Acts 2:24, 22-28 / 1 Peter 1:17-21 / Luke 24:13-35
The world that we live in is a fast and furious world, much like the movie of the same name “Fast and Furious”. And it can also be furiously fast.
Even the instant foods like instant noodles and instant coffee are not even fast enough.
Especially when we talk about speed, we are not so much interested in fast cars or fast food. We are more interested in fast Internet connections, going at 300Mbs or higher.
We don’t need our cars and our food to be fast and furious. But we want our Internet connections to be fast and furious.
Slow Internet connection is worse than no Internet connection because it is such a teaser, and we end up shouting at our mobile phones or computers and telling them to “faster, faster, faster!”.
It is said that before marrying someone, you should make them use a computer with slow Internet connection, then you will see who they really are.
But as much as speed is important, there must also be direction and purpose. Many people are going fast, but they seem to be going nowhere.
In the gospel, we heard of two of the disciples of Jesus who were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem.
They were not in a hurry, and probably they were taking a slow, heavy walk. They were heading for Emmaus, but beyond that, it may seem to be nowhere from there.
They were downcast, as their hopes in Jesus were crushed by His crucifixion and death. It was like as if their computers crashed and no recovery was possible.
So with nothing left to hold on to, the only thing left is to walk away with empty minds and empty hearts.
There was no hurry, no purpose, no direction. There was nothing to look forward to.
But the good news is this: when we are down to nothing, then Jesus can come up with something.
Misery always needs company, and indeed Jesus came up and walked with them on their journey.
And after listening to them recounting what had happened during the last few days, Jesus had this to say to them:
“You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into His glory?”
Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, He explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about Himself.
Then finally when He was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing. Then He broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.
We can say that for the two disciples, the journey to Emmaus was a journey from nothing to something.
The journey of the two disciples is also very much like our own journey of faith isn’t it?
In our fast and furious world, we move with such high speeds that we lose our connection with God. And hence we come to Mass to get re-connected with God.
But do we experience what the two disciples experienced? Are our eyes opened? Do we recognize Jesus as we gather before the altar for the Eucharist?
There is this story of a wife who was preparing to go to church on a Sunday morning when she saw her husband in singlet and shorts and watching TV, and so she asked him why is he not preparing to go to church.
He replied: I’ve gone for 30 years now, and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one of them. So, I think I’m wasting my time and the priests are wasting their time preaching. So I am not going to church anymore
The wife thought for a while and then said: I have been married to you for 30 years now. In that time I have cooked over 32,000 meals for you but you can’t remember any one of them. So I think I am wasting my time cooking for you and you are wasting your time eating my cooking. So I am not going to cook for you anymore.
The husband immediately got up and got dressed and went to church with his wife .
Most of us have been coming to church for the longest time. Some have coming to church for 10 years, 20 years or more. We have said countless prayers, and received Holy Communion till we have lost count.
Do we think that we are wasting our time? Is it doing us any good? Do we think that coming for Mass is boring?
We may want fast and furious results but like the two disciples, they had to walk that slow seven-mile journey with Jesus and slowly come to understand the scriptures before they finally recognized Him at the breaking of bread.
We too need to be patient as Jesus sows the seeds of His Word in our hearts and to wait for the harvest.
Let us not be afraid of moving slowly, but rather be afraid of not moving at all. With Jesus, we will walk slowly forward, but we will never walk backwards.
And may our hearts slowly start to burn as we listen to the Scriptures and as the bread is broken, may our eyes be opened to see Jesus with us and Jesus in others.
Click the links under My Blog List to get to Chinese and English weekday homilies.
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Saturday, April 22, 2017
2nd Sunday of Easter, Year A, 23.04.2017
Acts 2:42-47 / 1 Peter 1:3-9 / John 20:19-31
Whether we like shopping or not, the ways of shopping have evolved tremendously.
When we think of shopping, what might come to mind are shopping malls, supermarkets, departmental stores, heartland shops, pasar-malam (or night bazaars).
