By now we would have opened up all our Christmas presents and we will know from the presents we have received if we have been naughty or nice.
Of course we had been nice and I hope that we are happy with the presents we have received.
And by now we would have finished or are finishing the festive foods that were prepared for the Christmas season, foods like the stuffed turkey, honey baked ham, sausages, pudding and fruitcake.
And talking about the fruitcake, it can be used to describe the theme of the celebration for this weekend which is the feast of the Holy Family, and hence the reflection is on the family.
It is said that the fruitcake can be used to describe the family in that it is mostly sweet and fruity, but with some nuts, and some got more nuts that others.
Indeed, the family is like a fruitcake, there are some nuts in it, and some nuts are pretty hard. A bite on a hard nut and the pain gets to the brain.
But no matter how many nuts, or how many hard nuts, it is still a fruitcake and not a nut cake.
Today, as we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family, the Gospel passage tells us that even for the Holy Family, life is not always sweet and fruity.
The gospel recalls that occasion when Mary and Joseph brought the 12 year-old Jesus to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.
When they were on their way home after the feast, Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents’ knowledge.
And when they failed to find Him, they went back to Jerusalem looking for Him everywhere. And after three long anxious days, they finally found Him in the Temple.
They were overcome when they saw Him, and we can imagine what this “overcome” means. And in this “overcome” state, we can imagine how emotional Mary was when she said, “My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been looking for you.” (!!!)
The reply Jesus gave didn’t make any sense to Mary and Joseph, but it was like biting on a hard nut in a fruit cake. The exchange was tensed, and though nothing more was said, we could imagine how awkward the situation was.
So it was not all that sweet and fruity for the Holy Family. Mary was left wondering and pondering. Joseph might be thinking that it could be easier to build a house for God than to bring up the Son of God.
Yet, Mary and Joseph would have recalled and remembered the teachings from the 1st reading about the relationships between parents and children.
And the second reading also gives us practical advice on family life and relationship.
And with the feast of the Holy Family coming immediately after Christmas, we will realise that Jesus came to be among us so as to unite us to the family of God, with the Holy Family as the model.
But as we know, family life is challenging, whether as the family of God or in our own families.
And even though we want to be home for Christmas, things may not be always sweet and fruity.
There is this story over the recent holidays about a man who booked 6 flights just to spend Christmas with his flight attendant daughter.
The daughter had to work on the 24 and 25 December which means Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! So her father decided to spend Christmas with her in the sky. When it comes to love, the sky is the limit.
The story goes that when the flight attendant daughter found out that she had to work on Christmas, the family came out with a plan.
The mother stayed at home to take care of the pets while the father booked the 6 flights that his daughter would be working on.
So, at 30,000 feet up in the air, it was still Christmas with family. It was an amazing true Christmas story about a father and his daughter spending family time despite the obstacles and challenges.
Family life will always have its obstacles and challenges. No family is perfect just as there is not fruitcake without the nuts.
As much as when it comes to love, the sky is the limit, it was also out of love that Jesus came down to earth and was born into a family and to show us how to live as the family of God.
We turn to Jesus, Mary and Joseph as we ask for their prayers that our families will be blessed to live like the Holy Family.
Click the links under My Blog List to get to Chinese and English weekday homilies.
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Sunday, December 23, 2018
4th Sunday of Advent, Year C. 23.12.2018
Micah 5:1-4 / Hebrews 10:5-10 / Luke 1:39-44
It is two more days to Christmas Day. The days that are counting down to Christmas Day can be called as days of expecting and wondering.
Christmas is a time for gifts and presents not only for Christians but also for those who take the opportunity to have a celebration.
Whether we have made known to others our wish list or not, we will still be expecting and wondering. Of course there is no need to wonder if we will get any Christmas presents. We will certainly get our Christmas presents, at least a set of handkerchiefs, or some pairs of socks.
But will we be expecting to get what we wish for? But expectation is the mother of disappointment. So let’s try to look at the funny side of expectation and then we may not be so sad in disappointment.
A woman was wondering what her husband will give her as a Christmas present, so she decided to drop a hint. So she said to her husband, “Last night I had a dream that I was wearing a diamond necklace. I wonder what it means.”
