will face trouble and danger. But Jesus has overcome the world.
And God will protect us. That is the promise, and prayer of Jesus.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
6th Sunday of Easter, Year B, 13.05.2012
Ac 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48/ 1 Jn 4:7-10/ Jn 15:9-7
In life, we take many things for granted.
Even what is essential and necessary for our survival, we can also take it for granted.
For example, the air that we breathe, we just take it that it should be there and always available.
Another thing that we take as a matter of fact and which we expect to be readily available is … fire!
Fire was one of the earliest of human discoveries.
Its discovery and usage are multiple – for light and heat, to cook food, for warmth and protection.
With the usage of fire, human existence and activity moved to a higher level.
But then of course, with its ease of availability, it is also easily taken for granted.
Until we have to start fire from scratch. Only then we will know how difficult it can be to get a fire started.
So if we can take things like fire for granted, then what other essential and fundamental things do we also take for granted?
Well, in today’s gospel, Jesus tells us what it is that we so often take for granted.
This might sound like trivia, but in the gospel passage that we have just heard, the word “love” is mentioned NINE times.
Hence Jesus is telling us that love is crucial and critical in our lives, and even more so for our survival. And yet we so often take it for granted.
Jesus even puts it as a commandment for us: Love one another as I have loved you.
So to love God and to love others is not a suggestion, nor is it an option.
And in Jesus, we can see that there is no greater love because He laid down His life on the cross in order to save us, and to show us the meaning of love.
Thanks be to God, the commandment of Jesus has been carried out.
The world can certainly do without fire, but we won’t survive without love.
Without a doubt, love has certainly made the world a better place, and love has certainly made us better persons.
What we see here is a LIGHT BULB. It is an ordinary item, something that can be taken for granted.
But the light bulb is also a product of love. Let me share with you the story of the light bulb.
One day, in the year 1855, a 7 year-old boy came home crying.
When his mother asked him why, he told her that his school teacher called him “addled”, a word that means slow, confused and mixed-up (stupid!).
When the boy asked the teacher what it meant, he crudely told him that his brains were all scrambled.
Well, the matter of fact was that the boy was very curious, he liked to ask a lot of questions, so the teacher thought of him as rather “unteachable”.
So, the mother told the crying boy: My son is not addled. If nobody wants to teach my son, then I will teach him. She then proceeded to teach him at home.
That was in 1855, many years later, when he died in 1931, homes and businesses briefly turned off their electric light bulbs in honour of this person, who as a boy was termed as slow, confused, mixed up.
Well, that person was none other than Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors.
And his inventions included the sound recorder, the motion picture camera, as well as improving the telegraph and the telephone. And of course, the electric light bulb!
For someone who had only about 3 months of formal schooling, Thomas Edison owned 1093 US patents, as well as hundreds in other countries.
All because his mother took the trouble to teach him, when others thought he was hopeless.
Thomas Edison said this of his mother: My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me, and I felt I have someone to live for, someone I must not disappoint.
A lovely and touching tribute from a great inventor, Thomas Edison, to an ordinary and simple mother, Nancy Edison, his mother.
It can also be a fitting tribute to all mothers as we honour them with Mother’s Day.
And as we give thanks to God for our mothers, we can also see the reality of the commandment of love that Jesus spoke about in the gospel.
In our mothers, we see how the commandment of love takes on flesh and blood.
In fact, our mothers can even say this to us: Just as God has loved me, so I have loved you.
Yes, our mothers laid down their lives for us. They have shown us the reality of God’s love.
They have carried out the commandment of love.
Nancy Edison taught her son the best she could, and he turned out to be a great inventor.
Dear mothers, teach your children the best you could, and teach them the commandment of love.
Let them always remember that you taught them this commandment, that you showed them how to carry out this commandment, and that they must keep this commandment if they want to have a future.
And let us also learn from our mothers to do the small things with great love.
That would ensure our survival, and the survival of the human race.
In life, we take many things for granted.
Even what is essential and necessary for our survival, we can also take it for granted.
For example, the air that we breathe, we just take it that it should be there and always available.
Another thing that we take as a matter of fact and which we expect to be readily available is … fire!
Fire was one of the earliest of human discoveries.
Its discovery and usage are multiple – for light and heat, to cook food, for warmth and protection.
With the usage of fire, human existence and activity moved to a higher level.
But then of course, with its ease of availability, it is also easily taken for granted.
Until we have to start fire from scratch. Only then we will know how difficult it can be to get a fire started.