And what we see is what we get. We not only get to see what we are interested in, we get to touch it and feel it.
Of course, some items are nice to touch and hold, but break it and it’s considered sold.
But with the rise of technology and the Internet, shopping has taken on another form, i.e. online shopping!
From our computer screens, we go “window” shopping at those big online stores like eBay, Qoo10, Lazada, Redmart, and even if we don’t know Chinese we would have heard of Taobao.
Even though we are seated comfortably and just moving the cursor, we can literally shop till we drop. It’s almost like, if you can name it, then you can find it, and buy it.
Online shopping is getting so popular that when we want to buy something, we go online because it is cheaper and better still if it’s free shipping.
And some people can be so into online shopping that even a prayer has emerged out of it: Dear Lord. Please don’t let my husband be at home when all my online orders arrive. Amen.
The only issue with online shopping is what we see and what we order, may not be what we get. And that’s when disappointment and frustration sets in.
So nothing is as certain as what we see is what we get when we get to touch and feel it, along with all that interaction of bargaining and choosing.
Now we do not know what kind of shopping profile each of the apostles have. But most probably Thomas, called the twin, is not likely an online shopper.
Because even when the other disciples told him that they have seen the Lord, he answered: Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands, and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.
Thomas was not going to believe so easily what the disciples say about having seen the Lord. He himself wants to see the Risen Jesus, and not just see, but to touch, and to even touch those wounds.
To say the least, he could have been very disappointed. He had placed his hopes and dreams on Jesus and it come down, crumbling and crashing at the crucifixion. He lost it all.
Maybe that was why he was not there when Jesus first appeared to His disciples.
He wanted to be left alone and to get up and move on. He didn’t want to be disappointed again. And since the disciples told him that Jesus is risen and is alive, then he wanted to put the Risen Lord to the reality test. So it’s not just seeing, but touching, and touching and feeling those gaping wounds.
In a much lesser way, that is also a bit like our experience of online shopping isn’t it?
What we see on our computer screen excites us so much that we proceed to place an order. Our hopes and dreams begin to build on what we read about what we have ordered.
And then the disappointments come one by one. The shipping is delayed. The wrong item comes in. Or the size is wrong, the colour is not quite like what we saw, or wrong specs, or wrong this and wrong that.
In our frustration and disappointment, we would let fly some scorching reviews and write off online shopping, and go back to the old ways that we are familiar with and certain about.
It is not likely that the online seller would go out of his way to appease us by unconditional exchange of goods or quickly refund our money in order try to restore our faith in online shopping.
And here is where the difference lies. Jesus rose from the dead, He came back to His disciples to restore their faith, He came back again just for Thomas to lift him from his disappointment and even granted his request by letting him touch His wounds.
And that is the love and mercy of the Risen Jesus, the mercy that we celebrate on this Divine Mercy Sunday.
His glorious Resurrection is expressed tenderly in His love and mercy for His disciples and especially for Thomas.
And that love and mercy is also shown to us through His wounds.
Because in those wounds of Jesus, we can also see our own wounds – wounds of disappointment, hurt, shame, rejection, frustration, envy, jealousy.
His wounds are the marks of His suffering in order to save us. By His wounds we are healed.
We look at the wounds of Jesus and the life-size statue of Jesus at the entrance shows us the wounds of His hands.
Through those wounds, Jesus is offering us mercy and healing.
Yes, as we look at those wounds, we may also want to touch those wounds and with St. Thomas we too say “My Lord and my God”.
Jesus came to heal Thomas; He comes now to heal our wounds. Let us show Him our wounds and let Him touch it, and we will be forgiven and healed.
Whether we like shopping or not, the ways of shopping have evolved tremendously.
When we think of shopping, what might come to mind are shopping malls, supermarkets, departmental stores, heartland shops, pasar-malam (or night bazaars).
And what we see is what we get. We not only get to see what we are interested in, we get to touch it and feel it.
