Holy Family, Year C, 30.12.2012

Ecclesiasticus 3:3-7, 14-17 or 1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28/
Colossians 3:12-21 or 3:12-17 / Luke 2:41-52

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Family. So, inevitably the focus will be on family life.

And when we look at the family, just what kind of analogy could we use to describe a family?

Maybe I would say that the family is like a fruit cake – mostly sweet and with some nuts; some may have more nuts!

Nonetheless, we still have to admit that family life, although like a fruit cake, can be quite messy.

It’s said that a family is like a social unit that is concerned with some kind of space.

The father is concerned with parking space, the children are concerned with outer space, the mother is concerned with looking for space. 

And when the family has to share the same space,  that is where challenges come in.

Because problems can arise when we feel that our own space is encroached upon or has been trespassed.

And when our space is encroached upon or is trespassed, then communications become fragile and tensed.

We will be quick to speak and to scorch, but we will not be that ready to listen with attention.

Let me quote from a poem entitled “Harsh Words”: 

I ran into a stranger as he passed by, “Oh excuse me, please” was my reply.

He said, “Please excuse me too, I wasn’t watching for you.”

We were very polite, this stranger and I. We went on our way saying good-bye.

But at home, a difference is told, how we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, while cooking the evening meal, my son stood beside me very still.

As I turned, I nearly knocked him down. “Move out of the way!” I said with a frown.

It so ironic, isn’t it, that while dealing with strangers, common courtesy we use.

But with family and loved ones, we seem to abuse.

In today’s gospel, we heard about Mary and Joseph, and the 12 year-old Jesus going to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.

It was an annual event for them but this time round something happened.

After the feast, Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, without his parents knowing.

Needless to say, Mary and Joseph must have panicked during those three days until they found Him in the temple.

The gospel passage simply said that they were overcome when they saw Him, but that said a lot about how Mary and Joseph felt – the anxiety, the stress, the frustration, the anger (?).

And we can certainly feel the seriousness of the tone in what Mary said to Jesus, “My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been looking for you.”

And the reply of Jesus was nowhere near consoling, and as if that was not enough, it was also confusing to say the least.

That would have easily erupted into a parent-child quarrel and harsh words would fly about to cut and scorch.

Yet, no further words were exchanged, maybe because Mary and Joseph did not understand what Jesus meant. 

But Mary stored up all these things in her heart. Joseph might be thinking that it would be easier to build a house for God than to raise the Son of God. 

Yes, whether it is the Son of God or not, it was never easy to be parents and it never will be.

Yes, there is that 5th Commandment – Honour your father and your mother, but we all know that we have broken that commandment time and again.

Yet as much as that 5th Commandment is directed at children, there is also an underlying spiritual aspect to it.

This underlying spiritual aspect is that parents have this God-given authority over their children.

But this authority is not to be used to drive their children to resentment and make them feel frustrated.

Over and above, the duty to care for their children and to provide for their needs, parents have a spiritual authority over their children.

It means that when parents pray for their children, God will surely listen to their prayers.

And it is not just praying for them when they are applying for entry into a particular school or university, and when they are taking their exams.

Parents will have to exercise their spiritual authority over their children when they are ill, when they have gone wayward, when they are in trouble or in danger.

Parents have this power to call upon God’s protection and blessing over their children.

And that is why it is so important that parents understand and exercise this spiritual power.

And it is so essential that parents must pray together in order that this spiritual power be manifested and bear spiritual fruits in their children.

One of the difficult challenges in family life is family quarrels.
Family quarrels are bitter, especially when they are between parents and children.

They can be about any issue, and can spring up unexpectedly and catch us totally unprepared.

Whatever it is, family quarrels are bitter and painful. They are like splits in the skin that won’t heal easily because there’s not enough material to do so.

But again, parents have this spiritual power to call upon God’s blessing so that there can be peace and unity in the family.

Family peace and harmony cannot be taken for granted, and as a matter of fact, family breakup is becoming more rampant.

