Acts 9:26-31 / 1 John 3:18-24 / John 15:1-8
The month of April is coming to an end, and we are looking forward to the month of May. Because in the month of May there are two public holidays.
The 1st May is Labour Day and then on the 29th May is Vesak Day. So there is a public holiday at the beginning of May and another public holiday at the end of May. How nice if every month is like that huh.
So on Labour Day, the economic and social achievements of workers are acknowledged and celebrated, and the rights of workers are highlighted. Most offices and factories will also be closed.
Except of course the essential services won’t be closed. Certain things will have to keep going – buses and trains will be running; public utilities like water and electricity won’t be shut down; the rubbish will be collected and cleared.
And in Singapore, shopping malls and restaurants won’t be closed, because in Singapore, shopping and eating are essential, maybe even critical, especially on public holidays. If there is nowhere to shop and nowhere to eat, there might be a riot!
And of course, the Church won’t be closed and the priests will be working even on public holidays. Because the Church provides an essential service – the Mass. Actually it is a divine service. So for our parish, even on public holidays, it is services as usual – Mass in the morning and in the evening, and we are open all day.
Yes, the Church is always open, not just on Saturdays and Sundays, but everyday, even on public holidays. Because the Church must provide this essential and divine service of being the House of God. The Church is the “Home” of God, where we come and be re-connected with God.
In the gospel, Jesus used an image to express this essential connection which may be familiar to us. He said that He is the vine and we are the branches. We may be familiar with that as we look at a bunch of grapes and we can see how closely the grapes are connected to the stem.
But Jesus also gave us an image which is immediately familiar and clear to us as He says: Make your home in Me, as I make Mine in you.
The image of home gives us the idea of a place where we must go back to, no matter how far we have gone.
It is a place of comfort, of belonging, a place where we can be at rest from the noisy and busy world.
It is a place where we re-connect with our loved ones and have a sense of security.
It is a place where we can be ourselves and at the same time we learn to be more than ourselves, and that’s why it is said that “charity begins at home”.
Yes, it is at home that we learn to be charitable, to be patient and compassionate, to be loving and forgiving, so that even outside of home, we will bring along those “home” values and share them with others.
Even though no home is perfect, yet we strive to make our home as peaceful and as happy as we can.
Similarly, the House of God, the Church, is our spiritual home. We can’t say that our Church is perfect as somethings do irritate us – the sound system gets cranky, the air con is too cold, the car-park gantry doesn’t respond, the pews are too narrow, and whatever.
Those things can be irritating, like mosquitoes and flies are irritating. But that shouldn’t irritate us or make us become irritating to others.
Because what unites us is so much greater than what irritates us. And as we come home to the House of God, we are re-connected with Jesus and it is His love that flows in us and through us as we connect and unite ourselves as brothers and sisters in Jesus.
And that’s why Jesus said that He is the vine and we are the branches. And not only that, our mission is to bear fruit, and one of which is to bring others to our spiritual home so that they can come to know Jesus and to be connected with Him.
And so despite the imperfections and irritations, we are still proud of our spiritual home and we want to bring others to our spiritual home and introduce them to Jesus.
Well the next RCIA journey will begin on the 9th July. The RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is where non-Catholics come to know about the Christian faith, and to know more about Jesus and the Church.
We may not be a happening church or a well-known church. In fact we are just a quaint little church tucked away in a quiet corner of the busy Orchard Road area. Some may not know the church exist, or know where the church is.
Yet the intake for the last three RCIA journeys are modest and encouraging enough. Even though the other bigger and better known churches start their RCIA journey about the same time, we just have to wait and see who will come.
But more than just wait and see, if we are proud of our little and simple church, then we would want to bring our non-Catholic friends to the RCIA and also journey with them as they come to know more about Jesus.
More importantly, we want to help them to find their home in Jesus and for Jesus to make His home in them.
That is the fruit that we are called to bear. That also means that we ourselves have found our home in Jesus, and that when we come to church, we have come “home” to God’s House, and that we are re-connected with Jesus and draw from Him love, peace and joy.
Yes, the fruit that we are called to bear is to tell others about Jesus and about our spiritual home that we have found.
When they respond, we must also journey with them and to help them find their way home.
Yes, Jesus is waiting for them, everyday, including public holidays. So let us get on working. We want to bear fruit and bring others home to Jesus. Because coming home to Jesus is really where we want to be.
