4th Sunday of Advent, Year C, 22.12.2024

  Micah 5:1-4 / Hebrews 10:5-10 / Luke 1:39-44

Some of us may remember this famous statement and its historical background. 

The statement is this: That's one small step for man, a giant leap for mankind. 

That statement was made by the American astronaut Neil Armstrong on the 20th July, 1969. He made this statement as he descended from the ladder of the lunar capsule and stepped on the surface of the Moon. 

And with that, he became the first man to step on the moon. 

But man didn't stop with just stepping on the moon. The quest for exploration of outer space continues with further ventures to other planets. 

But other than the moon, man has not stepped on other planets, well, not yet. 

So, it can be said that man has leapt to the moon, and he may be eyeing other planets to leap at. 

Although man has leapt far into outer space, how far has he gone into inner space? 

Much money and resources are spent exploring other planets, and yet planet Earth was left with an ecological problem. 

Man has leapt are into outer space, but has neglected about his inner space. 

In the gospel, we hear of another kind of leap. It was a leap of joy, a leap of life, a leap of love. 

Mary greeting Elizabeth seems ordinary, but it revealed a deep mystery. 

The Word of God has taken flesh in the womb of Mary, and through her greeting, the Good News of salvation was proclaimed. 

And baby in Elizabeth's womb left for joy at the sound of the Good News. 

It was a leap not into outer space, but a leap into the mystery of salvation, a leap into the love of God. 

As we listen to the gospel passage, our hearts also want to leap for joy. 

But if our hearts are not responding to this joyful news, could it be that our hearts are heavy and burdened. 

We may have spent our time, resources and energy on the unnecessary, on the so-called outer space, and neglected what is necessary, we have neglected our inner space. 

We need to listen to the Good News, so that our hearts can also leap with joy into the love of God. 

A story goes that a man went trekking into the woods, and he was fascinated by the natural beauty, and he lost track of time. 

When he realized it was getting dark, he tried to hurry back but he got lost, but he still tried to find his way back even though it was dark. 

He went on and on and then suddenly he fell off a cliff. As he was falling down, he somehow managed to catch hold of a branch. 

He caught his breath and was relieved, but he couldn't see where he was as it was pitch dark. 

So, he began to pray: Oh God, save me, save me. 

To his surprise, he heard a voice: You want me to save you? 

The man replied. Yes Lord yes, please save me. 

The Voice then said: Okay, then do what I tell you, let go of the branch. 

The man was stunned and also shocked. He couldn’t believe what he heard. So, he closed his eyes and desperately held on to the branch with all his might. 

After a long while, he heard birds chirping and he knew that finally morning has arrived. 

With much anxiety, he slowly opened his eyes to see what his situation was. To his surprise, when he opened his eyes to see where he was, his feet was only six inches from the ground. 

If only he had listened to the voice of God and let go of the branch, he wouldn't have suffered all night. 

So, it comes back to this simple spiritual saying: Let go and let God. 

When we let go of our worries, fears and anxieties, we will listen to the voice of God and let God take control of our lives. 

When we let God take control, then we will be able to listen to the Good News of salvation, and our hearts will leap for joy.

3rd Sunday of Advent, Year C, 15.12.2024

 Zephaniah 3:14-18 / Philippians 4:4-7 / Luke 3:10-18

Human beings and machines have some similarities. 

A machine is designed to perform a specific task. 

For example, a car is designed to move after a sequence of operations. The task is specific and there are not much variations to what a car is supposed to do. 

Human beings, as much as they can be flexible and adaptable, also like to be told specifically what to do. 

And human beings can be rather robotic, and they can at times even act like robots. 

But a better way of putting it is that human beings are creatures of habit, and they like to be ritualistic. 

They want to know what to do and keep doing it, so that they don't have to think too much about how to do it. 

And when they get used to doing something over and over again, then it is not likely that they will like to change it. 

In the gospel, the people who came to John the Baptist asked him what must they do for repentance. 

So, to specific groups of people John the Baptist gave them specific tasks to perform. 

Generally, he told them to be generous and to share with those in need. 

Then, to the tax collectors, he told them to be honest and not to collect more than required. To the soldiers, he told them not to intimidate and not to extort. 

John the Baptist was specific and straightforward in his teaching and in his instructions to the people and to the specific groups. 

So the people thought that it was all that was required. 

Then, John the Baptist gave them something more to think about and what to be prepared for. 

He said that he baptized with water for the repentance of sin. 

But there is one who is coming after him, and who is more powerful than he is. 

And that one who is to come, will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 

What immediately comes to mind is a stark contrast. 

John the Baptist talks about and uses water for his ministry. 

But Jesus, the one who is to come, will have the power of the Holy Spirit and there will be fire. 

What a contrast, and what a change. 

But the contrast also prepares for the change, and it will be a wonderful and beautiful change. 

On this third week of Advent, the rose coloured candle is lighted and rose coloured vestments are worn. 

The rose coloured candle stands as a contrast among the three purple coloured candles. 

It is a candle to symbolize the theme of rejoicing. 

It also reminds us that when Jesus came He brought about a change. 

He was a light in the darkness, and his birth brought about rejoicing because the promise of salvation was fulfilled. 

On this third Sunday of Advent, the message for us is that Jesus will bring about a change, and it is a change that we will rejoice over. 

So, when there are changes in our lives, in our family and in our workplace, let us ask Jesus to help us see the change with rejoicing and with His blessings.

For this parish community, for Fr. Andre and for myself, all of us had undergone a change, and we want to believe that the change comes with blessings and rejoicing.

Let us remember the rose coloured candle of the Advent wreath.

May the light of that candle give us the Spirit of rejoicing. 

And let us pray that every change will come with the blessings of God, and that every change will be wonderful and beautiful.

2nd Sunday of Advent, Year C, 08.12.2024

 Baruch 5:1-9 / Philippians 1:3-6, 8-11 / Luke 3:1-6 

The ways of the world are such that what is done is to be done on a big scale. 

It can be said that size does matter, so the bigger the better. 

The objective is to gain attention and admiration, so as to be more popular and famous than the rest. 

So, when it comes to the seasonal festive decorations, then the brighter and fancier, the better. 

And of course, when it comes to the Christmas trees, then the taller the better. 

But it is not just about being bigger, or brighter, or taller. 

The world also favours those with big names and high status, and from famous places. 

Needless to say, that behind those big names with high status and from famous places, there are influence, power and wealth. 

These are the ways of the world, and we are constantly being exposed to such ways. 

Inevitably, that also became a way of life, to be bigger, higher, better and with power. 

In the gospel, many big and powerful names were mentioned, and they also rule over famous places. 

Among those names are some that we have heard before, like, Pontius Pilate, Herod, Annas and Caiaphas. 

And we have heard about those places that they rule over, Judaea, Galilee and those other places. 

At that time, if someone were to name-drop and say that they are friend of Tiberius Caesar, or Pontius Pilate or Herod, they will be shown favour. 

Or, if someone were to say that the high priest Annas or Caiaphas is their friend, they will also get religious favours. 

What happened then, in that political and religious world, has not changed much. It is also happening in the present political and religious scenes, only that the names and places have changed. 

But there is one thing that did not change, and that is the ways of God. The ways of God are not the ways of the world. 

In the gospel, the Word of God did not go to those high and mighty and famous names or places. 

Instead, the Word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, and he was out there in the wilderness. 

And the message that John received was plain and simple, and that is, the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. 

