Deut 18:15-20 / 1 Cor 7:32-35 / Mark 1:21-28
There was (and there still is) a practice in the Church of the blessing of throats, although not much emphasis is given to it.
It falls on the day after the feast of the Presentation, which is on the 2nd February.
So on the 3rd February, which is the feast day of St. Blaise, there is a blessing of throats, in which the invocation is made to the intercession of St. Blaise for the blessing.
The candles blessed on the feast of the Presentation, which is the day before, is made into a shape of a cross and placed over the throat as the priest says the prayer of blessing.
The purpose of the blessing is for the protection against any physical ailment of the throat, and hence those who use their voice often should come for the blessing.
It is usually quite a solemn occasion as the faithful come up individually and the priest cross the candles and invokes the blessing.
It is usually solemn until the boys come up, and boys being boys, will try to act silly and hold their throats after the blessing as if they were choking, and of course the priest will stare at them.
Whatever the boys or others think of it, the blessing is more than just to ask for protection against throat diseases or throat ailments.
It is also to sanctify the throat and to protect it against spiritual ailments like speaking profanity, cursing and gossiping.
Because, as Scripture says, if anyone claims to be religious but don't control his tongue, he is fooling yourself, and his religion is worthless (James 1:26).
That’s the purpose of the blessing of throats and also to make us more aware of what comes out of our mouths.
In the gospel, we heard that Jesus went to the synagogue and began to teach and His teaching made a deep impression because He taught with authority.
In other words, what came out of His mouth were words of truth spoken with love and that brought the people closer to God.
But in the same gospel passage, we also heard from a man who was possessed by an evil spirit and it was shouting.
Actually it was shouting out a truth, but it spoke the truth, not with love, but with anger and hatred.
Yes, Jesus is the Holy One of God. Yes, Jesus came to destroy evil.
All that is true, and confronted with the Truth and by the Truth, evil which is the source of all lies reacts with anger and hatred.
In the face of such hostility, Jesus had only this to say: Be quiet! Come out of him!
Those few words of Jesus are indeed words of truth and spoken with authority.
The evil spirit is ordered to be silent and with that it is expelled out of the man.
What happened in the gospel passage is indeed very relevant to us.
Of course we are not possessed by any kind of evil spirit. But we cannot deny that that evil lurks somewhere inside of us.
Evil can lurk inside of us because of sin. Sin creates an opening for evil to enter and sin then continues to fester.
And sin and evil then create a turmoil within us and from within us profanity, cursing, gossip and harmful words come out of our mouths.
And to all the turmoil that is in us, Jesus commands with these words – Be quiet!
To be quiet is to be still. As God says in the psalms – Be still and know that I am God.
We will remember that Jesus ordered the winds and the waves to be still when the disciples in the boat were caught in the storm.
Those winds and waves are not out there but in our hearts and stirring up a storm.
To these winds and waves of the heart, Jesus is commanding – Be quiet! Be still!
Much has been said about opening our mouths and saying the wrong things and creating unnecessary storms.
We need to remember to open our minds before opening our mouths.
We need to open our minds and our hearts to hear those words of Jesus: Be quiet!
Yes, we need to quieten our minds and hearts and to be still and to know that Jesus is the Holy One of God who comes to bring us peace.
It is with His peace that we will realize that as much as we use our tongues to praise the Lord, we also use it to speak profanities and harmful words, and that is certainly wrong.
May we listen to the command of Jesus to be quiet and to let our minds and hearts be still and to be at peace.
When we are at peace, then we will speak the truth with love.
And may what comes out of our mouths be a blessing for others.
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Saturday, January 31, 2015
Saturday, January 24, 2015
3rd Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 25.01.2015
Jonah 3:1-5, 10 / 1 Cor 7:29-31 / Mark 1:14-20
When we were in primary school there was a science question that we would love to answer because we know the answer.
Also it’s because the answer is so “obvious” and we just can’t miss it.
