13th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 01.07.2012

Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24/ 2 Cor 8, 7, 9, 13-15/ Mark 5:21-43

One of the greatest fears and nightmares of parents is to lose their young child in a crowded place, or in a foreign land, or in a place that is considered dangerous.

That kind of thing can happen anytime, and anywhere, and when it is least expected.

Every now and then, we will hear it over the PA system that there is a child who is lost and the parents or relatives are to go to the office to claim back the child.

Yes, with the modern means of communication, a child who is lost can be easily tracked and located and found.

But such may not be the case about 40 or 50 years ago where communication was rather primitive, compared to now, and PA systems were not installed everywhere.

I can attest to the fears and nightmares of parents who have lost their child, even though it may be for only a short period of time.

I remembered that when I was a kid, maybe about 8 or 9 years old. My family went out to the “pasar-malam: (street-side night market) on a Saturday evening.

Being a Saturday evening, the pasar-malam was crowded and noisy and people jostled here and there.

My mum held on to my elder sister and younger brother, who was only 4 or 5 years at that time, and my father held on to me.

Then, we stopped to look at something and my mum began the bargaining process, and the rest of us were just looking around at other things.

Then, all of a sudden, my mum turned around and asked: Where is Simon? (That’s my younger brother).

We looked around blankly, and then stunned, and then it hit us that Simon was not anywhere around.

Then all panic and chaos broke loose as my sister and I were ordered to stay put, while my parents set off in opposite directions looking for my brother, asking people, calling out his name, etc.

I can still remember the dreaded look on my parents’ faces and the panic in their voices.

Well, after what seemed like eternity, my mum came back with my brother, both of them sobbing away – my brother obviously frightened and traumatized, and my mum … maybe angry, maybe relieved.

The pasar-malam outing ended immediately and my mum gave us a good scrubbing on the way home about caring for each other and looking out for each other.

Yes, I have seen the dreaded look on the faces and heard the panic in the voices.

And today’s gospel passage brought back that memory of  mine, as well for as parents who have lost their child, even though it might just be momentarily (which at that time would seem like eternity)

At least, we would be able to understand how Jairus felt.

His 12 year-old daughter was critically ill. All hope was fading and so was her life.

Jairus was desperate and he had that dreaded look on his face – he was losing his daughter and it will be forever.

As he pleaded with Jesus to go and heal his daughter, he already had panic in his voice.

He couldn’t care less that he was a synagogue official and that Jesus was just a street-side preacher, who was not even a scribe or a rabbi.

Jairus couldn’t be bothered about what people would say about him, kneeling before Jesus and pleading with him.

All that mattered was his daughter’s life. He would go to almost any extent to save his daughter.

Certainly, we can see how great is the love of Jairus for his daughter, and by the same token, the great love of parents for their children.

If that is the love parents have for their children, then can we ever comprehend God’s love for us, we who are His children?

It is a great pain and sorrow for parents who have to make funeral arrangements for their children.

Somehow it does not sound right, it does not look right, because it should be the other way round.

So as we try to comprehend God’s love for us, the love a father has for his children, can we also comprehend the pain and sorrow that God feels when His children choose to be lost in waywardness, and eventually succumb to sin and death?

As the first reading will testify: Death was not God’s doing. He takes no pleasure in the extinction of the living.

God made man imperishable. He made him in the image of His own nature. It was the devil’s envy that brought death into the world, as those who are his partners, will discover.

Those are profound words that tell us how great God’s love is for us and that He wants us to have life and health.

On the other hand, the devil wants to snare us to commit sin, so that although we exist, but we are as gone as dead.

Yes, we can try to comprehend how Jairus felt for his daughter and how much he wanted to save her.

We can also try to comprehend how much God loves us and how He searches for us when we are lost, so as to save us from a sinful death.

Yes, life and health, and sin and death, is not a laughing matter, and they are certainly not humorous.

Humour, or at least serious humour, is associated with people like Mr Brown, who is one of Singapore’s most-read bloggers and he is also a social and political satirist.

Whenever you want to have a serious good laugh,  just go to Mr Brown.com and you will get your free entertainment anytime, anywhere. As well as something to reflect on.

But recently, he put up a story which concerned his family, and it was titled “Finding Faith”.

Nothing religious actually. It was an account of how his eldest daughter whose name is “Faith” was lost, and how he and his family and friends went in search of her.

