Ecclesiasticus 3:17-20, 28-29 / Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24 / Luke 14:1, 7-14
The history of mankind has seen many great conquerors who built great empires.
We have read about Alexander. He was called the Great and rightly so. His empire stretched from Europe to Asia.
Then there was Caesar and the great Roman Empire.
Then a period of time passed before another great conqueror surfaced in Europe. We have heard of Napoleon Bonaparte. He also marched through Europe and conquered most of it.
In the year 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte captured the city of Rome, and took Pope Pius VI prisoner.
Napoleon thought that he could intimidate the Pope and force him to become his puppet because the Church had considerable political power at that time.
But the Pope refused to neither cooperate with Napoleon nor be his puppet, and in a fit of anger, Napoleon shouted at the Pope: If you do not do as I command, I will destroy the Church.
The Pope replied: Oh no, you won’t. Napoleon retorted: Oh yes, I will - within a year.
To which the Pope calmly replied: If we, who are the Church, have for 1800 years, failed to destroy the Church with our sins, I doubt very much you will succeed.
Well, the Church still exists, whereas Napoleon Bonaparte had passed on as just another memory in the pages of history books.
One of the follies of becoming mighty and powerful is that one also becomes proud and arrogant.
Power and might become a “right” that is used to push and to pull in order to get what is wanted.
And usually the casualties are the lowly and the powerless and those who cannot defend themselves. They get swept aside to make way for the powerful and the mighty.
But the 1st reading has this to tell us: The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly, and then you will find favour with the Lord; for great though the power of the Lord is, He accepts the homage of the humble.
In the gospel, Jesus told a parable when He noticed how the guests picked the places of honour.
The parable highlights the fact that our human desires go for the first place and not the last; we desire for the lofty and not the lowly; we want the most and not the least.
But the Lord looks on the lowly and He accepts the homage of the humble and He fills the hungry with good things.
Yes, there is something that the lowly and humble can teach us about the ways of God, because it is to the lowly and humble that God gives His blessings.
It is also through the lowly and humble that God shows His power and might, as this story of the lion and the mouse will show us.
A small mouse crept up to a sleeping lion that had just finished his meal. The mouse longed to have some of the scraps of the leftover meal.
"Since he's sleeping," thought the mouse, "he'll never suspect I'm here!" With that, the little mouse sneaked up and tried to pull off a scrap of the meal. The lion awoke and quickly caught the mouse between its claws.
"Please," said the mouse, "let me go and I'll come back and try help you someday." The lion laughed, "You are so small! How could ever help me?"
The lion laughed so hard he had to hold his belly and he let go of the mouse. The mouse jumped to freedom and ran until he was far, far away.
The next day, two hunters came to the jungle. They went to the lion's lair. They set a huge rope snare. When the lion came home that night, he stepped into the trap and was caught in it.
He roared and roared! He tried with all his might but he couldn't pull himself free. The mouse heard the lion's pitiful roar and came back to help him.
The mouse eyed the trap and noticed the one thick rope that held it together. He began nibbling and nibbling at the rope until the rope broke.
The lion was freed and was able to shake off the other ropes that held him tight. He stood up free again!
The lion turned to the mouse and said, "Dear mouse, I was foolish to ridicule you for being small. You not only helped me, you saved my life too!"
So as much as the mighty and powerful lion is noted for its strength and is even called ‘the king of the jungle”, the lowly and humble mouse can be called upon in the time of need.
Well, back to Napoleon Bonaparte. Towards the end of his life, he was exiled on the small rocky island of St. Helena.
There, the former conqueror of civilized Europe had time to reflect on his life and even on Jesus Christ.
He made this statement: Other conquerors founded their empires by force. Jesus Christ alone founded His empire upon love and humility.
Napoleon Bonaparte finally understood why he cannot destroy the Church. His pride is no match for the love and humility that the Church is built upon.
So as the Church we must remember what the 1st reading taught us: be gentle in carrying out your business and you will be better loved than a lavish giver.
The power of love is seen in gentleness and humility. To be gentle and humble is what we are called to be. With that we will overcome the pride and arrogance of the world.
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Saturday, August 20, 2016
21st Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 21.08.2016
Isaiah 66:18-21 / Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13 / Luke 13:22-30
Today the 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, comes to a close. The Games started on the 5th August.