Her husband replied, “You will know this evening.” In the evening, when he came back from work, he had a present in his hand and he gave it to his wife and told her to open it.
The wife was delighted and excitedly opened the present. It was a book, and the title is “How to Interpret Dreams.”
Some people say that in order to avoid disappointments, it is better not to have expectations. So no expectation is no disappointment.
But that’s not how we should look at it. Rather we should have some expectations and then prepare for excitement.
In the gospel, we heard of Mary visiting Elizabeth. But it was not just a courtesy visit. As we know, much has gone on before, and much will happen after that.
Both Mary and Elizabeth were persons of faith and like the rest of God’s people; they were waiting in expectation of the coming of the Messiah. But the situation was bleak and unfavourable. The land was occupied by another power and the people were under foreign rule.
So as much as Mary and Elizabeth were waiting in expectation for the coming of the Messiah, they did not expect it to happen during their time. Neither would they expect that they would have an important part to play in it.
Mary was betrothed to Joseph, and then the Annunciation happened and she accepted God’s will. Elizabeth was barren, and when Zechariah did his priestly duty at the Temple, he had a vision, and after that he went back home, and then Elizabeth conceived.
So when Mary visited Elizabeth, it was a meeting of two expectant mothers, both did not expect themselves to conceive, both did not expect themselves to have important roles to play in the coming of the Messiah.
Both had their expectations, they had more than they expected, and along with was also a lot of excitement.
So in a way, it can be said that Mary and Elizabeth got their first Christmas presents. It was not what they expected, and it was also way beyond their expectations.
But their gifts were not just for themselves. Their gifts were gifts of life, gifts that must be used to prepare others to encounter and experience the Messiah.
So what are we expecting for our Christmas presents? To be on the safe side, it is better to have no expectations so that there will be no disappointments. Or we might want to be optimistic and have low expectations and high hopes.
But like Mary and Elizabeth who were expecting God to fulfill the promise of the Messiah, let us also expect Jesus to come into our lives with joyful hope.
Maybe we will get gifts that are ordinary, like handkerchiefs or socks. But let us look at the gifts and see what God wants of us.
Maybe the handkerchiefs are for us to wipe away the tears of grief and sadness from the eyes of those who weep.
Maybe the socks are meant for us to wear in our shoes so as to journey with others in their trials and difficulties.
Yes, God comes to us as gifts, whether expected or unexpected, and He will show us what He wants us to do with those gifts.
Mary and Elizabeth knew that their gifts are meant to fulfill the expectations of the coming of the Messiah. May we also use our gifts to lead others to Jesus.
It is two more days to Christmas Day. The days that are counting down to Christmas Day can be called as days of expecting and wondering.
Christmas is a time for gifts and presents not only for Christians but also for those who take the opportunity to have a celebration.
Whether we have made known to others our wish list or not, we will still be expecting and wondering. Of course there is no need to wonder if we will get any Christmas presents. We will certainly get our Christmas presents, at least a set of handkerchiefs, or some pairs of socks.
But will we be expecting to get what we wish for? But expectation is the mother of disappointment. So let’s try to look at the funny side of expectation and then we may not be so sad in disappointment.
A woman was wondering what her husband will give her as a Christmas present, so she decided to drop a hint. So she said to her husband, “Last night I had a dream that I was wearing a diamond necklace. I wonder what it means.”
Her husband replied, “You will know this evening.” In the evening, when he came back from work, he had a present in his hand and he gave it to his wife and told her to open it.
The wife was delighted and excitedly opened the present. It was a book, and the title is “How to Interpret Dreams.”
Some people say that in order to avoid disappointments, it is better not to have expectations. So no expectation is no disappointment.
But that’s not how we should look at it. Rather we should have some expectations and then prepare for excitement.
In the gospel, we heard of Mary visiting Elizabeth. But it was not just a courtesy visit. As we know, much has gone on before, and much will happen after that.
Both Mary and Elizabeth were persons of faith and like the rest of God’s people; they were waiting in expectation of the coming of the Messiah. But the situation was bleak and unfavourable. The land was occupied by another power and the people were under foreign rule.