But again, parents have that spiritual power to keep the family together and sharing the same space.

So even after the Temple episode, Jesus went down with Mary and Joseph to Nazareth and lived under their authority.

There He increased in wisdom, in stature and in favour with God and with others.

As it was for Jesus, so may it be for parents and children in the family.

As Pope John Paul II said: As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.

4th Sunday of Advent, Year C, 23.12.2012

Micah 5:1-4/ Hebrews 10:5-10/ Luke 1:39-44

If I say I have news for you, then most probably you would want to hear what the news is about.

Regardless of whether it is good news or bad news, we would want to know what it is.

The curiosity in us would also make us almost demand to know what the news is all about.

So whether the news is good or bad, happy or sad, favorable or incredible, we just want to hear it first and then see what to make of it after that.

So, let’s say one day you come back from work and you see a letter addressed to you and it’s from your daughter, you would surely open the letter immediately.

Your curiosity won’t let you wait, no matter how tired or how busy you might be.

Well, a story goes that one day, a mother came home from work and as she passed by her daughter’s room, she was astonished to see the bed nicely made and everything was packed up.

Then, she saw an envelope propped up prominently on the center of the bed. It was simply addressed to “Mom”.

With the worst premonition, she opened the letter with trembling hands and slowly read the letter.

It read like this:

Dear Mom, 

It is with great regret and sorrow that I am writing to you. I had to elope with my new boyfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with you and Dad.

I've been finding real passion with John and he is so nice, even though he is pierced with studs in his ears, nose, lips, tongue, face and he has tattoos all over his body. 

But it's not only the passion, Mom. I'm pregnant and John said that he will take care of me and we will be very happy.

He has a trailer somewhere and there is enough food for us and the baby. He wants to have many children with me and I really like that idea too.

John taught me that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone and we intent to grow it and then trade it with his friends for all the cocaine and ecstasy pills we want. 

In the meantime, we hope that science will find a cure for AIDS so John can get better because he surely deserves it.

Don't worry Mom, I'm 15 years old now and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure we'll be back to visit so that you can get to know your grandchildren.

With love, your daughter,Susan

PS: None of the above is true! I'm actually at the neighbour’s house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than my report card which is in my desk drawer. I love you, Mom. Call me when it is safe for me to come home.

Well, I guess there are many ways to break some news so we might as well try to be creative with it!

And talking about breaking news, we heard in the gospel that Mary went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah to see that Elizabeth.

Earlier on, the angel Gabriel told Mary that Elizabeth had conceived and that she was already in the sixth month of her pregnancy.

Mary went to see Elizabeth to share her joy of pregnancy and also to render whatever help she could.

Yet at the back of her mind and circling around in her heart, she was also wondering how she was going to break the news to Elizabeth of her own pregnancy.

Because it all sounded so incredible. There was the angel who told her that she was to be the Mother of God.

She will conceive the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit and she consented to it all that.

The next question is: Will anyone believe her incredible story? Would Elizabeth believe her?

Oh yes, we can believe in an incredible pregnancy, like Elizabeth’s which was amazing and certainly something to rejoice over.

But Mary’s pregnancy? And that she has conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit? 

Such a thing has never happened before. So could it be true? Is this for real? And how would we know for sure?

Well, to begin with, there are many incredible stories, incredible but nonetheless true.

The following true story was told by a late Reverend Father Stanislaus SS.CC 

One day many years ago, in a little town in Luxembourg, a Captain of the Forest Guards was in deep conversation with the butcher when an elderly woman entered the shop. 

The butcher broke off the conversation to ask the old woman what she wanted. She had come to beg for a little meat but had no money.

The Captain was amused at the woman and the butcher. 'Only a little meat, but how much are you going to give her?', he wondered.
'I am sorry I have no money but I'll hear Mass for you, ' the woman told the butcher. Both the butcher and the Captain were indifferent about religion, so they at once began to scoff at the old woman's idea.

'All right then,' said the butcher. 'You go and hear Mass for me and when you come back I'll give you as much as the Mass is worth'.