Faith is a special child. She is about 12 years old, the same age of Jairus’ daughter. But she has severe autism, she does not speak, does not respond to her name easily, cannot tell anyone she is lost, and does not know what is dangerous.

Mr Brown was at work, and his wife had brought their three kids for an outing, and they were returning home in the evening.        

It was around 6.30pm (rush hour) when Faith broke free from her mother’s grip and ran off, and this was at Dhoby Ghaut MRT station, and it was rush hour!

The wife immediately called Mr Brown, and panic and chaos were already breaking in. Faith couldn’t have been lost in a worse possible place, at a worse possible time.

Dhoby Ghaut is a huge maze of an interchange station. Faith could be anywhere there, or she might have hopped onto another train and went somewhere else.

Mr Brown had the presence of mind to use modern communication means and he tweeted for help to find Faith.

He checked with the station staff who were monitoring the CCTVs. The PA system were not much of a use because of Faith’s autistic condition.

After a frantic wild goose chase, that seemed like eternity, and with much panic, Faith was found at Telok Blangah station.

Mr Brown proclaimed that it was a miracle to have found Faith.  So many friends and people who came into the picture, and the events that happened, were certainly not coincidences.

And I quote Mr Brown: Above all, thank God for watching over our firstborn and bringing her back home to us.

Yes, thank God that He watches over us and searches for us when we are lost.

Thank God that He loves us and gives us health and life so that we can share His goodness with others.

Thank God that sin and death do not have the final say.    

Because God is the God of the living. In God, let us have faith and let us not be afraid.

Nativity of St John the Baptist, Year B, 24.06.2012

Isaiah 49: 1-6/ Acts 13:22-26/ Luke 1: 57-66, 80

The birth of a child is certainly not a casual or ordinary matter.

There is a whole spectrum of emotions involved – excitement, anxiety, worry, happy …

And along with that are hopes and dreams and expectations of what the future will be like with the arrival of the child.

Indeed, the birth of a child is no ordinary or casual matter.

We can even say that every birth of a child changes the whole of humanity.

And the birth of John the Baptist, the feast that we celebrate today, is certainly quite dramatic.

When his father, Zechariah, the priest of the Temple, was told by the angel Gabriel that his wife Elizabeth would conceive a child even though she was advanced in age and considered barren, Zechariah was skeptical and cynical.

For that he was struck dumb.

And then when Mary visited Elizabeth, the baby leapt in her womb. That must be really dramatic for Elizabeth.

As if that was not dramatic enough, then comes the naming of the baby.

Elizabeth and Zachariah insisted that he be called “John” and then Zechariah regained his power of speech and he praised God.

The neighbours were awed and with so much drama, they wondered what would this child turn out to be.

They might have thought that John would follow his father’s footsteps and become a priest of the Temple, or become someone famous and influential in the world of status and lime-light.

Yes, he did become someone famous and influential.

He became John the Baptist, who wore clothes made of camel-hair and ate locusts and wild honey and lived in the wilderness of the desert.

His name was John (Yehonan) and his name means “God is gracious” or “the grace of God”.

Indeed, it was the grace of God that chose him to be the greatest of all the prophets, because it was he who pointed out Jesus, the Lamb of God, to the people.

Yes, John the Baptist lived up to his name as “the grace of God”.

His call for repentance and conversion led people to the baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

John the Baptist prepared the people for the gracious coming of the Son of God among the people.

As we celebrated the feast of the birth of John the Baptist, we honour the great prophet who prepared the way for Jesus Christ.

We also give thanks for the outpouring of God’s grace, the grace that also makes us prophets of God.

Yes, John the Baptist was not just the greatest of all the prophets, but also in him the grace of God worked powerfully and wonderfully.

Yes, John the Baptist lived up to his name. That was John the Baptist, a great figure in the Bible.

Now, what would we expect of someone with a name like “Dolores” (Dolores means sorrow!)

But some of us may remember a Dolores Hart.

Dolores Hart was born in 1938 to teenage parents who were bit-part actors and who later divorced.

Dolores had some Catholic upbringing, but in her teens she followed the footsteps of her parents by becoming an actress.

In 1957, she acted in a supporting role as the love interest of Elvis Presley in the movie “Loving you”.                                                   In that movie, they kissed and it was Elvis’ first on-screen kiss.