So as much as Mary and Elizabeth were waiting in expectation for the coming of the Messiah, they did not expect it to happen during their time. Neither would they expect that they would have an important part to play in it.
Mary was betrothed to Joseph, and then the Annunciation happened and she accepted God’s will. Elizabeth was barren, and when Zechariah did his priestly duty at the Temple, he had a vision, and after that he went back home, and then Elizabeth conceived.
So when Mary visited Elizabeth, it was a meeting of two expectant mothers, both did not expect themselves to conceive, both did not expect themselves to have important roles to play in the coming of the Messiah.
Both had their expectations, they had more than they expected, and along with was also a lot of excitement.
So in a way, it can be said that Mary and Elizabeth got their first Christmas presents. It was not what they expected, and it was also way beyond their expectations.
But their gifts were not just for themselves. Their gifts were gifts of life, gifts that must be used to prepare others to encounter and experience the Messiah.
So what are we expecting for our Christmas presents? To be on the safe side, it is better to have no expectations so that there will be no disappointments. Or we might want to be optimistic and have low expectations and high hopes.
But like Mary and Elizabeth who were expecting God to fulfill the promise of the Messiah, let us also expect Jesus to come into our lives with joyful hope.
Maybe we will get gifts that are ordinary, like handkerchiefs or socks. But let us look at the gifts and see what God wants of us.
Maybe the handkerchiefs are for us to wipe away the tears of grief and sadness from the eyes of those who weep.
Maybe the socks are meant for us to wear in our shoes so as to journey with others in their trials and difficulties.
Yes, God comes to us as gifts, whether expected or unexpected, and He will show us what He wants us to do with those gifts.
Mary and Elizabeth knew that their gifts are meant to fulfill the expectations of the coming of the Messiah. May we also use our gifts to lead others to Jesus.
Saturday, December 15, 2018
3rd Sunday of Advent, Year C, 16.12.2018
Zephaniah 3:14-18 / Philippians 4:4-7 / Luke 3:10-18
We may have noticed that three candles of the Advent wreath are lighted, and one of them is the rose-coloured candle.
That rose-coloured candle represents the third Sunday of Advent is also called "Gaudete Sunday". "Gaudete" means rejoice.
Yes, the 1st reading tells us to rejoice and exalt with all our hearts.
The second reading also has this call to rejoice as St Paul tells the Philippians: I want you to be happy, always happy with the Lord.
Yes, a rose-coloured candle standing in the midst of three dark purple candles tells us life can have its joyful moments amidst disappointments and sadness and sorrow.
But for starters, let us hope that we can laugh a little with this story:
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 Johnny sees you!"
The burglar panicked and called out, "Who's that?"
And again, the voice came back, "I see you, and Johnny 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 Johnny sees you!"
The burglar laughed to himself and said, "Oh, shut up stupid bird. Anyway, who is this Johnny? Is it another bird friend of yours?"
And the parrot replied, "Johnny is right below me!"
And the burglar shined his torch at what was below the parrot's cage.
And there he saw Johnny, a huge Doberman, looking at the burglar with those eyes, and growling.
And then, the parrot said, "Go Johnny, go!"
We can figure out what happened after that.
Hopefully, a little laughter can bring us to a good start for this "Rejoice Sunday".
But if the first two readings talk about rejoicing and happiness then the gospel message is certainly serious and it is no laughing matter.
Last Sunday, we heard John the Baptist preaching repentance and the forgiveness of sins.
And today we heard that people, all sorts of people, including those detestable and sneaky tax collectors, and those rough and tough soldiers coming to hear him.
As they hear the message of repentance and forgiveness of sins, they had one common question: What must we do?
The people asked, "What must we do?" The tax collectors asked, "What must we do?" The soldiers asked, "What must we do?"
They asked that question because they have heard the voice.
Not just the voice of John the Baptist, but also the voice of the Lord.
Yes, it was the voice of the Lord that spoke to them in their hearts telling them that they had not shared their goods with those who were poor.
They had ignored those who were hungry and had nothing to live on. They fell into dishonesty and injustice.
And then, they heard the voice of John the Baptist.