The woman left the shop and returned later. She approached the counter and the butcher said. 'All right then we'll see.'

He took a slip of paper and wrote on it 'I heard a Mass for you.'

He placed the paper on the scales and a tiny bone on the other side, but nothing happened.

Next he placed a piece of meat instead of the bone, but still the paper proved heavier.

Both men were beginning to feel ashamed of their mockery but continued their game. A large piece of meat was placed on the balance, but still the paper held its own. The butcher, exasperated, examined the scales but found they were alright.

'What do you want my good woman? Must I give you a whole leg of mutton?' At this he placed the leg of mutton on the balance, but the paper outweighed the meat. A larger piece of meat was put on, but again the weight remained on the side of the paper.

This so impressed the butcher that he was converted and promised to give the woman her daily ration of meat.

As for the Captain, he left the shop a changed man and became an ardent lover of daily Mass. Two of his sons became priests, one a Jesuit & the other a Father of the Sacred Heart.

Father Stanislaus finished the story by saying, 'I am from the Religious of the Sacred Heart & the Captain was my father.'

From this incident the Captain became a daily Mass attendant & his children were trained to follow his example.

Later, when his sons became priests, he advised them to say Mass well every day and never miss the Sacrifice of the Mass through any fault of their own.

Unlike the daughter’s letter that we heard at the beginning, this is true, incredible, amazing but true.

And what about Mary’s story of that incredible conception by the Holy Spirit?

Who was going to know whether the child in her womb was really indeed the Son of God?

It was not that possible by conventional reasoning. But just as the Holy Mass was an overwhelming mystery, it was the child in Elizabeth’s womb that revealed the identity of God.

While still in his mother’s womb, John the Baptist sensed the presence of the Word made flesh and leapt for joy.

As we came to the last Sunday of Advent and with Christmas just a couple of days away, let us ponder on the mystery of the Incarnation, the Word made flesh, the God who became man.

It sounds incredible and amazing but blessed are we who believe.

Yes, we believe in the Emmanuel – The God who is with us. That is the Good News. That is incredible but that is the truth. 

3rd Sunday of Advent, Year C, 16.12.2012

Zephaniah 3:14-18/ Philippians 4:4-7/ Luke 3:10-18


As we began the Mass, we lighted the third candle of the Advent wreath, which is the rose-colored candle.

It also signifies that the third Sunday of Advent is also called "Gaudete Sunday". "Gaudete" means rejoice.

Yes, the first reading tells us to rejoice and exalt with all our hearts.

The second reading also has this call to rejoice as St Paul tells the Philippians: I want you to be happy, always happy with the Lord.

Yes, a rose-colored candle standing in the midst of three dark purple candles tells us life can have its joyful moments amidst disappointments and sadness and sorrow.

So I hope we can laugh a little with this story that I am going to tell.

From the shadows in the distance, the man watched as the family packed their bags in the car, locked the doors and then drove off for their holidays.

The man waited till it was dark and then he emerged from the shadows and he went to the front door and rang the door-bell of the house.

When there was no answer, the man, a seasoned burglar picked the lock of the front door and got in.

Then just to be sure that no one was in the house, he called out, "Is there anyone in?"

Hearing nothing, he was about to move on, when he was stunned by a voice, "I see you, and Johnny sees you!"

The burglar panicked and called out, "Who's that?"

And again, the voice came back, "I see you, and Johnny sees you!"

Terrified, the burglar switched on his torchlight and pointed it towards the direction of the voice.

He was relieved to see that it was a parrot in a cage and it recited once again, "I see you, and Johnny sees you!"

The burglar laughed to himself and said, "Oh, shut up stupid bird. Anyway, who is this Johnny? Is it another bird friend of yours?"

And the parrot replied, "Johnny is right below me!"

And the burglar shone his torch at what was below the parrot's cage.

And there he saw Johnny, a huge Doberman, looking at the burglar with those eyes, and growling.

