Christ the King, Year B, 25.11.2012

Daniel 7:13-14/ Apocalypse 1:5-8/ John 18:33-37

The word “legacy” will give rise to some images and ideas in our minds.

One of which is that of how a person has left his influence and his mark in this word even is he is no more in this world.

Another is that the mention of the person’s name will make others recall what he has done and contributed to mankind.

Examples of this would be people like Alexander the Great, Beethoven, Thomas Edison and maybe even Steve Jobs.

Alexander was the first king to be called “the Great” and subsequently the title of “the Great” was used for people with great achievements.

Beethoven was a great musician who left behind a legacy of great classical compositions (eg, the famous 5th Symphony).

Thomas Edison left behind a legacy of inventions, and one of the famous ones was the lightbulb.

And Steve Jobs’ legacy is in the digital world of mobile phones, laptops and computers.

So for a person and his name to go down into history and be remembered through the ages, it means that he has left behind a legacy, a legacy that lives on.

In today’s gospel, we come across a person who didn’t really leave behind a legacy. Maybe we can only say that he was just part of a legacy.

The name Pilate, Pontius Pilate, has gone down into history as the man who sentenced Jesus to death.

His name is mentioned in the Creed, but not as someone with a great achievement, nor did he leave behind a legacy.

Pontius Pilate could have left behind a legacy, but he became a tragedy.

He became a tragedy in the sense that he will always be known as the one who sentenced Jesus to death, despite knowing that Jesus was innocent.

He even tried to deny any responsibility in the death of Jesus by the symbolic gesture of washing his hands.

But the truth is that he had the final say in the sentencing of Jesus. Yes, that is the truth.

Pontius Pilate has the power and authority to acquit or condemn Jesus.

He himself knew that Jesus was innocent and in fact he was eager to release him.

But after the chief priests and the people mentioned about Caesar being their only king, Pilate became anxious for his own security and his own interests and future.

Yet, as we heard Pilate question Jesus about His authority, we can see that the tables were being turned around.

Jesus stated that He is a king but His kingdom is not of this world.

He came into the world to bear witness to the truth and those who are on the side of the truth will listen to His voice.

And Pilate was left to decide. Which king was he going to serve? The king of this world?

Or will he serve the King of truth and hence stand on the side of truth?

Pilate was to judge Jesus, but in the end he had to judge for himself.
He had to decide for which side he will stand on.

And Pilate went down in history and into our Creed as the one who choose to stand on the dark side of falsehood.

He could have been a legacy but he ended up as a tragedy.

Because in condemning Jesus, Pilate also condemned himself.

By not standing for the truth, Pilate did not have anywhere to stand on, neither in this world nor in the next.

And yet the tragedy that Pilate left behind continues to fester in the dark side of our lives, as we turn away from the truth and hide from the truth.

There is this story of a little boy and his sister who went to visit their grandparents in the countryside.

He had a catapult and he practised in the fields but he could never hit his target.

As he came back to his grandma’s backyard, he happened to see her pet duck.

Out of impulse, he took aim and let fly a shot. The stone hit the duck squarely and it fell dead.

The boy panicked. Desperately, he hid the dead duck in the barn, only to look up and see his sister watching.

His sister, Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch that day, Grandma said, “Sally, let’s wash the dishes.” 

But Sally said, “Johnny told me that he wanted to wash the dishes today. Didn’t you, Johnny?”

And she whispered to him, “Remember the duck?” So Johnny had to wash the dishes.

Later, Grandpa wanted to bring the two children fishing. Grandma said, “Oh, I am sorry but I need Sally to help prepare dinner.”

Sally smiled and said, “Oh, Johnny said that he wants to do it.” 

Again, Sally whispered, “Remember the duck?” And so Johnny stayed and Sally went fishing.

After a couple of days of doing the chores, Johnny became frustrated and desperate and he couldn’t take it anymore.

So he confessed to Grandma that he had killed her pet duck.

Grandma held his face in her hands and said, “I know, Johnny. I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. There and then, I forgave you because I love you. I was wondering how long are you going to hide the truth and let Sally make a slave out of you.”

Yes, when we hide the truth, we become slaves of sin and end up in tragedy.

But Christ our King invites us to listen to His voice and stand on the side of truth and the truth will let us free.

Christ our King wants us to be free so that we can be His living legacy of honesty, sincerity, humility and faithfulness.

Just as Christ the King called out to Pilate to stand by Him, Christ the King also calls us to stand by Him.

If we don’t stand by Christ our King, then we won’t have anywhere to stand at all, neither in this world, nor in the next.