It was a no-frills and no-thrills message, just repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 

As we enter into the second week of Advent, the world has already entered into the festive celebrations. 

It looks and sounds as if Christmas is already here, and we are also moving with the flow. 

Being in this tension between Advent and the festive celebrations, a well-known figure emerges. 

We know who Santa Claus is. His image has appeared during this time in decorations and advertisements. 

Santa Claus is a big name in this festive season, so much so that his origins is often forgotten. 

Santa Claus, or St. Nicholas, lived during the 4th century. He is venerated in the Church because he helped the poor in their misery and poverty with gifts of money.

So, that is why Santa Claus, or St Nicholas, became a symbol of giving during this season. 

He also reminds us that God gave us His only Son to save us and to forgive our sins. 

Just as the Word of God came to John the Baptist in the wilderness, the Word of God comes to us through Santa Claus, or Saint Nicholas. 

St Nicholas reminds us of the virtue of giving and especially to help the poor. 

The Word of God reminds us that the best gift is the gift of forgiveness. 

Let us turn to God for forgiveness so that we can forgive others. 

That is how we prepare the way for the Lord, so that we, the Church, and the world, will see the salvation of God.

1st Sunday of Advent, Year C, 01.12.2024

 Jeremiah 33:14-16 / 1 Thess 3:12 -4:2 / Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 

Human beings are such that they will usually follow what the majority or what the crowd is doing, or where the majority or the crowd is going. 

That is also sometimes called the “herd  mentality”. 

To follow the majority or the crowd would be certainly a safer option. 

At least we won't feel left out, or left alone. It is always safer to be with a crowd or in a crowd. 

But doing what the crowd is doing, or going where the crowd is going, would make us lose something. 

It would make us lose our sense of judgment, as we would do without thinking and go without looking. 

Then there is also the peer pressure that will numb our discernment and judgment. 

But that would be what we have to give up if we want to be with the “in-crowd” and so as not to be left out. 

So, when the crowd says that that is the way, then we will also follow along and say that is the way. 

And when the crowd is in chaos and panicking because of some danger, then we too will also be frightened and begin to panic. 

In the gospel, Jesus talks about disturbing and frightening signs and happenings. 

But He also says that in those fearful and frightening times, He will come with power and great glory. 

Jesus tells us to stand erect, and hold our heads high, because our liberation is near at hand. 

Jesus wants to liberate and free us from the conformity and the confusion of this world. 

So, the world says that we must stay low and protect ourselves, and to take cover from danger. 

But Jesus tells us to stand erect and hold our heads high. 

Practically, it means that we must know what is right and wrong. 

Right is right even if nobody is doing it. And wrong is wrong even if everybody is doing it.

But, that would be challenging and difficult because of the herd-mentality and the peer pressure. 

As we begin the season of Advent, the first candle of the Advent wreath is lighted. 

It is just one lighted candle, but that one little light is sufficient to make us think and reflect. 

As we journey further into Advent, eventually all the four candles of the Advent wreath will be lighted. 

And it began with just one lighted candle. 

So when we stand up for what is right and true, and what is good and loving, we also must stand erect and hold our heads high. 

We do what is right and true, what is good and loving, even if no one is doing it. 

We stand on the promise of Jesus, and we hold our heads high because Jesus will shine His light on us and liberate and light up our lives. 

We don't follow the crowd, because we follow Jesus. 

We can only follow Jesus when we stay awake and pray. 

With the light of Jesus shining on us, we will be able to stand erect and hold our heads high. 

And we will be able to do what is right and true, and what is good and loving, even if nobody is doing it.

Christ the King, Year B, 23.11.2024

 We live in the world that is always changing. Almost nothing remains the same. Over time, there will be some changes. 

Buildings undergo renovation to have a new look or layout. Some buildings may even be demolished and an entirely new building comes up, and that also changes the landscape. 

In the name of progress and development, natural landscapes are changed, regardless of for better or for worse. 

People also grow in change. Children grow into adults and become parents. Their parents go on to become grandparents. 

So, the world around us, as well as ourselves, are constantly undergoing change. 

Change maybe an indication of growth and progress. 

We also hope that we can change for the better, in that we grow in wisdom and understanding. 

As we celebrate the feast of Christ the King, we celebrate the almighty power and glory of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus Christ is the King of the universe, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. 

His almighty power is eternal and everlasting. 

And His almighty power can change people, can change thinking, as well as situations and circumstances. 

In the gospel, Pilate asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jews. 

And at the end of the gospel passage, Pilate answered his own question when he said to Jesus: So, you are a king then. 

In between, something about Pilate has changed. At first, he interrogated Jesus, then he pondered about Jesus, and in the end, he was rather intrigued about Jesus. 

It was Pilate who wrote that inscription on the Cross: Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews. 

Pilate may not have intended it, but he declared it in writing that Jesus is the King of the Jews. 

So, in the gospel passage, the encounter and exchange between Jesus and Pilate revealed something.

Pilate had the power, but Jesus is the Divine Authority. 

Pilate had the first say, but Jesus had the last Word. 

Pilate had the status, but Jesus has the truth. 

In fact, Jesus is the Truth as He tells Pilate this: Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this, to bear witness to the truth, and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice. 

One of the images of Christ the King is then he is carrying the cross with the left hand, and his right hand is raised to impart a blessing. 

That image tells us that the Cross is the truth of our lives if we want to be disciples of Jesus our king. 

Like Jesus, we will carry the cross of truth and stand on the side of truth and to bear witness to the truth. 

And in carrying the cross of truth, Jesus blesses us with His right hand of power and glory. 

Yes, we listen to the voice of Jesus Christ our King and we carry the cross of truth and bear witness to it. 

And in carrying the cross of truth, Jesus Christ will bless us with His almighty love. 

Yes, we believe and we follow Jesus Christ the King of Truth and Love. 

The world will keep changing, but the truth and love of Jesus Christ Our King will never change.

And the eternal truth is that Jesus Christ our King will love us and He will love us forever.

33rd Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 17.11.2024

 Daniel 12:1-3 / Hebrews 10:11-14, 18 / Mark 13:24-32

One of the questions about life that we rather not think about is this: 

What is it that I am afraid of? 

Of course, there are many things in life that we are afraid of. 

When it comes to insects and such, some are afraid of lizards, others are afraid of cockroaches, and others are afraid of spiders. 

But those are just a part of the spectrum of fears. 

There are some who are afraid of heights, while others have stage-fright and others are afraid of crowds. 

To put it plainly, there is always something in life that we are afraid of. 

In Singapore, there is this general phenomenon of “kia-su” the fear of losing out. But whatever form of fears, the fact is that when it happens, we will lose control, we may even melt down and chaos can set in. 

It is like when the lights suddenly go off, and it is total darkness, and we begin to panic. 

In the gospel, Jesus talked about a rather disturbing and frightening situation. 

He said that in those days, after a time of distress, the sun will be darkened, the moon will lose its brightness, the stars will fall from heaven and other frightening sights. 

As we think about it, distress is already bad enough. 

Distress means that our lives are disturbed and we are displaced by all sorts of problems.

And it is not just about lizards or spiders, and it is more than the fear of heights or crowds. 

It is about chaos and confusion, and our faith is shaken. 

And as if the distress is not bad enough, the sun will be darkened, the moon will lose its brightness and the stars will fall from heaven. 

In other words, after the distress, there will be darkness, a deep darkness that brings out all the fears in us. 

It is like one bad thing happening after another. 