Of course, some items are nice to touch and hold, but break it and it’s considered sold.
But with the rise of technology and the Internet, shopping has taken on another form, i.e. online shopping!
From our computer screens, we go “window” shopping at those big online stores like eBay, Qoo10, Lazada, Redmart, and even if we don’t know Chinese we would have heard of Taobao.
Even though we are seated comfortably and just moving the cursor, we can literally shop till we drop. It’s almost like, if you can name it, then you can find it, and buy it.
Online shopping is getting so popular that when we want to buy something, we go online because it is cheaper and better still if it’s free shipping.
And some people can be so into online shopping that even a prayer has emerged out of it: Dear Lord. Please don’t let my husband be at home when all my online orders arrive. Amen.
The only issue with online shopping is what we see and what we order, may not be what we get. And that’s when disappointment and frustration sets in.
So nothing is as certain as what we see is what we get when we get to touch and feel it, along with all that interaction of bargaining and choosing.
Now we do not know what kind of shopping profile each of the apostles have. But most probably Thomas, called the twin, is not likely an online shopper.
Because even when the other disciples told him that they have seen the Lord, he answered: Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands, and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.
Thomas was not going to believe so easily what the disciples say about having seen the Lord. He himself wants to see the Risen Jesus, and not just see, but to touch, and to even touch those wounds.
To say the least, he could have been very disappointed. He had placed his hopes and dreams on Jesus and it come down, crumbling and crashing at the crucifixion. He lost it all.
Maybe that was why he was not there when Jesus first appeared to His disciples.
He wanted to be left alone and to get up and move on. He didn’t want to be disappointed again. And since the disciples told him that Jesus is risen and is alive, then he wanted to put the Risen Lord to the reality test. So it’s not just seeing, but touching, and touching and feeling those gaping wounds.
In a much lesser way, that is also a bit like our experience of online shopping isn’t it?
What we see on our computer screen excites us so much that we proceed to place an order. Our hopes and dreams begin to build on what we read about what we have ordered.
And then the disappointments come one by one. The shipping is delayed. The wrong item comes in. Or the size is wrong, the colour is not quite like what we saw, or wrong specs, or wrong this and wrong that.
In our frustration and disappointment, we would let fly some scorching reviews and write off online shopping, and go back to the old ways that we are familiar with and certain about.
It is not likely that the online seller would go out of his way to appease us by unconditional exchange of goods or quickly refund our money in order try to restore our faith in online shopping.
And here is where the difference lies. Jesus rose from the dead, He came back to His disciples to restore their faith, He came back again just for Thomas to lift him from his disappointment and even granted his request by letting him touch His wounds.
And that is the love and mercy of the Risen Jesus, the mercy that we celebrate on this Divine Mercy Sunday.
His glorious Resurrection is expressed tenderly in His love and mercy for His disciples and especially for Thomas.
And that love and mercy is also shown to us through His wounds.
Because in those wounds of Jesus, we can also see our own wounds – wounds of disappointment, hurt, shame, rejection, frustration, envy, jealousy.
His wounds are the marks of His suffering in order to save us. By His wounds we are healed.
We look at the wounds of Jesus and the life-size statue of Jesus at the entrance shows us the wounds of His hands.
Through those wounds, Jesus is offering us mercy and healing.
Yes, as we look at those wounds, we may also want to touch those wounds and with St. Thomas we too say “My Lord and my God”.
Jesus came to heal Thomas; He comes now to heal our wounds. Let us show Him our wounds and let Him touch it, and we will be forgiven and healed.
Sunday, April 16, 2017
Easter Sunday, Year A, 16.04.2017
Acts 10:34, 37-43 / Col 3:1-4 / John 20:1-9
This weekend is certainly not an ordinary weekend. Besides being a long weekend with Friday being a holiday, some of us have been coming to church every day since Thursday. So we can say that this weekend is a very spiritual weekend, a very churchy weekend.
