17th Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 30.07.2023

  1 Kings 3:5, 7-12 / Romans 8:28-30 / Matthew 13:44-52

There are many things in life that we are busy with. And these are not trivial things. They are important and they require our attention. 

So, we are busy with work, and we do spend a lot of time at work, and also with our work. 

And we also busy with family matters. We need to look into our parents’ welfare and well-being, as they will need more attention in their senior years. 

We also need to look into our children's development and nurturing, and so we have to arrange tuition, enrichment classes and weekend activities for them. 

So, we are busy, weekdays as well as weekends, and at times we wish that there are more than 24 hours a day. 

Yes, we are busy with so much to do that we feel so tired and worn out. 

With all that busyness and tiredness, we may not have much time or energy to deepen our faith and for prayer. 

But we know that the seed of faith that is planted in our hearts needs attention and nurturing before it can bear fruit in our lives. 

And we can also hear the soft and gentle voice of Jesus calling out to us to come to Him and find rest for our souls. 

Yes, we know that faith and prayer are important, but there are so many things that call out for our attention. 

So, as much as we want to pray, we just can't find the time, or the energy, to be at prayer. 

And here is where king Solomon has something to teach us in the 1st reading. 

He succeeded his famous father David as king of Israel. But he knew he was young and unskilled in leadership to govern the people that was entrusted to him. 

So he prayed to the Lord to grant him a heart of understanding and wisdom to be the king of God's people. 

King Solomon could have asked for intelligence, so that he could be a shrewd ruler and be able to outwit and overcome his enemies. 

So, what is the difference between intelligence and wisdom then? 

Intelligence may help us to understand what the problems are. 

Wisdom helps us to know what are the problems to understand. 

So, king Solomon prayed for a wise and understanding heart. 

And the Lord God was pleased with his prayer and granted him what he asked for. 

So, whenever we have time to pray, what is it that we pray for, or what is it we pray about? 

Following king Solomon's example, let us pray for a wise and understanding heart to know what God wants to give us. 

God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding to rule and govern his people. 

God will also grant us wisdom and understanding to know what is really important in our family, in our work and in our life. 

Prayer is the treasure that we have, a treasure that brings peace and joy in our lives and in our relationships. 

St. Francis de Sales said this about prayer: Usually, half an hour of prayer a day is sufficient. But if you are busy, then make it one hour. 

We may be surprised at that, but when we make time for prayer, God will help us to know what are the problems to understand. 

Then we will be able to separate the necessary from the unnecessary, and our hearts will be at rest, and we will have peace in our lives.

16th Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 23.07.2023

 Wisdom 12:13, 16-19 / Romans 8:26-27 / Matthew 13:24-43

Generally speaking, there are two things that we don't quite like to do, unless it is really necessary. 

One is going to the doctor because we are ill, or for a medical checkup. 

The other is to go to the dentist because of a toothache, or for a dental check-up. 

We go to the doctor not for just a slight illness but because we couldn't self-medicate anymore. 

Even for the regular medical check-up, we would procrastinate in making an appointment. 

Because whenever we go for a medical check-up, the doctor will usually find some problems with our health. 

It may be high cholesterol, or high blood pressure, or high blood sugar and whatever and we will have to follow up with medication or treatment. 

And when we go to the dentist, there will usually be some problems with the teeth. It can be anything from treating a decay to extraction, and there will also be follow-ups. 

But whether it is a medical check-up or a dental check-up, the purpose is to address health issues and to prevent health problems. 

It does not necessarily mean that any part of the body or organ that has problems must be removed. 

Health problems can be treated, so that health and well-being can be maintained and even improved. 

In the gospel parable, the good seed was sown in the field by the owner. 

Then when everyone was asleep, the enemy came and sowed darnel all among the wheat. 

Just some background information, the wheat and the darnel look alike when sprouting. Only when they are maturing will they look different. 

Darnel is poisonous, and there is an ancient Roman law that prohibits the sowing of darnel on the wheat field of an enemy. 

So, the gospel parable is realistic, and it is also true that once the wheat and the darnel begin sprouting, it will be difficult to weed out the darnel. Only at harvest time then it can be done. 

The gospel parable points out the reality of life in that this world has good and evil. 

But good and evil can be so closely intertwined that it can be difficult, if not impossible, to separate. 

It exists in situations that are very close to us, like in our families, in the work-place and even in church. 

So as much as the logical thing to do is to remove the problem, the gospel parable points out the difficulty. 

Because we are also connected to these difficult and troublesome people in a relationship that cannot be easily cancelled away. 

And it happens in marital relationships, family relationships, working relationships, community relationships, and the situation can be toxic and hostile. 

But we are also reminded that there is also an internal struggle within us. 

We too have our own wheat and darnel in our hearts.

The gospel parable ends off with the separation of the wheat and the darnel at harvest time. 

But the message for us is that we are to get rid of the sin in our lives first. 

It is through the help of God that we can do that. 