As we think about it, this is not something new that Jesus is talking about. 

We have experienced bad things happening in our lives, and it is one bad thing after another. 

It is like being retrenched, and then getting into debt, and then a serious illness comes along. 

It is one distress after another, and the darkness becomes deeper and tighter. 

But in times like these, let us remember that verse from Psalm 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God.” 

Yes, we need to be still and that all the distress and darkness will pass. 

Once a powerful king called upon all of his wise men and asked them, "Is there a mantra or suggestion which works in every situation, in every circumstance, in every place and in every time. In every joy, every sorrow, every defeat and every victory? One answer for all questions? Something that can help me when none of you is available to advise me? Tell me is there any mantra?"  

All the wise men were puzzled by the King’s question. They thought and thought. After a lengthy discussion, an old wise man suggested something that appealed to all of them. They went to the king and gave him something written on paper, with a condition that the king was not to see it out of curiosity. 

Only in extreme danger, when the king finds himself alone and there seems to be no way, only then he can see it. The king put the paper in his bracelet. 

Some time later, the enemies attacked the kingdom. The king and his army fought bravely but lost the battle. The king had to flee on his horse. The enemies were following him, and they were getting closer and closer. 

Suddenly the king found himself at the edge of a cliff. Underneath there was a rocky valley thousands of feet deep. If he jumped down, he would be finished, and he could not return because it was a small road, and the sound of enemy’s horses was approaching fast. The king panicked. There seemed to be no way out.

Then suddenly he saw his bracelet shining in the sun, and he remembered the message hidden in the bracelet. He opened the paper and read the message. The message was – “THIS TOO SHALL PASS”

The king read it again and again. Suddenly something struck him - Yes! This too will pass. Only a few days ago, he was enjoying his kingdom. He was the mightiest of all the kings. Yet today, the kingdom and all his pleasures have gone. He is now trying to escape from enemies. Like those days of luxuries have gone, this day of danger too will pass. A calm came on his face. He kept standing there. The place where he was standing was full of natural beauty. He had never known that such a beautiful place was also a part of his kingdom. 

The revelation of the message had a great effect on him. He relaxed and forgot about those following him. After a few minutes he realized that the noise of the horses and the enemy coming was receding. They moved into some other part of the mountains and were nowhere near him.

The king was very brave. He reorganized his army and fought again. He defeated the enemy and regained his empire. When he returned to his empire after victory, he was received with much fanfare. The whole capital was rejoicing in the victory. 

Everyone was in a festive mood. Flowers were being showered on king from every house, from every corner. People were dancing and singing. For a moment the king said to himself, “I am one of the bravest and greatest kings. It is not easy to defeat me.” With all the reception and celebration, an ego was emerging in him.

Suddenly his bracelet flashed in the sunlight and reminded him of the message. He opened it and read it again: “THIS TOO SHALL PASS”. 

Yes, all the distress and darkness will pass but God's Word will not pass away. 

Even heaven and earth will pass away, but God's Word will never pass away. 

So, when we are faced with distress after distress, and the fear and darkness gets deeper and tighter, let us remember this. 

Let us remember to be still and know that God is with us. 

The distress and the darkness and the fear will pass away, but God's Word and His promises will not pass away. 

And God's Word and promise to us is this: God is here to stay, and He will not go away.

32nd Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 10.11.2024

  1 Kings 17:10-16 / Hebrews 9:24-28 / Mark 12:38-44

Whether people believe in God or not, it cannot be denied that everyone has a conscience. 

Although it also cannot be denied that there are some people who are able to suppress their conscience.

So, their conscience becomes numbed to the bad that they do to others, and evil they commit against others. 

But even with the conscience suppressed, the eyes and the ears cannot be shut off from the realities of life. 

And there is one reality that cannot be denied and that is the reality of retribution. 

Retribution is commonly understood as some kind of “payback”, and it is usually about a punishment that is inflicted for some wickedness or evil that was done in the past. 

The reality of retribution is often portrayed in stories, movies and dramas. 

It is also something that we would talk about in order to dissuade someone from doing something wicked. 

And it may also be something that we have experienced in our lives or in the lives of people we know. 

In the gospel, Jesus did not use the word retribution. 

But in His teaching, He told the people to beware of the behaviour of the scribes. 

Jesus also said that because they swallow the property of widows while making a show of lengthy prayers, the more severe will be the sentence they receive. 

So, Jesus is issuing an unmistakable warning for those who commit wickedness and evil against others. 

More than just retribution, the wickedness and evil committed against others is done before God. 

Yes, God sees, God knows and God waits. 

But even as Jesus issued the warning against the wicked and the evildoers, He also pointed out something inspiring and enlightening. 

No one really noticed that poor widow who dropped the two small coins into the Temple treasury, but Jesus did. 

And how did Jesus know that the two small coins were all that the poor widow had to live on? 

There could be a couple of explanations, but in the end it comes down to this:

God sees, God knows and God waits. 

But if God sees and God knows, then what is God waiting for? 

Well, that poor widow dropped in the two small coins, everything she had to live on, and there were no immediate rewards for her. 

But we believe, that God will bless her and provide for her and that God will sustain her because of her faith and generosity. 

So, God sees, God knows and God waited, so that His blessings will be more than we can expect. 

So, for the good we do, let us do it quietly and humbly, like that poor widow. 

Our reward is not in man's praises and admiration, but in the blessings of God, the blessings of His love and peace. 

As for those who commit wickedness and evil, let us not threaten them with retribution or punishment.

Because God sees, God knows and God waits. 

God waits for our two small coins of prayer for sinners as He waits for their repentance and conversion.

Yes, God sees, God knows and God waits. 

God waits to grant sinners forgiveness, and God waits for our two small coins of prayers, prayers for the conversion of sinners.

31st Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 03.11.2024

 Deuteronomy 6:2-6 / Hebrews 7:23-28 / Mark 12:28-34

No one can be forced to listen to a message that they are not prepared to receive. 

They may have heard the message many times over, but they do not respond to it, or act on it. 

They may even know the contents of the message, but they do not really put it into practice.

Over the past two days, the Church celebrated two feasts that have a profound impact on our lives. 

And these two feasts make us reflect on our lives and how we should go on living. 

The first is the feast of All Saints, in which we express our belief in the Communion of Saints. 

We are reminded of the call to holiness, that the Saints are praying for us to join them in heaven to praise God in eternity. 

The second is the feasts of All Souls, in which we remember our departed loved ones and all the faithful departed. 

We offer Mass and pray for them, so that they will be purified and rest in the eternal peace of God. 

So, the feast of All Saints reminds us of our eternity. 

And the feast of All Souls reminds us of our mortality. 

The message is plain and clear, and it grounds us down to this reality: 

We were born without bringing anything into this world. 

We die without taking anything with us. 

But the surprising thing is that in the interval between life and death, we fight for what we did not bring in, and we desire for what we cannot take away. 

In other words, we forget about our mortality and our eternity. 

We know the message, we have heard it numerous times, but we forget to put it into practice. 

In the gospel, the scribe asked Jesus about which is the first of all commandments. 

As a scribe, he should know the answer to his own question. 

For whatever motive he had in asking that question, Jesus replied plainly and clearly: “This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

Then at that moment, the scribe seemed to be enlightened and he realized what the Commandment is about. 

Jesus seeing how wisely he had spoken said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” 

This gospel passage tells us that there will be an appointed time when we will realize the truth of life and the reality of love. 

For me, the appointed time has come in my last weekend of ministry and service in this parish. 