And so what is that question? Here it is – What is the biggest animal in the world?
The Blue Whale. The blue whale is a marine mammal. It measures around 30 metres (98 ft) in length and 180 metric tons (200 short tons) or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed.
Oh yes, such a big marine mammal would certainly capture our imagination and fantasy, maybe because most of us have not seen a real blue whale before.
(By the way, there was a skeleton of a blue whale found in Port Dickson in 1893 and it was displayed in the National Museum until 1969.)
The whale (blue or otherwise) is such a big animal that it even found its way into the Bible.
We will surely remember that story of the big fish that swallowed Jonah and he was in the belly of that fish for three days before it spit him out on the shore.
That big fish is believed to be a whale although quite a bit is left to the imagination.
One day, a teacher was talking to her primary 1 class about whales when a little girl had a question.
Little Girl: “Do whales swallow people?” Teacher: “No, even though they are much bigger than a person, they have throat pleats that filter their food of krill and plankton.
Little Girl: “But my mummy says that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.” Teacher getting agitated: “Blue whales cannot swallow people.”
Little Girl: “Well, when I get to heaven I’ll just ask Jonah if he was really swallowed by a whale.” Teacher, getting a bit flustered, said: “What if Jonah went to hell?”
Little Girl: “Then you go and ask him.” : P
Whether Jonah was really swallowed by a whale or not, in the 1st reading, we heard that the word of the Lord was addressed a second time to Jonah and he was told to go to Nineveh to preach.
That was the second time. So what happened at the first time?
At first when Jonah was told to go, he said no. God told him to go east, Jonah went west. God told him to deliver a message of fire, but he headed for the water. And that was where he got swallowed by that big fish.
Obviously for Jonah, to answer God’s call was not an easy thing and it took three days in the belly of that big fish for him to come to his senses.
It was only after then that he realized that it was time to do what God had told him to do.
It was such a contrast in the gospel passage as we hear how Jesus called His disciples. He called them to follow Him and they left everything and followed Him.
It sounded so easy for the disciples to answer the call of Jesus.
But we must remember what Jesus said before that – The time has come and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe in the Good News.
Yes, the time had come for Simon and Andrew, and James and John, to realize that Jesus was calling them to something better and something higher.
They were fishermen and so their profession was to catch fish. So the more they catch the better.
But it is said that the things you own will end up owning you.
They were catching fish for a living but if the meaning of life is just to catch fish, then their lives might just end up being swallowed by a big fish, just as Jonah was swallowed by a big fish.
Yes the time has come for Simon and Andrew, and James and John to answer the call of Jesus.
The time has come for us too, to know that Jesus is calling us to believe in the Good News.
We only need to give God our time to serve Him, but more often than not we say we have no time.
Then maybe we need to listen to this poem “No Time” -
I knelt to pray but not for long, I had too much to do.
I had to hurry and get to work, for bills would soon be due.
So I knelt and said a hurried prayer, and jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty was now done, my soul could rest at ease.
All day long I had no time, to spread a word of cheer
No time to speak of Christ to friends, they'd laugh at me I'd fear.
No time, no time, too much to do, that was my constant cry,
No time to give to souls in need, but at last came the time, the time to die.
I went before the Lord, I came, I stood with downcast eyes.
For in His hands God held a book; It was the book of life.
God looked into His book and said "Your name I cannot find, I once was going to write it down...But never found the time"
Of course the ending is just to wake us up. God surely will have time for us. In fact He has given us all the time in the world.
But as the 2nd reading says – our time is growing short.
If our time is not offered back to God and to do what God is calling us to do, then time will swallow us and we will always end up with no time.
The time indeed has come for us to believe that when we do what God wants of us, and that primarily will be to serve Him in our brothers and sisters, then it will always be a time of Good News.
When we were in primary school there was a science question that we would love to answer because we know the answer.
Also it’s because the answer is so “obvious” and we just can’t miss it.