Dolores became an instant star and she was so natural and effortless as an actress and she was hot in demand.

From that time onwards, Dolores Hart was draped with furs and expensive gowns and surrounded by men!

She was beautiful, she had super-star status, she had the lime-light on her, she had million-dollar movie contracts, she had everything.

But by 1958, she felt fatigued and a friend suggested that she take a rest at the Abbey of Regina Laudis, a Benedictine monastery.

At first she scorned at the idea of going to a place where there are nuns, but the friend told her that the nuns won’t talk to her because they are contemplative nuns.

So she arrived at the monastery in a studio limousine, and she immediately loved the quiet and the simplicity, and found her inner peace.

At that time, she was also preparing for the wedding to Don Robinson, a Los Angeles architect. But there at the monastery, it hit her that she was in love with God.

Well in the end, Dolores Hart gave up the lime-light, a promising movie career, fur coats and expensive gowns, and even the man she was supposed to marry.

She gave up all that, and at 23 years-old, she entered the Benedictine monastery where she found her peace and her love for God.

Everyone in the show biz, and also the nuns, thought she was nuts. In fact, the nuns thought she was a “lightweight” and that she won’t stay long.

Even Dolores herself thought she was nuts. She felt like as if she leapt off a 20-storey building.

But just as John the Baptist leapt for joy in his mother’s womb, Dolores Hart leapt into the gracious and tender hands of a loving God.

Well, in the gracious hands of God, the now Mother Dolores Hart stayed for 50 years in the same Benedictine monastery where she is now the prioress.

There is a documentary on her life called "God is the bigger Elvis" which was nominated for a Grammy this year. You may want to check out that documentary.

Yet, she was often asked, not about what she gave up, but rather about that kiss with Elvis Presley in the movie.

Her reply was this : An on-screen kiss last only about 15 secs, but that one seemed to have lasted for 50 years, because people keep talking about it even after 50 years.

Yes, some things are indeed difficult to let go and give up.

Oh I also forgot to mention about Don Robinson, the Los Angeles architect whom Dolores Hart was supposed to have married.

He also gave up the idea of marriage, i.e. he never got married. He was quoted as saying “I never found a love like Dolores”. Nonetheless, he visited Dolores every year at the monastery until he passed away in November last year.

But for Dolores Hart and Don Robinson, and more so for John the Baptist, the grace of God worked powerfully and wonderfully.

When Jesus came into the scene, John the Baptist pointed Him out as the One who is to come.

John the Baptist gave up the attention and the fame and the lime-light and faded off into the background.

In the 2nd reading, we heard that before he ended his ministry he said : I am not the one you imagine me to be. That one is coming after me and I am not fit to undo his sandals.

One of the profound sayings of John the Baptist is this : He must increase and I must decrease.

With the grace of God, John the Baptist knew when to let go and what to give up and that he must decrease.

With the grace of God, may we know when to let go so as to let God go ahead of us.

With the grace of God, may we know what to give up that is earthly and receive what is heavenly.

With the grace of God, may we step back and decrease, so that God may increase in our hearts, just as it did for John the Baptist.

11th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 17.06.2012

Ez 17:22-24/ 2 Cor 5:6-10/ Mk 4:26-34


It has been said that to be human is to have habits.

Indeed, habits are peppered all over our lives and every day is a repetition of habits.

Still, say whatever we may, our habits give us some stability and routine in life.

In fact, our habits can even help us to relax as they help us enter into the comfort zone of familiarity.

Yet habits don’t appear all of a sudden. Rather they happen with incremental repetition. It happens bit by bit and it slowly becomes a habit.

That is obvious in bad habits, which creep up on us slowly and in small steps.

Take for eg, alcoholism. It begins with one glass and then it slowly develops into a habit until it becomes an addiction.

Similarly with gambling. It begins with one dollar at a time until it becomes a habit that becomes a problem.

For better or for worse, our habits are about growth and change in ourselves.

And our habits can also determine whether we can be better persons or not.

In today’s gospel, Jesus told two parables about what the kingdom of God is like.

The two parables used seeds to illustrate the growth of the kingdom of God.

We may be able to understand that the seeds sown in the ground will begin to germinate and grow to produce a harvest, or grow into a tree that gives shade and shelter.