It is a major international multi-sport event with more than 11,000 athletes taking part and 306 sets of medals were given out.
The Olympic Games are held every four years and hence for some athletes, it’s a “now or never” opportunity.
And certainly it can be a great ecstasy to win a medal at the Olympics, and we Singaporeans knows how it feels as Joseph Schooling won for Singapore the first Olympic gold medal.
Singapore won only one medal but it was enough for an overwhelming celebration for our nation.
But let us also remember that Joseph Schooling had to overcome the disappointment of finishing last in the men’s 100m freestyle semi-finals, which was the other event that he competed. So winning the gold in the 100m butterfly in record time is really an achievement for him.
And if we think that Usain Bolt, aka “Lighting Bolt”, has always been the winner, well, he too knows how it feels to come in at last place in a race, although it was due to injury.
Still, to come in last on the world stage is like being an extra in a movie set; you are just there for decoration and it’s like self-humiliation.
In the gospel, Jesus said something interesting about being first and being last.
He said that those now last will be first, and those now first will be last.
He seems to be using a sporting competition as an analogy, where there is a first place and a last place.
And then He seems to be talking about a reversal of fortunes, where the first become last, and the last become first.
He could be talking about a race, a race of another nature, a spiritual race.
As how 1 Cor 9:23-25 puts it - in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize. They run in such a way as to win the prize. Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.…
So it is a race where we want to win but it is not to be in the first position.
It is a race where from the last position we want to encourage others to go on ahead of us so as discover for themselves their own strengths and abilities.
It is a race where if there are others behind us, then we want to motivate them to be better than us so that they won’t feel dejected and rejected.
It is a race where we run but for a very different objective.
And it will take a lot of training in humility to see the spiritual objectives and to do it for a crown that is imperishable.
And this kind of spiritual training in humility is certainly not easy because it goes against our instinct to be in the first position and to be a winner, and not a loser.
But as the 2nd reading tells us: The Lord trains the ones that He loves and He trains all those that He acknowledges as His sons.
Suffering is part of your training; God is treating you as His sons.
The suffering that is part of our training is to help us let go of what is perishable so as to win what is imperishable.
The race of life is a race uphill. To win it without a struggle is perhaps to win it without honour. If there were no difficulties, there would be no victories. If there is nothing to struggle for, there would be nothing to achieve.
And the first race would be in our own thinking. Let’s say that there is a race and there are only three runners and you are one of them.
You would want to go for the first position, the gold medal, and if not then it will be the silver.
Would you settle for the third position, the bronze medal, which is as good as being the last?
But to accept the third position means that you let two other people go ahead, and that is Jesus, others and then you – J,O,Y. Indeed there is joy in being third, or last. So it’s not about gold or silver or bronze. Rather it is about Jesus, others and then you. J-O-Y. That’s the joy of the race.
Joseph Schooling won an Olympic gold medal but he also brought joy to a 12-year old Pathlight student who dedicated a “mouse with medal” drawing to him.
For 12-year-old Jolie Lim, who is autistic, Joseph Schooling's historic win is an inspirational story about overcoming life's challenges.
To express how she felt, Jolie produced an A3-sized drawing under the encouragement of her mother.
Jolie had hoped to meet Schooling to pass him the artwork during his victory parade on Thursday, but she had to sit for her PSLE exam in the morning.
After the exam, she and her mum could only rush down to Raffles City Shopping Centre, the last stop of the victory parade, at around noon. However, Jolie is afraid of crowds and was unable to catch a glimpse of the swimming star.
At her mother’s request, The Straits Times helped to pass on Jolie's drawing to Schooling's minders. The drawing, which took Jolie three hours to complete, depicts a mouse with a gold medal, beating its larger competitors including an eagle, a cat and a dog.
On Thursday night, Schooling responded in an 11-second video, thanking Jolie for her drawing. It was a simple gesture, but one that meant much to Jolie.
Schooling is a winner, but he also helps others to be winners.
The joy of winning is when Jesus and others go before you. It’s a joy that all the medals in the world cannot give.
Today the 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, comes to a close. The Games started on the 5th August.
It is a major international multi-sport event with more than 11,000 athletes taking part and 306 sets of medals were given out.