And so what is that question? Here it is – What is the biggest animal in the world?
The Blue Whale. The blue whale is a marine mammal. It measures around 30 metres (98 ft) in length and 180 metric tons (200 short tons) or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed.
Oh yes, such a big marine mammal would certainly capture our imagination and fantasy, maybe because most of us have not seen a real blue whale before.
(By the way, there was a skeleton of a blue whale found in Port Dickson in 1893 and it was displayed in the National Museum until 1969.)
The whale (blue or otherwise) is such a big animal that it even found its way into the Bible.
We will surely remember that story of the big fish that swallowed Jonah and he was in the belly of that fish for three days before it spit him out on the shore.
That big fish is believed to be a whale although quite a bit is left to the imagination.
One day, a teacher was talking to her primary 1 class about whales when a little girl had a question.
Little Girl: “Do whales swallow people?” Teacher: “No, even though they are much bigger than a person, they have throat pleats that filter their food of krill and plankton.
Little Girl: “But my mummy says that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.” Teacher getting agitated: “Blue whales cannot swallow people.”
Little Girl: “Well, when I get to heaven I’ll just ask Jonah if he was really swallowed by a whale.” Teacher, getting a bit flustered, said: “What if Jonah went to hell?”
Little Girl: “Then you go and ask him.” : P
Whether Jonah was really swallowed by a whale or not, in the 1st reading, we heard that the word of the Lord was addressed a second time to Jonah and he was told to go to Nineveh to preach.
That was the second time. So what happened at the first time?
At first when Jonah was told to go, he said no. God told him to go east, Jonah went west. God told him to deliver a message of fire, but he headed for the water. And that was where he got swallowed by that big fish.
Obviously for Jonah, to answer God’s call was not an easy thing and it took three days in the belly of that big fish for him to come to his senses.
It was only after then that he realized that it was time to do what God had told him to do.
It was such a contrast in the gospel passage as we hear how Jesus called His disciples. He called them to follow Him and they left everything and followed Him.
It sounded so easy for the disciples to answer the call of Jesus.
But we must remember what Jesus said before that – The time has come and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe in the Good News.
Yes, the time had come for Simon and Andrew, and James and John, to realize that Jesus was calling them to something better and something higher.
They were fishermen and so their profession was to catch fish. So the more they catch the better.
But it is said that the things you own will end up owning you.
They were catching fish for a living but if the meaning of life is just to catch fish, then their lives might just end up being swallowed by a big fish, just as Jonah was swallowed by a big fish.
Yes the time has come for Simon and Andrew, and James and John to answer the call of Jesus.
The time has come for us too, to know that Jesus is calling us to believe in the Good News.
We only need to give God our time to serve Him, but more often than not we say we have no time.
Then maybe we need to listen to this poem “No Time” -
I knelt to pray but not for long, I had too much to do.
I had to hurry and get to work, for bills would soon be due.
So I knelt and said a hurried prayer, and jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty was now done, my soul could rest at ease.
All day long I had no time, to spread a word of cheer
No time to speak of Christ to friends, they'd laugh at me I'd fear.
No time, no time, too much to do, that was my constant cry,
No time to give to souls in need, but at last came the time, the time to die.
I went before the Lord, I came, I stood with downcast eyes.
For in His hands God held a book; It was the book of life.
God looked into His book and said "Your name I cannot find, I once was going to write it down...But never found the time"
Of course the ending is just to wake us up. God surely will have time for us. In fact He has given us all the time in the world.
But as the 2nd reading says – our time is growing short.
If our time is not offered back to God and to do what God is calling us to do, then time will swallow us and we will always end up with no time.
The time indeed has come for us to believe that when we do what God wants of us, and that primarily will be to serve Him in our brothers and sisters, then it will always be a time of Good News.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
2nd Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 18.01.2015
1 Sam 3:3-10, 19 / 1 Cor 6:13-15, 17-20 / John 1:35-42
We may know this song that goes by the title “What a difference a day makes”.