Yes, we may be able to understand that. Yet, we may not fully comprehend the mystery of growth and change.

It is not just about growth and change in seeds. It is also about growth and change in the kingdom of God.

Since the day we were born, the seeds of the kingdom of God were sown in us.

These are the seeds of love that help us grow into the image and likeness of God in whom we are created.

But along with these seeds of love are also weeds of sin that are sown by the evil one.

These weeds will try to choke the seeds of love, so that there is not only no growth, but also to cause the seeds of love to wither and die.

So every choice and every decision we make will determine whether we grow or we choke.

And every choice and every decision is one small step towards developing a habit that is either growing or choking.

We can’t deny that one strong influence in our lives, besides our mothers, is our fathers.

Yes, our fathers are indeed a strong influence and they sow tough seeds in us.

And today, we also celebrate Father’s Day, so let me share with you two stories.

World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare.

He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific.

One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top up his fuel tank.

He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship.

His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.

As he was returning to the mother ship he saw something that turned his blood cold: a squadron of Japanese bombers and fighters was speeding its way toward the American fleet.

All the American fighters were gone on mission, and the fleet was totally defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet.

Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet.

Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dived into the formation of the Japanese planes.

So he charged in with guns blazing, attacking the surprised enemy planes. Butch weaved in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent.

In desperation he even dived at the enemy planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible and rendering them unfit to fly.

Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.

Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.

Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft.

This took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor.

And today, the O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.

The next story happened many years ago when Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for corrupting the city in everything from drug-trafficking and prostitution to murder.

Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.

To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but also, Eddie got special dividends.

For instance, he and his family occupied a large fenced-in mansion with live-in servants and all of the luxuries.

Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him.

Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son whom he loved dearly.

Eddie saw to it that his young son had everything, and also a good education.

And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.

Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name, or a good example.

One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done. The seed of God’s love was beginning to germinate in him.

He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and show his son the meaning of integrity.

But to do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. He would lose everything.

So, he testified. Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street.

But for him, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay.

So, what do these two stories have to do with each other?      

Well, Butch O'Hare, the heroic fighter pilot was "Easy Eddie's" son.

Indeed, a moving father-and-son story. Yet it is also a story of how a father felt the seed of God’s love growing in him.

He had to kick an evil habit and change to grow in goodness so that he in turn can sow seeds of goodness in his son.

And the seeds of goodness grew in his son and that gave him the courage to put his life on the line for others.
Yes, we will reap what we sow. Not just in others but also in ourselves.

God has already planted the seeds of love in us. We need to water it with prayer and let the seeds grow in us and bear fruit.

May we in turn sow seeds of love in others so that they too will bear fruits of love for the Kingdom of God.

Corpus Christi, Year B, 10.06.2012

Exodus 24:3-8/ Hebrew 9:11-15/ Mark 14:12-16, 22-26


One of the greatest threats to Europe during the 5th Century came from Eastern Asia.

The Huns led by Attila had swept through Asia and in the year 452 was on the verge of invading Italy.

The Huns were savage and barbaric in every aspect, killing men, women and children, plundering, sacking and destroying.

Attila the Hun was especially and utterly cruel in inflicting torture, greedy in plundering and famous for ripping apart his enemies and drinking their blood.

Rome which was then the seat of the crumbling Roman empire waited in helpless terror for utter destruction.

The pope at that time, Pope Leo knew he had to defend his flock and so he decided to go and meet Attila the Hun at the risk of his life and try to negotiate for peace.

Before he set off, Pope Leo celebrated the Eucharist.

As he ate and drank the Body and Blood of Christ, he thought to himself: If Attila were to rip me apart and drink my blood, then he would also be drinking the blood of Christ and that might convert him.

So with that, the venerable and simple old man went forth to meet the merciless young destroyer who only would kill and plunder.

It was a tense meeting as the Pope pleaded with Attila to stop the bloodshed and spare Rome and the innocent people, and at the same time wondering when he was going to lose his life.

Then in a spectacular and surprising turn of events, Attila ordered his army to stop attacking and return to their base camp.

Many speculations were offered for this sudden and unexpected change in Attila the Hun.

It would be that a sum of money was given to him to stop him from attacking.

Or that his army was short of supplies and worn out, and there was a famine and plague in Italy at that time.