The Olympic Games are held every four years and hence for some athletes, it’s a “now or never” opportunity.
And certainly it can be a great ecstasy to win a medal at the Olympics, and we Singaporeans knows how it feels as Joseph Schooling won for Singapore the first Olympic gold medal.
Singapore won only one medal but it was enough for an overwhelming celebration for our nation.
But let us also remember that Joseph Schooling had to overcome the disappointment of finishing last in the men’s 100m freestyle semi-finals, which was the other event that he competed. So winning the gold in the 100m butterfly in record time is really an achievement for him.
And if we think that Usain Bolt, aka “Lighting Bolt”, has always been the winner, well, he too knows how it feels to come in at last place in a race, although it was due to injury.
Still, to come in last on the world stage is like being an extra in a movie set; you are just there for decoration and it’s like self-humiliation.
In the gospel, Jesus said something interesting about being first and being last.
He said that those now last will be first, and those now first will be last.
He seems to be using a sporting competition as an analogy, where there is a first place and a last place.
And then He seems to be talking about a reversal of fortunes, where the first become last, and the last become first.
He could be talking about a race, a race of another nature, a spiritual race.
As how 1 Cor 9:23-25 puts it - in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize. They run in such a way as to win the prize. Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.…
So it is a race where we want to win but it is not to be in the first position.
It is a race where from the last position we want to encourage others to go on ahead of us so as discover for themselves their own strengths and abilities.
It is a race where if there are others behind us, then we want to motivate them to be better than us so that they won’t feel dejected and rejected.
It is a race where we run but for a very different objective.
And it will take a lot of training in humility to see the spiritual objectives and to do it for a crown that is imperishable.
And this kind of spiritual training in humility is certainly not easy because it goes against our instinct to be in the first position and to be a winner, and not a loser.
But as the 2nd reading tells us: The Lord trains the ones that He loves and He trains all those that He acknowledges as His sons.
Suffering is part of your training; God is treating you as His sons.
The suffering that is part of our training is to help us let go of what is perishable so as to win what is imperishable.
The race of life is a race uphill. To win it without a struggle is perhaps to win it without honour. If there were no difficulties, there would be no victories. If there is nothing to struggle for, there would be nothing to achieve.
And the first race would be in our own thinking. Let’s say that there is a race and there are only three runners and you are one of them.
You would want to go for the first position, the gold medal, and if not then it will be the silver.
Would you settle for the third position, the bronze medal, which is as good as being the last?
But to accept the third position means that you let two other people go ahead, and that is Jesus, others and then you – J,O,Y. Indeed there is joy in being third, or last. So it’s not about gold or silver or bronze. Rather it is about Jesus, others and then you. J-O-Y. That’s the joy of the race.
Joseph Schooling won an Olympic gold medal but he also brought joy to a 12-year old Pathlight student who dedicated a “mouse with medal” drawing to him.
For 12-year-old Jolie Lim, who is autistic, Joseph Schooling's historic win is an inspirational story about overcoming life's challenges.
To express how she felt, Jolie produced an A3-sized drawing under the encouragement of her mother.
Jolie had hoped to meet Schooling to pass him the artwork during his victory parade on Thursday, but she had to sit for her PSLE exam in the morning.
After the exam, she and her mum could only rush down to Raffles City Shopping Centre, the last stop of the victory parade, at around noon. However, Jolie is afraid of crowds and was unable to catch a glimpse of the swimming star.
At her mother’s request, The Straits Times helped to pass on Jolie's drawing to Schooling's minders. The drawing, which took Jolie three hours to complete, depicts a mouse with a gold medal, beating its larger competitors including an eagle, a cat and a dog.
On Thursday night, Schooling responded in an 11-second video, thanking Jolie for her drawing. It was a simple gesture, but one that meant much to Jolie.
Schooling is a winner, but he also helps others to be winners.
The joy of winning is when Jesus and others go before you. It’s a joy that all the medals in the world cannot give.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Assumption of the BVM 2016, 14.08.16
Apocalypse 11:19; 12:1-6, 10 / 1 Cor 15:20-26 / Luke 1:39-56
Can you make a guess what is the happening news over the past week?