For instance, there is the new Church of the Transfiguration which had its first Mass on Thursday, there were priests washing the feet of parishioners, people coming to church on a public holiday although it was raining heavily.
But as much as it is a spiritual weekend and a rather solemn weekend, there are some people who can see the lighter side of things.
Someone thought up of a conversation between Pontius Pilate and Joseph of Arimathea.
Pilate: Joseph, I don’t understand. You’re one of the richest man in the region. You have made this brand new tomb for yourself, and now you are going to let Jesus be buried in it. I don’t understand.
Joseph of Arimathea: Oh come on, Pilate. He is just going to be in there for the weekend.
So the word “weekend” now has another shade of meaning. And more than that, the word “tomb” now also has another shade of meaning.
As we look at the gospel accounts over this weekend, we heard of women going to the tomb where Jesus was buried, and then there was an earthquake and an angel came and rolled away the stone and sat on it.
The impression that the women had was that someone had taken the body of Jesus out of the tomb.
And just when the women were wondering what had happened, Jesus appeared to them. Yes, Jesus is alive! Or to be more exact, Jesus rose from the dead.
The tomb was just His weekend resting place, and it is now an empty tomb with the stone rolled away. Yes, Jesus had died but now He is risen! And it is for us to believe in it.
This weekend is not an ordinary weekend for 16 people in our parish. This evening they are here among us dressed in white, looking like the angel who rolled away the stone.
They are going to profess their faith in God and they are going to do it in our presence and then they will receive the Sacrament of Baptism.
For nine months, they have taken the journey of faith and they have “seen” Jesus.
They don’t have the feet of Jesus to clasp but we will have to offer our hands and our hearts to them to help them continue their journey so that together we will experience the Risen Christ and grow in faith.
That is our commitment to them as we ourselves renew our baptismal promises.
And that is also our commitment to Jesus as we renew our baptismal promises.
The stone covering the tomb of sin and death is once again removed so that the Risen Christ can bring us forgiveness and healing.
The Risen Christ wants to empower us to go forth and remove the stones covering the tomb of sin and death so that the light of the Risen Christ can shine in and bring about new life for those who are searching for the truth and the real meaning of life.
This weekend is certainly not an ordinary weekend. It is a weekend of faith, hope and love.
It is with faith, hope and love that the stones of sin and evil, the stones of selfishness and greed, the stones of doubt and pessimism will be removed.
Yes, there are stones to be removed. And the Risen Christ is sending us out to do that.
That is what the profession of faith and the renewal of baptismal promises are about.
And it is not just for this weekend. It will be for every day.
This weekend is certainly not an ordinary weekend. Besides being a long weekend with Friday being a holiday, some of us have been coming to church every day since Thursday. So we can say that this weekend is a very spiritual weekend, a very churchy weekend.
For instance, there is the new Church of the Transfiguration which had its first Mass on Thursday, there were priests washing the feet of parishioners, people coming to church on a public holiday although it was raining heavily.
But as much as it is a spiritual weekend and a rather solemn weekend, there are some people who can see the lighter side of things.
Someone thought up of a conversation between Pontius Pilate and Joseph of Arimathea.
Pilate: Joseph, I don’t understand. You’re one of the richest man in the region. You have made this brand new tomb for yourself, and now you are going to let Jesus be buried in it. I don’t understand.
Joseph of Arimathea: Oh come on, Pilate. He is just going to be in there for the weekend.
So the word “weekend” now has another shade of meaning. And more than that, the word “tomb” now also has another shade of meaning.
As we look at the gospel accounts over this weekend, we heard of women going to the tomb where Jesus was buried, and then there was an earthquake and an angel came and rolled away the stone and sat on it.
The impression that the women had was that someone had taken the body of Jesus out of the tomb.
And just when the women were wondering what had happened, Jesus appeared to them. Yes, Jesus is alive! Or to be more exact, Jesus rose from the dead.