John the Baptist was like telling them, "I see you, and the Lord sees you."
In a way, we are like that burglar who breaks into a house at night and thinks that nobody is watching.
That's what happens when we sin. When we sin, we enter into the dark.
And in the darkness of sin, we think that no one is watching as we commit dishonesty and injustice, selfishness and greed, lust and immorality.
And just when we thought we are going to enter deeper into the dark, the voice of John the Baptist calls out to us, "I see you, and the Lord sees you!"
What are we going to do? Are we going to stop in our tracks?
Or are we not going to be bothered and go on deeper into the dark and into sin?
There is one song that is often heard in this season. The title is "Do you hear what I hear?"
It is composed in 1962 and it was written at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the United States and the then Soviet Union confronted each other over the placement of missiles in newly Communist Cuba.
So that song "Do you hear what I hear?" was a plea for peace, and the composers Regney and Shayne got the inspiration after watching a baby being pushed in a pram, and sleeping peacefully.
So do we hear the voice of John the Baptist? Maybe he is telling us, "I see you and the Lord sees you."
It is not to frighten us but to call us to repent and have our sins forgiven.
So, do you hear what I hear? If we do hear, then we will also know what to do.
Because the voice belongs to the One who will bring us goodness and light.
Indeed, the celebration of the birth of Jesus will bring us goodness and light, for He came to bring us goodness and light.
We may have noticed that three candles of the Advent wreath are lighted, and one of them is the rose-coloured candle.
That rose-coloured candle represents the third Sunday of Advent is also called "Gaudete Sunday". "Gaudete" means rejoice.
Yes, the 1st reading tells us to rejoice and exalt with all our hearts.
The second reading also has this call to rejoice as St Paul tells the Philippians: I want you to be happy, always happy with the Lord.
Yes, a rose-coloured candle standing in the midst of three dark purple candles tells us life can have its joyful moments amidst disappointments and sadness and sorrow.
But for starters, let us hope that we can laugh a little with this story:
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 Johnny sees you!"
The burglar panicked and called out, "Who's that?"
And again, the voice came back, "I see you, and Johnny 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 Johnny sees you!"
The burglar laughed to himself and said, "Oh, shut up stupid bird. Anyway, who is this Johnny? Is it another bird friend of yours?"
And the parrot replied, "Johnny is right below me!"
And the burglar shined his torch at what was below the parrot's cage.
And there he saw Johnny, a huge Doberman, looking at the burglar with those eyes, and growling.
And then, the parrot said, "Go Johnny, go!"
We can figure out what happened after that.
Hopefully, a little laughter can bring us to a good start for this "Rejoice Sunday".
But if the first two readings talk about rejoicing and happiness then the gospel message is certainly serious and it is no laughing matter.
Last Sunday, we heard John the Baptist preaching repentance and the forgiveness of sins.
And today we heard that people, all sorts of people, including those detestable and sneaky tax collectors, and those rough and tough soldiers coming to hear him.
As they hear the message of repentance and forgiveness of sins, they had one common question: What must we do?
The people asked, "What must we do?" The tax collectors asked, "What must we do?" The soldiers asked, "What must we do?"
They asked that question because they have heard the voice.
Not just the voice of John the Baptist, but also the voice of the Lord.
Yes, it was the voice of the Lord that spoke to them in their hearts telling them that they had not shared their goods with those who were poor.
They had ignored those who were hungry and had nothing to live on. They fell into dishonesty and injustice.
And then, they heard the voice of John the Baptist.
John the Baptist was like telling them, "I see you, and the Lord sees you."
In a way, we are like that burglar who breaks into a house at night and thinks that nobody is watching.
That's what happens when we sin. When we sin, we enter into the dark.
And in the darkness of sin, we think that no one is watching as we commit dishonesty and injustice, selfishness and greed, lust and immorality.
And just when we thought we are going to enter deeper into the dark, the voice of John the Baptist calls out to us, "I see you, and the Lord sees you!"
What are we going to do? Are we going to stop in our tracks?
Or are we not going to be bothered and go on deeper into the dark and into sin?
There is one song that is often heard in this season. The title is "Do you hear what I hear?"