There is also the National Day celebrations held for the first time at the Sports Hub. There is the Olympics in Rio with the Singapore swimmers making some waves.
But earlier in the week, the thing that is capturing all the attention is a game, a game that is played using the mobile phone, a game that is called “Pokemon Go”.
And the craze over that game is almost like incredible. There are hordes of people walking around looking at their mobile phones, instead of looking out for the traffic, and then stopping all of a sudden and then swiping on their phones.
I see this as I stand at the front of the church. Then I was told that the church is one the Pokestops. In fact, the whole stretch of Tank Road has Pokestops at the Teochew Building and the Hindu temple and also the SHRM college.
And then I was told that all landmarks are Pokestops, and that includes religious, cultural and historical places. It seems like the purpose is make people go to these places and to learn more about these places and also to make friends along the way who are also playing the game. So that’s why the game is called Pokemon Go – to go to these places and catch those Pokemons and make friends.
Pokemon Go is an augmented reality game, meaning it meshes the virtual world with the real world on the smartphone. Players navigate their neighborhoods and parks using the game's built-in maps. The maps are real, based on Google Maps. On the map, virtual characters known as Pokemons appear. Players try to catch these Pokemons by traveling to the character's location on the map.
Once there, they must "capture" the Pokemons by hitting it with a virtual ball. The entire virtual world is experienced through the smartphone.
It is interesting that people get so caught up with this game, maybe because it is the blending of the virtual reality and the real world.
But if people get so caught up with this augmented reality, then do they know of another reality, and that is the mystical spiritual reality?
The 1st reading gives us a glimpse of this mystical spiritual reality.
The sanctuary of God in heaven opened, and the ark of the covenant could be seen inside it. A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, adorned with the sun, standing on the moon, and with twelve stars on her head for a crown.
What would we think about that? Is it real? Just as the game would need a smartphone in order to enter into the augmented reality, we also would need something to see and enter into that mystical spiritual reality. We need to have eyes of faith to see what the 1st reading is telling us.
We not only need eyes of faith, but we would also need to have ears that would listen to the sound of the Good News.
In the gospel, when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb, and filled with the Holy Spirit, she made this pronouncement to Mary: Of all women, you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
Today we celebrate this blessedness of Mary in her Assumption into heaven. Having completed the course of her earthly life, Mary was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory by the grace of God.
Jesus, by His Resurrection, conquered sin and death, and He ascended into heaven to open the gates for us and Mary is the first to receive the fruit of His salvation. Mary believed that the promise made to her by the Lord would be fulfilled. That promise is also made to us who believe.
But just as Elizabeth proclaimed that Mary is blessed, we too must ask for that blessing and be a blessing for others.
Last Saturday, the Pokemon Go game was launched in Singapore and there were people at the front of the church doing their catching.
One of our Year of Mercy helpers was at the front waiting to receive a pilgrimage group coming to our church. She saw a young man doing his catching, and not being too sure what he was doing, asked him what it was about.
It turned out that he is a Catholic and his family lives in Oxley Rise but they don’t come to this church.
He himself has not stepped into this church before and so she gave him a “tour” of the church and explained a few things to him. He noticed the statue outside but he didn’t realise it was the statue of Mother Mary until she told him. And he kept commenting how beautiful the church is and that he will come here for Mass since it is so nearby.
It is not an unusual story of conversion or miracle, but that young man came here for an augmented reality. But he left here with an experience of a mystical spiritual reality.
That Year of Mercy helper was a blessing for him and I believe that God will also bless her for her service to God and to the church for being a helper in the Year of Mercy.
Being one of the Pokestops has its pros and cons. Some of us might think that it would be a nuisance when these gamers wonder around outside the church. (We made it clear that they can’t do their catching in church).
But can we also be a blessing for them by helping them to realize that there is more to life than just that augmented reality in their smartphones?
Yes, there is the mystical spiritual reality that is waiting to be encountered and we can help them experience this reality by being a blessing to them.
Let us pray that we be blessed just as Mary is blessed. Let us serve the Lord and do whatever He tells us so that we will receive His blessings. And with God’s blessings, let us also be a blessing for others.
Can you make a guess what is the happening news over the past week?
There is also the National Day celebrations held for the first time at the Sports Hub. There is the Olympics in Rio with the Singapore swimmers making some waves.