The tomb was just His weekend resting place, and it is now an empty tomb with the stone rolled away. Yes, Jesus had died but now He is risen! And it is for us to believe in it.
This weekend is not an ordinary weekend for 16 people in our parish. This evening they are here among us dressed in white, looking like the angel who rolled away the stone.
They are going to profess their faith in God and they are going to do it in our presence and then they will receive the Sacrament of Baptism.
For nine months, they have taken the journey of faith and they have “seen” Jesus.
They don’t have the feet of Jesus to clasp but we will have to offer our hands and our hearts to them to help them continue their journey so that together we will experience the Risen Christ and grow in faith.
That is our commitment to them as we ourselves renew our baptismal promises.
And that is also our commitment to Jesus as we renew our baptismal promises.
The stone covering the tomb of sin and death is once again removed so that the Risen Christ can bring us forgiveness and healing.
The Risen Christ wants to empower us to go forth and remove the stones covering the tomb of sin and death so that the light of the Risen Christ can shine in and bring about new life for those who are searching for the truth and the real meaning of life.
This weekend is certainly not an ordinary weekend. It is a weekend of faith, hope and love.
It is with faith, hope and love that the stones of sin and evil, the stones of selfishness and greed, the stones of doubt and pessimism will be removed.
Yes, there are stones to be removed. And the Risen Christ is sending us out to do that.
That is what the profession of faith and the renewal of baptismal promises are about.
And it is not just for this weekend. It will be for every day.
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Palm Sunday, Year A, 09.04.2017
Isaiah 50:4-7 / Philippians 2:6-11 / Matthew 26:14 – 27:66
At the beginning of today’s Mass, we were given palm branches, which were blessed and we waved it to commemorate the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem.
But these palm branches are not some kind of door gift or freebie that the church gives out once a year.
In fact they are “loaned” to us because a year later we will collect them back to be burnt and used for ashes on Ash Wednesday.
We bring them back and place it in a prominent place at home or at the workplace or in the car.
It is a sign of our welcoming Jesus into the areas of our lives where we live out our faith.
These sturdy and spiky palm branches remind us to be firm and sturdy in our faith just as Jesus remained sturdy and firm in His Passion because of His love for us.
And those spiky needles of the palm branches reminds us that life has its painful moments and there will be times when like Jesus we will cry out: My God, my God, why have you deserted me.
But God will never desert us. Jesus suffered and died. But He rose from the dead. So let us stay close to Jesus and we too will rise from our pain and sufferings. When we do, then we will wave these spiky palm branches joyfully.
At the beginning of today’s Mass, we were given palm branches, which were blessed and we waved it to commemorate the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem.
But these palm branches are not some kind of door gift or freebie that the church gives out once a year.
In fact they are “loaned” to us because a year later we will collect them back to be burnt and used for ashes on Ash Wednesday.
We bring them back and place it in a prominent place at home or at the workplace or in the car.
It is a sign of our welcoming Jesus into the areas of our lives where we live out our faith.
These sturdy and spiky palm branches remind us to be firm and sturdy in our faith just as Jesus remained sturdy and firm in His Passion because of His love for us.
And those spiky needles of the palm branches reminds us that life has its painful moments and there will be times when like Jesus we will cry out: My God, my God, why have you deserted me.
But God will never desert us. Jesus suffered and died. But He rose from the dead. So let us stay close to Jesus and we too will rise from our pain and sufferings. When we do, then we will wave these spiky palm branches joyfully.
Saturday, April 1, 2017
5th Sunday of Lent, Year A, 02.04.2017
Ezekiel 37:12-14 / Romans 8:8-11 / John 11:1-45
In life there are many decisions to make. And when it comes to making a decision, there are at least two choices.
A decision between two choices can be, for example, as simple (or as difficult) as to whether to come to Church or not. Your presence here already says what your choice is.
Also the more the choices, the more difficult the decision will be. For example, going to a food court with its great varieties of food, we can spend more time deciding what to eat than eating. But as it is, having to decide between two choices can be difficult enough.
