3rd Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 23.01.2022

 Nehemiah 8:2-6, 8-10 / 1 Cor 12:12-30 / Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

The difference between the countryside and the city is that the countryside has a natural beauty and ambience, fewer tall buildings, a slower pace of life and less stress. 

The city is a happening place with all the bright lights and conveniences, a place to look for a job or to start a business, a place of prospects and opportunities. 

Singapore is a big city with almost no countryside to talk about. We are quite used to the urban lifestyle, and although we may think about going to a countryside for a break, we may not really consider staying there in some rural place for long-term. 

So, if we really have to choose, it is most likely that we will want to live in the city instead of staying in the countryside. The city has obvious advantages. 

In the gospel, Jesus with the power of the Holy Spirit in him, did not go to the big city to begin His ministry. 

Instead, He returned to Galilee and to Nazareth where He had been brought up and He taught in the synagogues and everyone praised Him. 

So, Jesus began His ministry in His humble home town of Nazareth, and throughout His life He was associated with His hometown, and even on the Cross, the notice stated that He was “Jesus the Nazarene”. 

So, it can be said that Jesus started off with humble beginnings in His hometown, and went on further to the big city to proclaim the Good News of salvation. 

But it was not just to start small that He began His ministry in His humble home town. 

It was there that He had been brought up and had His religious formation there. He had heard the scriptures being read in the synagogue every Sabbath. 

The time had come for Him to fulfill what he had heard and it was to begin from the humble town of Nazareth to the big city of Jerusalem. 

We come to the Church of the Sacred Heart for Mass and this can be considered as our home Parish. 

This is a rather small parish and although it is in the city, it is a bit like a simple and humble countryside parish. 

We listen to the scriptures every Sunday and we are formed as the people of God. 

And like what this parish is, we too must be simple and humble and radiating the warmth of God's love for each other. 

So, when we say that we are from the Church of the Sacred Heart, others should be able to see the simplicity and humility of our lives and feel the warmth of God's love from us. 

Yes, the Spirit of the Lord is also given to us so that as we go forth, we too will proclaim the Good News of God's love to those who are longing to see the beauty of love. 

We are also empowered by the Holy Spirit to be messengers of hope to the downhearted and those burdened by the worries and anxieties of this world. 

We may be from a small parish but we have a big mission ahead of us. 

Let us remember that as parishioners of the Church of the Sacred Heart, we are to show God's love in simple and humble ways and to be witnesses of hope in God's blessings for the world. 

That is how we will proclaim the Good News of salvation and may we begin our mission even as we listen.

2nd Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 16.01.2022

  2nd Sunday OT C-2022                                                                                       16-01-2022 

Isaiah 62:1-5 / 1 Cor 12:4-11 / John 2:1-12 

Whenever the word “miracle” is mentioned, it would mean that something wonderful, astonishing and beautiful has happened. 

It would also imply that it is beyond scientific explanation and that there was a divine intervention. 

And usually the reaction to a miracle would be surprise and wonder, as well as thanksgiving and rejoicing. 

In short, a miracle is not the work of man but the work of God, and what is impossible to man is certainly not impossible for God. 

And we expect a miracle to be spectacular, to be making news and to capture people's attention. 

But a miracle can also be a humble and ordinary event and yet it inspires faith and brings about hope.

The Gospel account is about the miraculous changing of water into wine in the wedding at Cana. 

But the gospel did not use the word “miracle” to describe the event. 

Rather the gospel said that it was the first of the signs given by Jesus, and in it He let His glory be seen. 

So, the changing of water into wine was a sign that pointed to a reality and that is Jesus is God as well as man.

And yet, that profound sign does not stand alone by itself. There were other supporting signs. 

It happened at a wedding. The wedding is a celebration of the love between a man and a woman. 

It is a sign of the outpouring of God's love on the couple and uniting them as one so that they could go forth and multiply that love. 

And there were six large stone jars, and each could hold 20 to 30 gallons. With that much water turned into wine, it is a sign that God's blessings come in abundance resulting in great rejoicing. 

And there were the servants who filled those jars with water. It was certainly a laborious task. 

But the servants were a sign of God's workers who serve God for the good of others. 

And there was Mary who told the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them. Those five words “Do whatever he tells you”, is a sign and a call to obedience to do the will of God and to trust in His plans for us. 

So, the gospel account of the miraculous changing of water into wine in the wedding at Cana teaches us to open our minds and hearts to the signs and wonders that God is showing us. 

Mary, the wedding couple, the servants and the six stone jars were signs that contributed to the profound sign of who Jesus is and what He can do. 

We too are called to be signs of God to manifest and to reveal the presence of God to others. 

By obeying the will of God and carrying out His plans, God will work signs and wonders to inspire faith and to give hope to the world. 

We don't need to see spectacular miracles. We just need to be humble and obedient signs of God and others will see how wonderful and marvellous God is.

