Acts 1:12-14/ 1 Peter 4:13-16/ John 17:1-11
Recently, some Hollywood movie celebrities were in town. Yes, some actors and an actress from the movie “X-men” were here to promote the movie.
Oh, the “X-men” movies are a big hit in the box-office and so are the actors.
And one of the more famous actors of that movie was among those who came here.
He is so famous in his role as Wolverine that when the fans see him, they would call him “Wolverine! Wolverine” instead of Hugh Jackman (his real name).
But those celebrities should have timed their visit a little later.
Because they were just a little too early for one of the great events in Singapore.
If they had come just two weeks later, they would be in time for the Great Singapore Sale!
Yes, those two months of the year where there are great discounts on goods and services.
And Wolverine could have a manicure for his claws at a discount! :D Or even for free since he is such a big star!
Well, when you are a big star in a big movie, there can be many perks, besides the big money.
It is no wonder when they say that size does matter, because the bigger you are, the more attention you will command and the greater influence you will have.
Oh yes, size does matter. So, there is the box office success, a big budget blockbuster, and those famous actors and the Great Singapore Sale.
All these words- “success, big, famous, great” tell us that size does matter.
All these words also tell us of man’s hunger for glory, even if it’s just a passing glory, an earthly glory.
And that hunger has no size to it. It’s a hunger that cannot be satisfied. It is like a bottomless pit.
In the gospel, Jesus also talked about glory and power. He said this (to His heavenly Father):
“Glorify Your Son, so that Your Son may glorify You, and through the power over all mankind that You have given Him, let Him give eternal life to all those You have entrusted to Him.”
The whole gospel passage of today is called the “priestly prayer of Jesus”.
It was a prayer that Jesus said at the Last Supper. In that prayer He mentioned about power and glory.
But in that prayer, Jesus also said this: I pray for them; I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me.
In other words, Jesus prayed for His disciples, and those who will come after them, which means you and me. Yes, Jesus prayed for you and me!
And what was it that Jesus prayed for us? He prayed that the power and glory that was given to Him will also be given to us.
He prayed that we will be empowered by God’s love so that we can glorify God even while we are on this earth.
Putting it simply, we have this power to do good and to make this world a beautiful place.
There is this Thai life insurance advertisement that has a powerful and moving message. It’s just a 3-minute clip.
It’s about a simple young man, a sort of Good Samaritan, a sort of unsung hero, who goes about trying to some good.
When water drips on his head, instead of cursing and swearing, he pulls a pot of dying plant over, so that it can be watered back to life.
He feeds a hungry stray dog with some of his lunch; he buys bananas for an elderly neighbour; and he gives some money, though he doesn’t have much, to a poor mother and daughter for the girl’s education.
His actions either go unnoticed or that others think he was rather crazy with those simple good deeds.
But, as the narration in the advertisement goes, that young man was not looking for recognition; he gets nothing in return; he won’t be richer, he won’t be famous. He is still a “nobody”.
Eventually though, the young man’s kind actions change things.
The dying plant is brought back to life and becomes a beautiful plant.
The stray dog follows him home and becomes his pet. The elderly neighbor acknowledges his generosity.
And the most touching scene is when the girl comes back from school and shares with her mother what she had learnt.
The advertisement continues by saying that the simple young man sees happiness and he reaches a deeper understanding of life.
He feels the love, and receives what money can’t buy.
And the final words of the advertisement are these: The world is made more beautiful.
It was a unique and moving advertisement about life insurance.
We may think that it’s a rather mushy advertisement, a “Forrest Gump” kind of fairy tale.
But that 3-minute advertisement had a more powerful message than those big-budget movies with a star-studded cast.
And we must believe in the power of love that will bring about simple deeds of goodness that will make this world more beautiful.
Jesus prayed that this power will be given to us. Jesus had done His part. It is for us now to do our part.
Click the links under My Blog List to get to Chinese and English weekday homilies.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Saturday, May 24, 2014
6th Sunday of Easter, Year A, 25.05.2014
Acts 8:5-8, 14-17/ 1 Peter 3:15-18/ John 14:15-21
Do you know what is the percentage of the population in Singapore who has tertiary education?