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Saturday, April 21, 2018
4th Sunday of Easter, Year B, 22.04.2018
Acts 4:8-12 / 1 John 3:1-2 / John 10:11-18
We may recall that this year, Ash Wednesday fell on a particular day – 14th Feb – which is also popularly known as Valentine’s Day. So for Catholics who have to observe that obligatory day of fasting and yet wanted to celebrate Valentine’s Day with their loved ones, they could have a special romantic candle-light dinner with bread and water. Well, it’s not that often that Ash Wed falls on Valentine’s Day.
Also we may recall that Easter Sunday fell on the 1st April, which for the secular world is a day of jokes and pranks as they call it April’s Fool’s Day.
So it seems like for this year, God had a sense of humour – Ash Wed falls on Valentine’s Day and Easter Sunday on April Fool’s Day.
But for the Church in Singapore, 14th Feb is a significant day because it is the anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral. So this year, the Cathedral did not celebrate the anniversary of its dedication because of Ash Wed. But because the Cathedral is dedicated to the Good Shepherd, then it would be celebrating its feast-day today, since this Sunday is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday.
The Cathedral was dedicated to the Good Shepherd because in the early days after Singapore was founded, a priest, Fr. Laurent Imbert, stopped over in Singapore and he could well be the first priest to celebrate Mass on this island.
Later, he secretly joined the other missionaries in Korea, which at that time was persecuting Christians. When the persecutors were closing him on him, he wrote that famous letter to his fellow missionaries, saying that “the good shepherd is the one who lays down his life for his sheep”. He hoped that by surrendering himself, the authorities would spare the lives of the other Catholics. Subsequently, he was tortured and beheaded.
Back in Singapore, when the building of the Cathedral was completed and to be dedicated, news of Fr. Imbert’s death was known, and so were the contents of his letter. It was then decided that the Cathedral was to be dedicated to the Good Shepherd, in memory of Fr. Laurent Imbert.
Last year, when the Cathedral was re-dedicated after extensive renovations, the relic of St. Laurent Imbert was also interred into the altar of the Cathedral. And with that, the connection between the Cathedral and the man whose letter inspired the name of the Cathedral came to a full circle. St. Laurent Imbert not only knew the Good Shepherd, but like the Good Shepherd, he also laid down his life for his sheep.
Today, as we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, we hear once again what Jesus says of Himself – I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep.
And on Good Shepherd Sunday, the Church also highlights the promotion of vocations to the priesthood. The Church echoes the voice of her Good Shepherd in calling out to those who hear His voice to follow Him and to lay down their lives in service for God and for His people.
But with the drastic drop of the number of vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life as well, we may wonder if the Good Shepherd has stopped calling. So has Jesus stopped calling? Or have we stopped listening?
The fact that the Church is called to be the sign of salvation means that God will always provide for the Church. In every age and from one generation to the next, God will always call out to those whom He has chosen to be priests to serve as shepherds of God’s flock.
But to lay down one’s life in service of others calls for sacrifice. When it comes to making the sacrifice, the tendency is that we expect others to make the sacrifice, but not us.
The voice of the world says that sacrifice is for losers. The world wants to be served and not to serve.
But the voice of Jesus tells us that He came to serve and not to be served and to even lay down His life as a ransom for many.
So it can be said that the salvation of many depends on the sacrifices of a few, those few that are called and chosen.
And we have seen these few, and we may even know some of these few.
Bro. Simon Ho, who is one of our parishioners, is now in his 4th year of formation in the Major Seminary. He gave up a promising teaching profession to answer the call of the Good Shepherd. We pray that he will persevere and that one day we will be able to see his ordination.
Fr. Michaelraj left his native diocese in India to serve in Singapore, which is a new and challenging environment for him. But he has done well and we pray that he will be blessed for answering the call of the Good Shepherd and that he will be a blessing for us too.
And Fr. Paul Tong, at 91 years-old, is still actually in active service and not retired, as some might think he is. For him there is no retirement or finishing line when it comes to laying down his life in service of God and His people.
So we priests and seminarians ask for your prayers that we will continue to serve you with the love of the Good Shepherd.
And we pray for you too, that if God calls you, or calls your son to serve in the priesthood, you too will make that sacrifice.
Only a few are called and chosen, and when those few make the sacrifice to lay down their lives in love and service, then many will be blessed, and many will be saved.
We may recall that this year, Ash Wednesday fell on a particular day – 14th Feb – which is also popularly known as Valentine’s Day. So for Catholics who have to observe that obligatory day of fasting and yet wanted to celebrate Valentine’s Day with their loved ones, they could have a special romantic candle-light dinner with bread and water. Well, it’s not that often that Ash Wed falls on Valentine’s Day.
Also we may recall that Easter Sunday fell on the 1st April, which for the secular world is a day of jokes and pranks as they call it April’s Fool’s Day.