So if we can take things like fire for granted, then what other essential and fundamental things do we also take for granted?
Well, in today’s gospel, Jesus tells us what it is that we so often take for granted.
This might sound like trivia, but in the gospel passage that we have just heard, the word “love” is mentioned NINE times.
Hence Jesus is telling us that love is crucial and critical in our lives, and even more so for our survival. And yet we so often take it for granted.
Jesus even puts it as a commandment for us: Love one another as I have loved you.
So to love God and to love others is not a suggestion, nor is it an option.
And in Jesus, we can see that there is no greater love because He laid down His life on the cross in order to save us, and to show us the meaning of love.
Thanks be to God, the commandment of Jesus has been carried out.
The world can certainly do without fire, but we won’t survive without love.
Without a doubt, love has certainly made the world a better place, and love has certainly made us better persons.
What we see here is a LIGHT BULB. It is an ordinary item, something that can be taken for granted.
But the light bulb is also a product of love. Let me share with you the story of the light bulb.
One day, in the year 1855, a 7 year-old boy came home crying.
When his mother asked him why, he told her that his school teacher called him “addled”, a word that means slow, confused and mixed-up (stupid!).
When the boy asked the teacher what it meant, he crudely told him that his brains were all scrambled.
Well, the matter of fact was that the boy was very curious, he liked to ask a lot of questions, so the teacher thought of him as rather “unteachable”.
So, the mother told the crying boy: My son is not addled. If nobody wants to teach my son, then I will teach him. She then proceeded to teach him at home.
That was in 1855, many years later, when he died in 1931, homes and businesses briefly turned off their electric light bulbs in honour of this person, who as a boy was termed as slow, confused, mixed up.
Well, that person was none other than Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors.
And his inventions included the sound recorder, the motion picture camera, as well as improving the telegraph and the telephone. And of course, the electric light bulb!
For someone who had only about 3 months of formal schooling, Thomas Edison owned 1093 US patents, as well as hundreds in other countries.
All because his mother took the trouble to teach him, when others thought he was hopeless.
Thomas Edison said this of his mother: My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me, and I felt I have someone to live for, someone I must not disappoint.
A lovely and touching tribute from a great inventor, Thomas Edison, to an ordinary and simple mother, Nancy Edison, his mother.
It can also be a fitting tribute to all mothers as we honour them with Mother’s Day.
And as we give thanks to God for our mothers, we can also see the reality of the commandment of love that Jesus spoke about in the gospel.
In our mothers, we see how the commandment of love takes on flesh and blood.
In fact, our mothers can even say this to us: Just as God has loved me, so I have loved you.
Yes, our mothers laid down their lives for us. They have shown us the reality of God’s love.
They have carried out the commandment of love.
Nancy Edison taught her son the best she could, and he turned out to be a great inventor.
Dear mothers, teach your children the best you could, and teach them the commandment of love.
Let them always remember that you taught them this commandment, that you showed them how to carry out this commandment, and that they must keep this commandment if they want to have a future.
And let us also learn from our mothers to do the small things with great love.
That would ensure our survival, and the survival of the human race.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
5th Sunday of Easter, Year B, 06-05-12
Ac 9:26-31/ 1Jn 3:18-24/ Jn 15:1-8
The month of May is a month that we look forward to.
That is because the first day of the month is a public holiday because it is Labour Day.
What a nice way to begin the month. It would be nicer if the rest of the days of the month are also holidays.
Yes, on a day like Labour Day where the economic and social achievements of workers are acknowledged and celebrated and also the rights of the workers are highlighted, most offices and factories would be closed.
Except of course essential services won’t be closed. (Just imagine if the sanitation service providers suspend their washroom services!!)
And in Singapore, shopping centers and restaurants also won’t be closed. Because in Singapore, shopping and eating are considered essential services, or even crucial services.
And of course we can also say that the Church won’t be closed.
After all, whether it’s a holiday or not, there will still be Mass, so the priest still must work.
But that is alright, because some people think that the priest only works on Saturdays and Sundays, so a bit more work won’t kill him (right?)
Anyway, public holidays are also the best days to have activities in Church.
Since people need not go to work, then it might be a good opportunity for them to come for a day of recollection, or a talk, or a faith formation workshop, etc.
Or just let them come to church to pray and have a quiet time, especially in this church which has such beautiful surroundings.
Well, usually on a holiday, we would want to spend some time at home with our loved ones.
All the more, this is God’s house, and we are God’s children and we want to come home and spend some time with God.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about He being the vine and we are the branches.