The truth of life is that there will be changes, but God has His plans for me and for this parish community. 

But in the midst of changes, the reality of love and blessing does not change. 

I came to this parish about 10 years ago wondering what is God's plan for you and me. 

As God’s plan unfolded, it was blessing upon blessing, and love upon love. 

From you, I have learned what is simplicity and humility, and to love God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind and with all my strength.

And I hope that I have shown you how to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.

I have received abundant blessings from the Lord, and I also wanted to share God's blessings with you. 

Some of you may have received unique showers of blessings of Holy Water on your hair, running down your face, and maybe into your eyes and into your ears. 

Yes, God loves us and blesses us abundantly. 

May we also love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength. 

Then we will not be far from the kingdom of God.

30th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 27.10.2024

 Jeremiah 31:7-9 / Hebrews 5:1-6 / Mark 10:46-52

A disadvantage is understood as an unfavourable position or circumstance, or a condition that reduces the chances of success or effectiveness. 

Whether the disadvantage is personal or external, it is not something that we are happy about. 

A disadvantage can also be called a problem, and as with any problem, we want to look for solutions. 

So, if we are poor and the others around us are rich, then we wouldn’t buy what those others could buy, and we couldn’t live the lifestyle that those others could have. 

We will have to settle for the minimum.

Or, if we are of poor health, then we can forget about competing in sports or winning medals and trophies. 

But with every problem, there can a solution. It is futile to keep complaining about problems without looking for a solution or an alternative.

But there are some problems that may not have immediate solutions. 

There is this story of a young man who is poor and unhappy because he couldn't find a girlfriend and he wanted to get married. 

So, he went to see a wise men for advice. The wise man looked at him and said, “You will be poor and unhappy and unmarried till you are 40.” 

Then the young man asked, “Until 40? Then after that?”

The wise man replied, “After that you will get used to it.”

Maybe there are some disadvantages and problems in life that require some getting used to. 

In the gospel, Bartimaeus, or the son of Timaeus, was in a difficult disadvantage and with many problems. 

He was blind, and he had to beg for people's sympathy to get on with life, and he had to get used to it. 

More than that, he doesn't seem to have an identity of his own. He was called the son of Timaeus. 

He was really in the depths of poverty. He has no identity, no dignity and maybe even no sympathy. 

Because when he heard that Jesus was passing by, he shouted for Jesus to have pity on him. 

And the people around him scolded him and told him to keep quiet. 

But Bartimaeus only shouted all the louder for Jesus to have pity on him. 

The disadvantage of Bartimaeus was that he couldn't see. 

But his ears could hear that Jesus was near, and he still had a voice to call out to Jesus. 

Even though the people around him tried to silence him, there was one thing that was his advantage, and that was pointed out by Jesus. 

When Jesus asked Bartimaeus what does he want, Bartimaeus asked to let him see again. 

The reply of Jesus is truly a revelation for Bartimaeus - Go, your faith has saved you. 

The disadvantage of Bartimaeus was his blindness. 

But his advantage was that he had ears of faith to hear that Jesus is near. 

He also had a voice of faith to call out to Jesus to have pity on him.

Each of us has our own disadvantages in life as well as our problems. 

Even the famous biblical characters have their struggles: 

Moses had a speech impediment. 

David was considered too young and inexperienced to fight Goliath. 

And when he became a king, he committed two grave sins of adultery and murder. 

Peter was impulsive. 

Paul was a ferocious persecutor of Christians. 

But at the very core of their lives, they had faith in God. 

With faith, we will face our problems with prayer. 

And with prayer God will turn our disadvantages into revelations of how marvellous and wonderful His love is for us. 

And may our prayer be: Jesus, have pity on me.  

Mission Sunday 2024, 20.10.2024

 Isaiah 2:1-5 / Ephesians 3:2-12 / Mark 16:15-20

The word “go” gives the idea that there is a movement. 

The word “go” is usually followed by a phrase that indicates some kind of activity. 

So, it could be go for a meal. Or go for a walk. Or go shopping. Or go somewhere for holiday. 

Those kinds of activities give a sense that the activity is enjoyable and relaxing, and we look forward to it. 

But it may not be so for all activities that follow after the word “go”. 

To go for a meeting may be boring if we just have to be present and listen to presentations. On the other hand, it could be stressful if we have to give a presentation to our bosses. 

So, we would like to know what it is that is after the word “go”. Like … go away? Or, do what? Or, meet who? 

In the gospel, Jesus tells His disciples to go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation. 

He told them that they will be given gifts that will show that they are God's messengers. 

In His name, they will cast out devils, they will have the gift of tongues, they will pick up snakes in their hands, they will be unharmed should they drink the poison, they will lay hands on the sick who will recover. 

So, they went out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the message of salvation with signs from God. 

But the mission is not without difficulties or danger. There was rejection and persecution. 

Some had to lay down their lives in witness to the Good News. 

But the mission continued to this day and the mission reminds us of this: that the Good News is a divine message and not a human initiative. 

And because it is a divine message, it comes with blessings for the messenger as well as for the listener. 

The gospel tells us that Jesus ascended to heaven, and there at the right hand of God, He took His place. 

The right hand of God is the sign and the symbol of the power and the blessing from God. 

Jesus gives us the power to proclaim the Good News and He gives us His blessing to carry it out. 

Mission Sunday is a call to discover God's gift in us and to discern our mission as Christians.

If we have a St. Benedict's medal, we will see that on one side is a symbol of the Cross with some inscriptions around it. 

On the other side is a figure of St. Benedict holding a Cross on one hand and a book on the other. 

St Benedict used the Cross to preach the Good News. The book is the rule that he used to promote the monastic life. That was Saint Benedict's calling. 

Then there's also the image of a raven carrying a loaf of bread and its beak, and there is also a cup with a snake crawling out of it. 

The story is that the enemies of St. Benedict wanted to harm him by poisoning his bread and drink.

But when St. Benedict said the blessing over his food, a raven came along and carried the bread away, and a snake crawled out of the cup. 

So, the Lord Jesus protected St. Benedict from harm as he carried out his mission

And the Lord Jesus will also protect us when we respond to His call to go and proclaim the Good News

On this Mission Sunday, let us ask Jesus to help us discover our gifts and to respond to His call. 

And as we go forth to be messengers of the Good News, Jesus will work with us and He will give us the signs to confirm the truth of the message.

28th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 13.10. 2024

 Wisdom 7:7-11 / Hebrews 4:12-13 / Mark 10:17-30

Many sayings and opinions have been expressed about the subject of money. 

And it cannot be denied that money is indeed a very useful thing. 

With money we are able to fulfil our basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. 

With money, we will have a comfortable life and we are able to afford the luxuries of life. 

On the noble side, money is used to help the poor and needy, and to fund humanitarian projects. 

Generally speaking, no one would say that they don't want money, or that they have no need for money. 

Indeed, money is useful, and he who has money can be quite powerful. 

But there are things that money cannot buy and have no power over. 

Money certainly cannot buy life. Money can never bring the dead back to life. 

And money cannot buy true friendships. 

And money also cannot buy love. 

In fact, when we have no money, then we will know who will help us, who are our true friends and who will really love us. 

In the gospel, a man ran up to Jesus, knelt before him and asked what must he do to inherit eternal life.

The man kept all commandments and he wanted to know if there is anything else to do. 

Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him. Then he told the man to sell off everything he owned, give the money to the poor and he will have eternal life. 

