4th Sunday of Easter, Year B, 21.04.2024

 Acts 4:8-12 / 1 John 3:1-2 / John 10:11-18 

Between God and human beings, there is one great and fundamental difference.

Basically and essentially, it is this: God is divine and we are only human. 

Reflecting further on this, it is God who created us and the rest of creation. We humans did not create anything at all. 

A human being cannot become God. Those who wanted to, or tried to become God, embarked on a quest for immortality, eternal youth, everlasting power, strength and might. 

But the history of humanity is splattered with such cases, and they are cases of futility. 

That is the truth, and it is an eternal and irrevocable truth. 

And we Christians bear witness to that truth by our faith. 

As we profess in the Creed, God is the Almighty Creator, and He is also our Father. 

And next comes the astounding truth, and that is God became man in Jesus Christ. 

That truth is a deep mystery that needs to be reflected and meditated upon, and it can only be done with the enlightening love from God. 

Jesus Christ is our Lord and God, He is our Saviour, and in today's gospel, He tells us that He is our Good Shepherd. 

That image of the Good Shepherd and the sheep will certainly help us to understand the loving relationship between Jesus and us. 

A Good Shepherd protects and takes care of His sheep. 

He will even lay down His life for His sheep when there is harm and danger. 

That is how much God loves us, even to the extent of dying for us in order to save us. 

And Jesus calls us to be His sheep and to follow Him. 

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who calls us to be His good sheep. 

And a good sheep listens to the voice of the Good Shepherd. 

This Sunday is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday, and the emphasis is on vocations to the priesthood, as well as to the religious life. 

A good sheep listens to the voice of the Good Shepherd. 

And a good sheep may also listen to a deeper call in the voice of the Good Shepherd. 

Jesus will not leave His Church without priests, priests who will listen to His voice. 

Because Jesus calls priests to lead the People of God in worship and prayer, and preach the Word of life and love. 

Priests are called by Jesus to celebrate the Eucharist, and to offer the sacrifice in memory of Him. 

The voice of the Good Shepherd is echoed in the voice of the priest, so that the People of God, the flock that belongs to the Good Shepherd, will walk in the way of salvation. 

So, Jesus has called those He has chosen to be His priests, and also those to the religious life. 

Jesus calls and He waits for their response. 

As for us, the People of God, let us also echo the call of a Good Shepherd to those He is calling. 

But whether the call is to be a priest, or a religious, the call is always to be a good sheep. 

And whether it is a priest, or a religious, or a sheep that belongs to the flock of Jesus, we are called to be like the Good Shepherd. 

The Good Shepherd laid down His life for us. 

Let us also lay down our lives to love and to serve others, and to help them listen to the voice of Jesus our Good Shepherd.

3rd Sunday of Easter, Year B, 14.04.2024

  Acts 3:13-15, 17-19 / 1 John 2:1-5 / Luke 24:35-48  

The act of eating is often seen as a casual act, and we won't think too much about it. 

But a number of processes are activated in the act of eating. The mouth opens with the help of the muscles so that we can put food into our mouth. 

The taste buds are activated, the jaw moves and the teeth chew the food, and after which the food is swallowed. 

Besides and before all that, we also choose what we want to eat, and also what we should not eat. 

But eating is not just about consuming food. Eating is an act of life. We eat to Live. 

Our stomach will tell us that we are hungry, and hence we need to eat something, otherwise we may end up with some health issues.

And going beyond that, there is the social dimension in eating. 

No doubt, a person can eat in solitude, but that would give the impression of loneliness. 

Because, when it comes to eating, there is a social and communal expression in it. 

Even with simple home cooked food that is eaten with family and friends, relationships are renewed and deepened. 

In other words, eating with others is a celebration of life and relationships. 

In the gospel, when the Risen Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples, they were alarmed and frightened. They thought they were seeing a ghost. 

Jesus greeted them with peace, and showed them His hands and side, and even ask them to touch Him. 

But they still could not believe it, and they stood there dumbfounded. 

So Jesus asked them for something to eat. They offered Him a piece of grilled fish which He took and ate before their eyes. 