Just a check on the Ministry of Social and Family Development, the 2012 Statistics say that it is about 25%.
In other words, about one in four persons in Singapore is a university graduate.
That means to say that Singaporeans are highly educated, thanks to the effective education system.
Which means to say that from young, we are taught how to think correctly and reason out things properly.
There is this story of a couple with a young son and they were looking around for a place to rent.
Finally, they came upon a place that was owned by an elderly man, and they really liked the place.
So when the couple inquired about the rent, the old gentleman said, “I would gladly let you have this place, but I don’t rent it out to couples with children.” glancing at the young boy as he said this.
Of course the couple was disappointed with this, so they turned to leave.
After walking a couple of steps, the young boy turned and went back to the house and knocked on the door.
The elderly gentleman opened the door and saw the young boy and said, “Oh, it’s you. What do you want?”
The young boy said, “I want to rent this place!”
The elderly gentleman said, “But I don’t rent it out to couples with children.”
And the boy replied, “I don’t have children. I only have parents. So, how much is the rent?”
Not surprising actually, because nowadays the young children can think so fast and they are able to give a reply to whatever we say to them.
We may have to admit that the young are better educated than us and they certainly know more than us.
But being better educated is not just about thinking fast and having something to say about everything.
The 2nd reading spells out the purpose of a Christian education and formation.
It says this: Reverence the Lord in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for people who ask you for the reason for the hope that you have.
It continues by saying: But give it with courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience so that those who slander you when you are living a good life in Christ may be proved wrong in the accusations that they bring.
In the gospel, Jesus tells us that He will give us an Advocate (a Helper/Defender) to be with us forever.
And this Advocate is the Spirit of Truth, who will help us to love Jesus and keep His commandments.
And this Spirit of Truth, this Advocate is indeed helping us to understand our faith and defend it.
In the latest edition of the Catholic News, there is an article on page 12 that is worth reading. The caption says: Thousands take part in procession and Holy Hour in response to planned “black mass” in US.
It reported that a group of students at Harvard University, one of the top universities in the world, had planned to conduct a satanic ritual “black mass” on May 12 on the campus. (A “black mass” is a satanic ritual which mocks the Catholic Church’s Holy Sacrifice of the Mass)
That planned event brought about a public outcry and drew wide criticism from religious leaders, as well as from students, alumni and faculty members at Harvard.
The Catholic community at Harvard responded with a Eucharistic procession and a Holy Hour at St Paul’s Church that was attended by 2000 Catholics and joined by many others.
At the Holy Hour, the senior Catholic chaplain at Harvard, Fr. Michael Drea, told the congregation, “We are here tonight praying, with trust and worship, in the presence of our Risen Saviour under the appearance of bread.”
He continued by saying, “A threat to the Eucharist in an act of sacrilege demands our prayerful and firm response.”
The Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, said that the Catholic community took offence at the planned “black mass” but there was no way to prevent it other than to try and explain to people how evil it is.
But thanks be to God, that planned “black mass” was cancelled and taken out of campus.
Certainly it was the prayers of the Catholic community, the procession and the Holy Hour that prevented the “black mass” from taking place.
And most certainly, it was the Advocate, the Holy Spirit of truth, that activated the Catholic community into a prayerful and firm united response against that evil.
So even though people are educated and have all the information, and even at the tertiary level, the presence of evil lurks in the corners and in the corridors.
But evil can only thrive when people of faith say and do nothing about it.
May the Spirit of truth defend and guard us against evil and falsehood.
May the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, empower us to give a prayerful and firm response with our faith so that others will be able to see the reason for the hope that we have.
And let us love the Lord and keep His commandments, and teach others to do the same. That’s what a good education is all about.
Do you know what is the percentage of the population in Singapore who has tertiary education?
Just a check on the Ministry of Social and Family Development, the 2012 Statistics say that it is about 25%.
In other words, about one in four persons in Singapore is a university graduate.
That means to say that Singaporeans are highly educated, thanks to the effective education system.
Which means to say that from young, we are taught how to think correctly and reason out things properly.
There is this story of a couple with a young son and they were looking around for a place to rent.
Finally, they came upon a place that was owned by an elderly man, and they really liked the place.