The song begins like this – “What a difference a day makes, twenty-four little hours, brought the sun and the flowers, where there used to be rain.”
Oh yes, what a difference a day makes. And if what a difference a day makes, then we can imagine what a difference a year makes.
Day by day we think that nothing changes but one year ago, would we ever have imagined that we are what we are now?
Maybe one year ago, we hoped to get slimmer, but one year later we only got fatter.
One year ago, we had hoped to get richer. One year later we are still hoping.
One year ago, we were younger. One year later, we are certainly older and maybe grown a bit wiser.
But whether it is one day or one year, things have changed, whether we want it or not, whether we liked it or not, whether for better or not.
As it is said, not all change is for the better, just as not all movement is forward.
And even if everything else is inconsistent, then change is the only constant.
For the young Samuel in the 1st reading, change was going to take place. God was calling out to him to be His prophet.
For Eli the old priest, change was also going to take place.
At the third call of Samuel, Eli realized and understood that his time is over and that Samuel was going to take over.
In the gospel, we also see that change is happening. John the Baptist saw Jesus passing by and he stared hard at Him.
And then he said to his disciples – Look, there is the Lamb of God.
Hearing this, the two disciples left him and followed Jesus.
John the Baptist also realized that in pointing out Jesus to his disciples, his time was going to be over. He must decrease and Jesus must increase.
The theme of today’s readings is about answering God’s call. But that would mean that change needs to happen, and that we must be willing to accept this change in order to answer God’s call.
The phrase “to change our minds” does not mean that we are fickle-minded. Rather it may mean that we are open-minded about the situations that we encounter.
There is a story of a big company in a big city that was manufacturing soap and packing it into small boxes.
But there was a flaw in the production lines. Some boxes were not loaded with the soap and were shipped out resulting in complaints from customers.
So consultants and engineers were called in to analyze the problem and then they introduced a combination of mechanical and microelectronics automation, with X-ray technology and the problem was successfully solved.
So whenever there is an empty box in the production lines, it will be detected and picked out. The whole system costs $900,000.
That was the big company in the big city. A much smaller company in the outskirts also had a similar production line and hence a similar problem.
The owner told the supervisor to solve the problem immediately.
Being a small company it was obvious that forking out $900,000 is not an option.
The supervisor thought about the problem and he managed to solve the problem with just $190.
This was his solution. He bought a high-powered fan with that $190, and put it next to the production line. The strong draught from the powerful fan blew away the empty boxes. So problem solved, for $190, instead of $900,000.
A few lessons can be learnt from this story. One of which is that technology is not necessarily productive. Another is that knowledge is not synonymous with creativity.
But what is obvious is that there are many ways to solve a problem.
It’s whether we are open-minded enough to change our minds and look at other simple solutions.
If they can say that what a difference a day makes, then what a greater difference an open mind makes when it is ready to change.
Because those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything at all.
As we saw in the 1st reading, Eli was open-minded enough to see that God was calling Samuel.
In the gospel, John the Baptist was open-minded enough to see that Jesus was the Lamb of God and pointed Him out to his disciples.
May we be open-minded enough to see the ways of God and open our hearts to the call of God.
We may have heard this before – Yesterday I thought I was clever so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wiser, so I am changing myself.
When we change ourselves to answer God’s call, then what a difference we will make.
We may know this song that goes by the title “What a difference a day makes”.
The song begins like this – “What a difference a day makes, twenty-four little hours, brought the sun and the flowers, where there used to be rain.”
Oh yes, what a difference a day makes. And if what a difference a day makes, then we can imagine what a difference a year makes.
Day by day we think that nothing changes but one year ago, would we ever have imagined that we are what we are now?
Maybe one year ago, we hoped to get slimmer, but one year later we only got fatter.
One year ago, we had hoped to get richer. One year later we are still hoping.
One year ago, we were younger. One year later, we are certainly older and maybe grown a bit wiser.