And when we have experienced the grace of conversion and repentance, then we will be able to accept the sinfulness of the people around us. 

We will not only just accept, but we will commit ourselves to praying for their conversion, and we will even respond to evil with the goodness of God. 

So, we pray for ourselves to be healed of our own sinfulness, and then we can be converted sinners to those who are deep in the toxic of sin. 

We can't wait till harvest time; the work must begin now. Because the salvation of toxic sinners depends on the commitment of converted sinners.

15th Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 16.07.2023

 Isaiah 55:10-11 / Romans 8:18-23 / Matthew 13:1-23

One of the setbacks in life that can be difficult to overcome is failure. 

Failure puts a sudden stop and shatters our dreams of success and achievement. 

Failure breaks our confidence and creates fears in our hearts. 

Failure can even shake our faith in God, especially when we have prayed for success or for a positive outcome. 

We certainly don't like to fail, or to be a loser. 

We want to achieve and to succeed in life, and better still, if we can do it at the first attempt. 

And putting in the faith aspect, we will also pray for God's blessings to succeed in whatever we do. 

But failure is something that we must face in life. 

And like the saying goes: Whatever that can fail, will fail. 

By the very thought that there is a possibility of failure, means that it can happen. 

For example, going for a driving test. Not many people will pass at the first attempt, and so we must be prepared to retake.

We may be hoping for a promotion, but somehow we fail to get it. So, better to be prepared for that. 

But as the proverb says: Failure is the mother of success. 

So, sometimes we win, sometimes we learn. And often, we learn more from our failures than from our success. 

In the gospel parable, the sower seems to be a rather careless. Because he sows the seeds all over the place.

Some seeds fall on the edge of the path, some seeds fall on rocky soil, and some seeds fall among thorns. 

And some seeds fall on rich soil and that produced a harvest. 

In terms of productivity and efficiency, that sower is a failure. In terms of a competition, he is a loser. In an assessment, he is careless and not competent in the job. 

So, what is the gospel parable telling us? What is Jesus saying to us? 

One reflection is that the parable points at the spiritual condition of our heart. 

There are times we listen to the Word of God, and it just bounces off our heart. 

Sometimes we hear but we don't really listen. Sometimes we listen, but we don't move into action. 

But there are times we get an inspiration, and we embark on a mission.

But in the 1st reading, the Lord says this: The Word that goes from My mouth does not return to Me empty, without carrying out My will and succeeding in what it was sent to do. 

The Word of God is spoken to the Church and also proclaimed by the Church. 

The core and the strength of the Church lies in worship and prayer. 

It is in worship and in prayer that we hear the Word of God. 

How we listen to it depends on the spiritual condition of our hearts. 

But God's Word will not fail in us. It will bear fruit. 

So, as we listen to the Word of God, let us keep faith in prayer that God will reveal His plan for us. 

The seeds eaten by the birds may land up at the rooftops, and God's word will be proclaimed there. 

Seeds that don't germinate on the rocky soil and among the thorns, will be preparing the ground for the next sowing. 

With God there is no failure, we just have to persevere. 

In God there is no ending, we just have to keep praying and believing.

14th Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 09.07.2023

  Zechariah 9:9-10 / Romans 8:9, 11-13 / Matthew 11:25-30

When we think about what we really want in life, it is essentially about happiness that we are looking for. 

Yes, we want to be happy in life, but we also know that happiness does not last long. 

Happiness is like ice cream that is melting away in the hot weather. After a while, we only have memories of it. 

So, we will try to prolong happiness and even try to make it a permanent feature in life. 

So, we will strive to get a good educational qualification, so that we can get a good job and we think we will be happy. 

We will also try to earn as much money as we can, so that we can buy our dream house, buy a nice car, and get whatever we think will make us happy in life. 

And we will also try to make ourselves as comfortable as possible with financial securities for the future. 

In short, when there are no worries, then we think we will be happy. That is what we think. 

But life is like a series of worries and anxieties, and even ceaseless worries and anxieties. 

We may want to get into the best schools, but we worry about the stress and pressure, and we get anxious about failures. 

We get our dream house and then the roof leaks and cracks appear. 

There is no need to elaborate about the fact that whatever can go wrong will go wrong. 

But our worries and anxieties, as well as our desires and even our failures, reveal something to us about ourselves. 

And that is our hearts don't seem to be contented, that we are not satisfied, no matter how little or how much we have. 

And therefore, happiness is like fleeting moments in life, and we get weary and tired in our search for happiness. 

In the midst of the occasional ups and numerous downs of life, the voice of God calls out to us. 

He calls us to stop and be still, so that we can know that Jesus is looking at is. 

But we can ignore. Yes, we can ignore physical pain and tiredness, until our body breaks down and can’t function properly. 

We can also ignore the pains and burdens of our hearts, until we break down spiritually and become constantly angry and unhappy. 

Today, Jesus calls out to us again as He says to us: Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 

As we listen to the words of Jesus, we know that He is literally telling us to come to Him and to rest, to relax and to let go of our anxieties, our worries and our burdens. 