That act of eating the grilled fish dispelled the fears and doubts of the disciples. 

That simple act of eating assured the disciples that Jesus is real and alive. 

But even before that, the two disciples had told their story of what had happened on the road, and how they recognized Jesus at the breaking of bread. 

So, it was earlier, at a meal setting, the Jesus had revealed Himself to the two disciples. 

Today, as we come for Mass, we are also going to partake of a meal. 

At Holy communion, we are going to receive the Body of Christ. 

It is Jesus Himself who prepared this sacred meal as He offers us the heart of all meals, and that is His Body. 

In receiving the Body of Christ, we receive life and love from the Risen Lord Jesus. 

We become the living members of His Body, and filled with love, we go forth to share that life and love. 

And this brings us to think about our family and whether we have family meals. 

We can say that a family that eats together will stay together. 

It may be difficult to have a family meal because of the business of our work and schedules. 

But it is so necessary, if we think that family life and relationships are important. 

It is also the same when it comes to Mass. If we think that our faith is important and necessary, we will come for Mass, and we will also invite others to come back for Mass. 

Because at Mass, when we partake of the Sacred meal at Holy Communion, Jesus will tell us that He is real and alive. 

And He will also have a revelation for us about ourselves. 

That as we have our family meals and other social meals, He will be present, and He will make each meal, a meal of life and love, a meal of forgiveness and reconciliation.

2nd Sunday of Easter Year B, 07.04.2024

  Acts 4:32-35 / 1 John 5:1-6 / John 20:19-31   

In our busy lifestyles, time is an important factor for us. 

There doesn’t seem to have enough time everyday to do the things we want to do. 

We may even cut down on our sleeping time to clear off some of the items in our to-do list for the day. 

But that may not be productive, and our health gets affected. We may end up getting more tired out, and we slow down, and we take more time to get other things done. 

So, the cycle goes on, we have things to do, we tire ourselves in order to get more things done, and we end up taking more time. 

And with that, we have become impatient and frustrated with delays and lateness, because time is wasted. 

When we order the food at the food stall, the food must be ready in 10 minutes, otherwise we will get agitated and frustrated. Hunger can lead to anger. 

When we order an item online, it must come within a couple of days, or better still, the next day. 

And this attitude may also creep into our spiritual life. We pray and we want our prayers to be answered immediately. 

And when we think that God is not listening to our prayers, or taking His time to answer prayers, then we get agitated, frustrated and disappointed. 

In the gospel, the disciples were huddled in fear in a room with the doors locked. 

Jesus was dead and buried, and their lives were also like dead and buried. 

Then suddenly, the Risen Lord Jesus came and stood among them, and greeted them with “Peace be with you”. 

It was a stunning moment for the disciples, but they were filled with joy. 

All the disciples were there in the room, except for one - Thomas. 

And when the disciples told him that they had seen the Risen Lord, Thomas refused to believe. 

He also demanded that he wants to put his finger and his hand into those wounds in order to believe. 

Eight days later, the Risen Lord Jesus appeared again to the disciples, and this time Thomas was with them. 

Thomas saw and he believed. He may not even need to touch those wounds to believe. 

We may wonder, why does it have to take 8 days later for the Lord Jesus appear again to His disciples. 

Couldn't He appear as soon as Thomas was with the disciples, or ASAP?

And by extension, we also wonder, why doesn't God answer our prayers immediately, or ASAP? 

Thomas had to wait 8 days to see the Risen Lord. With our busyness and urgency in life, we would like our prayers to be answered in 8 minutes, or 8 hours. 

8 days would seem too long because we don't like delays or to wait. 

But the number 8 has the biblical meaning of revelation. 

The 8th day means in God's time, and His will and His plan will be revealed to us and we will also be able to accept it. 

There was this occasion when I went to the hospital to visit a patient. The patient's daughter was there and she lamented about the problems and stress she was facing in life.

So, I gave her the Sacred Heart prayer card, and told her to send in a petition, or better still, to come for the Devotion to the Sacred Heart. 