But that man's face fell, and he walked away sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 

Jesus had looked steadily at him and loved him. 

That man looked at his wealth, but did not look into the eyes of Jesus. 

It is said that the eyes are the windows of the soul. 

Just as Jesus looked steadily at that man and loved him, Jesus looks at us and loves us too. 

But just as that man looked at his wealth, we may be too busy looking at other things. 

Our eyes look and not just money and wealth. Our eyes look at what we desire for sensual pleasure and luxurious possessions. 

When it comes to food, our eyes become bigger than our stomachs and we eat till we overeat. 

So, we are busy looking at earthly desires and our eyes avert from looking at Jesus. 

Still, Jesus continues to look at us with that look of love, with eyes that want to tell us something. 

But we are busy, as busy as a bee. 

Bees may be busy, but they still have time to talk to the flowers. 

It seems that flowers talk to bee using static electricity. If a flower hasn't been visited recently by a bee, it gives off static electricity. 

That static electricity tugs at the tiny hairs on the bees’ back, letting them know which flower still has nectar. 

Like how the flower prompts the bee, Jesus prompts us to look at Him as He looks at us. 

As we feel His promptings, may this hymn also come to our minds: 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, 

look full in His wonderful face. 

And the things of earth 

will grow strangely dim 

in the light of His glory and grace.

27th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 06.10.2024

 Genesis 2:18-24 / Hebrews 2:9-11 / Mark 10:2-16

One of the basic and fundamental needs in life is the need for survival. 

From the moment we came into the world, we instinctively made it known that we want to live and survive. 

So, even though when we were helpless little babies, we would cry out for attention in our need for food. 

And as we started to crawl around, we would put into our mouths anything we can lay our hands on, and our parents would go into alarm or panic mode. 

When our need for food is met, and we have a stable supply of food, we will turn our attention to something else. 

Not being satisfied with just having food to survive, we now want to have our place in this world. 

So, we begin the quest for recognition and status, for academic qualifications, for job promotions and for material possessions. 

Instinctively, we will look for what benefits us and we will avoid what are burdens to us. 

So, it is like when we have to go out on a rainy day, we will look for an umbrella, for the benefit of keeping dry. 

But, when the rain has stopped, or when we have no more need for the umbrella, then it becomes a burden, because we have to carry it around. 

So, in life, our human survival instinct tells us to get what benefits us, and to avoid and reject what are burdens to us. 

In the gospel, Jesus gave a teaching about marriage, and He stated that from the beginning, marriage was instituted by God. 

That beginning is what we heard in the 1st reading, when God said: It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helpmate. 

The Lord God made the man fall into a deep sleep, and then took to a rib from the man and created the woman. 

So, something was taken from the man and given to the woman. 

So, it can be said that a man and a woman commit themselves to marriage because they want to give themselves to the other. 

Marriage is not for self-benefit, neither is it to think of the other as a burden. 

When marriage is understood as a self-sacrifice for the other, then there will be love in the marriage. 

Needless to say, that in marriage, one spouse cannot think of the other as an umbrella for rainy days, and a burden when the rain has stopped. 

Rather, one becomes the umbrella and a shelter for the other in rainy days. 

This self-sacrifice of love is what parents will teach and show to their children. 

I once watched a movie clip about a father who went to fetch his twin children from kindergarten on a rainy day.

When the father reached the kindergarten and saw his two children happily waiting for him, he realized that he had only one umbrella, and it was not a big umbrella. 

For a moment, the father looked at his children and looked at the umbrella. 

The next scene showed him holding the umbrella over his two children, and he was wet in the rain. 

What he did for his children, he would also do for his wife, and his wife would also do likewise. 

And that is how we see the meaning of our life. 

More than just food and other things for survival, we live because of love. 

To survive is just to exist. But to live is to love. 

God created us in love, with love and for love. 

Let us go forth and share God's love with our world.

26th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 29.09.2024

 Numbers 11:25-29 / James 5:1-6 / Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

One of the essential aspects of building relationships is that there is a common interest. 

Individuals would instinctively gather themselves in groups when there is a shared common interest. 

These groups are usually informal or casual, and it can consist of several members. 

There is no written constitution or stipulation about leadership or membership. 

The individuals gather together as a group because of a similar interest, and that is also the basis of their relationship. 

Sometimes these groups are called “kakis” in our local Singlish. 

For those who like playing mahjong, they are called mahjong khakis. 

And there are others like jogging kakis, cycling kakis, dancing kakis, music kakis and of course makan kakis. 

These groups usually gather to enjoy the common interest. 

But, they can also become exclusive and ambitious, in that they compete against other groups and criticize other groups. 

When Jesus chose the Twelve, they were not called a group or a club. 

They were called “Apostles” as it was Jesus who called them and sent them to preach the Good News.

He also gave them authority and power to cast out devils and to cure the sick. 

In the gospel, John, who was one of the Apostles, saw a man who was not one of the Apostles, casting out devils in the name of Jesus, and wanted to stop him. 

But Jesus said: You must not stop him. No one who does a miracle in My name is likely to speak evil of Me. Anyone who is not against us is for us. 

Jesus said that because John's complaint was a telltale sign that the apostles were beginning to see themselves as an exclusive group. 

And they were also beginning to think that only they were specially entitled to have the power and authority to cast out devils and to cure the sick. 

It is like as if they had the monopoly to that power and authority. 

Anyone, or any other group, who does what they are doing is not legit, and so has to be stopped. 

Jesus had to bring the Apostles back to their calling and their mission. 

It was He who called them, and they responded because they loved Him. 

But Apostles were beginning to think that they were exclusive and elite. 

Pride and ego were setting in, and they felt threatened and insecure when others were able to do what they were doing. 

As for us, we are Christians because Jesus loved us and called us to belong to Him. 

And we have responded because we love Jesus, and we must always remember that our love for Jesus is the essence and foundation of our unity. 

Because we love Jesus, hence we want to share with non-Christians the living waters of salvation by journeying with them to know and to love Jesus. 

Because we are Christians, we will cut off our pride and ego, and to let simplicity, humility and charity be the foundations of our unity. 

And because we love Jesus, we too will love one another with forgiveness, compassion, patience and kindness. 

In his recent Apostolic visit to Singapore, Pope Francis reminded us that ultimately, life always brings us back to one reality, and that is, without love we are nothing.

In all we have and in all we do, there must be love, without which everything is futile. 

Jesus is our love, and He unites us in His love. 

With Jesus, we will be able to share that cup of living water with a world that is thirsting for God's love.

25th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 22.09.2024

 Wisdom 2:12, 17-20 / James 3:16 – 4:3 / Mark 9:30-37

Everyday, our ears do a lot of hearing and listening. 

In the early morning, our ears hear the ringing of the alarm clock, and we wake up for the day. 

We listen to the voices of our family members in order to know how they feel and what they need. 

At work, we listen to the boss in order to know what is required of us and what we need to do. 

We also have to listen to our colleagues in order to have a better understanding and working relationship. 

So, every day our ears do a lot of hearing and listening. 

And when we listen to what others are saying, we also want to understand what they are saying. 

When we understand what others are saying, then we are able to respond with words and actions. 

But quite often, even as we are listening to others speaking, we are already thinking of how to reply. 

So, even before others have finished speaking, we already know what we want to say. 

We may even interrupt when others are still speaking, which is a telltale sign that we are not really listening. 

That happens specially in an argument, when emotions are running high. 