But whether it is one day or one year, things have changed, whether we want it or not, whether we liked it or not, whether for better or not.
As it is said, not all change is for the better, just as not all movement is forward.
And even if everything else is inconsistent, then change is the only constant.
For the young Samuel in the 1st reading, change was going to take place. God was calling out to him to be His prophet.
For Eli the old priest, change was also going to take place.
At the third call of Samuel, Eli realized and understood that his time is over and that Samuel was going to take over.
In the gospel, we also see that change is happening. John the Baptist saw Jesus passing by and he stared hard at Him.
And then he said to his disciples – Look, there is the Lamb of God.
Hearing this, the two disciples left him and followed Jesus.
John the Baptist also realized that in pointing out Jesus to his disciples, his time was going to be over. He must decrease and Jesus must increase.
The theme of today’s readings is about answering God’s call. But that would mean that change needs to happen, and that we must be willing to accept this change in order to answer God’s call.
The phrase “to change our minds” does not mean that we are fickle-minded. Rather it may mean that we are open-minded about the situations that we encounter.
There is a story of a big company in a big city that was manufacturing soap and packing it into small boxes.
But there was a flaw in the production lines. Some boxes were not loaded with the soap and were shipped out resulting in complaints from customers.
So consultants and engineers were called in to analyze the problem and then they introduced a combination of mechanical and microelectronics automation, with X-ray technology and the problem was successfully solved.
So whenever there is an empty box in the production lines, it will be detected and picked out. The whole system costs $900,000.
That was the big company in the big city. A much smaller company in the outskirts also had a similar production line and hence a similar problem.
The owner told the supervisor to solve the problem immediately.
Being a small company it was obvious that forking out $900,000 is not an option.
The supervisor thought about the problem and he managed to solve the problem with just $190.
This was his solution. He bought a high-powered fan with that $190, and put it next to the production line. The strong draught from the powerful fan blew away the empty boxes. So problem solved, for $190, instead of $900,000.
A few lessons can be learnt from this story. One of which is that technology is not necessarily productive. Another is that knowledge is not synonymous with creativity.
But what is obvious is that there are many ways to solve a problem.
It’s whether we are open-minded enough to change our minds and look at other simple solutions.
If they can say that what a difference a day makes, then what a greater difference an open mind makes when it is ready to change.
Because those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything at all.
As we saw in the 1st reading, Eli was open-minded enough to see that God was calling Samuel.
In the gospel, John the Baptist was open-minded enough to see that Jesus was the Lamb of God and pointed Him out to his disciples.
May we be open-minded enough to see the ways of God and open our hearts to the call of God.
We may have heard this before – Yesterday I thought I was clever so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wiser, so I am changing myself.
When we change ourselves to answer God’s call, then what a difference we will make.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Baptism of the Lord, Year B, 11.01.2015
Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 / Acts 10:34-38 / Mark 1:7-11
It is said that there are two most important days in your life – the day you were born and the day you find out why (Mark Twain).
The day that we were born is certainly an important day in our life. Who can ever forget his or her birthday? (Maybe another day that we won’t forget is our payday!)
So besides our birthday, is there any other day that we won’t forget? Is there another day that we will always remember?
Well, just out of curiosity, how many of us remember the day of our baptism?
If we are wondering as to how we can find out the day of our baptism, we just have to look for our baptism certificates and it is stated there.
Oh yes, the day of our baptism is an important day for us because that’s when we officially become a Christian and it should be a life changing event.
There is this story of a priest who was teaching catechism to a group of adults.
When it came to the teaching of abstinence of meat on Fridays, one of them had his questions and he was puzzled especially when he was told that instead of meat, he could eat fish.
Finally came the day of baptism and so the priest baptized him and he said to him, “Frankie, you were a pagan and now you are a Christian!”
One Friday evening, the priest decided to take a walk around the neighbourhood and he smelt the smell of barbecued meat coming from Frankie’s house.