And then, the parrot said, "Go Johnny, go!"

Well, I guess that it is good to have a little laugh on this "Rejoice Sunday".

But if the first two readings talk about rejoicing and happiness then the gospel message is certainly serious and it is no laughing matter.

Last Sunday, we heard John the Baptist preaching repentance and the forgiveness of sins.

And today we heard that people, all sorts of people, including those detestable and sneaky tax collectors, and those rough and tough soldiers coming to hear him.

As they hear the message of repentance and forgiveness of sins, they had one common question: What must we do?

The people asked, "What must we do?" The tax collectors asked, "What must we do?" The soldiers asked, "What must we do?"

They asked that question because they have heard the voice.

Not just the voice of John the Baptist, but also the voice of the Lord.

Yes, it was the voice of the Lord that spoke to them in their hearts telling them that they had not shared their goods with those who were poor.

They had ignored those who were hungry and had nothing to live on. They fell into dishonesty and injustice.

And then, they heard the voice of John the Baptist.

John the Baptist was like telling them, "I see you, and the Lord sees you."

In a way, we are like that burglar who breaks into a house at night and thinks that nobody is watching.

That's what happens when we sin. When we sin, we enter into the dark.

And in the darkness of sin, we think that no one is watching as we commit dishonesty and injustice, selfishness and greed, lust and immorality.

And just when we thought we are going to enter deeper into the dark, the voice of John the Baptist calls out to us, "I see you, and the Lord sees you!"

What are we going to do? Are we going to stop in our tracks?

Or are we not going to be bothered and go on deeper into the dark and into sin?

There is one Christmas song that I like to listen to as well as reflect upon.

The title is "Do you hear what I hear?" It is composed in 1962 and it was written at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the United States and the then Soviet Union confronted each other over the placement of missiles in newly Communist Cuba.

So the  Christmas song "Do you hear what I hear?" was a plea for peace, and the composers Regney and Shayne got the inspiration after watching a baby being pushed in a pram, and sleeping peacefully.

So do we hear the voice of John the Baptist? Maybe he is just telling us, "I see you and the Lord sees you."

It is not to frighten us but to call us to repent and have our sins forgiven.

So, do you hear what I hear? If we do hear, then we will also know what to do.

Because the voice belongs to the One who will bring us goodness and light.

As that Christmas song tells us – “He will bring us goodness and light, He will bring us goodness and light.”

2nd Sunday of Advent, Year C, 09.12.2012

Baruch 5:1-9/ Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11/ Luke 3:1-6

In this particular season, whether we want to call it the festive season, or the Advent season or the raining season, a famous figure will appear to bring some cheer.

Let me give a short popular description of this figure and we will certainly know who this is.

He has a white bushy beard, quite roundish, dressed in red with white trimmings, and his famous quote is “ho, ho, ho”.

Yes, we are talking about Santa Claus, who appears around this time in the festive decorations and also in advertisements.

But Santa Claus is not a clever figment of commercial imagination.

The name, Santa Claus comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas which means St. Nicholas.

St. Nicholas was a 4th century saint and the bishop of Myra (which is modern day Turkey).

His feast day is on 6th December (last Thursday) and just out of curiosity, I checked the newspaper advertisements but I hardly find any appearance of Santa Claus. 

Maybe he fell out of fashion, or maybe he was forgotten during this season. 

Yet, many miracles were attributed to the intercession of St. Nicholas and he became known as Nicholas the Wonder Worker.

He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him. And so he became the model for Santa Claus.

One of his famous acts of charity was towards a poor man who had three daughters but could not afford a proper dowry for them.

This would mean that they would remain unmarried and in the face of poverty, they might be forced into prostitution.

When St. Nicholas came to know about it, he decided to help the poor man secretly.

Under cover of night, he went to the poor man’s house and threw three small bags, each filled with gold coins, one for each daughter, through the window opening of the man’s house. 

But later, the poor man found out about it and came to thank St. Nicholas.

In humility, St Nicholas said that it was not him he should thank. 