It is composed in 1962 and it was written at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the United States and the then Soviet Union confronted each other over the placement of missiles in newly Communist Cuba.
So that song "Do you hear what I hear?" was a plea for peace, and the composers Regney and Shayne got the inspiration after watching a baby being pushed in a pram, and sleeping peacefully.
So do we hear the voice of John the Baptist? Maybe he is telling us, "I see you and the Lord sees you."
It is not to frighten us but to call us to repent and have our sins forgiven.
So, do you hear what I hear? If we do hear, then we will also know what to do.
Because the voice belongs to the One who will bring us goodness and light.
Indeed, the celebration of the birth of Jesus will bring us goodness and light, for He came to bring us goodness and light.
Saturday, December 8, 2018
2nd Sunday of Advent, Year C, 12.01.2018
Baruch 5:1-9 / Philippians 1:3-6, 8-11 / Luke
3:1-6
During this season of Advent,
a famous figure will appear, and he is supposed to bring some cheer.
Maybe we already have an idea
of who he is. He has a white bushy beard, quite roundish, dressed in red with
white trimmings, and his famous quote is “Ho, ho, ho”. Of course we are talking
about Santa Claus.
Maybe some trivia about Santa
Claus. Where does he stay when he goes on holiday? – Ho-ho-hotel.
What is the name of his pet
cat? Santa Claws. What is the name of
his pet fish? Santa Jaws.
Santa Claus only appears
around this time in the festive decorations and also in commercials. But Santa
Claus is not a clever figment of commercial imagination.
The name is actually derived
from St. Nicholas who lived in the 4th century and he was the bishop
of Myra, which is in modern day Turkey.
His feast day is on the 6th
December, which was last Thursday, and many miracles were attributed to his
intercession and he was known as Nicholas the Wonder Worker.
He is often pictured with
three golden balls which represent the three purses of gold he was said to have
given secretly to a poor man who could not afford dowries for his three
daughters.
Hence the golden balls
decorations that are hung on the Christmas tree represent the generosity and
helping of the poor by St. Nicholas, which is also the spirit of the season.
Appearing in this season of
Advent is also another saint, though he is quite the opposite in appearance to
St. Nicholas.
As we heard in the gospel, in
the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea, Herod
tetrarch of Galilee, and other big names of that time, the Word of God came to
John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.
So the Word of God came to
John when he was somewhere in the wilderness. It was quite a contrast to the
big names and the big places that were mentioned before him.
And with that, John went
through the whole Jordan district proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins. And that was how he became known as John the Baptist.
As the prophet Isaiah puts it:
A voice cries in the wilderness, prepare a way for the Lord. And all mankind
shall see the salvation of God.
With the Word of God, John the
Baptist proclaimed repentance and forgiveness of sins, so that people can see
the salvation of God, the great love of God.
It was a simple message with a
profound meaning and it turned people back to God.
At the time when the power and
might of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, Herod, Annas and Caiaphas cast a
fearsome shadow on the land and on the people, the Word of God came to John the
Baptist to bring about repentance, forgiveness and salvation.
Well, the Word of God comes to
us today, to bring us repentance, forgiveness and salvation. And so what we
going to do about it? Surely, we don’t want this season of Advent to pass by
with the hustle and bustle and then with Christmas coming and going just like
that.
It is said that what will get
us to act comes from one or a combination of these reasons: pain, fear, hope
and joy.
When we feel the piercing pain
of an illness or disease, we will turn to Jesus for healing and strength.
Physical pain there will be,
and we can cope with the help of medication. What is more difficult to cope is
the pain of fear. So what is this pain of fear?
It could be the fear of
forgiveness. We don’t want to forgive those who have hurt us and we still bear
that pain. We don’t want to forgive them for fear that they will hurt us again.
So within us there is this vicious cycle of pain and fear.
But not to forgive is like
holding on to a burning charcoal and hoping that the other person will be
burnt. Not to forgive is also like drinking poison and hoping that the other
person will die.
But the truth is that we are
the ones getting burnt and we are the ones dying within.
So with this internal pain and
fear, will we want to forgive those who have hurt us?