But He also used an image that we are all very familiar with.
He said: Make your home in Me, as I make Mine in you.
As it is often said “Charity begins at home”.
Similarly, when we are at home with Jesus, then we will bear fruit.
We are used to the idea that bearing fruits involve some kind of activities in which we must do something.
And with that, the bearing of fruits come with a unit of measure: How many activities are there? How many parishioners are in organizations? How much money is needed and what is the budget? Does all that sound familiar? Sounds like some KPI (key performance indicators)?
Yet, bearing fruits is not about how busy, or how many activities or how we are performing.
Jesus gave us the key factor in bearing fruit – Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.
Because all of us have a home, be it temporary or be it for eternity, and it’s certainly not imaginary.
In our homes, is where Jesus wants to make His home, and in Jesus, we will make our eternal home.
It’s at home that we learn to bear fruits – fruits of love, charity, patience, compassion, tolerance, forgiveness.
And no matter how far we go (or venture or stray), we will still come home one day. We must come home.
As a matter of fact, we can learn a lot from the homing pigeons.
The most reliable homing pigeons are those that are born and bred in the same place.
And where the pigeon coop is safe and comfortable, the pigeons will always fly back home, no matter how far they have been brought away.
During WWI, homing pigeons were used by the soldiers to send messages to their headquarters and they had to be sure that these homing pigeons were reliable.
But of course the enemy would also know that the pigeons carried important messages, and would try to shoot them down.
Probably one of the most famous homing pigeon was “Cher Ami” two French words meaning “Dear Friend”.
Cher Ami flew twelve important missions to deliver messages. Perhaps the most important was the message he carried on Oct 4, 1918.
During WWI, the United States were sending soldiers to Europe to help France regain its freedom.
On Oct 3, 1918, a company of 500 American soldiers, with their commander, Major Charles Whittesey were trapped in a small depression on the side of the hill.
Surrounded by enemy soldiers, many were killed and wounded on the first day.
By the second day, only about 200 men were still alive and able to fight.
Major Charles sent out several pigeons to tell his commanders at headquarters where they were and how bad the situation was.
But of course the enemy soldiers had shot the pigeons down.
To make matters worse, the American artillery tried to give the trapped soldiers some protection by firing on the hill, but the shells were dropping right on the trapped soldiers.
Major Charles had only one pigeon left, Cher Ami, and it was his last hope.
With a message to tell his commanders his precise location so that the artillery won’t fire on his men, he let off Cher Ami and said a prayer for the pigeon.
As Cher Ami began to fly back home, the enemy soldiers saw him and started firing at him.
Bullets flew at the pigeon and for a minute it looked like the pigeon was hit and he wasn’t going to make it.
But somehow Cher Ami managed to spread his wings and started climbing again.
The little pigeon flew 25 miles in 25 minutes to deliver his message.
The shelling stopped and more than 200 American soldiers were saved.
All because the little homing pigeon, though shot and wounded, would not give up and flew to where he belonged, back home.
The point of the story is, in going back home, we bear fruits.
And for Cher Ami, the homing pigeon, flying back home meant saving 200 lives.
Yes, it is easy to say that we must make our home in Jesus.
Yet a more practical question to ask is how can we let Jesus make His home in us?
Firstly, of course our homes must be a home of prayer.
And what better way to reinforce family prayer than this month, the month of May, a month that is dedicated to Mary, and which is expressed in the praying of the Rosary.
So not only Jesus wants to make His home in our homes, even Mother Mary is knocking on our doors.
Also make the home a safe and holy place by blessing it with holy water and even incensing the house.
It seems like these practices have been neglected and forgotten altogether.
So let’s “home in”, and make our home a house of prayer where Jesus can make His home is us.
Like the little homing pigeon, Cher Ami, it is in coming home to Jesus that we bear fruits and become disciples of Jesus.
The month of May is a month that we look forward to.
That is because the first day of the month is a public holiday because it is Labour Day.
What a nice way to begin the month. It would be nicer if the rest of the days of the month are also holidays.
Yes, on a day like Labour Day where the economic and social achievements of workers are acknowledged and celebrated and also the rights of the workers are highlighted, most offices and factories would be closed.
Except of course essential services won’t be closed. (Just imagine if the sanitation service providers suspend their washroom services!!)
And in Singapore, shopping centers and restaurants also won’t be closed. Because in Singapore, shopping and eating are considered essential services, or even crucial services.
And of course we can also say that the Church won’t be closed.