She looked surprised, and she said that she heard about the Devotion to the Sacred Heart, but thought that it was not practiced anymore.

I shared with her that prayers have been answered, and she should pray for the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

As I reflected about it, for that lady, it was the 8th day for her, a revelation for her,  as Jesus revealed to her His Heart. 

Let us continue to pray with faith and hope, and our 8th Day will come when Jesus will reveal His love for us. 

And then, like Thomas, we will exclaim “My Lord and my God”.

Easter Sunday, Year B, 31.03.2024

 The feast of the Resurrection is an important and significant feast for the Church and for us Christians. 

The preparation for this feast began with the 40 days of Lent, and then with Holy Week and the Sacred Pascal Triduum. So, there was Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday and Good Friday. 

On this evening of the Easter Vigil, the gospel brings us back to that moment of the revelation of the mystery of our salvation. 

The women went to the tomb very early in the morning and there was only one question in their minds: Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb? 

Obviously, it was a very big stone, and entrance of the tomb is cut and shaped in such a way that the stone will seal the tomb permanently. 

The revelation begins with that stone already rolled back, and the tomb was empty. 

So, what really happened? Who rolled the stone away? And what happened to Jesus, or what happened to His body? 

As the mystery of the Resurrection unfolds, that big stone and the empty tomb reveal who Jesus is, and they also reveal something about ourselves. 

From the various accounts of the gospels, the message is one and  the same: Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. 

But it is a message that is not accepted by all. Even for us who profess our belief in the Resurrection, we have our questions about it. 

But today we reflect about that big stone and the empty tomb, as symbolized by the empty Tabernacle. 

And that question comes back again. Who rolled back the stone at the entrance of the tomb? 

We could have guessed that it was not rolled back by human hands. It was by the Finger of God that rolled back that stone, and that Finger of God is pointing to the Risen Christ. 

Yes, we want to believe that Jesus is risen, we want to believe in the Resurrection. 

We want to believe that Jesus will also raise us up from our sinfulness to a life of holiness. 

But we have to show Jesus those stones that burden our lives. 

We are not just talking about kidney stones or gallbladder stones. Those kind of stones can cause some serious physical pains. 

We are also talking about stones that have blocked and burdened our lives. 

It may be stones of anger and resentment, stones of revenge and retaliation, stones of pride and unforgiveness. 

Those kind of stones cause our hearts to be hardened. 

It may also be those rough and sharp stones that have cut our hearts with disappointment and regrets, and made us feel small and rejected, lowly and even useless. 

Whatever the stones are, today Jesus comes to us to renew our faith by renewing our Baptismal promises. 

It was by water that we are baptized, and Jesus is the living water in our lives. 

In the encounter between stone and water, the stone will give way to the water. 

Water has that gentle power to dislodge those big stones. 

Water has that flowing power to smoothen the sharpest of stones. 

To believe in the Resurrection is to believe in the power of our Baptism over the troubles of our lives. 

May the living waters from the Risen Lord Jesus roll away the stones of our hearts and fill our lives with His peace and joy.

Palm-Passion Sunday, Year B, 24.03.2024

  One of the realities that we see around us, is the fact that everything is changing. Change is always happening around us. 

Some changes are fast and happen quickly, while some changes happen slowly. 

When we look at the palm branches in our hands, we can see how much changes they had undergone. 

Just a few days ago, they were growing healthily on the plant. 

Then they were cut off from the plant and brought to Church. 

They were blessed at the beginning of the Mass, and later they will be brought back to our homes, where they will dry up slowly and turn brown and hard. 

For these palm branches, the reality is the change from life to death. 

In the gospel, the reality for Jesus is also the change from life to death. 

From the Last Supper, to the Agony in the Garden, to His Suffering and Death on the Cross, and His burial, the changes in His life happened quickly. 

But those changes from His life to His death also changed the whole world, and will change our lives as well. 

Though the gospel ended with the death and burial of Jesus, the changes do not stop there. 

Let us wait, because there will be another change, and will be a great and wonderful change. 

That change will also change the world, and it will also change our lives. 