So it seems like for this year, God had a sense of humour – Ash Wed falls on Valentine’s Day and Easter Sunday on April Fool’s Day.
But for the Church in Singapore, 14th Feb is a significant day because it is the anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral. So this year, the Cathedral did not celebrate the anniversary of its dedication because of Ash Wed. But because the Cathedral is dedicated to the Good Shepherd, then it would be celebrating its feast-day today, since this Sunday is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday.
The Cathedral was dedicated to the Good Shepherd because in the early days after Singapore was founded, a priest, Fr. Laurent Imbert, stopped over in Singapore and he could well be the first priest to celebrate Mass on this island.
Later, he secretly joined the other missionaries in Korea, which at that time was persecuting Christians. When the persecutors were closing him on him, he wrote that famous letter to his fellow missionaries, saying that “the good shepherd is the one who lays down his life for his sheep”. He hoped that by surrendering himself, the authorities would spare the lives of the other Catholics. Subsequently, he was tortured and beheaded.
Back in Singapore, when the building of the Cathedral was completed and to be dedicated, news of Fr. Imbert’s death was known, and so were the contents of his letter. It was then decided that the Cathedral was to be dedicated to the Good Shepherd, in memory of Fr. Laurent Imbert.
Last year, when the Cathedral was re-dedicated after extensive renovations, the relic of St. Laurent Imbert was also interred into the altar of the Cathedral. And with that, the connection between the Cathedral and the man whose letter inspired the name of the Cathedral came to a full circle. St. Laurent Imbert not only knew the Good Shepherd, but like the Good Shepherd, he also laid down his life for his sheep.
Today, as we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, we hear once again what Jesus says of Himself – I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep.
And on Good Shepherd Sunday, the Church also highlights the promotion of vocations to the priesthood. The Church echoes the voice of her Good Shepherd in calling out to those who hear His voice to follow Him and to lay down their lives in service for God and for His people.
But with the drastic drop of the number of vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life as well, we may wonder if the Good Shepherd has stopped calling. So has Jesus stopped calling? Or have we stopped listening?
The fact that the Church is called to be the sign of salvation means that God will always provide for the Church. In every age and from one generation to the next, God will always call out to those whom He has chosen to be priests to serve as shepherds of God’s flock.
But to lay down one’s life in service of others calls for sacrifice. When it comes to making the sacrifice, the tendency is that we expect others to make the sacrifice, but not us.
The voice of the world says that sacrifice is for losers. The world wants to be served and not to serve.
But the voice of Jesus tells us that He came to serve and not to be served and to even lay down His life as a ransom for many.
So it can be said that the salvation of many depends on the sacrifices of a few, those few that are called and chosen.
And we have seen these few, and we may even know some of these few.
Bro. Simon Ho, who is one of our parishioners, is now in his 4th year of formation in the Major Seminary. He gave up a promising teaching profession to answer the call of the Good Shepherd. We pray that he will persevere and that one day we will be able to see his ordination.
Fr. Michaelraj left his native diocese in India to serve in Singapore, which is a new and challenging environment for him. But he has done well and we pray that he will be blessed for answering the call of the Good Shepherd and that he will be a blessing for us too.
And Fr. Paul Tong, at 91 years-old, is still actually in active service and not retired, as some might think he is. For him there is no retirement or finishing line when it comes to laying down his life in service of God and His people.
So we priests and seminarians ask for your prayers that we will continue to serve you with the love of the Good Shepherd.And we pray for you too, that if God calls you, or calls your son to serve in the priesthood, you too will make that sacrifice.
Only a few are called and chosen, and when those few make the sacrifice to lay down their lives in love and service, then many will be blessed, and many will be saved.
Saturday, April 14, 2018
3rd Sunday of Easter, Year B, 15.04.2018
Acts 3:13-15, 17-19 / 1 John 2:1-5 / John 24:35-48
Back in the past, in the so-called “good-old-days” one of the activities of the priest was to do home-visits. And because communication back then wasn’t that developed (not every house has a telephone), those home-visits can be surprise-calls. But the surprise can go both ways. It could be a surprise for the family, or it could be a surprise for the priest.
One senior priest, who was from those “good-old-days” was relating how he had to wait outside the main door for 15 min because the family was scrambling to tidy up the house and to get properly dressed.
Those were the “good-old-days”. Now if a priest wants to do home-visits, he has to call and make an appointment with the family, and it can be quite inconvenient for the family – not all are at home, they have to tidy up the house, they have to be properly dressed, etc. So now it’s like: Father, don’t call me, I will call you, if I want you to visit me.