Rather he should thank God and God alone.

Yes, thank God for the gift of saints like St. Nicholas to show His great love and His help to those in need.

In today’s gospel, we hear of another great saint who also makes his appearance around this time of the year.

So, in the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was Governor of Judea, Herod, tetrarch of Galilee etc etc, the word of God came upon a strange person in a strange place.

The word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, when he was somewhere in the wilderness. It was quite a contrast to the big names and the big places we heard earlier.

Yes, the word of God came to John and with that John went through the whole Jordan district proclaiming a baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

As the prophet Isaiah puts it: A voice cries in the wilderness – Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley will be filled in, every mountain and hill will be laid low, winding ways will be straightened, and rough roads made smooth.

So that all mankind shall see the salvation of God.

With the word of God, John the Baptist proclaimed repentance and forgiveness of sins so that the people can see the great love of God.

It was a simple message with a profound meaning and it turned people back to God.

John the Baptist was God’s gift to the people and his mission was to prepare the way for God’s greatest gift to us – Jesus Christ.

Yes, at a time when the power and might of Tiberius Caesar and Pontius Pilate and Herod and Annas and Caiaphas cast a fearsome shadow on the land, the word of God came to John the Baptist to bring forgiveness and salvation.

And later on in the 4th century, the word of God came to St Nicholas and he brought gifts to the poor and needy.

We heard earlier how St Nicholas helped the poor man and his 3 daughters by giving them 3 bags of gold coins.

That is why there are images of St Nicholas holding 3 gold round bags, or three golden balls, depicting him as a gift-giver. 

Hence, the golden ball decorations that we hang on the Christmas tree symbolize the gifts of St Nicholas.

Well, St Nicholas or Santa Claus is a gift-giver but he points to God who is the God of all gifts.

So, on this day in December in the season of Advent, in the year 2012, the word of God comes to us as a gift.

The word of God comes to us, bringing forgiveness and salvation.

The word of God comes to us, calling us to repentance but it is a joyful repentance.

This repentance is to make us realize that we are to be gifts to others, gifts that bring about hope, peace, joy and love.

So as we think about what gifts we need to get for others, let us realize that the greatest gifts lie within us.

Well, gold and silver we may have none, but like John the Baptist and St Nicholas, we can give others the greatest gift of all, and that is the love of Jesus Christ.

So, to our enemy, we give the gift of forgiveness.

To our opponents, we give the gift of tolerance.

To a friend, the gift of our loyalty

To a customer, the gift of joyful service.

To our superior, the gift of obedience. 

To our spouse, the gift of faithfulness.

To our children, the gift of good example.

Yes, to all, let us give the gift of love.

Because in Jesus Christ, God has given us all of His love.

So, let us and rejoice and be a joyful gift to others.

1st Sunday of Advent, Year c, 02.12.2012

Jeremiah 33:14-16/ 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2/ Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

About 2 or 3 years ago, there was this movie that was shown in the cinemas, which had many interesting aspects.

First was the title. The title was a number that was made up of just four digits.

The movie posters were also interesting and intriguing.

One showed a monk dressed in saffron robes standing on a mountain top and he was facing what seemed like a humongous tidal wave.

Some of us have watched that movie. Like I said the title was a number with four digits – “2012”.

It was a science fiction disaster movie. But it included references to Mayanism and the 2012 phenomenon.

Along with that, the movie portrayed a series of disastrous events unfolding in the year 2012 (which is this year, and there is also a specified date, 21 Dec 2012).

Well, in that movie, huge tidal waves swept across the whole world and there were also earthquakes everywhere.

In one scene, there were thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square and then an earthquake knocked off the dome of St Peter’s Basilica and it fell on the people.

Say what we may, the special effects in that movie were stunning and impressive.

Well, that movie was shown in the year 2010 and it was about the predictions of the end of the world disasters in 2012, which is this year!

But by and large, people generally took the movie as a movie. I wonder how many took it seriously.