So when the couple inquired about the rent, the old gentleman said, “I would gladly let you have this place, but I don’t rent it out to couples with children.” glancing at the young boy as he said this.
Of course the couple was disappointed with this, so they turned to leave.
After walking a couple of steps, the young boy turned and went back to the house and knocked on the door.
The elderly gentleman opened the door and saw the young boy and said, “Oh, it’s you. What do you want?”
The young boy said, “I want to rent this place!”
The elderly gentleman said, “But I don’t rent it out to couples with children.”
And the boy replied, “I don’t have children. I only have parents. So, how much is the rent?”
Not surprising actually, because nowadays the young children can think so fast and they are able to give a reply to whatever we say to them.
We may have to admit that the young are better educated than us and they certainly know more than us.
But being better educated is not just about thinking fast and having something to say about everything.
The 2nd reading spells out the purpose of a Christian education and formation.
It says this: Reverence the Lord in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for people who ask you for the reason for the hope that you have.
It continues by saying: But give it with courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience so that those who slander you when you are living a good life in Christ may be proved wrong in the accusations that they bring.
In the gospel, Jesus tells us that He will give us an Advocate (a Helper/Defender) to be with us forever.
And this Advocate is the Spirit of Truth, who will help us to love Jesus and keep His commandments.
And this Spirit of Truth, this Advocate is indeed helping us to understand our faith and defend it.
In the latest edition of the Catholic News, there is an article on page 12 that is worth reading. The caption says: Thousands take part in procession and Holy Hour in response to planned “black mass” in US.
It reported that a group of students at Harvard University, one of the top universities in the world, had planned to conduct a satanic ritual “black mass” on May 12 on the campus. (A “black mass” is a satanic ritual which mocks the Catholic Church’s Holy Sacrifice of the Mass)
That planned event brought about a public outcry and drew wide criticism from religious leaders, as well as from students, alumni and faculty members at Harvard.
The Catholic community at Harvard responded with a Eucharistic procession and a Holy Hour at St Paul’s Church that was attended by 2000 Catholics and joined by many others.
At the Holy Hour, the senior Catholic chaplain at Harvard, Fr. Michael Drea, told the congregation, “We are here tonight praying, with trust and worship, in the presence of our Risen Saviour under the appearance of bread.”
He continued by saying, “A threat to the Eucharist in an act of sacrilege demands our prayerful and firm response.”
The Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, said that the Catholic community took offence at the planned “black mass” but there was no way to prevent it other than to try and explain to people how evil it is.
But thanks be to God, that planned “black mass” was cancelled and taken out of campus.
Certainly it was the prayers of the Catholic community, the procession and the Holy Hour that prevented the “black mass” from taking place.
And most certainly, it was the Advocate, the Holy Spirit of truth, that activated the Catholic community into a prayerful and firm united response against that evil.
So even though people are educated and have all the information, and even at the tertiary level, the presence of evil lurks in the corners and in the corridors.
But evil can only thrive when people of faith say and do nothing about it.
May the Spirit of truth defend and guard us against evil and falsehood.
May the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, empower us to give a prayerful and firm response with our faith so that others will be able to see the reason for the hope that we have.
And let us love the Lord and keep His commandments, and teach others to do the same. That’s what a good education is all about.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
5th Sunday of Easter, Year A, 18.05.2014
Acts 6:1-7/ 1 Peter 2:4-9/ John 14:1-12
It is not that often that we hear the topic of hell being preached.
Yes, we would like to hear some fire-and-brimstone preaching but listening to preaching about hell is not that exciting.
Anyway, more or less we know what hell is like. From what Jesus said, it is a place where “the worms never die and the fire never goes out.” (Mark 9:48)
That would give us an idea of what hell is like.
But others may have other descriptions of hell. For those who love good music, then hell is full of amateur musicians.
And going by the rising number of places in Singapore where smoking is not allowed, the only place left for smoking seems to be in hell. (might as well quit smoking)
Enough of hell. We are supposed to know more about heaven. So what is heaven like?
Going by what we see from religious art, heaven seems to be like a place of light, many angels stand on what look like clouds, and people with halos. At least, that is the picture we get from cartoons.