So people will call the priest only when he is needed, e.g. for house-blessing. And talking about house-blessing, this week I had four house-blessings. The reasons for the house-blessing range from wanting the new house to be blessed to strange happenings in the house.
Especially when people think that there are “ghosts” lurking or hiding somewhere in the house. Not everybody believes in ghosts, but everybody seems to be afraid of them. Also during the day, not everybody believes in ghosts, but at night they are more open-minded.
There is a saying “when one door closes, another door opens”; that is of course a figure of speech. But in reality, if one door closes and another door opens by itself, then it’s time to do something, like call for the priest.
Yes, the supernatural or the unexplainable, can make our hair stand and we feel a chill. Whatever it is, we don’t welcome these encounters and it’s best that we don’t have these encounters at all.
Today’s gospel gives an account of an encounter that the disciples had. Two disciples came and told the rest of the disciples what sounded like some kind of ghost story, that they had seen Jesus, who was crucified, died and was buried.
What a story to tell the disciples when they were all hiding in a locked room for fear of the Jews. And while they were talking about all this, Jesus came and stood among them. In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost!
And what a situation to be in. They can’t run outside and shout “Ghost! Ghost!” because they will be caught. So there is no choice other than to face this Jesus, whom they thought has come back as a ghost to haunt them for deserting Him during His suffering. That’s quite similar to what most ghost stories are made of.
But that’s also where the “ghost story” ends, when Jesus said to them, “Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts rising in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet; yes, it is I indeed. Touch me and see for yourselves. A ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.”
Although they couldn’t quite believe it and stood there dumbfounded, yet they were also relieved. What Jesus said to them calmed their fears.
Jesus did not come to haunt them or to settle scores for deserting Him. Although forgiveness was not mentioned, it was understood.
Only when they have calmed down, then they understood those first words of Jesus “Peace be with you.” Only when their hearts were at peace then their minds could be opened to understand the scriptures that spoke of Jesus who would suffer, die and rise from the dead. Jesus is certainly not a ghost!
Whatever our opinion of ghosts may be, the ghosts that often haunt us are the ghosts of our own making. We create these ghosts when we sin, because it is the ghost of our sins that come and haunt us.
For the disciples, their desertion of Jesus in His suffering and death made them think they were seeing a ghost when He appeared to them. But it was their sin that was haunting them.
As for us, we will recall our wrong-doing and how we have sinned against others. Hurting someone can be as easy as throwing a stone into the sea. But we may or may not have an idea of how deep that stone went into the heart of that person.
It may be our parents whom we have neglected or was unkind to when they were alive. Now that they are gone, all the flowers that we put at their niche or tombs would not appease our regrets.
Or the person that we have cheated in a relationship. Seeing that person brings out the ghost of the past and we feel how deep the stone has gone into the heart of that person.
Or how we have schemed to sabotage a person. Our misdeeds haunt us as we think of the revenge that will be taken against us if we are found out.
Yes, the ghost of our sins comes to haunt us even in the daylight and we live in the darkness of regret, anxiety and fear.
But today we hear the words of consolation “Peace be with you”. Jesus wants to forgive us but at the same time we must also pray for forgiveness and to seek forgiveness from the ones we have hurt and done wrong to.
That is what repentance for the forgiveness of sins is about.
It is not easy to embark on repentance for the forgiveness of sins, but it is not impossible. With Jesus nothing is impossible. He came to bring us to repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
He wants to free us from the anxiety and fear of being haunted by the ghost of our sins.
Repentance for the forgiveness of sins is necessary for true peace in our hearts. When there is peace in our hearts, there will be no ghosts to fear.
Back in the past, in the so-called “good-old-days” one of the activities of the priest was to do home-visits. And because communication back then wasn’t that developed (not every house has a telephone), those home-visits can be surprise-calls. But the surprise can go both ways. It could be a surprise for the family, or it could be a surprise for the priest.
One senior priest, who was from those “good-old-days” was relating how he had to wait outside the main door for 15 min because the family was scrambling to tidy up the house and to get properly dressed.
Those were the “good-old-days”. Now if a priest wants to do home-visits, he has to call and make an appointment with the family, and it can be quite inconvenient for the family – not all are at home, they have to tidy up the house, they have to be properly dressed, etc. So now it’s like: Father, don’t call me, I will call you, if I want you to visit me.
So people will call the priest only when he is needed, e.g. for house-blessing. And talking about house-blessing, this week I had four house-blessings. The reasons for the house-blessing range from wanting the new house to be blessed to strange happenings in the house.