But earlier in the week, the thing that is capturing all the attention is a game, a game that is played using the mobile phone, a game that is called “Pokemon Go”.
And the craze over that game is almost like incredible. There are hordes of people walking around looking at their mobile phones, instead of looking out for the traffic, and then stopping all of a sudden and then swiping on their phones.
I see this as I stand at the front of the church. Then I was told that the church is one the Pokestops. In fact, the whole stretch of Tank Road has Pokestops at the Teochew Building and the Hindu temple and also the SHRM college.
And then I was told that all landmarks are Pokestops, and that includes religious, cultural and historical places. It seems like the purpose is make people go to these places and to learn more about these places and also to make friends along the way who are also playing the game. So that’s why the game is called Pokemon Go – to go to these places and catch those Pokemons and make friends.
Pokemon Go is an augmented reality game, meaning it meshes the virtual world with the real world on the smartphone. Players navigate their neighborhoods and parks using the game's built-in maps. The maps are real, based on Google Maps. On the map, virtual characters known as Pokemons appear. Players try to catch these Pokemons by traveling to the character's location on the map.
Once there, they must "capture" the Pokemons by hitting it with a virtual ball. The entire virtual world is experienced through the smartphone.
It is interesting that people get so caught up with this game, maybe because it is the blending of the virtual reality and the real world.
But if people get so caught up with this augmented reality, then do they know of another reality, and that is the mystical spiritual reality?
The 1st reading gives us a glimpse of this mystical spiritual reality.
The sanctuary of God in heaven opened, and the ark of the covenant could be seen inside it. A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, adorned with the sun, standing on the moon, and with twelve stars on her head for a crown.
What would we think about that? Is it real? Just as the game would need a smartphone in order to enter into the augmented reality, we also would need something to see and enter into that mystical spiritual reality. We need to have eyes of faith to see what the 1st reading is telling us.
We not only need eyes of faith, but we would also need to have ears that would listen to the sound of the Good News.
In the gospel, when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb, and filled with the Holy Spirit, she made this pronouncement to Mary: Of all women, you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
Today we celebrate this blessedness of Mary in her Assumption into heaven. Having completed the course of her earthly life, Mary was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory by the grace of God.
Jesus, by His Resurrection, conquered sin and death, and He ascended into heaven to open the gates for us and Mary is the first to receive the fruit of His salvation. Mary believed that the promise made to her by the Lord would be fulfilled. That promise is also made to us who believe.
But just as Elizabeth proclaimed that Mary is blessed, we too must ask for that blessing and be a blessing for others.
Last Saturday, the Pokemon Go game was launched in Singapore and there were people at the front of the church doing their catching.
One of our Year of Mercy helpers was at the front waiting to receive a pilgrimage group coming to our church. She saw a young man doing his catching, and not being too sure what he was doing, asked him what it was about.
It turned out that he is a Catholic and his family lives in Oxley Rise but they don’t come to this church.
He himself has not stepped into this church before and so she gave him a “tour” of the church and explained a few things to him. He noticed the statue outside but he didn’t realise it was the statue of Mother Mary until she told him. And he kept commenting how beautiful the church is and that he will come here for Mass since it is so nearby.
It is not an unusual story of conversion or miracle, but that young man came here for an augmented reality. But he left here with an experience of a mystical spiritual reality.
That Year of Mercy helper was a blessing for him and I believe that God will also bless her for her service to God and to the church for being a helper in the Year of Mercy.
Being one of the Pokestops has its pros and cons. Some of us might think that it would be a nuisance when these gamers wonder around outside the church. (We made it clear that they can’t do their catching in church).
But can we also be a blessing for them by helping them to realize that there is more to life than just that augmented reality in their smartphones?
Yes, there is the mystical spiritual reality that is waiting to be encountered and we can help them experience this reality by being a blessing to them.
Let us pray that we be blessed just as Mary is blessed. Let us serve the Lord and do whatever He tells us so that we will receive His blessings. And with God’s blessings, let us also be a blessing for others.
Saturday, August 6, 2016
19th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 07.08.2016
Wisdom 18:6-9 / Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 / Luke 12:32-48
Nowadays the word “security” is used not just for big establishments and organizations.