At this point in time, a particular group of people is going to make a decision about their future, and perhaps it is a decision about their eternal future.
They are the Elects of the RCIA, and there are 16 of them in our parish.
By now, they should have made their decision about baptism, which is just two weeks away. But it cannot be denied that there can be doubts and uncertainties.
I remember this man who was in the RCIA and coming towards baptism.
Although he has acquired much knowledge about the faith, he has not quite reached a conviction about Jesus and so he was hesitant about baptism.
He consulted me about this and I told him to ask Jesus for a sign.
He asked me what kind of sign should he ask for, and how would he know if it is from Jesus. I could only tell him that when Jesus gives the sign, he will know. He ended off by saying that it would be difficult to believe if he can’t “see” the sign.
About two weeks later, he came back and told me that he had seen the sign, and of course I asked him what it was.
First, it was an email that he opened when he got back to the office after talking with me. As he read the email, and as he came to the end, the sender signed off and then below the name was this scripture verse: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”
He stared at the verse and the verse also stared at him. He went on to read the other emails, but he just can’t get that verse out of his mind.
A few days later, he accompanied his wife to the shopping mall, and as his wife did her shopping, he wandered around and he came to a Christian bookshop. And there on the display window was this painting of the Risen Christ with St. Thomas putting his hand into the wound of the side of the Risen Christ. And below the painting was this scripture verse: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” It was like a thunderbolt in his heart and he stood there like almost frozen.
And two signs were enough for him to make his decision about baptism and come to a conviction about Jesus.
Yes, we have to make decisions in life, and it is not so simple as coming to a decision with the toss of a coin.
Because we are unsure and uncertain of what will be the consequences of our decision. And as a people of faith, we have to turn to God and ask for His help so that we can make a decision that we are at peace with, and that it will also give glory to God.
In the gospel, we heard of Jesus making a rather intriguing decision when He heard that Lazarus was ill. Instead of hurrying over to see him, Jesus stayed where He was for another two days.
And Jesus made an equally intriguing statement when He said: This illness will not end in death but in God’s glory, and through it, the Son of God will be glorified.
The sign that Jesus gave to prove that what He said is true is when He called Lazarus out of the tomb.
The raising of Lazarus was indeed a profound sign that points to who Jesus is and many who had seen what He did believed in Him.
And Jesus will also give us the signs to help us make our decisions.
Because the sign will give glory to God and also for us to come to a deeper faith in God.
And of course, the signs help us to make our decision about our immediate future as well as for our eternal future.
In about three weeks’ time, there will be a major shuffle in our Archdiocese as a number of priests take up their new postings.
One of those priests was sharing with me about that day when the Archbishop called him and asked him to take up the post of parish priest in another parish.
He was stunned as he did not expect this, and he was also quite happy being an assistant priest. He told the Archbishop that he need some time to consider it and then he started to think of how to decline the offer and he spent the whole day thinking.
Then the next day, as he was preparing for Mass, and as he looked at the gospel, it had to be that gospel passage where Jesus said: Why do you call me “Lord, Lord” and not do what I tell you?
What clearer sign can there be, and so he said “Yes” to the Archbishop. He had to come out of his own interest so that he can say “Yes” to God.
But like Lazarus, it was like coming out of the tomb and into a new life.
Today we hear Jesus calling out to us: Come out. He is calling us to come out of our tombs of anger, resentment, failure, disappointment, in a word, the tomb of sin and death.
Jesus is calling us to come out of our tombs and to come out to life and to give glory to God.
And if we are still hesitant and uncertain, then let us ask Jesus for a sign, and Jesus will give us that sign, and it will be an unmistakable sign.
And with that unmistakable sign, we must make a decision to say “Yes” to Jesus and “Yes” to life.
In life there are many decisions to make. And when it comes to making a decision, there are at least two choices.
A decision between two choices can be, for example, as simple (or as difficult) as to whether to come to Church or not. Your presence here already says what your choice is.