But what did Jesus say that heaven is like?
From today’s gospel, He has this to say: There are many rooms in my Father’s house.
So the picture that we get is that heaven is a place that has many, many rooms.
And from what Jesus said, it seems that each of us has a special room prepared for us.
That is quite a nice thought, especially for those of us who don’t have a place to call our own here on earth.
We will certainly look forward to going to heaven and there we can finally rest in this special room of ours, and it will be forever and ever.
That is what Jesus promised us and He even urged us to trust in God and trust in Him.
Yes, we have to trust in Jesus and His promise to us, because we can so easily lose grip of that promise.
And Jesus warns us about that when He said: Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trouble is a dangerous word, and it becomes more dangerous when it creeps into our hearts.
In the 1st reading, we heard how trouble crept into the early Church community.
At the time when the disciples were increasing, the Hellenists (the Greek-speaking disciples) made a complaint against the Hebrews, because in the daily distribution, their own widows were being overlooked.
There was unfairness, and there was unhappiness over it. Complaints were made and trouble was brewing.
Relationships were strained and the community was in danger of breaking up.
The promises of Jesus seemed to have been forgotten and faded off because of this trouble.
But we must realize that this trouble was self-created. And the Apostles realized that and they had recourse to prayer to find a way out of this trouble.
And if the early Church could be afflicted with troubles, so too can be the present Church.
And if the disciples could let trouble creep in and make them complain against each other, we too can end up complaining.
But we must realize what the trouble is with us. We must realize what the problem is with us.
Essentially, the problem with us is that we create our own troubles.
When our hearts are troubled, we resort to complaining and we lose hold of the promises of Jesus.
There is a story of a man who got tired of his wife and wanted a divorce.
However, he was afraid that his young 5 year old daughter would be traumatized by it, so he told his daughter:
Mummy is getting old and not pretty anymore. So let daddy get a new and pretty mummy for you, ok?
The little girl thought for a while and then she replied: No, I don’t want. Grandma is very old, but you didn’t go and get a new grandma.
The little girl was happy with what she had, whereas her daddy was asking for trouble with what he was unhappy about.
We may wish that our marriage is made in heaven. But thunder and lightning also happens in heaven.
Similarly, Jesus said that we are made for heaven. But it doesn’t mean that there will be no thunder or lightning or other troubles in our lives.
But even with the thunder and lightning and troubles, let us stay close to Jesus.
He is the Way, we must follow Him; He is the Truth, we must believe in Him.
And in His heart, He has a special place for each of us.
To stay in His heart and remain there, that is what heaven is all about. That is what our life is all about.
It is not that often that we hear the topic of hell being preached.
Yes, we would like to hear some fire-and-brimstone preaching but listening to preaching about hell is not that exciting.
Anyway, more or less we know what hell is like. From what Jesus said, it is a place where “the worms never die and the fire never goes out.” (Mark 9:48)
That would give us an idea of what hell is like.
But others may have other descriptions of hell. For those who love good music, then hell is full of amateur musicians.
And going by the rising number of places in Singapore where smoking is not allowed, the only place left for smoking seems to be in hell. (might as well quit smoking)
Enough of hell. We are supposed to know more about heaven. So what is heaven like?
Going by what we see from religious art, heaven seems to be like a place of light, many angels stand on what look like clouds, and people with halos. At least, that is the picture we get from cartoons.
But what did Jesus say that heaven is like?
From today’s gospel, He has this to say: There are many rooms in my Father’s house.
So the picture that we get is that heaven is a place that has many, many rooms.
And from what Jesus said, it seems that each of us has a special room prepared for us.
That is quite a nice thought, especially for those of us who don’t have a place to call our own here on earth.
We will certainly look forward to going to heaven and there we can finally rest in this special room of ours, and it will be forever and ever.
That is what Jesus promised us and He even urged us to trust in God and trust in Him.
Yes, we have to trust in Jesus and His promise to us, because we can so easily lose grip of that promise.
And Jesus warns us about that when He said: Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trouble is a dangerous word, and it becomes more dangerous when it creeps into our hearts.
In the 1st reading, we heard how trouble crept into the early Church community.