And through little children, Jesus reveals something that is so important and necessary in our lives. 

As we look at little children sleeping comfortably and soundly, they can do so because they know they are resting securely under the watchful care of their loving parents. 

Jesus is our loving Saviour. We can always go to Him, whether in Church or in a quiet place, and find rest. 

Even if we can’t pray, or don’t know how to pray, Jesus looks at us and watches over us. 

And even if we end up sleeping, Jesus is pouring His healing love into our bodies, our minds and our hearts. 

We just have to be quiet and be still, and we will know that God is our loving Father, and that Jesus is our Brother and Saviour. 

Then we will know what happiness is. 

Happiness is knowing that Jesus will save us from our troubles, our worries and our anxieties. 

Happiness is being able to rest in the Heart of Jesus. 

Little children are happy when they can rest securely in love. 

Let us be like little children, and we will find happiness by resting in a saving love of Jesus. 

Annual Priest Retreat 2023

  My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The priests of the Archdiocese of Singapore will be having their annual retreat from 3rd July, Monday to 7th July, Friday.

I will also be at this retreat and I am really looking forward to it for a time of silence and prayer.

As such, the next homily post will be for 14th Ordinary Sunday, 9th July 2023.

Requesting prayers for myself and my brother priests that we will be renewed and re-focused so that we will continue to faithfully serve the Lord and His holy people.

Thank you. May God bless you!

Msgr. Stephen Yim

13th Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 01.07.2023

 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-15 / Romans 6:3-4, 8-11 / Matthew 10:37-42

In life, there are decisions to make, and some decisions can be difficult. 

Some decisions can be rather difficult to make because we can't be certain of the impact and the long-term consequences. 

For example, signing a long-term contract or entering into a marriage needs careful consideration. 

If a person chooses a profession and then later finds that there is no fulfillment or satisfaction with the job, then it would be quite a chore to go to work everyday.

Or when a couple enters into marriage and then finds that there are more disputes than delights, then the wedlock becomes a deadlock. 

Just as we cannot predict the future, we also can't really determine the outcome of our decisions. 

Because what we thought was a good decision may not be that good a decision after a while. 

And what we thought was a bad decision may not be that bad after all. 

But from the history of the past, we would have learned how to decide for the future, the future which is a mystery. 

But in the Christian understanding, mystery is not something unknown or even scary. 

Because faith is a mystery, and the mystery of faith is that God has revealed Himself and He keeps revealing Himself so that we will grow in faith. 

And with faith, we will know what kind of decisions to make. 

In the gospel, Jesus teaches us how to make decisions in life. 

He tells us to decide for the cross, if we want to follow Him. 

The cross does not seem appealing at first sight, and we rather avoid it. 

But as Jesus said, if we want to save our life by avoiding the cross, then we are actually losing our life. 

But when we accept the cross and carry it, then, as Jesus promised, we will find life in the cross. 

Indeed, the cross is a mystery, but the cross has revealed God's love for us, and will keep revealing God's love for us, when we decide to carry it. 

And we priests are to show you, the People of God, how to carry the cross in order to follow Jesus. 

Because it is through the cross that the power of God's love is revealed. 

In these 25 years of serving God as His priest, the cross has always been before me. 

When I accept the cross, I also accept the blessings of life and love. 

And as a priest, I'm called to share God's blessings of life and love with you, the People of God. 

And I also know that when I carry the cross, I will be a blessing for the People of God. 

But when I don't carry the cross, I will end up as a burnt offering. 

So, I have learnt, and I'm still learning how to carry the cross and to be a blessing for others. 

The lesson I learned is that in saying “Yes” to the cross and to carry it, the focus has to be on God's blessings. 

The story goes that a king wanted to learn archery, and so he got the best archer to teach him. 

When the king felt that he was skilled enough, he decided to go hunting to test his archery skills, and he brought his teacher along. 

They went into the forest, and spotted a rabbit hopping out of the bush. The king quickly took out his bow and arrow and took aim. 

Then a goat appeared, and the king thought that the goat would be an easier target and set his aim on the goat. 

Then a deer ran past, and the king thought it would be more interesting to shoot a deer and shifted his aim once again. 

Just when he was about to shoot, he spotted an eagle in the sky. He wanted to shoot the eagle but it flew away quickly. 

By this time the rabbit, the goat and the deer had disappeared. 

His teacher, the archer, witnessed all that, and he said to the king, “If you want to shoot your target accurately, you must decide on what you want, and you have to remain focused on it.” 

In the gospel, Jesus tells us to take up our cross and to follow Him. 

The cross is a blessing, the cross is about life, the cross is about love. 

My dear People of God, as a priest, I will choose the cross and carry it, and I will focus on being God's blessings for you. 

I pray that you too will choose the cross and carry it, and focus on God's blessing. 

Let us be God's blessings for each other, and together let us be God's blessings for the Church and for the world.