But another story has it that when Attila’s servants asked him why he suddenly changed his mind, he told them this:

While the Pope was talking to him, there appeared above the Pope’s head, two figures with drawn swords, and they seemed to threated Attila unless he consented to do as Pope Leo had requested. Those two figures were said to be St Peter and St Paul.

Well, the fact was that Attila and his savage hordes turned back and Rome was saved at the mitigation of Pope Leo.

The interesting point in all this is that although Pope Leo knew that he could lose his life, he also believed in the power of the Eucharist.

He believed that Christ was in him and that the Blood of Christ flowed in his veins.

This is also what St Augustine taught us: the Eucharist is the only food that changes us to become like what we eat. We partake of Christ’s Body and Blood, and we become like Christ.

St Paul would also attest to that. On the road to Damascus, he was blinded by the light, and he heard the voice saying: Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

He asked: Who are you, Lord? And the voice replied: I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

Indeed, Jesus the Lord gives us His Body and Blood so that He can live in us and we in Him.

Today, we the Church celebrates the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.

It is not just about the bread and wine becoming the Body and Blood of Christ after it is consecrated.

It is also about us who receive the Body and Blood of Christ at Holy Communion.

Yes, it is Holy Communion. We are receiving something very sacred. We are receiving Christ the Risen Lord.

And that’s why we must prepare ourselves worthy to receive Christ.

There is that mandatory Eucharistic fast before receiving Holy Communion. We should know that.

There is also the necessity to go for the Sacrament of Reconciliation if we have committed serious sins.

Because St Paul teaches in 1 Cor 11:29, that we must receive the Lord Jesus worthily, otherwise we eat and drink to our own judgment.

To receive Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin is desecration; it’s one serious sin upon another serious sin.

The sacred and the sinful cannot co-exist in us.

When we receive Holy Communion worthily, Christ abides in us and makes us His Body, and His Blood flows in us, giving us life.

We become a holy and consecrated people. That is His covenant with us.

We become His people; He will protect us just as He protected Pope Leo from the ruthless and blood-thirsty Attila the Hun.

Having said all that, we are also confronted with those who have to shed their blood for Christ, those people whom we call martyrs.

In the history of the Church, the martyrs were not as “fortunate” as Pope Leo.

They were literally ripped apart, skinned alive, roasted, impaled and underwent all sorts of horrendous torture before shedding their blood in witness for Christ.

Tarcisius was a twelve-year-old Christian orphan boy who lived during one of the fierce Roman persecutions of the third century.      

Each day, from a secret meeting place in the catacombs where Christians gathered for Mass, a deacon would be sent to the prisons to carry the Eucharist to those Christians condemned to die so that they would be able to bear the pain and torture for Christ.

At one point, there was no deacon to send, and so Tarcisius persuaded the bishop to send him to carry the "Holy Mysteries" to those in prison.

Several sacred Hosts were placed inside a white linen cloth within a little case which Tarcisius put inside his tunic, just over his heart, and with his two hands clasped over it, he started off.

Then he passed by a group of his friends who were just about to start a game, but needing one more to complete the number. Catching sight of Tarcisius they called to him to stop and join them, but he declined saying that he had to do something important.

But when they saw him carrying something in his tunic they caught hold of him and wanted to see it.

He tried to struggle but when the boys were about to pry open his arms he called out to Jesus for help.

When the boys realized he was a Christian, they began to beat him furiously but Tarcisius held on to the Sacred Hosts.

Finally a Christian came by and chased the boys away.

Tarcisius handed the Sacred Hosts to the Christian and requested him to bring Jesus to those in prison, and then he breathed his last.  

The Church now honours him as St. Tarcisius, and he is the patron saint of those receiving First Holy Communion.

A young life was lost, blood was spilled, but it was the blood of Christ that was spilled.

But where the blood of Christ is spilled, there the seed of Christianity is planted.

As a matter of fact, in those places where the martyrs shed their blood for Christ, Christianity has flourished.

Indeed, we are the Body of Christ, and the Blood of Christ flows in us.

We may not be called to shed our blood for Christ as the martyrs did.

Yet we are called to make sacrifices and to pour out our lives for others in love, service, compassion, forgiveness, patience, tolerance and understanding.

