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.