In an argument, everyone is talking, but no one is really listening, and words are rough and sharp. 

In the gospel, Jesus told His disciples that He will be delivered into the hands of men, He will be put to death, but He will also rise again. 

The disciples did not understand what Jesus said, and they were afraid to ask Him. 

Indeed, it was difficult to understand what Jesus said. 

And then, almost at the next moment, the disciples began a discussion that led to an argument. 

They did not discuss about what Jesus told them. 

Instead the topic of their discussion was about who among them was the greatest. 

There could be many reasons as to why the disciples enter into that discussion. 

It could be about who deserves more merit and credit. 

It could be about who did more work than the rest. 

It could be about who had the highest qualification, or who had earned more money in the past, or about who was more popular. 

Whatever it is, the discussion is about boastful comparisons that led to petty arguments. 

The 2nd reading has a teaching for this as it says: 

“Where do these wars and battles between yourselves start? 

Isn't it precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves? 

You want something and you haven't got it, so you are prepared to kill. 

You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy, so you fight to get your way by force.” 

That is a reflection of what is happening in the world where the is violence, war and bloodshed. 

In short, it is about the desire to be the greatest, the strongest, the richest and the highest. 

In the jarring noise of this world what are we listening to? 

Yes, we need to listen to the Word of God. 

And in order to listen, we need to be silent. 

The famous classical musician Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart said this: 

The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between the notes. 

When we understand that, then we will also know that we listen to the Word of God in the language of silence. 

And that would also lead us to listen to what others are saying with a heart of silence. 

Yes, to listen is to be silent, and we will be able to understand what others are saying. 

And we will also be able to listen to what God is saying to us.

24th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 15.09.2024

 Isaiah 50:5-9 / James 2:14-18 / Mark 8:27-35

When it comes to choosing a leader, there are some expectations of what a leader should be. 

A leader is one who has the ability to unite people and lead them forward into the future. 

A leader should also provide for the needs of the people, and protect them from danger. 

A leader should also be strong and is able to defeat his enemies. 

These are some of the expectations of a leader, and there can be many more. 

Also, a good leader would want to have these qualities in order to prove his leadership skills. 

When we look at the expectations and qualities of a leader, an image may come to our minds. 

The image of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, would meet the expectations and qualities of a leader. 

Yes, the Good Shepherd leads His flock to green pastures, He takes care of the weak and wounded, and He protects His sheep from wolves and other dangers. 

In the gospel, when Jesus asked His disciples who do they say He is, Peter spoke up and said this: You are the Christ. 

The word “Christ” means the Anointed One of God. 

It means that Jesus is sent by God to lead the People of God towards salvation. 

Jesus came to forgive sins and to heal the wounds caused by sin. 

Jesus came so that we can hear the voice of God, a voice that speaks of peace, a voice of life and love. 

Jesus is the leader who we want to follow, because He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. 

And Jesus has also anointed a leader for us to continue the leadership and the mission. 

During the past week, we welcomed Pope Francis in his Apostolic visit to Singapore. 

In the person of Pope Francis, Jesus came to visit us and to unite us in faith and to strengthen our hope. 

Pope Francis brought the Good News of love to our country and to the Church in Singapore. 

In Pope Francis, we see how much Jesus loves us and cares for us, especially in the joyful celebration of the Eucharist at the National Stadium. 

In his meeting with the clergy, Pope Francis urged us, the priests, to be good shepherds of the People of God. 

He said that as shepherds of the flock, we are to be at the front of God's people, as well as in the middle, and also at the rear. 

At the front, we are to hold high the Cross of Christ for the people to keep their focus on God. 

In the middle, to have the sense and the smell of the sheep, so as to understand their worries and anxieties, the struggles and the troubles of the flock. 

To be at the rear, so as to help the least and the last, the sick and the aged. 

To be at the rear, is also to listen to the echoes of the voices of those in need, and to discern the directions of the flock. 

The message of the gospel and the visit of Pope Francis tells us this: we keep our focus on the Cross of Christ, because it points us to God. 

The Cross of Christ is heavy and it calls for sacrifices to be made. 

But the priests and the People of God are to put their hands on the cross and to carry it together. 

Carrying the Cross together, we will be able to go far. 

Carrying the Cross together will unite us in hope, and God will help us with His blessings of love.

23rd Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 08.09.2024

  Isaiah 35:4-7 / James 2:1-5 / Mark 7:31-37

This church, like many other churches, has a high ceiling. 

A church, or a building, with high ceiling, makes it look grand and spacious. 

And a church with a high ceiling would make us think and reflect further and deeper.

With a high ceiling, we would likely look up and see what is at or around the ceiling. 

So, we see the triangular pediment and the cross, and the unique cornice design. 

There is a place in which we will certainly want to look up at the ceiling. 

The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City has a high ceiling with a fresco painted by Michelangelo. 

That ceiling fresco has a series of nine paintings showing God's creation of the world and man, God's relationship with mankind, and mankind's fall from God's grace.

The ceiling fresco is an awesome sight, and we would just keep looking up at the scenes in the fresco. 

Each scene has something to tell us about who God is, as well as about ourselves. 

In the gospel, when Jesus healed the man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, He did some rather interesting actions. 

He put his fingers into the man's ears, and touched his tongue with spittle. 

And then before Jesus said “Ephphatha” which means “Be opened”, He did a seemingly ordinary action. 

Jesus looked up to heaven and sighed. 

Jesus looked up to heaven to tell the man that God is sending the healing grace from heaven. 

That sigh is a reminder that in the creation of man, God blew His breath into the man's nostrils and man became a living being. 

What Jesus did, that looking up to heaven, and that sigh, also teaches us something. 

We are to look up from the things of earth to what is above, to where God is. 

God sends us His blessings of healing and answer our prayers when we turn our eyes to Him. 

And that sigh of Jesus reminds us that God gives us the breath of life and sustains us with His love. 

But in Jesus Christ, we are reminded that God came down from heaven to be among us. 

This coming week, we prepare for the visit of Pope Francis to Singapore. 

As the successor of Saint Peter, the Pope is a sign of God visiting us and sending God's blessings on us. 

Indeed, the visit of Pope Francis is a wonderful gift and a marvellous blessing from God. 

We may wish to be up close to the Pope and to shake his hands, and to ask him to pray over us and to bless us. 

But just as Jesus looked up to heaven to invoke God's healing grace on the man, we too can do likewise.

With faith and with prayer, let us look at the Pope, whether it is up close, or from a distance, or on the live-stream. 

Jesus is visiting us in the person of Pope Francis. 

With the breath of prayer, let us offer to Jesus our needs, for healing, for forgiveness, for reconciliation, for peace. 

Yes, blessed be the Lord our God who is coming to visit us and to bless us. 

Let us be spiritually prepared and be open to receive God's blessings. and the answer to our prayers.

22nd Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 01.09.2024

Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8 / James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27 / Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

It is certainly a good thing in life to have a religion. 

Religion teaches us to live good and upright lives, so that we can have peace and happiness. 

Religion also teaches us to live in harmony with other people who do not share the same religious beliefs. 

Religion also teaches us about the truths of life, and the fundamental truth is love. 

In the Catholic religion, we believe that God gave us the 10 Commandments. The Ten Commandments are the Commandments about life and they teach us how to love. 

And God even became man in Jesus Christ to teach us how to live life with love. 

Essentially, the 10 Commandments teach us the fundamental truth, and that is to love God and to love neighbour. 

