Pentecost Sunday, Year A, 31.05.2020

Acts 2:1-11 / 1 Cor 12:3-7 / John 20:19-23

It is said that everything happens for a reason. But it also leaves the statement rather open-ended. Is it for a good reason? 

If only we can know how good the reason is, then maybe we will be able to accept what is happening around us and what is happening to us. 

But more often than not, the reason is discovered only much later, and it is only on hindsight that we might be able to see the good reason. 

So, when we look at what is happening around us and what is happening to us, just how do we feel about it? 

Some see the good reason in all this, but most of us just end up sighing and grumbling and hoping that what is happening will end soon. 

But with faith, we must believe that everything that happens has a good reason for it. It is with faith and hope that we can continue to live on with love. 

For example, when Jesus told His disciples at the Last Supper that He was going away, they were sad. But He also told them that if He does not go, the Holy Spirit will not come. 

So His going away is for a good reason but His disciples could not understand it then. 

In the gospel, Jesus appeared to His disciples for the first time after His Resurrection. Then He said to them, “As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.”

Then He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” 

It was probably then that the disciples understood that all that had happened, the suffering and death of Jesus, happened for a good reason. 

And with the Holy Spirit upon them, they began to understand how good the Spirit was, and as we heard in the 1st reading, the disciples went forth to proclaim the marvels of God. 

As we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, and as the Holy Spirit descends into our hearts, the Holy Spirit will lead us to discover the good in what is happening around us and what is happening to us. 

And more so, as the 2nd reading puts it, “The particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose.”
Over this period of time, we have discovered many areas of growth and we are learning new things to cope with and accept a fast-changing situation. 

With the help of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to turn trials into triumphs, and obstacles into opportunities.

But we must pray to the Holy Spirit and be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, as He guides us to learn and to grow and to see the good in every situation, so that we will be able to experience the marvels of God.

7th Sunday of Easter, Year A, 24.05.2020

Acts 1:12-14 / 1 Peter 4:13-16 / John 17:1-11

An ordinary dictionary for the English language would have more than 150,000 words in common usage. 

But whether it is a common dictionary or a comprehensive dictionary, the number of words in any dictionary is not the same as the number of words in the use of the English language. 

Being an evolving and dynamic language, there are slang and jargon, and specialized words used by professionals like in the medical, technical and scientific fields. 

Though there is an abundance of words, we use only a certain amount of words daily, whether spoken or written. 

And some words are repeated here and there, which are also known as high frequency words. 

The words that we usually use are common and understandable. 

To use bombastic or sophisticated words could result in misunderstanding and the listeners would also not be too receptive to what we are saying. 

In the gospel passage, Jesus was the only person talking, and He spoke a lot of words. 

As much as the words He used were simple enough to understand, it would certainly take a lot more to comprehend. 

The gist of what Jesus said is about a union and a unity. 

It is also the first part of a long prayer in the whole of chapter 17 of the Gospel of John. 

Jesus talked about the union between Him and God the Father when He said this: Now Father, it is time for you to glorify me with the glory I had with you before ever the world was. 

And from that union between the Father and Him, Jesus moved on to talk about those that the Father has given to Him. 

Jesus not only talked about those that the Father had given to Him, He also prayed for them, so that in them, the Father and Jesus will be glorified. 

Certainly, this may not seem to be so easy to understand or comprehend. 

We may want to call that a mystery, which can be understood initially, but there is much more to comprehend. 

But mystery is not without reality. In fact, mystery is manifested in reality. 

We see that in the 1st reading and in just one sentence: All these were joined in continuous prayer, together with several women, including Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

That was the last mention of Mary in the Bible, and it was a profound statement.

Mary showed what union and unity is. She understood the prayer of Jesus. She lived out that prayer of Jesus. May we also do likewise.

6th Sunday of Easter, Year A, 17.05.2020

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 / 1 Peter 3:15-18 / John 14:15-21

It is said that Singapore is a fine country and we are certainly proud of that. 

But another aspect is a play on the word “fine”, and it is in the penal sense. 

If Singapore is a fine country, then it is because of its strict rules and regulations. 

If ever a rule or regulation is broken, a fine is certainly to be expected. And needless to say, the more serious the offense, the heavier will be the fine or the punishment. 

And recently, many new prohibitions have been enforced, like wearing masks, no socializing, no dining at food outlets and restaurants, etc. 

Failure to comply with these rules and regulations will result in a hefty fine, and it would be really foolish to throw away money like that. 

But we should know by now what is the purpose of those rules and regulations. It is for our safety as well as the safety of others. 

To flout those rules and regulations would mean that we are socially irresponsible and defiant and also immature. 

Mature people should be able to see the rationale of the rules and regulations, as well as question those that are impractical or archaic. 

As for us Christians, what would be the basis of discernment when it comes to rules and regulations? 

In the gospel, Jesus said to His disciples: If you love me, you will keep My Commandments. 

So the basis of our discernment about rules and regulations and about our faith and our morals is our love for Jesus and keeping to His Commandments and to what He has taught us. 

And to help us to love Jesus and to keep his Commandments, Jesus also sends us the Spirit of Truth to help us understand the truth of God and the truth about ourselves. 

It is with love and truth that we will be able to keep the commandments of Jesus and love as He has loved us. 

One of the fundamental teachings of Jesus can be found in the Beatitudes. 