At the time when the disciples were increasing, the Hellenists (the Greek-speaking disciples) made a complaint against the Hebrews, because in the daily distribution, their own widows were being overlooked.
There was unfairness, and there was unhappiness over it. Complaints were made and trouble was brewing.
Relationships were strained and the community was in danger of breaking up.
The promises of Jesus seemed to have been forgotten and faded off because of this trouble.
But we must realize that this trouble was self-created. And the Apostles realized that and they had recourse to prayer to find a way out of this trouble.
And if the early Church could be afflicted with troubles, so too can be the present Church.
And if the disciples could let trouble creep in and make them complain against each other, we too can end up complaining.
But we must realize what the trouble is with us. We must realize what the problem is with us.
Essentially, the problem with us is that we create our own troubles.
When our hearts are troubled, we resort to complaining and we lose hold of the promises of Jesus.
There is a story of a man who got tired of his wife and wanted a divorce.
However, he was afraid that his young 5 year old daughter would be traumatized by it, so he told his daughter:
Mummy is getting old and not pretty anymore. So let daddy get a new and pretty mummy for you, ok?
The little girl thought for a while and then she replied: No, I don’t want. Grandma is very old, but you didn’t go and get a new grandma.
The little girl was happy with what she had, whereas her daddy was asking for trouble with what he was unhappy about.
We may wish that our marriage is made in heaven. But thunder and lightning also happens in heaven.
Similarly, Jesus said that we are made for heaven. But it doesn’t mean that there will be no thunder or lightning or other troubles in our lives.
But even with the thunder and lightning and troubles, let us stay close to Jesus.
He is the Way, we must follow Him; He is the Truth, we must believe in Him.
And in His heart, He has a special place for each of us.
To stay in His heart and remain there, that is what heaven is all about. That is what our life is all about.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
4th Sunday of Easter, Year A, 11.05.2014
Acts 2:14, 36-41/ 1 Peter 2:20-25/ John 10:1-10
This world is full of sights and sounds. For us who could see and hear, we would use our discretion to see what we want to see and to hear what we want to hear. That is called selective seeing and selective hearing.
But for those who are blind and deaf, they don’t have this option for selection. Simply because they can’t see and they can’t hear.
Between blindness and deafness, it is difficult to say which is more inconvenient.
Maybe the chances of overcoming the difficulties of deafness are higher because of the availability of good hearing aids.
There is this story of an elderly gentleman who had serious hearing problems for a number of years.
Finally, he went to a doctor who fitted him with a set of hearing aids that allowed him to hear quite well.
After about two months, he went back to the doctor for a follow-up and the doctor said, “Your hearing is good. Your family must be pleased that you can hear again.”
The elderly gentleman replied, “Oh I haven’t told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. And there is something else that they don’t know. And that is I have changed my will three times already.”
This reminds us of the basic principle in life: Be careful what you say, because you don’t know who is listening.
Maybe because we think that others are a bit deaf and that they are not listening to us.
Well, another elderly man was wondering if his wife had a hearing problem.
So one day he stood a short distance behind her as she was sitting on the sofa, and he said, “Can you hear me?” There seemed to be no response from her.
He moved closer and said, “Can you hear me?” Still there seemed to be no response.
Finally, he moved right behind her and said, “Can you hear me?” And she replied, “For the third time, Yes!”
It goes to show that some have ears that can hear, some have ears that can’t hear, and then some have ears that hear only what they want to hear.
In the gospel, Jesus told the famous parable of the Good Shepherd.
The good shepherd calls out to his sheep, and he calls them one by one, and the sheep hears his voice, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
But Jesus also said that the sheep never follow a stranger but run away from him because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.
So what is the difference between the voice of the shepherd and the voice of the stranger?
Certainly, it is more than just the tone or the familiarity. Because the voice of the shepherd speaks the truth with love, it is the voice that cares, it is the voice that has compassion.
In the 1st reading, when Peter stood up with the Eleven, he addressed the crowd in a loud voice. He said, “The whole house of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus who you crucified both Lord and Christ.”
That wasn’t very impressive nor eloquent. In fact it was rather blunt. But when the people heard it, they were cut to the heart.