Security has been implemented in the things that we use in daily life like computers and mobile phones, in ATMs and internet banking, in cars and offices and shops.
Besides going all the way to national security, there is no doubt that first and foremost, we must take care of our domestic security.
Gone are those “kampong” days when we don’t need to lock our doors and the neighbours will keep an eye for us.
At home we have sophisticated electronic security systems like security cameras and fingerprint sensor-and-lock system, etc.
Nonetheless, some old-fashioned security systems can still do the job, as this story will show us.
From the shadows in the distance, the man watched as the family packed their bags in the car, locked the doors and then drove off for their holidays. The man waited till it was dark and then he emerged from the shadows and he went to the front door and rang the door-bell of the house.
When there was no answer, the man, a seasoned burglar picked the lock of the front door and got in. Then just to be sure that no one was in the house, he called out, "Is there anyone in?"
Hearing nothing, he was about to move on, when he was stunned by a voice, "I see you, and He sees you!" The burglar panicked and called out, "Who's that?" And again, the voice came back, "I see you, and He sees you!"
Terrified, the burglar switched on his torchlight and pointed it towards the direction of the voice. He was relieved to see that it was a parrot in a cage and it recited once again, "I see you, and He sees you!"
The burglar laughed to himself and said, "Oh, shut up stupid bird.
Anyway, who is this “He”? Is it another bird friend of yours?"
And the parrot replied, "He is right below me!" And the burglar shined his torch at what was below the parrot's cage. And there he saw this “He”, a huge Doberman, looking at the burglar with those eyes, and growling. And then, the parrot said, "He sees you, and He will get you."
Yes, we all need some kind of security against theft and burglary and other threats. As Jesus said in the gospel: You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house.
But in the beginnings of Israel as the People of God, it was God Himself who broke through the walls of their enemies. When they were oppressed and under slavery in Egypt, God worked through Moses to break the chains of slavery and broke down the walls that imprisoned the Israelites and set them free from bondage.
The climax of this event was the parting of the Red Sea where the Israelites crossed into safety and the Egyptians perished in the waters of the sea.
In a mighty and marvelous way, God showed that He was their Saviour. He is their only security and He will fight their battles for them.
We fast-forward from that Exodus event to 700BC, when Jerusalem was laid siege by the ferocious Assyrian army that threated to exterminate them, just as how they had exterminated the other nations earlier.
Sennacherib, the king of Assyria sent a letter to taunt king Hezekiah of Judah. At this taunt, Hezekiah was crushed, recognizing his hopeless position. In great grief, Hezekiah took Sennacherib's letter to the Temple, spread it out for the Lord God to see, and prayed over it. The Lord God responded by inspiring the prophet Isaiah to write a long poem about Sennacherib's defeat. The Lord promised that Sennacherib would be unable to attack the city.
That night, a plague struck the Assyrian army surrounding Jerusalem, and 185,000 Assyrian soldiers died. Sennacherib, spooked by this, withdrew from Jerusalem. Not long after, he was assassinated.
Once again, the Lord God showed that He was the security of His people as long as they had faith in Him and trusted in Him alone.
And what God has done for His people, He is still doing whenever His people is under a threat.
We may remember the 1986 People Power Revolution in the Philippines. It was a peaceful and non-violent revolution as the people, together with priests and nuns knelt in front of tanks and armoured vehicles and prayed the Rosary.
We may also remember that on the 7th Sept 2013, Pope Francis led a global prayer vigil at St. Peter’s Square against a military attack on Syria and for peace in Syria. God heard the prayer and the attack was averted.
And in this current atmosphere of fear and tension of terrorist attacks, with security on high alert, we the Church has a mission.
We must be dressed for action and have our lamps lighted. Prayer is to be our action so that the light and power of prayer will scatter the darkness of violence and terror.
Just as Moses and Hezekiah called upon God, just as the people of the Philippines and Pope Francis called upon God to intervene and to dispel the threat, let us do likewise.
All the security measures and safeguards can only be effective when we call upon God to be our security and to fight our battles for us.
If we don’t stand by God, we will not stand at all. But when we stand by God in prayer, then there is no need to be afraid. God will stand by us to protect us and to fight our battles for us.