33rd Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 18.11.2012

Daniel 12:1-3/ Hebrews 10:11-14, 18/ Matthew 24:42-44


Next Thursday is the 22nd November. It will be an anxious day for parents who have 12-year-old children and of course for the 12-year-old children too.

Because on next Thursday, the results of the PSLE will be announced!

Yes, the PSLE – Primary School Leaving Examination results will be announced.

And the PSLE results will determine which secondary school the 12-year-olds will be studying in for the next phase of their education.

Already there is much discussion on how stressful the PSLE is for the 12-year-olds and whether things can be changed and adjusted for the better.

And amidst all that serious discussion, there is also the lighter side of what PSLE stands for:
-Please Start Learning Everything
-Please Start Learning Early
-Parents Should Learn Everything
-Procrastinate Sure Liao (Fail) Exam

And all this is over the Primary School Leaving Examinations. It goes to show how stressful and how tensed it can be even at Primary School level.

We can surely imagine what it is like when it comes to exams at Secondary School, Junior College and at University.

Exams are indeed a big thing in Singapore and the results somehow determine what kind of future will be in store for the children.

So, next Thursday, the 22nd Nov is like some kind of judgment day.

It will be a distressful time and heaven will be stormed and shaken with prayers (will that be too late?)

And when the results are out, those who scored brilliantly will shine like bright stars.

It is actually quite amazing to see how much the Primary School Leaving Examinations means to the students, the parents and the schools.

At the bottom of it all, there is something at stake. For the students, it is an achievement; for the parents, it is an investment; for the schools, it is the reputation.

Undeniably, there is a lot of hard work that went into the preparations for the exams, the extra tuition, the sacrifices and also the bottles of chicken essence.

And yet, when it is over and done, for better or for worse, it will pass on, everyone will move on and there will be another exam to face.

So for all that is achieved with whatever brilliant results, the shine will begin to fade as soon as the next day arrives.

And in time to come, this year’s results will just fade into history and the students will face other exams.

Yes, exams come and go, not only in school but also at work, when we sit for promotion exams or in pursuit of higher qualifications.

Yet, the objectives are also quite similar as at the PSLE, and that is for achievement, investment and reputation.

But for all that we work so hard for, we have to realize that it is all transient, all will fade into history, all will pass on.

In the gospel, Jesus talks about the end times. He has a grim reminder for us as He says this: Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

That should make us stop and think. We have studied a lot, we have learned a lot, and we also know a lot.

We have taken one exam after another, we have collected certificates, diplomas and degrees.

But just how much of what Jesus said have we remembered? And how much of what Jesus said have we put into practice in our lives?
For example, on the teaching on love, Jesus said this, “I give you a new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you.”

So it is a new commandment, and not a new suggestion or a new option.

And that means that just as Jesus loved us, we too must love God, love our neighbor, love our enemy and love those who hurt us or even do us harm.

We will remember that Jesus said, “Love your enemy, do good to those who harm you, bless those who persecute you.”

Certainly a difficult teaching to follow but in the exams of life, we must remember it.

Not to remember that teaching and to fail in the exam of life would certainly spell disaster for us.

And just like the exams in school, where we prepare for it by working hard and making sacrifices and denying ourselves, so too in the exams of life.

Again we need to remember that Jesus said this, “What then will a man gain if he wins the whole world and yet ruins his life? Indeed what can a man offer in exchange for his life?”

Yes, we may work hard for our achievements, recognition, status, wealth, and may even win the whole world, but how much and how hard do we work for life eternal?

We need to remember what Jesus taught us because His words will never pass away because His words are Spirit and they are life and He has the message of eternal life.

And what is this message of eternal life?

Maybe let’s talk about exams again and there is this story of a student who went to see a wise and holy man to ask for prayers for success in his final exams.

The student made his request and the holy man said: I will pray for you but how successful do you want to be in your exams?

The student answered: I want to be the top student.
The holy man asked: And then what?
The student answered: Then I will graduate and find a good job.
The holy man: And then what?
The student: Then I will work hard and earn good money.
And then what? Then I will look for a wife, get married and buy a nice house.
And then what? Then I will retire and enjoy life.
And then what? The student: And then errr… and then err…

Yes, and then what? After our studies and exams, after meeting the demands of life and work, are we prepared to take the final exam of life?

Or are we going to be that student who thinks only of what is in this passing world and when it comes to the world that will not pass away, we can only say, “And then err… and then err…” 

We may have passed our Primary School Leaving Examinations but will we be able to pass the primary exam of life, and enter into eternal life?

Every day we will have to sit for the exam of life. Let us pray that we will pass each exam and finally be rewarded with a life that will not pass away. It’s an exam that we cannot fail.