Even though it had Mayanism and the 2012 phenomenon references, it did not create much waves. 

At least in the spiritual aspect, there were no urgent movements of repentance and conversion.

There were no hordes of people going to the religious institutions and doing penance and asking for forgiveness.

In other words, all the end of the world predictions about 2012 are just another of those many similar predictions that have come and gone, and this will also come and go. 

Meanwhile, it is business as usual and life will go on as normal.

Maybe we have heard too many end-of-the-world predictions and we have become numbed and tired of it.

After all, whether the world ends on the 21 Dec or tomorrow, we will still have bills to pay, and also Christmas decorations to put up and the honey baked ham to order and go to work on Monday.

Yet in today’s gospel, we hear of Jesus talking about the end times.

There will be signs in the sun and the stars; on earth, nations in agony, bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves, men dying of fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.

That is certainly dramatic and disastrous enough to make another end-of-the-world movie, and maybe this time it could be Earth colliding with Mars or whatever.

But as in the previous end-of-the-world predictions, what effects do the words of Jesus have on us?

Year in year out, on the 1st Sunday of Advent, we hear about end-times, and our thoughts will be about year-end.

Our year-end thoughts would be about how much bonus will we be getting, will there be increment in our salary next year, where are the festive offers and sales, when to go Orchard Road to look at the Christmas lights, etc.

So, at the beginning of Advent, repentance and doing penance and seeking forgiveness may be furthest from our minds. Maybe we can leave that for the coming Lent.

The 1st Sunday of Advent may mean that we better bring out our Christmas tree with the decorations and maybe get new ones, so that we can start dreaming of a “white Christmas”.

Well, if we want to dream of a white Christmas, then I would certainly recommend you to watch a movie. 

The title of this movie also has a number in it, and the title is “Eight Below”.

The setting of the movie is in the Antarctica, or where the South Pole is, and so it is as white as it could get, with snow here and there and everywhere.

The movie was inspired by the events of a 1958 ill-fated Japanese expedition to the Antarctica.

In the movie, a guide by the name of Jerry, has his team of 8 dogs which pulled the dog sleds through the snow and they were attached to an Antarctic research base.

Jerry has a very close working relationship with his dogs. He knows each by name and knows their abilities.

On one occasion, Jerry and his team of dogs brought a scientist out into the vast snowlands for research.

Then came news of an approaching snowstorm, but their return to the base camp was delayed due to some accidents and they also got injured.

When they finally reached the base camp, the storm was building and there was only one last plane left for the flight out.

Since the plane could only manage to carry the base camp team, the 8 dogs had to be left behind.

Jerry who was injured was not able to persuade the pilot for the 8 dogs to be evacuated with him.

But he was assured that a rescue team would come back to get the dogs out.

But the storm was worse than expected and it became apparent that no rescue team would be sent until only spring which would be about three to four months later.

Meanwhile, Jerry the guide recovered from his injuries and he tried desperately to get a rescue team to go for the dogs but his efforts were futile.

What haunted him was what he told his dogs when he left them at the base camp: I’ll be back. I promise.

Although all his efforts came to a dead end, he knew he had to get back there because he owed it to his dogs.

Finally, against all odds, and with some sponsorship and help from his friends, he made the trip back.

And after five months, Jerry was reunited with his 8 dogs, but two had died in the bitter storm. 

So, the movie title “Eight Below” actually referred to the eight dogs which were below in the Antarctic waiting for Jerry to rescue them.

If I could make a Christmas movie about the gospel passage than the movie title would be “We Below”. 

Yes, it will be dramatic and stunning with lightning and thunder in the skies and mega tsunamis from the ocean, plus meteorites falling from outer space and earth shaking and cracking.

But we below will stand erect and hold our heads high because He from above will come to rescue us.

If dogs are worth rescuing, then what about us who are worth much more than hundreds of dogs and sparrows and whatever.

Yes, we below will wait for Him from above and we know He will come.

He promised that He will come for us. Let us keep praying at all times and be prepared to meet Him.