So he went over to see what was happening and there he saw Frankie barbecuing some beef, and as he did so, he was saying this to the beef: You were meat, and now you are fish!
Well, baptism is not just a name-changing event but it is a life-changing event.
It is not just about formerly being called a pagan to being called a Christian.
It is not a superficial change in title but an essential change in identity.
Today as we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, we have also come to the close of the Christmas season.
Last Sunday, as we celebrate Epiphany, we hear of the wise men adoring the infant Jesus and paying Him homage.
Today, we fast-forward thirty years and we hear of the adult Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist.
It was a life-changing event for Jesus, as well as an earth-shaking event as the heavens were torn open and the Spirit descended upon Jesus and the voice from heaven that declared: You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.
What happened during those thirty years were unknown to us other than that when Jesus was twelve years old, He went with His parents to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.
But it took thirty years after His birth and then with His baptism, Jesus began His mission of salvation.
So the day of His baptism was an important day as Jesus was affirmed of His identity and His mission.
Thirty years is indeed a long time, almost like half a life time.
Is it worth waiting for thirty years to discover the meaning and the purpose of life?
For St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, she would tell us that it is worth it.
St. Monica was born in 331 AD, was brought up as a Christian and she married a pagan Roman official, Patricius, a man of violent temper and also adulterous, and critical of Christians.
St. Monica endured with patience and prayer and finally after 30 years, her husband was converted and baptized a Christian.
Her son, St. Augustine was much more difficult, as she had to pray for him for 17 years, begging the prayers of priests who, for a while, tried to avoid her because of her persistence at this seemingly hopeless mission.
One priest did console her by saying, "it is not possible that the son of so many tears should perish." This thought, coupled with her faith strengthened her. St. Augustine was eventually baptized by St. Ambrose in 387. St. Monica died shortly after that.
St. Monica is considered the patron saint of wives and mothers whose husbands or sons have gone astray.
So St. Monica spent most of her life in prayer, praying for the conversion of her husband, and then for her son St. Augustine.
But she would tell us that the most important days of her life were the day of her baptism when she was immersed into the faith, and the day when she witnessed the baptism of her husband and later on of her son St. Augustine.
It is indeed a great joy to see someone turning back to God and knowing that you had an important part in that person’s conversion story and the journey back to God.
The Baptism of the Lord is indeed an important day for Jesus as He begins His journey of fulfilling His mission on earth.
Following this there will be many important days in His life which we will celebrate as the liturgical year unfolds.
As for us, there will also be many important days to come as our lives unfold in the days to come.
But as for today, may we celebrate our own baptism into Christ, and may today also be a day that we find out why we were born into this world.
Like Jesus, we are born for a reason and we are born for a mission.
We only walk this way once. Let us walk with Jesus and we will make each day an important day for others as well as for ourselves.
It is said that there are two most important days in your life – the day you were born and the day you find out why (Mark Twain).
The day that we were born is certainly an important day in our life. Who can ever forget his or her birthday? (Maybe another day that we won’t forget is our payday!)
So besides our birthday, is there any other day that we won’t forget? Is there another day that we will always remember?
Well, just out of curiosity, how many of us remember the day of our baptism?
If we are wondering as to how we can find out the day of our baptism, we just have to look for our baptism certificates and it is stated there.
Oh yes, the day of our baptism is an important day for us because that’s when we officially become a Christian and it should be a life changing event.
There is this story of a priest who was teaching catechism to a group of adults.
When it came to the teaching of abstinence of meat on Fridays, one of them had his questions and he was puzzled especially when he was told that instead of meat, he could eat fish.
Finally came the day of baptism and so the priest baptized him and he said to him, “Frankie, you were a pagan and now you are a Christian!”
One Friday evening, the priest decided to take a walk around the neighbourhood and he smelt the smell of barbecued meat coming from Frankie’s house.