After all, whether it’s a holiday or not, there will still be Mass, so the priest still must work.
But that is alright, because some people think that the priest only works on Saturdays and Sundays, so a bit more work won’t kill him (right?)
Anyway, public holidays are also the best days to have activities in Church.
Since people need not go to work, then it might be a good opportunity for them to come for a day of recollection, or a talk, or a faith formation workshop, etc.
Or just let them come to church to pray and have a quiet time, especially in this church which has such beautiful surroundings.
Well, usually on a holiday, we would want to spend some time at home with our loved ones.
All the more, this is God’s house, and we are God’s children and we want to come home and spend some time with God.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about He being the vine and we are the branches.
But He also used an image that we are all very familiar with.
He said: Make your home in Me, as I make Mine in you.
As it is often said “Charity begins at home”.
Similarly, when we are at home with Jesus, then we will bear fruit.
We are used to the idea that bearing fruits involve some kind of activities in which we must do something.
And with that, the bearing of fruits come with a unit of measure: How many activities are there? How many parishioners are in organizations? How much money is needed and what is the budget? Does all that sound familiar? Sounds like some KPI (key performance indicators)?
Yet, bearing fruits is not about how busy, or how many activities or how we are performing.
Jesus gave us the key factor in bearing fruit – Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.
Because all of us have a home, be it temporary or be it for eternity, and it’s certainly not imaginary.
In our homes, is where Jesus wants to make His home, and in Jesus, we will make our eternal home.
It’s at home that we learn to bear fruits – fruits of love, charity, patience, compassion, tolerance, forgiveness.
And no matter how far we go (or venture or stray), we will still come home one day. We must come home.
As a matter of fact, we can learn a lot from the homing pigeons.
The most reliable homing pigeons are those that are born and bred in the same place.
And where the pigeon coop is safe and comfortable, the pigeons will always fly back home, no matter how far they have been brought away.
During WWI, homing pigeons were used by the soldiers to send messages to their headquarters and they had to be sure that these homing pigeons were reliable.
But of course the enemy would also know that the pigeons carried important messages, and would try to shoot them down.
Probably one of the most famous homing pigeon was “Cher Ami” two French words meaning “Dear Friend”.
Cher Ami flew twelve important missions to deliver messages. Perhaps the most important was the message he carried on Oct 4, 1918.
During WWI, the United States were sending soldiers to Europe to help France regain its freedom.
On Oct 3, 1918, a company of 500 American soldiers, with their commander, Major Charles Whittesey were trapped in a small depression on the side of the hill.
Surrounded by enemy soldiers, many were killed and wounded on the first day.
By the second day, only about 200 men were still alive and able to fight.
Major Charles sent out several pigeons to tell his commanders at headquarters where they were and how bad the situation was.
But of course the enemy soldiers had shot the pigeons down.
To make matters worse, the American artillery tried to give the trapped soldiers some protection by firing on the hill, but the shells were dropping right on the trapped soldiers.
Major Charles had only one pigeon left, Cher Ami, and it was his last hope.
With a message to tell his commanders his precise location so that the artillery won’t fire on his men, he let off Cher Ami and said a prayer for the pigeon.
As Cher Ami began to fly back home, the enemy soldiers saw him and started firing at him.
Bullets flew at the pigeon and for a minute it looked like the pigeon was hit and he wasn’t going to make it.
But somehow Cher Ami managed to spread his wings and started climbing again.
The little pigeon flew 25 miles in 25 minutes to deliver his message.
The shelling stopped and more than 200 American soldiers were saved.
All because the little homing pigeon, though shot and wounded, would not give up and flew to where he belonged, back home.
The point of the story is, in going back home, we bear fruits.
And for Cher Ami, the homing pigeon, flying back home meant saving 200 lives.
Yes, it is easy to say that we must make our home in Jesus.
Yet a more practical question to ask is how can we let Jesus make His home in us?
Firstly, of course our homes must be a home of prayer.
And what better way to reinforce family prayer than this month, the month of May, a month that is dedicated to Mary, and which is expressed in the praying of the Rosary.
So not only Jesus wants to make His home in our homes, even Mother Mary is knocking on our doors.
Also make the home a safe and holy place by blessing it with holy water and even incensing the house.
It seems like these practices have been neglected and forgotten altogether.
So let’s “home in”, and make our home a house of prayer where Jesus can make His home is us.
Like the little homing pigeon, Cher Ami, it is in coming home to Jesus that we bear fruits and become disciples of Jesus.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)