As we unite ourselves with Jesus in His suffering and death, let us pray and wait. 

From death, Jesus will rise to a glorious new life, and He will also raise us up with Him. 

When we understand that life is a continuous change of dying and rising, then we will know that we too will change. 

We will change from sinfulness to holiness. 

We will change to be more like Jesus Christ our Lord and our Saviour.

5th Sunday of Lent, Year B, 17.03.2024

 Jeremiah 31:31-34 / Hebrews 5:7-9 / John 12:20-33   

In our social interactions, we talk about a wide variety of topics. 

Generally, we would talk about things at the peripheral. So, we will talk about the weather, about food, about where to go for holidays. 

Some conversations will go a bit deeper, like health issues, work problems, family matters.

And of course, we also like to talk about others, and somehow we end up gossiping about them. 

And we will also indulge in our favourite pastime, which is complaining. Seems like we have quite a lot to complain about - about the high cost of living, about inconveniences, about people we don't like. 

But when we come before Jesus in prayer, what are we going to talk to Him about? 

It might be about things that are mundane, or that we just want to complain. 

But what is it that Jesus wants to talk to us about? 

In the gospel, some Greeks wanted to see Jesus, but their purpose was not stated. Maybe they were curious because they had heard about Jesus and so they wanted to see Him. 

As for Jesus, He had other matters in His mind. In the gospel passage, Jesus is telling us what matters to Him and what should matter to us. 

He talks about a wheat grain and the harvest it can produce. He talks about eternal life. And then He says that His soul is troubled, and ask His Father to save Him. 

But He also knows that He is like the grain that must die in order to produce a rich harvest. And when He is lifted up from the earth, He will draw all men to Himself. 

In other words, Jesus was thinking about His suffering and death on the Cross. 

Jesus also wants us to think about our life and also about our death. 

For a Christian to think about death is not taboo or morbid. Because to think about death is to think about life and about eternal life. 

I remembered that when my late sister was in the final stages of her terminal illness, she had her questions about her life and about her illness. 

She had difficulty in coming to terms that her illness was terminal, and the pain and suffering didn't make it any easier. 

I prayed for her to accept it, so that she could have peace when the day comes for her to return to the Lord. 

Then my brother came back from his overseas assignment, and I went to fetch him from the airport to the hospital where my sister was. 

On that particular afternoon, the three of us had a good sibling-time.

We talked about our childhood days, and how she was the big sister always keeping an eye on us to stop us from being too naughty.

We talked about things that mattered, that she doesn’t have to worry about anything, that we will be with her and look after her, and that we will pray for her.

We didn’t talk about death or funeral arrangements, but it seems that my sister sensed that it won’t be long, and she told us that she just wanted to be comfortable.

We had a good conversation as we talked about things that mattered to us.

It was only when she said that she was tired that we let her rest. And my sister seemed to be at peace and even happy. 

As my brother and I went home, we realized that we never had such a sibling-time with my sister, and we were happy with this blessing from God. 

We talked about what mattered to us, we talked about life, and with that, death didn’t seem such a morbid or scary thing anymore.

As for my sister, when the day came, she went back peacefully to the Lord. 

Her passing on peacefully was a consolation to my family.

And she left fond memories for us too, especially for my brother and me, as we remember that afternoon when the three of us siblings shared life, love and care for each other.

May our lives be like the grain that will bear a harvest of love and care for others. 

And may we pass on from this life to eternal life and to receive that eternal blessing of joy from God.

4th Sunday of Lent, Year B, 10.03.2024

 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23 / Ephesians 2:4-10 / John 3:14-21    

In a Catholic Church, there are quite a few prominent religious objects. 

These prominent objects remind us, as well as help us, to keep focused that we are in a holy place. 

One of these prominent objects is the Crucifix. The Crucifix is either mounted on a stand or on the wall, and it should be obvious enough. 

For this church, the Crucifix is mounted on the top of the high altar. 

The crucifix is not just a horizontal and a vertical beam that are joined at the centre.

On the Crucifix, there is the body, or the corpus, of Jesus attached to it. 