So he went over to see what was happening and there he saw Frankie barbecuing some beef, and as he did so, he was saying this to the beef: You were meat, and now you are fish!
Well, baptism is not just a name-changing event but it is a life-changing event.
It is not just about formerly being called a pagan to being called a Christian.
It is not a superficial change in title but an essential change in identity.
Today as we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, we have also come to the close of the Christmas season.
Last Sunday, as we celebrate Epiphany, we hear of the wise men adoring the infant Jesus and paying Him homage.
Today, we fast-forward thirty years and we hear of the adult Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist.
It was a life-changing event for Jesus, as well as an earth-shaking event as the heavens were torn open and the Spirit descended upon Jesus and the voice from heaven that declared: You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.
What happened during those thirty years were unknown to us other than that when Jesus was twelve years old, He went with His parents to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.
But it took thirty years after His birth and then with His baptism, Jesus began His mission of salvation.
So the day of His baptism was an important day as Jesus was affirmed of His identity and His mission.
Thirty years is indeed a long time, almost like half a life time.
Is it worth waiting for thirty years to discover the meaning and the purpose of life?
For St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, she would tell us that it is worth it.
St. Monica was born in 331 AD, was brought up as a Christian and she married a pagan Roman official, Patricius, a man of violent temper and also adulterous, and critical of Christians.
St. Monica endured with patience and prayer and finally after 30 years, her husband was converted and baptized a Christian.
Her son, St. Augustine was much more difficult, as she had to pray for him for 17 years, begging the prayers of priests who, for a while, tried to avoid her because of her persistence at this seemingly hopeless mission.
One priest did console her by saying, "it is not possible that the son of so many tears should perish." This thought, coupled with her faith strengthened her. St. Augustine was eventually baptized by St. Ambrose in 387. St. Monica died shortly after that.
St. Monica is considered the patron saint of wives and mothers whose husbands or sons have gone astray.
So St. Monica spent most of her life in prayer, praying for the conversion of her husband, and then for her son St. Augustine.
But she would tell us that the most important days of her life were the day of her baptism when she was immersed into the faith, and the day when she witnessed the baptism of her husband and later on of her son St. Augustine.
It is indeed a great joy to see someone turning back to God and knowing that you had an important part in that person’s conversion story and the journey back to God.
The Baptism of the Lord is indeed an important day for Jesus as He begins His journey of fulfilling His mission on earth.
Following this there will be many important days in His life which we will celebrate as the liturgical year unfolds.
As for us, there will also be many important days to come as our lives unfold in the days to come.
But as for today, may we celebrate our own baptism into Christ, and may today also be a day that we find out why we were born into this world.
Like Jesus, we are born for a reason and we are born for a mission.
We only walk this way once. Let us walk with Jesus and we will make each day an important day for others as well as for ourselves.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Epiphany, Year B, 03-01-2015
Isaiah 60:1-6 / Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 / Matthew 2:1-12
Today we hear of the wise men, or the Magis, and with that the Christmas story comes to a completion.
We not only hear about them, we also see them at the Crib as they make their grand appearance.
Among the figures at the Crib, or the Nativity set, the wise men (aka the 3 wise men) are the most impressively and glamorously dressed.
They wear crowns and royal robes; they bring along exotic gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh; they came from the East and they carry with them a sense of mystery.
They looked like rich and smart guys and they are often portrayed as riding on camels and looking quite elegant.
But from the gospel, we will know that they went to the wrong place (Jerusalem instead of Bethlehem), at the wrong time (when Herod was king) and they asked the wrong question (Where is the infant king of the Jews?)
So much for being wise men. If it had been 3 wise women, the story might have been different.
Different in the sense that the 3 wise women would have asked for directions; they would have arrived on time and helped deliver the baby; they would also have cleaned up the stable; they would have brought practical gifts like milk powder and diapers and chocolates; they would also cook a meal and even bake a cake and there will be peace on earth.
That would be a nice ending to the Christmas story. After all we like stories with a happy ending that would leave us smiling.