All the religious practices flow from this fundamental truth. So whether it is worshiping God at Mass, or praying the Rosary, or abstaining from meat on Fridays, all that is done to express our love for God and for neighbour. 

In the gospel, the scribes and Pharisees had a contention with some of the disciples of Jesus who were eating with unclean hands. 

The act of washing hands before eating is certainly a good practice for hygiene. But a practical hygienic practice was turned into a religious ritual and became a religious tradition. 

So, anyone who eats without first carrying out that ritual cleansing of hands is accused of not respecting the tradition of the elders. 

When the scribes and Pharisees questioned Jesus about that, He pointed out the motive of such a practice. 

Jesus said that such practices are formulated by human impositions that do not express the love for God and neighbour. 

Jesus also quoted from the prophet Isaiah, that the Commandment of God was even put aside in favour of human traditions. 

So, the fundamental purpose of the Commandment of God was blurred and even lost with the embellishment of elaborate human practices. 

There is this story that illustrates the absurdity of human practices that turned into religious rituals. 

There is an abbot of a monastery who had a pet cat. But that cat was causing a distraction to the monks during prayer time. 

So, as a solution, the abbot tied up the cat during prayer time, and it became a regular practice. 

As time went by, the abbot died, and the practice of tying up the cat during prayer time continued. 

After some time, the cat died, and the monks then found another cat to tie up during prayer time. 

As time passed, the practice of tying up a cat during prayer time became a religious practice. There was even a devotion to the string that is used to tie up the cat, and it became a religious object. 

As much as that story sounds absurd, it also makes us think about our understanding of religious practices. 

Our religious practices should express our love for God and for neighbour. 

Let us remember the fundamental Commandment of God which is love. 

May our religious practices express that love for God and for neighbour, and may it also help us to live holy lives.

21st Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 25.08.2024

 Joshua 24:1-2, 15-18 / Ephesians 5:21-32 / John 6:60-69

Generally speaking, people follow leaders by what they say and also how the leaders say it. 

So, one of the basic requirements of a leader is to be good at public speaking. 

They must also be able to give speeches that are inspiring and motivating. 

And whatever they are saying, they also need to say it with conviction and with clarity. 

And it is not only in what a leader says that shows the character of the leader. 

It is also what the leader writes that will be open to public scrutiny. 

With such demands and expectations, a leader can have recourse to some assistance. 

The rise and rapid development of AI (Artificial Intelligence) that can be of some help. 

We can input some requirements or a draft of a speech, and the AI would generate quite an impressive text. 

So the AI can be of assistance in giving a factually correct, as well as a grammatically correct text for our consideration in giving a speech or writing an article. 

But when we think about what Jesus had been saying in the gospels for the past few weeks, we wonder what the AI would do to it.

Jesus had been teaching about the Bread from heaven. 

He went on to say that He is the Bread that came down from heaven, and that He is the Bread of life. 

And anyone who eats of this bread would not die but live forever. 

And then Jesus says that the Bread He gives is His flesh for the life of the world. 

The gospel tells us that His listeners thought that it was intolerable language. 

And yet, Jesus didn't know explain or clarify or justify what He said. 

He went on to declare that the words He have spoken are spirit and they are life. 

After that, many of His followers left him and stopped going with Him. 

As for us, we come weekly for Mass, and we listen to the teachings of Jesus. 

We partake of the Bread of life that Jesus gives us, which is the Body of Christ. 

Yes, we believe in the message of eternal life and we also partake of the bread of eternal life. 

Others may not accept the message and that the Body of Christ may sound like intolerable language. 

That is a story of St. Mother Teresa who went around to beg for food for the children at her orphanage. 

She came to a bakery and approached the owner for some bread. 

But the owner of the bakery was not favorable to Christians, and he insulted St. Mother Teresa and spat at her. 

St. Mother Teresa then responded calmly: That was for me. Is there anything for the children? 

The owner of the bakery was stunned by her response, and realizing his bad behaviour gave St. Mother Teresa what she needed for her children. 

In life, we may be faced with intolerable language from those who do not believe in Jesus. 

Let us respond to that intolerable language with words of life and love. 

Jesus is a Divine wisdom and He has the message of eternal life.

Let us learn from Him to speak words of life and love, so that others will hear the message of eternal life.

20th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 18.08.2024

 Proverbs 9:1-6 / Ephesians 5:15-20 / John 6:51-58

When we talk and speak with others, the words and their meaning depend on the situation and the context. 

It also depends on who we are speaking with or talking to. 

For example, when we are in a courtroom, and we are speaking to the judge and the lawyers, we have to be precise and correct in what we say. 

To use the wrong word or wrong phrase may put us in a difficult spot. 

But when we are at a shop or at the market, we can speak casually and informally. We can even joke around and use slang and even switch between languages and dialects. 

So, how we speak and talk at a business meeting is different from how we speak and talk when we are at home or socializing with friends. 

Another consideration would be the topic that we are talking about. 

Some topics like health and finance would require precise and defined vocabulary. 

Other topics like recreation and lifestyles can be more flexible and informal. 

In the gospel, the topic that Jesus was talking about is bread, which is a type of common food. 

And He also said that He is the living bread which has come down from heaven, and anyone who eats this bread will live forever. 

That really made His listeners wonder what He was talking about. 

And while they were still wondering, Jesus made another statement that made them even more confused. 

Jesus said that the bread that He shall give is His flesh for the life of the world. 

For His listeners, that was beyond imagination. 

Because the reality of a common food like bread cannot be connected to the reality of human flesh. 

And yet, Jesus did not stop to clarify and explain about what He said and meant. 

Jesus said it as it is, and meant it as it is. 

As for us, we accept what Jesus said and meant. We believe that the sacred hosts that we receive is the Body of Christ, and we say “Amen” to that. 

But what does that mean in the reality of our lives as we come for Mass? 

Maybe this short story can help us understand the Mass as a divine banquet of the Body of Christ. 

Back in the year 1765, an innkeeper name Dossier Boulanger opened an eatery in Paris, and hung a sign at the door. The sign was written in Latin, in English it read as: “Come into my house, men of weary stomachs, and I will restore you.” 

That phrase was so successful because of the word “restore”, which in Latin was “restauro”,  and since then, all eateries worldwide are called restaurants. 

The word restaurant quickly became established, and reputable chefs who had worked for the royalty and rich families began to open their own restaurants. 

Many stories have emerged from that phrase, and especially the word restaurant. 

One of which is that those who work and serve in a restaurant has the mission to restore the spirit, the smile and the health of those who come to eat. 

So, the chef, or the cook, or the waiter or waitress, have that special mission of restoring the human spirit, the smile and the wellbeing of the diners. 

We have come to Church for the divine banquet, and we are served the Body of Christ. 

We come to be restored in body, in mind and in spirit. 

And we are sent forth on the mission of restoration. 

With our smile, with our kind words, with our good needs, we restore relationships with the love of God. 

Yes, the love of God that is in the Body of Christ's restores us. 

And we are sent forth in turn to restore relationships in our families, in our Church and in our world.

19th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 11.08.2024

 1 Kings 19:4-8 / Ephesians 4:30 – 5:2 / John 6:41-51

We need to eat in order to live and stay alive. Food is one of the basic human needs. 

Food not only helps us to stay alive, it also nourishes our body and keeps us strong and healthy. 

In other words, we eat to live. 

But when there is food in abundance, we won't just eat any and every kind of food. 

We will eat what we like to eat, and we will also be choosy about what we want to eat. 