That serves to remind us that Jesus suffered and died on the Cross to save us from our sins. 

The Crucifix also points to the great and marvellous love that God has for us. 

God let His only Son be put to death on the Cross by sinful men, so as to be the sacrifice for our sins. 

As today’s Gospel tells us: God loved the world so much, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not be lost but may have eternal life. 

So, the Crucifix is the symbol of God's marvellous love and salvation for sinful humanity. 

The Crucifix also tells us of another truth that is stated in the gospel: 

For God sent His Son into the world, not condemn the world, but so that through Him the world might be saved. 

So, the Crucifix does not point to judgment and condemnation, but rather, it points to forgiveness and reconciliation. 

The Crucifix is raise up high in the Church for everyone to look and to contemplate, to ponder and to wonder. 

The Crucifix stands silently as the testimony of God's saving love for Humanity. 

And going beyond to what is visible, the crucifix also radiates the light of love gently on those who gaze upon it. 

There is this story told by a priest of a young Christian man who was disillusioned and disappointed at the state of the Church. 

He had also lost his faith, and he saw Christians as hypocrites, and the Church as a hypocrisy. 

So, he went to the Church of his baptism and demanded from the priest that his baptism records be destroyed, and that he is not a Christian anymore. 

The priest thought for a while, and then he said: Before I do that, may I ask you to do something. 

The priest then brought the young man to the Church, and then he said: Look at Crucifix and shout as loud as you can with this: Jesus, you died for me, and I don't care! 

The young man looked at the priest in astonishment, and then looked at the Crucifix. 

He then took a deep breath and shouted: Jesus, you died for me, and I don't care! 

The priest said, “I am not that convinced. Do it again and again until I know you mean it.” 

So, the young man repeated it, and repeated it, but with each instance, his voice became softer and softer, until the young man stood there looking at the Crucifix. 

Then the priest said to the young man, “Maybe you can take a seat and rest for a while, and come to see me later.” 

The young man was left alone, staring at the Crucifix, and he stared and stared for a long time, until he came to his senses.

The one who told the story is a priest, and at the end of the story, he revealed that he was that young man. 

The Crucifix is raised high and stands silently for all to see. 

It does not judge or condemn, but it shows the sinless One who suffered and died on it for the salvation of sinners. 

Let us look at the Crucifix, or even hold on to it and pray with it. 

We cannot look at the Crucifix and yet continue to commit sin. 

We cannot look at the Crucifix and yet judge others and say harsh things about them. 

But Iet us look at the Crucifix and see the love of God in the One who is nailed to it. 

May the Crucifix be our light, may it be our love, and may the Crucifix show us the meaning and our calling in life.

3rd Sunday of Lent, Year B, 03.03.2024

 Exodus 20:1-17 / 1 Cor 1:22-25 / John 2:13-15    

One of the unique features of the Catholic Church is that there are long benches, or, what is called, pews. 

And along with the pews, there are kneelers, and usually the kneelers are padded. 

Almost all Catholic Churches have pews with kneelers. Some kneelers are retractable, but ours are not. 

The kneelers point to one unique expect of the Catholic church. 

There are three postures of prayer. One is standing, and we stand in respect, we also stand when prayers are offered, and we stand for the gospel.

We sit to listen to the readings from the Word of God, and also to listen to the teachings in the homily. 

And then there is the posture of kneeling, and here is where the kneelers come in. 

Kneelers help us to get down to the kneeling posture and also to get up from it. 

Kneeling is a profound act of reverence and worship. The fact is that we don't kneel casually anyway, nor do we kneel casually before anyone. 

Kneeling before our parents is an act of filial piety. Kneeling in Church is an act of reverence, adoration and worship offered to God. 

Furthermore, the Church is a holy place, the House of God, and it is only appropriate to kneel before God in prayer and worship. 

It is with this understanding that we will know why Jesus did what He did in the Temple. 

His actions were forceful, and anything or anyone at the other end of the whip would feel the sharpness of His anger. 

And that was because the Temple was turned into a market place. People were buying, selling, bargaining, and engaged in business networking. 