Especially when people think that there are “ghosts” lurking or hiding somewhere in the house. Not everybody believes in ghosts, but everybody seems to be afraid of them. Also during the day, not everybody believes in ghosts, but at night they are more open-minded.
There is a saying “when one door closes, another door opens”; that is of course a figure of speech. But in reality, if one door closes and another door opens by itself, then it’s time to do something, like call for the priest.
Yes, the supernatural or the unexplainable, can make our hair stand and we feel a chill. Whatever it is, we don’t welcome these encounters and it’s best that we don’t have these encounters at all.
Today’s gospel gives an account of an encounter that the disciples had. Two disciples came and told the rest of the disciples what sounded like some kind of ghost story, that they had seen Jesus, who was crucified, died and was buried.
What a story to tell the disciples when they were all hiding in a locked room for fear of the Jews. And while they were talking about all this, Jesus came and stood among them. In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost!
And what a situation to be in. They can’t run outside and shout “Ghost! Ghost!” because they will be caught. So there is no choice other than to face this Jesus, whom they thought has come back as a ghost to haunt them for deserting Him during His suffering. That’s quite similar to what most ghost stories are made of.
But that’s also where the “ghost story” ends, when Jesus said to them, “Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts rising in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet; yes, it is I indeed. Touch me and see for yourselves. A ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.”
Although they couldn’t quite believe it and stood there dumbfounded, yet they were also relieved. What Jesus said to them calmed their fears.
Jesus did not come to haunt them or to settle scores for deserting Him. Although forgiveness was not mentioned, it was understood.
Only when they have calmed down, then they understood those first words of Jesus “Peace be with you.” Only when their hearts were at peace then their minds could be opened to understand the scriptures that spoke of Jesus who would suffer, die and rise from the dead. Jesus is certainly not a ghost!
Whatever our opinion of ghosts may be, the ghosts that often haunt us are the ghosts of our own making. We create these ghosts when we sin, because it is the ghost of our sins that come and haunt us.
For the disciples, their desertion of Jesus in His suffering and death made them think they were seeing a ghost when He appeared to them. But it was their sin that was haunting them.
As for us, we will recall our wrong-doing and how we have sinned against others. Hurting someone can be as easy as throwing a stone into the sea. But we may or may not have an idea of how deep that stone went into the heart of that person.
It may be our parents whom we have neglected or was unkind to when they were alive. Now that they are gone, all the flowers that we put at their niche or tombs would not appease our regrets.
Or the person that we have cheated in a relationship. Seeing that person brings out the ghost of the past and we feel how deep the stone has gone into the heart of that person.
Or how we have schemed to sabotage a person. Our misdeeds haunt us as we think of the revenge that will be taken against us if we are found out.
Yes, the ghost of our sins comes to haunt us even in the daylight and we live in the darkness of regret, anxiety and fear.
But today we hear the words of consolation “Peace be with you”. Jesus wants to forgive us but at the same time we must also pray for forgiveness and to seek forgiveness from the ones we have hurt and done wrong to.
That is what repentance for the forgiveness of sins is about.
It is not easy to embark on repentance for the forgiveness of sins, but it is not impossible. With Jesus nothing is impossible. He came to bring us to repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
He wants to free us from the anxiety and fear of being haunted by the ghost of our sins.
Repentance for the forgiveness of sins is necessary for true peace in our hearts. When there is peace in our hearts, there will be no ghosts to fear.
Saturday, April 7, 2018
2nd Sunday of Easter, Year B, 08.04.2018
Acts 4:32-35 / 1 John 5:1-6 / John 20:19-31
Generally speaking, a person has five senses – the sense of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and the sense of touch. All these senses are important as they send signals to the brain so that we can respond to what our senses are telling us. There is also the “sixth sense” but that is beyond the scope of science.
Of these five senses, the seeing and the hearing functions are often engaged and that’s why the audio-visual gives us a lot more information about the world around us and about our surroundings.
But with that comes the problem of fake news. Aided by social media and by computer graphics, fake news can spread like wild fire because its intent is to generate excitement and anxiety, regardless of the consequences.
For example, recently there was a video clip circulating on social media about strong tidal waves lashing out at Bedok Jetty. It looked so real, but it turned out to be fake news.
Then on Good Friday (it is said that on Good Friday it always rains around 3pm) it was reported that strong winds destroyed chicken coops in Chua Chu Kang. Singapore rarely has those kinds of strong winds, so it sounded like fake news, until it is reported in the newspapers. That was what happened on Good Friday, and it made some news.