Nowadays the word “security” is used not just for big establishments and organizations.
Security has been implemented in the things that we use in daily life like computers and mobile phones, in ATMs and internet banking, in cars and offices and shops.
Besides going all the way to national security, there is no doubt that first and foremost, we must take care of our domestic security.
Gone are those “kampong” days when we don’t need to lock our doors and the neighbours will keep an eye for us.
At home we have sophisticated electronic security systems like security cameras and fingerprint sensor-and-lock system, etc.
Nonetheless, some old-fashioned security systems can still do the job, as this story will show us.
From the shadows in the distance, the man watched as the family packed their bags in the car, locked the doors and then drove off for their holidays. The man waited till it was dark and then he emerged from the shadows and he went to the front door and rang the door-bell of the house.
When there was no answer, the man, a seasoned burglar picked the lock of the front door and got in. Then just to be sure that no one was in the house, he called out, "Is there anyone in?"
Hearing nothing, he was about to move on, when he was stunned by a voice, "I see you, and He sees you!" The burglar panicked and called out, "Who's that?" And again, the voice came back, "I see you, and He sees you!"
Terrified, the burglar switched on his torchlight and pointed it towards the direction of the voice. He was relieved to see that it was a parrot in a cage and it recited once again, "I see you, and He sees you!"
The burglar laughed to himself and said, "Oh, shut up stupid bird.
Anyway, who is this “He”? Is it another bird friend of yours?"
And the parrot replied, "He is right below me!" And the burglar shined his torch at what was below the parrot's cage. And there he saw this “He”, a huge Doberman, looking at the burglar with those eyes, and growling. And then, the parrot said, "He sees you, and He will get you."
Yes, we all need some kind of security against theft and burglary and other threats. As Jesus said in the gospel: You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house.
But in the beginnings of Israel as the People of God, it was God Himself who broke through the walls of their enemies. When they were oppressed and under slavery in Egypt, God worked through Moses to break the chains of slavery and broke down the walls that imprisoned the Israelites and set them free from bondage.
The climax of this event was the parting of the Red Sea where the Israelites crossed into safety and the Egyptians perished in the waters of the sea.
In a mighty and marvelous way, God showed that He was their Saviour. He is their only security and He will fight their battles for them.
We fast-forward from that Exodus event to 700BC, when Jerusalem was laid siege by the ferocious Assyrian army that threated to exterminate them, just as how they had exterminated the other nations earlier.
Sennacherib, the king of Assyria sent a letter to taunt king Hezekiah of Judah. At this taunt, Hezekiah was crushed, recognizing his hopeless position. In great grief, Hezekiah took Sennacherib's letter to the Temple, spread it out for the Lord God to see, and prayed over it. The Lord God responded by inspiring the prophet Isaiah to write a long poem about Sennacherib's defeat. The Lord promised that Sennacherib would be unable to attack the city.
That night, a plague struck the Assyrian army surrounding Jerusalem, and 185,000 Assyrian soldiers died. Sennacherib, spooked by this, withdrew from Jerusalem. Not long after, he was assassinated.
Once again, the Lord God showed that He was the security of His people as long as they had faith in Him and trusted in Him alone.
And what God has done for His people, He is still doing whenever His people is under a threat.
We may remember the 1986 People Power Revolution in the Philippines. It was a peaceful and non-violent revolution as the people, together with priests and nuns knelt in front of tanks and armoured vehicles and prayed the Rosary.
We may also remember that on the 7th Sept 2013, Pope Francis led a global prayer vigil at St. Peter’s Square against a military attack on Syria and for peace in Syria. God heard the prayer and the attack was averted.
And in this current atmosphere of fear and tension of terrorist attacks, with security on high alert, we the Church has a mission.
We must be dressed for action and have our lamps lighted. Prayer is to be our action so that the light and power of prayer will scatter the darkness of violence and terror.
Just as Moses and Hezekiah called upon God, just as the people of the Philippines and Pope Francis called upon God to intervene and to dispel the threat, let us do likewise.
All the security measures and safeguards can only be effective when we call upon God to be our security and to fight our battles for us.
If we don’t stand by God, we will not stand at all. But when we stand by God in prayer, then there is no need to be afraid. God will stand by us to protect us and to fight our battles for us.
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