That is why Jesus said: Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father's house into a market. 

The Temple, and the Church, is dedicated to worship and prayer. 

The market is where marketing and business networking is done. 

But the holy place can be subtly turned into a market place, and no one is saying anything about it, or just keeping quiet about it. 

As it was in the gospel passage, nobody was saying anything about the marketing and the business networking that was going on in the Temple. 

But just because everybody is doing it does not mean that it is right. 

And just because nobody is doing it does not mean that it is wrong. 

In the 1st reading, God tells us what is right and wrong. In the gospel, Jesus shows us what is right and wrong. 

When we come to the Church, we come into the House of God, a holy place of worship and prayer. 

Let us pay attention to how we are dressed, and what we say and do. 

We come here to pray and to offer worship, and not to do marketing and business networking. 

In the House of God, let us be respectful and reverent, as we offer a prayer and worship. 

It is in the House of God that our prayers are heard and received. 

It is in the House of God, we will receive an answer to our prayers.

2nd Sunday of Lent, Year B, 25.02.2024

  Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18 / Romans 8:31-34 / Mark 9:2-10  

When an important event is coming up, announcements would be made on all media platforms. 

Such announcements would be made in advance, with ample time ahead, so that adequate preparations can be made. 

So, events like concerts by the mega-stars, and the current Air Show, are announced way in advance to generate publicity and interest. 

Today's Gospel account is also known as the Transfiguration . For it to be recorded in three Gospels goes to show that it is of significant importance. 

But, unlike the prophecies of the coming of the Saviour, and Jesus foretelling His suffering and death, the Transfiguration happened quite unexpectedly. 

It began with Jesus bringing three of His disciples up a high mountain. The disciples didn't ask why they were going up that high mountain, and they thought that Jesus just wanted them to be alone. 

Then, in their presence, He was transfigured, and His clothes became dazzling white. And then Moses and Elijah appeared, and they were talking with Jesus. 

For the disciples, all that was amazing and astonishing, as well as frightening. And then a cloud came by and covered them in shadow, and there came a voice from the cloud: This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him. 

Then suddenly, when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore but only Jesus. 

All that happened so suddenly that they were probably dazed and speechless. 

But the experience of the Transfiguration was etched into their hearts, and eventually recorded in the gospels. 

As we listen to the gospel account, as well as the other two readings, is there anything that we can remember? 

And as we go forth after Mass, is there anything that we will carry along in our hearts? 

We didn't see any dazzling whiteness, or historical figures appearing, and no cloud covering us in shadow. 

But we may remember that voice from the cloud saying: This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him. 

So, how can we listen to Jesus, and how do we know it is His voice? 

There's a story of a father and his young son, and they were walking in the mountains. 

Suddenly the son tripped and fell and hurt himself, and he screamed: Aaahhhh …

To his surprise, he hears a voice repeating somewhere in the mountains: Aaahhhh … 

He yells: “Who are you?” The voice came back with: “Who are you?” 

Angered by that response, the boy screams: “Coward!” And the voice came back with: “Coward!” 

He looks to his father and ask: What's going on? 

His father smiles and says: “My son pay attention.” Then the father shouts to the mountains: “I admire you.” And the voice answers: “I admire you.” And the father shouts again: “You are strong.” And the voice answers: “You are strong.” 

The boy was amazed and astonished, and so the father explains: That voice is called the “echo”, but it is really about life. It gives back everything you say or do. 

Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. 

So, if we want to have more love in the world, then we need to have more love in our hearts. Life will give back everything you have given it. 

In the Mass we listen to the words of love, and we are fed with the greatest gift of love. And we go forth carrying God's love in our hearts. 

We become an echo of God's love. 

To listen to Jesus is to listen to the echo of our lives. 

Let us create a good echo to the voice of Jesus by doing this: 

Speak in a way that others would love to listen to you. And listen in a way than others would love to speak to you. 

In doing so, we will hear the echo of the voice of Jesus, the echo of love, and we will be transfigured, and others will also be transfigured.