Well, as we know, God forgives
us and He also wants us to forgive others. Why would God want to forgive us?
God wants to forgive us
because He wants to give us the hope of being healed and to have the joy of
being freed from pain and fear.
God is our hope and God is our
joy. Indeed He is hope and joy, and the reason He forgives us is because He
hopes that we will turn back to Him and that will be His joy. And that’s what
salvation is about.
So too when we forgive, it is
because we put our hope in God who will heal us and because we want to have the
joy of being freed from the darkness that is choking the life out of us.
So the Word of God has come to
us today, and if we are not going to do anything about it, then we will
continue to live in pain and fear.
But when we act upon the Word
of God and repent and forgive, then God will grant us His hope and joy.
St. Nicholas and John the
Baptist acted on the Word of God and they saw the salvation of God.
When we act on the Word of
God, we too will see the salvation of God.
Saturday, December 1, 2018
1st Sunday of Advent, Year C, 12.01.2018
Jeremiah 33:14-16 / 1 Thess 3:12 – 4:3 / Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
If there is one word to describe the month of December, it is this word – holiday.
Although there is only one public holiday in the month of Dec, a number of families are going or have gone for holidays overseas, primarily because of the school holidays.
Even the church seems to be decorated for a festive holiday mood. We should have noticed that within the church as well as outside the church.
Oh yes, we see these decorations year after year, and we expect them to be there. Just like shopping malls and Orchard Road are decorated and in fact, much earlier, even before December, we too want our church to be decorated.
But there is one big difference - those that are at the shopping malls and the nearby Orchard Road can be termed as commercial decorations, nice and pretty to look at, and that’s all to it.
But church decorations are more than just nice and pretty. Church decorations are signs and symbols that point to a spiritual reality.
That spiritual reality is the celebration of the birth of our Saviour, as well as the waiting in joyful hope of the 2nd coming of Jesus.
So every piece of decoration in church is a sign or a symbol that points to a reality, a spiritual reality, a reality that we can understand, a reality that we are a part of.
In today’s gospel, when Jesus talked about the signs, it is understandable that we don’t see anything more in those signs other than signs of distress and turmoil, signs of the end-times.
What other interpretations can we give of the words Jesus used: agony, clamour, dying of fear?
Certainly, those kinds of signs are far from pleasant and we would wish that we will never see those signs. And we wonder why such a passage is chosen for the First Sunday of Advent.
But when we look at our world today, and in every age and time, we have those signs of distress and turmoil – nuclear war threat, ecological dangers, plagues, famines, natural disasters.
These are signs that made us fear what is to come and thoughts of the end-time prophecies flash through our mind.
But just as Christmas decorations can be categorized as commercial decorations and spiritual decorations, so are the signs.
The world may see those signs as disturbing signs of distress and turmoil, signs of agony and fear of the future, signs of the end of the world.
But we cannot see as how the world sees, we cannot think as how the world thinks. Because our faith tells us that what others see as the end, we see as the beginning. We see tribulation giving way to celebration, we see distress giving way to success, we see adversity as an opportunity and we see darkness giving way to light.
And that’s what our Christmas decorations should be all about. Our Christmas decorations are not just to be nice-looking or impressive. They must point to two things – 1. The celebration of the birth of our Saviour. 2. The preparation of the 2nd coming as He promised.
So, for example, the Advent candles and the Advent wreath. It tells us that the four weeks of preparation is to let the light of Christ shine slowly into our hearts and dispel whatever darkness that is blocking our hearts from receiving Jesus.
The Advent wreath is round and with evergreen and it symbolizes the eternal and everlasting love of God for us, a love that is expressed in the birth of Jesus.
The Christmas tree symbolizes what we heard in the 1st reading, when the Lord said this: See the days are coming when I am going to fulfil the promise I made to the House of Israel and the House of Judah.
Because from the stump of Jesse (the Christmas tree is also known as the Jesse Tree), a shoot will grow and become a great and mighty tree, again pointing to Jesus.
And of course the Nativity scene with the big star of Bethlehem, to point to us the reason for the season, and whether in celebration of the birth of Jesus or in preparation of His 2nd coming, we do it in joyful hope for a promised fulfilled and a promise that will be fulfilled.