When Jesus says that the poor in spirit will inherit the kingdom of heaven, we know in practical terms that God blesses the humble and the happiest people are the givers and not the getters. 

When Jesus says that happy are the gentle, we will also realize that being gentle is a God-given strength. On the other hand, the first victim of our temper is ourselves. 

When Jesus says that happy are the merciful, we are reminded to be kind and careful with our words. The tongue has no bones but it is strong enough to break a heart with harsh and hurting words. 

So our love for Jesus will help us to understand the truth of life, and the Spirit of truth will help us grow in our love for Jesus. 

When we can love others as Jesus has loved us, then we have become fully matured as disciples of Jesus.

5th Sunday of Easter, Year A, 10.05.2020

Acts 6:1-7 / 1 Peter 2:4-9 / John 14:1-12

One of the greatest desires in life is to be happy. 

The quest for happiness is like a constant thirst. 

We know by now that we won’t be in a constant state of happiness, not at least while we are here in this world. 

But still, we strive for happiness to last longer, and so we will embark on a few possible directions to achieve that. 

Some will look for the perfect partner so that they will be happy together and forever. 

Some will look for the perfect job so that they will be at the top and think they will be happy. 

Some will want to be as rich and wealthy as possible because with luxury they think they will be happy. 

But we all know by now that happiness is such an elusive thing that we can be happy one day and sad the next; we may be happy one moment and sad the next.

And for all that we tried to do in order to achieve happiness, we see that happiness vanishes quickly like water on dry desert sand, and our hearts get frustrated and disappointed. 

And with that the little problems of life become big troubles. 

In the gospel, Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me.”

Jesus said this at the Last Supper and before that He gave a long discourse that made His disciples anxious and worried. 

They had hoped that by following Jesus they would find the happiness that they were searching for. 

But when Jesus talked about betrayal and denial and desertion, his disciples were shaken and confused.

And that is why Jesus had to tell them not to let their hearts be troubled and to trust in God and trust in Him. 

But Jesus is not telling them to “Don’t Worry Be Happy” (as the song goes). He even promised them that He will return to take them to a place of eternal happiness. 

Oh, how we want to go to that place that Jesus is talking about and be happy forever. 

But does that mean that there won’t be a place for happiness here on earth? 

Today as we celebrate Mother’s Day, we know how hard are mothers try to make the home a place of happiness. 

Our mothers cook and clean, they care and council us so that we can be happy at home and in life. 

But what will make our mothers happy will be that we don’t give trouble and we don’t get into trouble.

When we think of what our mothers have done for us and when we think of what will make our mothers happy, then we will certainly think carefully about what we want to do in life. 

In not giving trouble and not getting into trouble, our mothers will be happy with us, and that is the best gift for our mothers on Mother’s Day and also every day. 

In the spiritual perspective, when we sin, we will give trouble and also get into trouble, and no one will be happy, including ourselves.

Jesus wants to bring us that place of eternal happiness, but we have to prepare for it now, here on earth. 

Our hearts will be troubled only when we ask for trouble, and we ask for trouble when we commit sin.

Let us ask Jesus to give peace to our hearts, so that our mothers will be happy, and so that we too will be happy.

4th Sunday of Easter, Year A, 03.05.2020

Acts 2:14, 36-41 / 1 Peter 2:20-25 / John 10:1-10

As we are now having daily meetings, conferences, lessons and interactions with others over our computers and laptops, we should have discovered by now, how important audio and video devices are in our computers and laptops.

It is difficult to say which is more important, the audio or the video, but the picture without the sound makes little sense, while the sound without the picture, we can still comprehend. 

But of course, if the computer or laptop has no sound or picture then its time may have come to an end. 

What we may be aware of is that there is a microphone, or the absence of it, in our computers or laptops. 

And we know that the microphone is either missing or not working well when the other person on the screen gives us strange looks and then tells us that they can’t hear us or that we have muted our microphones. 

Oh yes, these days we are learning a lot more about how computers and laptops work, especially in the channels of communication. 

As much as seeing is exciting, listening gives rise to imagining and we picture in our minds what we are hearing and even images of people and places begin to form in our minds. 

As we read the gospel about what Jesus said, the images that come to our minds might be the shepherd leading his flock of sheep. 

Whatever we know about shepherd and sheep, we get the picture that the shepherd goes ahead of his sheep and the sheep follow the shepherd because they know his voice. 

And the sheep never follow a stranger because they don’t recognize the voice of strangers.

As we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, we also celebrate Vocations Sunday.

Vocations Sunday is a reminder that the Lord Jesus is calling those whom He has chosen to serve Him and the People of God in a special way, and that is, in the priesthood and the religious life.

Yes, Jesus our Good Shepherd calls out to those whom He has chosen, and He says that the harvest is rich but the labourers are few.

So this is a call-out to those who are hearing the voice of the Good Shepherd. He calls out to you whom He has chosen for a special vocation and a special mission.

He calls out to you, and He speaks heart-to-heart with you.

Amidst the anxieties and worries of life, and all the other voices in the world, when we hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and listen to His call, we will have peace of heart.

Yes, it is a peace that the world cannot give. It is a peace that is given heart-to-heart.

So if the Lord Jesus is calling you, may you listen, may you respond, and you will be blessed with a peace that comes only from the Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd.

When we listen to the voice of our Good Shepherd, He will lead us through the valley of darkness and into the green pastures of light and life.