What the people heard was more than the voice of Peter. They heard the voice of the Good Shepherd, they heard the voice of truth, the voice of love, the voice of salvation.
Well, today we also celebrate Mothers' Day. We honour our mothers and we give thanks to God for the love and care our mothers give to us.
And our mothers are also like the mouthpiece of God. God speaks to us through our mothers (although at times a bit too much).
Of course, mothers are not the only ones who are like the mouthpiece of God.
Teachers also form and guide the young by their words as they teach the truth with love.
A married teacher who has no children was sharing this with me.
She teaches at an organization that provides tuition classes for needy students, and obviously these students are from the low income families and this is one of the best tuition they can ever have.
Just a couple of days back, a young boy, one of her students, came up to her and gave her this small packet of potato chips.
And he said to her, “For you, teacher, for Mothers Day.”
That young boy, in all his innocence, thought that she is a mother, maybe because she is so like a mother to her students.
It was just a small packet of potato chips, may not cost much, but it is a big thing for that poor boy, and a bigger thing for that teacher.
Yes, the voice of the Good Shepherd can be heard everywhere, from mothers, from teachers, from young poor students.
It is a voice that speaks of truth and of love, a voice that cares and has compassion, a voice that gives life and life to the full.
Let us listen to this voice, and may the voice of the Good Shepherd fill our hearts, so that we too will be the voice of the Good Shepherd for others.
This world is full of sights and sounds. For us who could see and hear, we would use our discretion to see what we want to see and to hear what we want to hear. That is called selective seeing and selective hearing.
But for those who are blind and deaf, they don’t have this option for selection. Simply because they can’t see and they can’t hear.
Between blindness and deafness, it is difficult to say which is more inconvenient.
Maybe the chances of overcoming the difficulties of deafness are higher because of the availability of good hearing aids.
There is this story of an elderly gentleman who had serious hearing problems for a number of years.
Finally, he went to a doctor who fitted him with a set of hearing aids that allowed him to hear quite well.
After about two months, he went back to the doctor for a follow-up and the doctor said, “Your hearing is good. Your family must be pleased that you can hear again.”
The elderly gentleman replied, “Oh I haven’t told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. And there is something else that they don’t know. And that is I have changed my will three times already.”
This reminds us of the basic principle in life: Be careful what you say, because you don’t know who is listening.
Maybe because we think that others are a bit deaf and that they are not listening to us.
Well, another elderly man was wondering if his wife had a hearing problem.
So one day he stood a short distance behind her as she was sitting on the sofa, and he said, “Can you hear me?” There seemed to be no response from her.
He moved closer and said, “Can you hear me?” Still there seemed to be no response.
Finally, he moved right behind her and said, “Can you hear me?” And she replied, “For the third time, Yes!”
It goes to show that some have ears that can hear, some have ears that can’t hear, and then some have ears that hear only what they want to hear.
In the gospel, Jesus told the famous parable of the Good Shepherd.
The good shepherd calls out to his sheep, and he calls them one by one, and the sheep hears his voice, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
But Jesus also said that the sheep never follow a stranger but run away from him because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.
So what is the difference between the voice of the shepherd and the voice of the stranger?
Certainly, it is more than just the tone or the familiarity. Because the voice of the shepherd speaks the truth with love, it is the voice that cares, it is the voice that has compassion.
In the 1st reading, when Peter stood up with the Eleven, he addressed the crowd in a loud voice. He said, “The whole house of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus who you crucified both Lord and Christ.”
That wasn’t very impressive nor eloquent. In fact it was rather blunt. But when the people heard it, they were cut to the heart.
What the people heard was more than the voice of Peter. They heard the voice of the Good Shepherd, they heard the voice of truth, the voice of love, the voice of salvation.
Well, today we also celebrate Mothers' Day. We honour our mothers and we give thanks to God for the love and care our mothers give to us.
And our mothers are also like the mouthpiece of God. God speaks to us through our mothers (although at times a bit too much).
Of course, mothers are not the only ones who are like the mouthpiece of God.
Teachers also form and guide the young by their words as they teach the truth with love.
A married teacher who has no children was sharing this with me.
She teaches at an organization that provides tuition classes for needy students, and obviously these students are from the low income families and this is one of the best tuition they can ever have.