Also the more the choices, the more difficult the decision will be. For example, going to a food court with its great varieties of food, we can spend more time deciding what to eat than eating. But as it is, having to decide between two choices can be difficult enough.
At this point in time, a particular group of people is going to make a decision about their future, and perhaps it is a decision about their eternal future.
They are the Elects of the RCIA, and there are 16 of them in our parish.
By now, they should have made their decision about baptism, which is just two weeks away. But it cannot be denied that there can be doubts and uncertainties.
I remember this man who was in the RCIA and coming towards baptism.
Although he has acquired much knowledge about the faith, he has not quite reached a conviction about Jesus and so he was hesitant about baptism.
He consulted me about this and I told him to ask Jesus for a sign.
He asked me what kind of sign should he ask for, and how would he know if it is from Jesus. I could only tell him that when Jesus gives the sign, he will know. He ended off by saying that it would be difficult to believe if he can’t “see” the sign.
About two weeks later, he came back and told me that he had seen the sign, and of course I asked him what it was.
First, it was an email that he opened when he got back to the office after talking with me. As he read the email, and as he came to the end, the sender signed off and then below the name was this scripture verse: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”
He stared at the verse and the verse also stared at him. He went on to read the other emails, but he just can’t get that verse out of his mind.
A few days later, he accompanied his wife to the shopping mall, and as his wife did her shopping, he wandered around and he came to a Christian bookshop. And there on the display window was this painting of the Risen Christ with St. Thomas putting his hand into the wound of the side of the Risen Christ. And below the painting was this scripture verse: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” It was like a thunderbolt in his heart and he stood there like almost frozen.
And two signs were enough for him to make his decision about baptism and come to a conviction about Jesus.
Yes, we have to make decisions in life, and it is not so simple as coming to a decision with the toss of a coin.
Because we are unsure and uncertain of what will be the consequences of our decision. And as a people of faith, we have to turn to God and ask for His help so that we can make a decision that we are at peace with, and that it will also give glory to God.
In the gospel, we heard of Jesus making a rather intriguing decision when He heard that Lazarus was ill. Instead of hurrying over to see him, Jesus stayed where He was for another two days.
And Jesus made an equally intriguing statement when He said: This illness will not end in death but in God’s glory, and through it, the Son of God will be glorified.
The sign that Jesus gave to prove that what He said is true is when He called Lazarus out of the tomb.
The raising of Lazarus was indeed a profound sign that points to who Jesus is and many who had seen what He did believed in Him.
And Jesus will also give us the signs to help us make our decisions.
Because the sign will give glory to God and also for us to come to a deeper faith in God.
And of course, the signs help us to make our decision about our immediate future as well as for our eternal future.
In about three weeks’ time, there will be a major shuffle in our Archdiocese as a number of priests take up their new postings.
One of those priests was sharing with me about that day when the Archbishop called him and asked him to take up the post of parish priest in another parish.
He was stunned as he did not expect this, and he was also quite happy being an assistant priest. He told the Archbishop that he need some time to consider it and then he started to think of how to decline the offer and he spent the whole day thinking.
Then the next day, as he was preparing for Mass, and as he looked at the gospel, it had to be that gospel passage where Jesus said: Why do you call me “Lord, Lord” and not do what I tell you?
What clearer sign can there be, and so he said “Yes” to the Archbishop. He had to come out of his own interest so that he can say “Yes” to God.
But like Lazarus, it was like coming out of the tomb and into a new life.
Today we hear Jesus calling out to us: Come out. He is calling us to come out of our tombs of anger, resentment, failure, disappointment, in a word, the tomb of sin and death.
Jesus is calling us to come out of our tombs and to come out to life and to give glory to God.
And if we are still hesitant and uncertain, then let us ask Jesus for a sign, and Jesus will give us that sign, and it will be an unmistakable sign.
And with that unmistakable sign, we must make a decision to say “Yes” to Jesus and “Yes” to life.
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