Baptism of the Lord, Year C, 09.01.2022

  Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 / Acts 10:34-38 / Luke 3:15-16, 21-22 

There are seven Sacraments in the Church and Baptism is one of the seven Sacraments. 

In fact, Baptism can be called the first of the seven Sacraments because with and through Baptism, we can then receive the rest of the Sacraments. 

And as much as Baptism is the first and necessary Sacrament, the Rite of Baptism utilizes a simple and humble element, and that is water. 

Whether it is Infant Baptism or Adult Baptism, water is poured three times on the head as the priest says, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” 

Most of us are baptized that way, although some may have been baptized by immersion. Whatever it may be, both are valid forms of baptism. 

The element of water is also significant for baptism. It washes away sin, gives new life, and with baptism, we share in the identity of Christ, and that is why we are officially called Christians. 

The water also has a special significance. It is blessed and the act of pouring water over the head symbolizes the Holy Spirit coming down upon the one who is baptized. 

Water is also one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit, besides fire, oil, wind and of course, the dove. 

So, to be baptized and to be a Christian means that we are another Christ for others. 

Like Christ, we are also empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of the Good News of salvation. 

Like Christ, we are called to love and to serve as Christ did. But to love and to serve as Jesus did is certainly not an easy task. 

As the 2nd reading tells us, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil. 

Doing good is already challenging enough. Trying to help those who have fallen into the power of the devil is difficult. 

On this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we recall and reflect on our baptism and our mission in this world. 

And as we are baptized with water, we may want to reflect about the properties of water, and how it is relevant to our spiritual lives. 

Flowing water may not have a particular shape and it has a soothing feeling. Yet in the confrontation between flowing water and the rock, the flowing water will always win. Because the hard rock will be slowly worn away by the flowing water. 

And in the process the rock gets polished and become smooth and even pretty. 

So, since we are baptized with water, then we may also need to be like water, especially when we are faced with the difficult people and situations in life. 

When we are faced with difficult people, let us be like water that will soften our hearts and theirs, so that there will be refreshing and soothing encounter. 

When we fight fire with fire, the result will only be a bigger fire that will burn and destroy. 

And when people throw stones at us, throwing stones back will only result in sparks that will pierce and hurt. 

Let us remember that in the confrontation between the flowing water and hard rock, the flowing water will win, eventually. 

So, let us be like the waters of our baptism, let us go with the flow of the power of the Holy Spirit, and we will be able to live up to our baptismal calling of being witnesses of the Good News of salvation.

Epiphany of the Lord, Year C, 02.01.2022

  Isaiah 60:1-6 / Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6 / Matthew 2:1-12  

Some of us were baptized as infants and a term used for us is “cradle Catholics”. 

Some of us were baptized when we are adults, and the term used for us is “converts”. 

But whether “cradle Catholics” or “converts”, God has called us into His Church through various means and given us the gift of faith. 

So, it could be our parents who brought us to church when we were infants for baptism, and we grew up in the faith. 

For those of us who are baptized as adults, we may have encountered the faith through our friends, our colleagues, or that we may have had a spiritual experience that led us to look for God in the Catholic Church. 

Whatever the means, we acknowledge that it was God who revealed Himself to us and called us into the Church. 

Today, as we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, we give thanks to God for revealing Himself to the world through His Son Jesus Christ. 

In the gospel, it was a star that caught the attention of the wise men and they were convinced that it was revealing to them the birth of the new born King of the Jews. 

The sight of the star was enough for them to embark on a search for the infant King that would lead them to a foreign land. 

But things were not that straightforward as the star wasn't always there for them. That was why they ended up in Jerusalem, and when King Herod heard about it, he was perturbed. 

And then he schemed to use the wise men as his agents to find out the whereabouts of that infant King. 

But God always guide and protect those He is calling, and finally the star appeared and led the wise men to Bethlehem and they finally found the infant King. 

They did Him homage and offered Him the mystic gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh - Gold to symbolize royalty and kingship; incense to symbolize divinity; and myrrh to symbolize humanity. 

These three gifts from the wise men point to the true identity of Jesus, that He is Divine as well as human, and that He is the King of kings.

And the three gifts, in a way, also have a revelation for us.

The gold makes us aware that we do have gold and silver and wealth. But whatever wealth, all gold or silver that we have, we are only stewards of it. Wealth is put to good use when it is shared and not hoarded. 

Incense gives a fragrant scent and it is offered to God as a symbol of our prayer. And like incense, prayer has to be offered regularly so that our lives will be pleasing to God and that we share with others the fragrant scent of God's love. 

Myrrh is a kind of medicine and it is also used for embalming. We acknowledge the frailty of our humanity and that we are nothing without God. 

We confess that we have sinned, and we must turn to God for forgiveness and healing. 

Indeed, the Feast of the Epiphany reveals Jesus to the world as the Saviour and the King of Kings. 

Yet, in this Feast, God also reveals to us who we are and that there is more that He will reveal to us. 

May we walk humbly in the ways of the Lord and follow where He is leading us,  just as the wise men did.