Just a couple of days back, a young boy, one of her students, came up to her and gave her this small packet of potato chips.
And he said to her, “For you, teacher, for Mothers Day.”
That young boy, in all his innocence, thought that she is a mother, maybe because she is so like a mother to her students.
It was just a small packet of potato chips, may not cost much, but it is a big thing for that poor boy, and a bigger thing for that teacher.
Yes, the voice of the Good Shepherd can be heard everywhere, from mothers, from teachers, from young poor students.
It is a voice that speaks of truth and of love, a voice that cares and has compassion, a voice that gives life and life to the full.
Let us listen to this voice, and may the voice of the Good Shepherd fill our hearts, so that we too will be the voice of the Good Shepherd for others.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
3rd Sunday of Easter, Year A, 04.05.2014
Acts 2: 14, 22-23/ 1 Peter 1:17-21/ Luke 24: 13-35
If by now we have not heard of this word “Internet”, it may mean that we are seriously and critically out of touch.
Even if we don’t use the Internet, we know more or less what it is.
And for some people, the first level on the hierarchy of needs is no longer food- clothing-shelter, it has become wifi-Internet-mobile phone (with data plan).
But lately, the Internet has encountered some serious problems.
The latest one was a problem with a popular browser and the danger was that personal information like passwords could be stolen.
Then, a couple of weeks back, a malicious bug called “Heartbleed” was discovered. It steals passwords and accounts and it could lead to identity thefts.
So, for Internet users, passwords are important and it is a good practice to change passwords after a while.
But passwords can be quite irritating especially when we forget the latest password that we had used to log in.
A father was teaching his young daughter how to create an email account. When it came to the password, he asked her to think of one with a minimum of 8 characters.
She thought for a while and then gleefully cried, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!”
On the other hand, the older generation would also have their own challenges when it comes to passwords.
One grandmother was telling another grandmother that it was so difficult to remember passwords and she always got it wrong or mixed up.
The other grandmother said: Oh, I only have one password for everything and that is “incorrect”. Because whenever the computer ask me for the password, I will just type something and then the computer will say: The password is incorrect, and so I will just type “incorrect” and I will get through. (smart grandmother :))
Yes, forgetting the password can be very troublesome and inconvenient and distressing.
In some instances, we may have to abandon the whole thing altogether, just because we don’t have that much needed password.
If we have this unfortunate experience before, then we might understand how the two disciples felt as they made their way to Emmaus from Jerusalem.
They had pinned their hopes on Jesus. Then everything crumbled when Jesus was crucified. Then they heard He was alive.
With all this happening, their frustration was that they couldn’t understand what was going on.
It was like they were locked out of the system and they didn't have the password to get in.
So they gave up, frustration turned into disappointment and hence they walked away from it all.
From Jerusalem to Emmaus was only seven miles, but walking with disappointment and frustration only makes the journey seem longer and more difficult.
Then Jesus came along and walked by their side, but as the gospel tells us, something prevented them from recognizing Him.
Again, it seems like they don’t have that password to recognize Him.
Well, they did talk with Jesus, telling Him their disappointments and frustrations, and what they got in return was a ticking-off (You foolish men!) and a lesson on Scripture.
Still, they did not quite get it until when they were at table and Jesus broke bread and then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.
Finally, they got it and understood. It was like at the breaking of bread that Jesus gave them the password to get into the system.
So now, what is this so-called “password” that Jesus gave to them?
The breaking of bread is what we do at Mass. We listen to the Scriptures and we break bread for communion.
The Mass is also called the Eucharist. Eucharist means “thanksgiving”.
And that is precisely the password that we need to have in order to understand what is happening in our lives and to see Jesus in our midst.
Because with thanksgiving in our hearts, we will find hope in disappointment, we will find consolation in our frustration, we will find strength in our faith journey.
So as we come for Mass, we need to have that one thing that is necessary, that so-called password, and that is “thanksgiving”.
We come to give thanks to God for His blessings during the week, and we go forth with even greater thanksgiving because we have received the greatest blessing from God, and that is Jesus the Risen Lord.
Yes, all we need is thanksgiving and we will understand, we will see and our hearts will be set on fire.