So, we eat to live. But when there is plenty of food, then we will also begin to live to eat. 

Eating becomes a pleasure, and we want our food to be tasty, and maybe even look pretty. 

And we will have our favourite foods, and we may even travel to the ends of the island, to eat some reputable food. 

When we live to eat, food is no longer for sustenance. Food becomes a substance, which we will categorize into like and don't like, as well as tasty and not tasty. 

And of course, when the food is not to our liking, and not to our expectation, we will certainly complain. 

We complain, not because there is no food, but because the food is not to our liking, or not to our expectation. 

In the gospel, the people were complaining about Jesus because He said this: I am the bread that has come down from heaven. 

The people were expecting some kind of special bread from heaven. 

Their ancestors had manna to eat when they were wondering in the desert for 40 years. 

But now, that they have settled down, and their standing of living is better, their expectations were also higher. 

So, they were expecting some kind of special bread from heaven, bread that will be a pleasure to their taste buds. 

But when Jesus said that He is the bread that has come down from heaven, the people were disappointed. 

They knew Jesus as the son of Joseph, and He was too ordinary.

So, they cannot accept it when Jesus said that He is the bread that comes down from heaven. 

So, the people complained, because Jesus was too ordinary. He couldn't have come down from heaven, and they didn't understand this bread that He was talking about. 

As for us, we know and we believe that Jesus came down from heaven to be the bread of life which we receive at Holy communion. 

We ought to partake with thanksgiving and gratefulness that bread of life, because it is the bread of love. 

Jesus sacrificed Himself in order to give us that bread of life and love. 

We in turn are to be the bread of life and love for others, so that they can taste and see the goodness of the Lord. 

There was one lesson that I learned at home, and that is about not taking for granted the meals my mother cooks. 

I was eating away at lunch when my mother asked me about how is the food. 

I said “okay”, and then she said something like she thought I didn't like the food because I said nothing about it. 

Immediately, I learned my lesson, that I have taken my mother's cooking for granted, whereas I would compliment other people's cooking. 

Through her cooking, my mother offered me the bread of her life and her love. 

Let us take nothing for granted, especially when our mothers, or others, cook a meal for us. They have put in their life and their love to it. 

And may we also never take the Eucharist for granted. 

In it, Jesus gave us all of His life and His love.

18th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 04.08.2024

 Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 / Ephesians 4:17, 20-24 / John 6:24-35

The recommended amount of time for sleeping is 8 hours. 

For most of us to be able to sleep for 8 hours at night is like a luxury. Because, most of us may be sleeping less than that, maybe 5 or 6 hours. 

Besides, our sleeping time may also be interrupted every now and then. And at times, insomnia may also cut down our sleeping time. 

But whether it is 8 hours or lesser, we will know whether we have rested well by the state when we wake up. 

If the alarm rings and we have difficulty waking up, that already tells us whether we have rested enough. 

And if we can't even hear the alarm, and we oversleep, then we may need to do a check-up. 

But often, we are forced to sacrifice our sleeping or resting time because of the busyness of our work. 

We spend quite an amount of time at work. And even after working hours, we are busy with other matters like family and personal matters. 

So, we cut away our sleeping and resting time in order to try to finish our work. 

But no matter what, there will always be work, and maybe even more work to be done. 

But, we should pause and ask ourselves, why are we working so hard and tiring ourselves and yet not sleeping enough. 

In the gospel, Jesus tells us not to work for food that cannot last, but to work for food that endures to eternal life. 

And like the people, we too will ask, what must we do to do the work that God wants. 

Jesus gave this answer: This is working for God; you must believe in the One He has sent. 

That might sound quite simple, but let us not think that what is simple is easy. 

Because to believe in Jesus is indeed hard work. 

To believe in Jesus means that we have to carry our cross in order to follow Him. 

To follow Jesus is to follow His way of love. And that means to love others just as He has loved us. 

It also means that we forgive others just as Jesus forgave His enemies when He was nailed to the Cross. 

It also means that we put into practice what Jesus taught us. 

Like, praying for enemies; like, returning a blessing when others are cursing us; like, to give and not to ask back. 

And just as we will sacrifice sleep in order to get some work done, we too will cut down our prayer time in our busyness. 

But, Psalm 127 reminds us of this: 

“If the Lord does not build the house,

in vain do its builders labour;

if the Lord does not watch over the city,

in vain does the watchman keep vigil.

In vain is your earlier rising,

your going later to rest,

you who toil for the bread you eat,

when He pours gifts on His beloved while they slumber.”

Let us do that work of believing in Jesus by praying and loving God and others. 

And when we rest for the night, we will have a peaceful sleep, and we will wake up fresh the next day to keep believing in Jesus and loving God and others.

17th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 28.07.2024

 1 Kings 4:42-44 / Ephesians 4:1-6 / John 6:1-15

By the expectations of the world, there are at least two things that will capture attention. 

One is this: the bigger the better. In other words, size does matter. 

The other is this: the more the better. 

So, attention will be given to something big, whether it is a car, or a house or a building. 

And when it comes to more, that is measured in terms of numbers. 

Like how much is a business is worth, or how much is a celebrity is worth.

By current expectations, even millions are considered ordinary, because it is those in the billions that will get the attention. 

So, the bigger the better, the more the better. That is the influence and the expectation of the world, that is the measurement and the direction of the world. 

And as Christians in the world, we can also be influenced by such expectations, and even conform to such measurements and directions. 

Today's gospel points out some of these worldly influences. 

But today’s gospel also reveals the mysterious love of God in the simple and humble. 

In the gospel, a large crowd was following Jesus because they were impressed with the signs He gave by curing the sick. 

And the gospel tells us that the large crowd numbered around 5,000. That is quite a crowd. 

And then Jesus asked His disciples if they could buy some food for the crowd to eat. 

One of His disciples, Philip, looked at their finances, and told Jesus that they could hardly buy enough bread to feed the crowd. 

Another of His disciples, Andrew, said that there is a small boy with five barley loaves and two fish. 

But that is obviously not enough for such a large crowd. 

And here is where the mysterious power of God's love is revealed beyond human reckoning. 

Jesus took the five Loaves and the two fish, gave thanks to God, and gave it out to the crowd. 

The crowd ate as much as they wanted, and what was even more surprising was that 12 baskets of leftovers were collected. 

The crowd was so impressed by it, that they wanted to take Jesus by force and to make Him king. 

The crowd wanted to make Jesus king because they saw that He could provide more for them. 

They see Him with worldly expectations, but they did not see the sign. 

They did not see that in the simplicity and humility of that small boy with five loaves and the two fish, God's blessings came in abundance. 

In the simple and humble, God reveals the mysterious power of His love and providence. 

There's this story of Pope Francis when he visited a particular country. As expected, there were detailed preparations, and an impressive altar was constructed for the celebration of the Mass. 

When Pope Francis arrived at the venue, it started to rain heavily, and strong winds blew the rain onto the altar. 

Finally, the rain stopped, and it was possible for Mass to commence. 

But that impressive and elaborate altar and it's surrounding area was drenched and soaking wet. 

The alternative was the Credence table, or the side table, which is used to put all the accessories for the Mass. 

So that simple and humble side table became the altar for the Pope’s Mass. 

That is one of the many instances when the simple and humble became a sign of God's mysterious choice to show His love and providence. 

So, while the world looks at what is more and bigger, let us pay attention to the simple and humble. 

The simple and humble is the sign that God wants us to look at.