On the religious scene, Good Friday was the day we recalled the suffering, death and burial of Jesus. Then on Easter Sunday we celebrated His Resurrection, which is often called the greatest celebration of our faith.
So we have heard about the Resurrection and we even celebrate it. But how much about the Resurrection do we actually believe in?
For Thomas, who was not there when the Risen Jesus first appeared to the disciples, he did not want to believe it. He thought that the disciples were spreading fake news.
For Thomas, hearing what the rest of the disciples say about the Risen Jesus did not convince him. He retorted with a demand: Unless I see the holes that the nails made in His hands and can put my finger into the holes, and unless I can put my hand into His side, I refuse to believe.
Thomas made such a stark demand because too much had already been demanded from him, with the result that his faith was broken. He had put his faith and hope in Jesus, and that came crashing down when he saw Jesus being crucified, died and was buried.
He was so disappointed that he didn’t even want to be with the rest of the disciples. He didn’t want to be in the misery of their company, since there was nothing to hope for and nothing to believe in anymore.
He wanted to forget about everything and move on. And then the disciples had to tell him this news of the Resurrection.
Of course he won’t believe them. For him to believe them, he stated his demands clearly. He had already been disappointed and it was painful, and he didn’t want to be disappointed again.
Eight long days had to pass before Jesus appeared to them again and this time Thomas was with the rest of the disciples.
Jesus came specially for Thomas and invited him to put his finger into the holes of His hands and to put his hand into His side. Whether Thomas actually did that or not, we are not told.
Thomas only exclaimed: My Lord and my God!
Jesus came to let Thomas touch His wounds. But actually Jesus came to touch the wounds of Thomas. Jesus came to touch his wounds of disappointment and pain, and to heal him of his grievous doubts.
It can be said that the first miracle that the Risen Jesus worked was to heal the heart of Thomas. The proof of that healing was that Thomas made that profound proclamation of faith: My Lord and my God.
Even as we hear all this, it doesn’t mean that we will have no doubts about the Resurrection of Jesus. Though we may not say that the Resurrection is fake news, we have not seen the Risen Jesus or touched His wounds.
And when the troubles and struggles of this world begin to overwhelm us, doubts will arise and shake our faith and even break our hearts.
We get angry with God for not answering our prayers, and we get disappointed with God for not helping us in our needs.
But God is loving and merciful. This Sunday is also called Divine Mercy Sunday.
Jesus knows the doubts in our hearts. He knows the wounds that we have inflicted upon our hearts by our own sins. He wants to touch our hearts with His mercy so that we can be healed.
Healing was the first miracle worked by the Risen Jesus, and the first gift to His disciples was peace, when He said to them, “Peace be with you.”
Healing and peace is what the Risen Jesus wants to give us. That is certainly no fake news. In fact, that is the Good News!
And blessed are we who believe in this Good News from our Risen Saviour.
Generally speaking, a person has five senses – the sense of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and the sense of touch. All these senses are important as they send signals to the brain so that we can respond to what our senses are telling us. There is also the “sixth sense” but that is beyond the scope of science.
Of these five senses, the seeing and the hearing functions are often engaged and that’s why the audio-visual gives us a lot more information about the world around us and about our surroundings.
But with that comes the problem of fake news. Aided by social media and by computer graphics, fake news can spread like wild fire because its intent is to generate excitement and anxiety, regardless of the consequences.
For example, recently there was a video clip circulating on social media about strong tidal waves lashing out at Bedok Jetty. It looked so real, but it turned out to be fake news.
Then on Good Friday (it is said that on Good Friday it always rains around 3pm) it was reported that strong winds destroyed chicken coops in Chua Chu Kang. Singapore rarely has those kinds of strong winds, so it sounded like fake news, until it is reported in the newspapers. That was what happened on Good Friday, and it made some news.
On the religious scene, Good Friday was the day we recalled the suffering, death and burial of Jesus. Then on Easter Sunday we celebrated His Resurrection, which is often called the greatest celebration of our faith.
So we have heard about the Resurrection and we even celebrate it. But how much about the Resurrection do we actually believe in?
For Thomas, who was not there when the Risen Jesus first appeared to the disciples, he did not want to believe it. He thought that the disciples were spreading fake news.
For Thomas, hearing what the rest of the disciples say about the Risen Jesus did not convince him. He retorted with a demand: Unless I see the holes that the nails made in His hands and can put my finger into the holes, and unless I can put my hand into His side, I refuse to believe.
Thomas made such a stark demand because too much had already been demanded from him, with the result that his faith was broken. He had put his faith and hope in Jesus, and that came crashing down when he saw Jesus being crucified, died and was buried.