And we can be sure that like what Attila the Hun saw hovering above Pope Leo, St. Peter and St. Paul, with our guardian angels, are also hovering above us and watching over us, because Christ is in us.

Trinity Sunday, Year B, 03.06.2012

Deut 4:32-34, 39-40/ Rom 8:14-17/ Mt 28:16-20


There are a number of words that we use that have strange and interesting origins.

Whether these strange and interesting origins are true or otherwise, the fact remains that these words are in current usage and is understood as it is.

For example, the word “OK”. One of the stories is that it originated during the American Civil War (1860s).

When the troops return without any casualties, a notice was put up for all to see.

It read “O Killed”, meaning zero casualties. Later it was shortened to “OK”.

And now whenever we say “OK”, it means things are alright, things are under control, there are no problems.

That is just one of the stories of the origin of the word “OK”.

And then there is this story of how the word “Kangaroo”, the famous Australian creature, came about.

When the English settlers landed in Australia, they noticed a strange animal that jumped extremely high and far.

They asked the aboriginal people, using body language and signs, what this animal was called.

The aboriginal people responded with “Kan Ghu Ru”.

The English then adopted the word “Kangaroo” for that animal.

But what the aboriginal people was trying to say was trying to say with that word “Kan Ghu Ru” was that “We don’t understand you”. Just a story about how the “kangaroo” got its name.

Well, there are many words and phrases that we use often, most of which we understand the meaning, or at least we think we understand the meaning.

For example, when we say, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son…” we will immediately make the sign of the cross as well.

Hence, the sign of the cross and the invocation of the three Persons of the Trinity are closely related and have deep meaning in our Christian faith.

Through the scriptures, God has revealed Himself as One God, Three Persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Well, we will not be able to find that phrase “One God, Three Persons” in the Bible, or for that matter of fact, the word “Trinity” either.

These words came about from later reflections, and they also helped the ordinary people articulate their belief in the Trinity.

Yet, to make the sign of the cross and to say the Trinitarian Invocation, what are we saying? What are we doing? What are we meaning?

To begin with, it is a sacred invocation and a sacred sign.

We started the Mass with that sign and that invocation. We will also end the Mass in the similar way.

The meaning is this: by the sign of the cross we are saved because the cross of Christ is our salvation.

And with the sign of the cross, we enter into the heart of the Trinitarian God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

So, we have to make the sign of the cross reverently and respectfully.

We also need to say the invocation properly: In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.              
And not just “Father, Son and Holy Spirit”.

Because the biblical meaning of the word “name” means “the presence” of a person, or even “the heart” of a person.

So with the sign of the cross and the Trinitarian Invocation, we enter into the presence and the heart of God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We may know this, but it might have become routine for us, and routine often results in the death of reverence.

Yet the sign of the cross and the Trinitarian Invocation is a powerful means of calling upon God’s help and protection.

Quite a number of us have the St Benedict’s medal, or at least we know what the medal is.

St Benedict is the Father of Western monasticism.

He is pictured on one side of the medal holding a cross with one hand.

Because it was with the sign of the cross and the Trinitarian Invocation that he evangelized Europe and converted the pagans.

To his left is a cracked cup. His enemies had poisoned the wine in the cup, but when St Benedict made the sign of the cross and the Trinitarian Invocation over it, the cup cracked, indicating that the wine was poisoned

To his right, is a raven carrying away a loaf of bread.

Again, his enemies had poisoned the bread, but when St Benedict made the sign of the cross and the Trinitarian Invocation over it, a raven came and carried the poisoned bread away.

So, on Trinity Sunday, we are reminded that the name of God, i.e. the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, is holy and we must use it respectfully and reverently.

With the name of God, and in the name of God, we call upon blessings for people, we begin our prayers, we ask for help and protection.

Hence, when we wake up in the morning, let us make the sign of cross and come into the presence of God: God the Father who created us, God the Son who saves us and God the Holy Spirit who guides and helps us.

When we retire for the day, let us make the sign of the cross as we rest peacefully in the heart of God who loves us and cares for us.

Let us also bless our children with the sign of the cross on their foreheads and in the name of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

That is because the first Christian symbol that we received at our baptism was on our foreheads, and it was the sign of the cross, which claimed us for Christ.

Jesus promised that He will be with us until the end of time.

May we be faithful to the cross of Christ, and may we live and love in the presence of our God, whose name is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.