Acts 1:15-17, 20-26 / 1 John 4:11-16 / John 17:11-19
Last Thursday was the feast of the Ascension of the Lord and it was a day of obligation.
A day of obligation means that we come for Mass, and before that we go for Confession if necessary and of course we receive Holy Communion.
And of course for all the effort that we make to come for Mass on a weekday, the blessings that we receive is certainly beyond measure.
Indeed blessed are those who make the offering of their time for God.
But then again, there were some who forgot. They forgot that it was a day of obligation. Still God will be gracious to them because there is the availability of Confession.
And just in case they forgot to come for Confession before Mass, then the “special offer” is that after Mass it is also available : )
It is understandable if some forgot because of the busyness of life and the stress of a working day.
But there is also this “selective remembering” – we make a tick in our minds on what we want to remember because it is important, and the rest we just let them hang loose in our minds.
So we may remember the news that we heard on the radio but we may not be able to remember what the readings of today were all about.
In the 1st reading Peter remembered what the scriptures foretold about Judas – that someone else must be chosen to replace him as one of the Twelve apostles.
For us it may not be that important whether it is eleven or twelve.
But the meaning of the number 12 is considered a perfect number, in that it symbolizes God's power and authority, as well as a perfect governmental foundation. It also symbolizes completeness, or the nation of Israel as a whole.
And so for the Church it symbolizes completeness and unity and hence Matthias was chosen to complete the 12 apostles.
And it is for this completeness and unity of the Church that Jesus prayed for in the gospel.
Yes, Jesus prayed for us on the night before His death and this gospel passage is a passage that we ought to remember.
Jesus prayed for us that we won’t be lost in the world since we do not belong to the world. Because we belong to God.
As the Beatitudes would say, blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for the kingdom of God belongs to them.
But Jesus also prayed that we will be protected from the evil one.
As much as Jesus taught us the Beatitudes, the devil has his own set of “better-titudes” and it goes something like this:
"Better are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend an hour once a week with their fellow Christians in church; They are my best workers.
Better are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked; I can use them.
Better are the touchy; with a bit of luck, they may stop going to church; They are my missionaries.
Better are those who are very religious but get on everyone's nerves; They are mine forever.
Better are the troublemakers; They shall be called my children.
Better are those who have no time to pray; They are easy prey for me.
Better are the gossipers; For they are my secret agents.
Better are those critical of church leadership; For they shall inherit a place with me in my fate.
Better are the complainers; I will encourage them.
Better are you when you read this and think it is about other people and not yourself; I've got you!"
So if the world thinks better or highly of us, it may not necessarily mean that we are blessed.
In fact, Jesus prayed that we will be protected from the evil one so that we don’t let ourselves belong to the world.
Even though we are in the world, we belong to God and Jesus prayed for our protection.
Yes, life is fragile, and we need to handle it with prayer and pray for protection.
On Friday morning there was a fatal accident at Ponggol. A 30-year-old woman was knocked down by a bus and died from her injuries.
I know that lady. She journeyed in the RCIA class, I officiated her marriage and blessed her house. And now I am going to do her funeral.
No words can really console her husband and the 4 year-old son she left behind.
For those who journeyed with her in the RCIA and her friends in Church, they will grieve and they might ask those hard questions.
I pray that God will protect them from a faith crisis and I ask you to join me in prayer too.
My obligation to them will be my presence and prayers.
And that is what the 2nd reading is telling us to remember – No one has ever seen God, but as long as we love one another, God will live in us and His love will be complete in us.
To love one another is our obligation. Love is our only protection.
Because where there is love, there is God.