He was so disappointed that he didn’t even want to be with the rest of the disciples. He didn’t want to be in the misery of their company, since there was nothing to hope for and nothing to believe in anymore.
He wanted to forget about everything and move on. And then the disciples had to tell him this news of the Resurrection.
Of course he won’t believe them. For him to believe them, he stated his demands clearly. He had already been disappointed and it was painful, and he didn’t want to be disappointed again.
Eight long days had to pass before Jesus appeared to them again and this time Thomas was with the rest of the disciples.
Jesus came specially for Thomas and invited him to put his finger into the holes of His hands and to put his hand into His side. Whether Thomas actually did that or not, we are not told.
Thomas only exclaimed: My Lord and my God!
Jesus came to let Thomas touch His wounds. But actually Jesus came to touch the wounds of Thomas. Jesus came to touch his wounds of disappointment and pain, and to heal him of his grievous doubts.
It can be said that the first miracle that the Risen Jesus worked was to heal the heart of Thomas. The proof of that healing was that Thomas made that profound proclamation of faith: My Lord and my God.
Even as we hear all this, it doesn’t mean that we will have no doubts about the Resurrection of Jesus. Though we may not say that the Resurrection is fake news, we have not seen the Risen Jesus or touched His wounds.
And when the troubles and struggles of this world begin to overwhelm us, doubts will arise and shake our faith and even break our hearts.
We get angry with God for not answering our prayers, and we get disappointed with God for not helping us in our needs.
But God is loving and merciful. This Sunday is also called Divine Mercy Sunday.
Jesus knows the doubts in our hearts. He knows the wounds that we have inflicted upon our hearts by our own sins. He wants to touch our hearts with His mercy so that we can be healed.
Healing was the first miracle worked by the Risen Jesus, and the first gift to His disciples was peace, when He said to them, “Peace be with you.”
Healing and peace is what the Risen Jesus wants to give us. That is certainly no fake news. In fact, that is the Good News!
And blessed are we who believe in this Good News from our Risen Saviour.
Sunday, April 1, 2018
Easter Sunday, 01-04-18
Acts 10:34, 37-40 / Colossians 3:1-4 / John 20:1-9
There is a simple game that we are familiar with and it is called “scissor-paper-stone”, played often by children.
It is a game that is usually played between two persons, in which each player simultaneously forms one of the three shapes with an outstretched hand, so it is either a scissor-shape, or a paper-shape, or a stone-shape.
It has only two possible outcomes other than a tie – one player wins and the other player loses. As it goes, one shape will win another but will lose to the other.
So scissors will win the paper because it cuts the paper, but scissors will lose to the stone. Though the stone will win the scissors, it will lose to the paper because paper wraps up the stone.
It is a game of chance in that one player will win and the other will lose, unless both come up with the same shape, in which case then it is a draw.
A rather interesting aspect of the game is that although the stone can win the scissors, yet it loses to the paper, in that the paper will wrap up the stone, at least according to the theory of the game.
In the Resurrection story, there is always the empty tomb and the stone that was used to cover its entrance. That stone made its prominence when it was rolled over the tomb in which Jesus was buried to seal the entrance of the tomb.
That stone was something to be reckoned with, at least it was not so easy to overcome it with paper as in that “scissor-paper-stone” game. Weighing about 2 tons and about 2 meters in diameter, it was rolled at a downward incline and over the entrance of the tomb and sits on a deep groove, thus effectively sealing the tomb.
Moving the stone from the entrance of the tomb is not impossible, but that is certainly not an easy task, and there is no need to. Once it is rolled over the entrance of the tomb, it is sealed and it is case-closed, not to be reopened. It can be effectively called a tomb-stone.
In a way, it can be said that it was the final stone that the enemies of Jesus threw at Him to make sure that He was dead and gone.
But from a tomb-stone, Jesus made it into a stepping-stone that revealed the Resurrection. The stone was rolled away to reveal an empty tomb. Jesus is not there, and it is not because we do not know what happened. We believe that He is risen.
The stone that is rolled away, and the empty tomb are just signs, but it is with faith that we believe that Jesus is risen.
It is also with faith that we look at life and think of how to respond to the stones that are thrown at us and that lay before us in the path of life.
Those stones can either be stumbling blocks or stepping-stones. Those stones can force us into the tomb and cover us up, or we can ask Jesus to roll away those stones and bring us to new life.
So with those stones, we can choose to make them into tomb-stones, and that would be a “case-closed” and a dead end. That was what they intended to do with Jesus.