So, as we begin this season of Advent, let us come away from the hustle bustle, let us come away to the Divine, let us come away to pray with the lights, the lights that point to Jesus the true Light.
Yes, come and pray, bring a friend along, or even a non-Catholic friend along. Who doesn’t like to admire Christmas decorations in a quiet setting, and we have that quiet setting in this church!
Yes, come away and pray and may we feel how God has fulfilled His promises in our lives as we wait in joyful hope for His abundant blessings to come.
If there is one word to describe the month of December, it is this word – holiday.
Although there is only one public holiday in the month of Dec, a number of families are going or have gone for holidays overseas, primarily because of the school holidays.
Even the church seems to be decorated for a festive holiday mood. We should have noticed that within the church as well as outside the church.
Oh yes, we see these decorations year after year, and we expect them to be there. Just like shopping malls and Orchard Road are decorated and in fact, much earlier, even before December, we too want our church to be decorated.
But there is one big difference - those that are at the shopping malls and the nearby Orchard Road can be termed as commercial decorations, nice and pretty to look at, and that’s all to it.
But church decorations are more than just nice and pretty. Church decorations are signs and symbols that point to a spiritual reality.
That spiritual reality is the celebration of the birth of our Saviour, as well as the waiting in joyful hope of the 2nd coming of Jesus.
So every piece of decoration in church is a sign or a symbol that points to a reality, a spiritual reality, a reality that we can understand, a reality that we are a part of.
In today’s gospel, when Jesus talked about the signs, it is understandable that we don’t see anything more in those signs other than signs of distress and turmoil, signs of the end-times.
What other interpretations can we give of the words Jesus used: agony, clamour, dying of fear?
Certainly, those kinds of signs are far from pleasant and we would wish that we will never see those signs. And we wonder why such a passage is chosen for the First Sunday of Advent.
But when we look at our world today, and in every age and time, we have those signs of distress and turmoil – nuclear war threat, ecological dangers, plagues, famines, natural disasters.
These are signs that made us fear what is to come and thoughts of the end-time prophecies flash through our mind.
But just as Christmas decorations can be categorized as commercial decorations and spiritual decorations, so are the signs.
The world may see those signs as disturbing signs of distress and turmoil, signs of agony and fear of the future, signs of the end of the world.
But we cannot see as how the world sees, we cannot think as how the world thinks. Because our faith tells us that what others see as the end, we see as the beginning. We see tribulation giving way to celebration, we see distress giving way to success, we see adversity as an opportunity and we see darkness giving way to light.
And that’s what our Christmas decorations should be all about. Our Christmas decorations are not just to be nice-looking or impressive. They must point to two things – 1. The celebration of the birth of our Saviour. 2. The preparation of the 2nd coming as He promised.
So, for example, the Advent candles and the Advent wreath. It tells us that the four weeks of preparation is to let the light of Christ shine slowly into our hearts and dispel whatever darkness that is blocking our hearts from receiving Jesus.
The Advent wreath is round and with evergreen and it symbolizes the eternal and everlasting love of God for us, a love that is expressed in the birth of Jesus.
The Christmas tree symbolizes what we heard in the 1st reading, when the Lord said this: See the days are coming when I am going to fulfil the promise I made to the House of Israel and the House of Judah.
Because from the stump of Jesse (the Christmas tree is also known as the Jesse Tree), a shoot will grow and become a great and mighty tree, again pointing to Jesus.
And of course the Nativity scene with the big star of Bethlehem, to point to us the reason for the season, and whether in celebration of the birth of Jesus or in preparation of His 2nd coming, we do it in joyful hope for a promised fulfilled and a promise that will be fulfilled.
So, as we begin this season of Advent, let us come away from the hustle bustle, let us come away to the Divine, let us come away to pray with the lights, the lights that point to Jesus the true Light.
Yes, come and pray, bring a friend along, or even a non-Catholic friend along. Who doesn’t like to admire Christmas decorations in a quiet setting, and we have that quiet setting in this church!
Yes, come away and pray and may we feel how God has fulfilled His promises in our lives as we wait in joyful hope for His abundant blessings to come.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)