Abut if we were to read on from where the gospel ended off, then we would know that when the wise men didn’t go back to king Herod, he was furious and then he ordered the slaughter of the infants at Bethlehem.
So from the start, the Christmas story was a bumpy kind of story.
Things didn’t happen as expected.
And that is one thing that we can learn from the Christmas story – things don’t happen as expected.
Not even for the wise men in spite of their wisdom. They expected the infant king of the Jews to be born in the big city of Jerusalem, but it turned out to be in the little town of Bethlehem.
They thought that Herod was helping them but it turned out that he was using them.
The feast of the Epiphany is about Christ being revealed to the world.
And in a way, the revelation of Christ is also a revelation of what life is all about, and that things don’t happen as expected.
There is this story of three trees on a hill in the forest. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."
Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.”
Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."
After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter," and he began cutting it down.
The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest. At the second tree the woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship. When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree, so I'll take this one", and he cut it down.
When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.
The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.
The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.
Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said "Be still" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it.
When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill.
When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going our way, let us know that God has a plan for us. If we place our trust in Him, He will give us great gifts.
Each of the trees got what they wanted, but just not in the way they had imagined.
We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.
May the star that led the wise men to the infant Jesus also shine upon us and may God grant us the wisdom to know that when things don’t turn out as expected, then God is leading us along His ways.
And like the wise men, may we be at peace in knowing that God will always be leading us in His ways.
Today we hear of the wise men, or the Magis, and with that the Christmas story comes to a completion.
We not only hear about them, we also see them at the Crib as they make their grand appearance.
Among the figures at the Crib, or the Nativity set, the wise men (aka the 3 wise men) are the most impressively and glamorously dressed.
They wear crowns and royal robes; they bring along exotic gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh; they came from the East and they carry with them a sense of mystery.
They looked like rich and smart guys and they are often portrayed as riding on camels and looking quite elegant.
But from the gospel, we will know that they went to the wrong place (Jerusalem instead of Bethlehem), at the wrong time (when Herod was king) and they asked the wrong question (Where is the infant king of the Jews?)
So much for being wise men. If it had been 3 wise women, the story might have been different.
Different in the sense that the 3 wise women would have asked for directions; they would have arrived on time and helped deliver the baby; they would also have cleaned up the stable; they would have brought practical gifts like milk powder and diapers and chocolates; they would also cook a meal and even bake a cake and there will be peace on earth.
That would be a nice ending to the Christmas story. After all we like stories with a happy ending that would leave us smiling.
Abut if we were to read on from where the gospel ended off, then we would know that when the wise men didn’t go back to king Herod, he was furious and then he ordered the slaughter of the infants at Bethlehem.
So from the start, the Christmas story was a bumpy kind of story.
Things didn’t happen as expected.
And that is one thing that we can learn from the Christmas story – things don’t happen as expected.
Not even for the wise men in spite of their wisdom. They expected the infant king of the Jews to be born in the big city of Jerusalem, but it turned out to be in the little town of Bethlehem.
They thought that Herod was helping them but it turned out that he was using them.
The feast of the Epiphany is about Christ being revealed to the world.
And in a way, the revelation of Christ is also a revelation of what life is all about, and that things don’t happen as expected.
There is this story of three trees on a hill in the forest. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."
Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.”
Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."
After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter," and he began cutting it down.
The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest. At the second tree the woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship. When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree, so I'll take this one", and he cut it down.
When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.
The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.
The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.
Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said "Be still" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it.
When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill.
When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going our way, let us know that God has a plan for us. If we place our trust in Him, He will give us great gifts.
Each of the trees got what they wanted, but just not in the way they had imagined.
We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.
May the star that led the wise men to the infant Jesus also shine upon us and may God grant us the wisdom to know that when things don’t turn out as expected, then God is leading us along His ways.
And like the wise men, may we be at peace in knowing that God will always be leading us in His ways.
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