But with those same stones, we can choose to make them into stepping-stones that lead us to understand the Resurrection of Jesus, and stepping-stones to the new life that the Risen Jesus wants to give us so that we become living stones in the hands of Jesus, living stones that He can use as stepping-stones for others to come to know Him and believe in Him.
In that “scissor-paper-stone” game, the stone “loses” to the paper. Now for the stones that are thrown at us and those stumbling blocks of stone that lie in our path, let us wrap them up with paper.
Not just any ordinary paper but with these petition-slips that are always available at the entrance of the church.
Let us write down on these petition-slips those hurting and stumbling blocks of stone in our lives and put these pieces of paper into the petition box to offer them to Jesus.
Every Friday at the evening Mass, we offer up those petitions in the petition-box to Jesus.
And as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, I also want to testify that the Risen Jesus will receive our petitions, He will hear our prayers, and He will answer them.
Simply because He is risen, and He wants us to rise with Him and to be living stones building up His Church.
Jesus also wants us to be stepping-stones for others to come to Him and believe in His Resurrection.
We believe that Jesus is our Risen Saviour. Let us proclaim this Good News to those who are still living in their tombs and waiting for the stone to be removed.
There is a simple game that we are familiar with and it is called “scissor-paper-stone”, played often by children.
It is a game that is usually played between two persons, in which each player simultaneously forms one of the three shapes with an outstretched hand, so it is either a scissor-shape, or a paper-shape, or a stone-shape.
It has only two possible outcomes other than a tie – one player wins and the other player loses. As it goes, one shape will win another but will lose to the other.
So scissors will win the paper because it cuts the paper, but scissors will lose to the stone. Though the stone will win the scissors, it will lose to the paper because paper wraps up the stone.
It is a game of chance in that one player will win and the other will lose, unless both come up with the same shape, in which case then it is a draw.
A rather interesting aspect of the game is that although the stone can win the scissors, yet it loses to the paper, in that the paper will wrap up the stone, at least according to the theory of the game.
In the Resurrection story, there is always the empty tomb and the stone that was used to cover its entrance. That stone made its prominence when it was rolled over the tomb in which Jesus was buried to seal the entrance of the tomb.
That stone was something to be reckoned with, at least it was not so easy to overcome it with paper as in that “scissor-paper-stone” game. Weighing about 2 tons and about 2 meters in diameter, it was rolled at a downward incline and over the entrance of the tomb and sits on a deep groove, thus effectively sealing the tomb.
Moving the stone from the entrance of the tomb is not impossible, but that is certainly not an easy task, and there is no need to. Once it is rolled over the entrance of the tomb, it is sealed and it is case-closed, not to be reopened. It can be effectively called a tomb-stone.
In a way, it can be said that it was the final stone that the enemies of Jesus threw at Him to make sure that He was dead and gone.
But from a tomb-stone, Jesus made it into a stepping-stone that revealed the Resurrection. The stone was rolled away to reveal an empty tomb. Jesus is not there, and it is not because we do not know what happened. We believe that He is risen.
The stone that is rolled away, and the empty tomb are just signs, but it is with faith that we believe that Jesus is risen.
It is also with faith that we look at life and think of how to respond to the stones that are thrown at us and that lay before us in the path of life.
Those stones can either be stumbling blocks or stepping-stones. Those stones can force us into the tomb and cover us up, or we can ask Jesus to roll away those stones and bring us to new life.
So with those stones, we can choose to make them into tomb-stones, and that would be a “case-closed” and a dead end. That was what they intended to do with Jesus.
But with those same stones, we can choose to make them into stepping-stones that lead us to understand the Resurrection of Jesus, and stepping-stones to the new life that the Risen Jesus wants to give us so that we become living stones in the hands of Jesus, living stones that He can use as stepping-stones for others to come to know Him and believe in Him.
In that “scissor-paper-stone” game, the stone “loses” to the paper. Now for the stones that are thrown at us and those stumbling blocks of stone that lie in our path, let us wrap them up with paper.
Not just any ordinary paper but with these petition-slips that are always available at the entrance of the church.
Let us write down on these petition-slips those hurting and stumbling blocks of stone in our lives and put these pieces of paper into the petition box to offer them to Jesus.
Every Friday at the evening Mass, we offer up those petitions in the petition-box to Jesus.
And as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, I also want to testify that the Risen Jesus will receive our petitions, He will hear our prayers, and He will answer them.
Simply because He is risen, and He wants us to rise with Him and to be living stones building up His Church.
Jesus also wants us to be stepping-stones for others to come to Him and believe in His Resurrection.
We believe that Jesus is our Risen Saviour. Let us proclaim this Good News to those who are still living in their tombs and waiting for the stone to be removed.
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