32nd Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 11.11.12

1 Kings 17:10-16/ Hebrews 9:24-28/ Mark 12:38-44


We have an attitude when it comes to how we look at our possessions and our wealth.

When no one wants to borrow or take our things, we do not worry much about it.

But the moment someone wants to borrow something from us, or when we are asked to share something with others, or even to give it away, then something strange happens.

Suddenly our things become very precious to us and we hold on to it with both our hands and maybe even with all our strength!

For example, for those of us who have a car, just how do we feel if someone wants to borrow our car?

Somehow we instantly become very possessive of our car, and for someone to borrow it and use it, it's like taking a part of our flesh away.

In fact, this attitude can be seen in little children too. Just ask a child to share his toys with other children and he will immediately grab his toys with both hands and he would guard it with his life.

It is strange to see how important our things seemed to us even though they are not critical for our survival.

And it seems even more important when someone wants to borrow it and use it.

If things seem so important to us, then what about things that are critical for our survival, like for example, food?

In the 1st reading, we heard about the prophet Elijah asking for food and water from a widow.

We must remember it was a time of famine, there was a severe food shortage because there was a severe drought for 7 years. So there was no rain, no crops and no food.

As for the widow, she was going to prepare the last meagre meal for herself and her son and after that there will be nothing left to eat. They will just wait to die of hunger.

Yet when Elijah asked for food, that widow, despite her desperate hopeless situation, shared the last of what she had to eat.

For her generosity in that kind of extreme situation, she was rewarded with the miracle of a jar of meal and a jar of oil that would allow her and her son to survive the famine.

Yes, miracles happen in extreme circumstances, but only when people are willing to make the sacrifice.

In the gospel, we heard of yet another widow who gave all she had to God; just two small coins, two small coins of the smallest denomination.

Jesus acknowledged her generosity, saying that from the little she had , she gave it all, even what she had to live on.

We do not know what happened to that poor widow as the gospel made no further mention of her.

But what do we think? Will God bless her for her generosity? Will God provide for her needs now that she has nothing left?

We might be thinking, that poor widow should have kept at least one coin for herself in order to buy some food, isn't it?

Whatever we might be thinking, the widow in the 1st reading and the poor widow in the gospel certainly gave us an example of radical generosity.

What the two widows gave was hardly anything of value - just a bit of food and two small coins that were hardly with anything.

But what was given was desperately needed by the two widows. It was a sacrifice because they had to let go of it.

Very often, we who have much more, believe very little in God's promise of providence. Because letting go is so hard to do.

There is a story that is simply titled "The Rope". It begins with a mountain climber who wanted to climb the highest mountain.

Since he wanted the glory just for himself, he decided to climb the mountain alone.

So he climbed and climbed, and even right into the night he climbed, even though he couldn't see much in that pitch darkness.

As he hastened his climb to the summit, he suddenly slipped and fell into thin air.

Great fear seized him as his life flashed before him.

As he kept falling into certain death, suddenly he felt the rope that was tied to his waist pulled him very hard.

His body was hanging in the air with only the rope holding him, and in desperation he screamed "Help me, O God, help me!"

Suddenly in that pitch darkness, a deep voice came from the skies "How do you want me to help you?"

The man was surprised but he quickly answered "Save me, O God, save me!"

The voice said "Do you really believe that I can save you?"  The man answered, "Yes, yes, I believe, I believe!"

The voice said, "Then do as I tell you. Cut away the rope that is tied to your waist."

There was a moment of silence. The man decided to hold on to the rope with all his might.

The next day, the rescue team saw an intriguing sight. The climber was found dead and frozen, his body hanging from a rope with his hands holding it tight. His body was only 10 feet from the ground.

Indeed, letting go is hard to do. But it is in letting go that we live and become alive.

Jesus had said that he who tries to save his life will lose it, but he who gives up his life for Jesus will save it.

The widow of Sidon in the 1st reading tells us this truth. We can also say the same of the widow in the gospel that God will provide for her.

And we can also say that God will provide for us. Yet like the two widows, we have to learn to let go.

We have to learn to let go of ourselves and give ourselves to others - our life, our love, our time, our energy.

Every little sacrifice is appreciated by Jesus, just like how He commended that poor widow on her offering.

So let us not say that God does not see, or that he has forgotten what we have let go of and offered to Him.

The prophet Isaiah would say this : Don't ever think that the Lord does not take care of you. He is always holding you with His right hand (Isaiah 41:17-20)

Yes, almighty God holds us with His powerful right hand.

We just have to let go of our little rope and hold on to His right hand.