A mother told her little daughter: If a stranger comes up to you and say that your mummy has asked him to fetch you, you must ask him for the password. Because whenever I leave you on your own, I will give you a password, so that you will know it is from me.
Jesus has also given us a password so that we can see Him and recognize Him in the circumstances of our lives. That password is “thanksgiving”.
With thanksgiving and with a thankful heart, we will see, we will understand and with hearts on fire, we will proclaim that Jesus is the Risen Lord.
If by now we have not heard of this word “Internet”, it may mean that we are seriously and critically out of touch.
Even if we don’t use the Internet, we know more or less what it is.
And for some people, the first level on the hierarchy of needs is no longer food- clothing-shelter, it has become wifi-Internet-mobile phone (with data plan).
But lately, the Internet has encountered some serious problems.
The latest one was a problem with a popular browser and the danger was that personal information like passwords could be stolen.
Then, a couple of weeks back, a malicious bug called “Heartbleed” was discovered. It steals passwords and accounts and it could lead to identity thefts.
So, for Internet users, passwords are important and it is a good practice to change passwords after a while.
But passwords can be quite irritating especially when we forget the latest password that we had used to log in.
A father was teaching his young daughter how to create an email account. When it came to the password, he asked her to think of one with a minimum of 8 characters.
She thought for a while and then gleefully cried, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!”
On the other hand, the older generation would also have their own challenges when it comes to passwords.
One grandmother was telling another grandmother that it was so difficult to remember passwords and she always got it wrong or mixed up.
The other grandmother said: Oh, I only have one password for everything and that is “incorrect”. Because whenever the computer ask me for the password, I will just type something and then the computer will say: The password is incorrect, and so I will just type “incorrect” and I will get through. (smart grandmother :))
Yes, forgetting the password can be very troublesome and inconvenient and distressing.
In some instances, we may have to abandon the whole thing altogether, just because we don’t have that much needed password.
If we have this unfortunate experience before, then we might understand how the two disciples felt as they made their way to Emmaus from Jerusalem.
They had pinned their hopes on Jesus. Then everything crumbled when Jesus was crucified. Then they heard He was alive.
With all this happening, their frustration was that they couldn’t understand what was going on.
It was like they were locked out of the system and they didn't have the password to get in.
So they gave up, frustration turned into disappointment and hence they walked away from it all.
From Jerusalem to Emmaus was only seven miles, but walking with disappointment and frustration only makes the journey seem longer and more difficult.
Then Jesus came along and walked by their side, but as the gospel tells us, something prevented them from recognizing Him.
Again, it seems like they don’t have that password to recognize Him.
Well, they did talk with Jesus, telling Him their disappointments and frustrations, and what they got in return was a ticking-off (You foolish men!) and a lesson on Scripture.
Still, they did not quite get it until when they were at table and Jesus broke bread and then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.
Finally, they got it and understood. It was like at the breaking of bread that Jesus gave them the password to get into the system.
So now, what is this so-called “password” that Jesus gave to them?
The breaking of bread is what we do at Mass. We listen to the Scriptures and we break bread for communion.
The Mass is also called the Eucharist. Eucharist means “thanksgiving”.
And that is precisely the password that we need to have in order to understand what is happening in our lives and to see Jesus in our midst.
Because with thanksgiving in our hearts, we will find hope in disappointment, we will find consolation in our frustration, we will find strength in our faith journey.
So as we come for Mass, we need to have that one thing that is necessary, that so-called password, and that is “thanksgiving”.
We come to give thanks to God for His blessings during the week, and we go forth with even greater thanksgiving because we have received the greatest blessing from God, and that is Jesus the Risen Lord.
Yes, all we need is thanksgiving and we will understand, we will see and our hearts will be set on fire.
A mother told her little daughter: If a stranger comes up to you and say that your mummy has asked him to fetch you, you must ask him for the password. Because whenever I leave you on your own, I will give you a password, so that you will know it is from me.
Jesus has also given us a password so that we can see Him and recognize Him in the circumstances of our lives. That password is “thanksgiving”.
With thanksgiving and with a thankful heart, we will see, we will understand and with hearts on fire, we will proclaim that Jesus is the Risen Lord.
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