1st Sunday of Lent, Year B, 18.02.2024

 Genesis 9:8-15 / 1 Peter 3:18-22 / Mark 1:12-15  

The season of Lent can be called a season of spiritual activities. 

We began the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday with the imposition of ashes on our foreheads as a sign of repentance. 

Ash Wednesday was also a day of fasting and abstinence, and we are reminded to do penance for our sins. 

And on Fridays, there is the Stations of the Cross. We are reminded that we have to carry our cross if we want to follow Jesus. 

All these extra spiritual activities in the season of Lent have a purpose. That purpose can be seen in today's gospel. 

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness and He remained there for 40 days. 

The Spirit is also driving us into the season of Lent with all those spiritual activities. 

The word “drove” may sound rather strange, especially if it is understood from the act of being of chased out.

But in the gospel, the word “drove” means that Jesus was driven by the power of the Holy Spirit to fight the devil and the temptations in the wilderness.

The wilderness is a harsh place of dry sands and heat. 

It is almost like the devil's territory, and Jesus is like charging at the devil, and it was going to be a 40 day battle. 

Besides the harsh conditions of hunger and thirst, there is also the danger of the wild beasts. 

It was similar to the experience of the Israelites in their 40 year journey in the wilderness. 

They complained about hunger and thirst, and they were also bitten by fiery serpents. 

But Jesus overcame the harsh conditions, the devil's temptations, and the fear of the wild beasts. 

Similarly, the Spirit is driving us with God's grace and power to face evil, to overcome temptations, and we are also assured of the protection of God's angels. 

When we think of the wilderness or the desert, one immediate image that comes to mind is the dry sands. 

The desert landscape changes because the sands move about with the winds. 

That brings to mind a story of two best friends walking through the desert, and they got into a quarrel. 

One friend punched the other in the face. The one who was punched was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: Today my best friend punched me in the face. 

They kept walking on until they came to an oasis, and they stopped for a drink. 

The one who had been punched, slipped and fell into the water and began to drown. 

His friend immediately went to save him. That evening, he wrote on a stone: Today, my best friend saved my life. 

The friend who had punched and save his best friend asked: After I hurt you, you wrote on the sand, and now you wrote on a stone. Why? 

The other friend replied: When someone hurts us, we should write it on sand where the winds of forgiveness can erase it away. 

But when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone, where it will be long remembered. 

As we face the temptations of the devil, the wickedness and the viciousness of hurt and abuse, let us remember that these stand on desert sands. 

They will be erased and blown away by the winds of forgiveness from the Holy Spirit. 

And with prayer and penance, we will stand with God who is the Rock of our salvation. 

Our good deeds of kindness and forgiveness, humility and charity, will be written on stones of love.

And God will remember us when we call out to Him in our need.

6th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 11.02.2024

  Leviticus 13:1-2, 45-46 / 1 Cor 10:31 – 11:1 / Mark 1:40-45  

During this festive period, we would probably be doing two things, and that is visiting and feasting. 

We will be visiting our relatives and friends, and doing that once-a-year pilgrimage of paying respects to our elders. 

The children, especially the younger ones, will look forward to these visits, as it means that there will be “ang pows” to collect. 

As usual, during such occasions, people are busy, noisy as well as nosy. 

Yes, people will be busy eating till they can't talk. 

And if they still can talk, then they will be busy asking all those nosy questions, like … 

Which school are you studying in? 

Where are you working? 

When are you getting married? 

When are you going to have baby? 

If we are tired of entertaining those questions, then maybe we can put our replies online, and tell them to check it out, and even give a “like”. 

Well, festive occasions like these are usually busy, noisy and nosy, and that adds to the festive atmosphere.

But in the midst of the festive atmosphere, there are some people who will be left out. 

There are some elderly who stay alone, or reside in a nursing home, and maybe no one will visit them during this festive period. 

There are some who are homebound or hospitalized, and they can only wait for others to visit them. 

There are some who are just alone, for some reason, and they feel the loneliness especially during this festive period. 

But, even outside of the busy, noisy and nosy festive occasions, there are people who are left out and feeling lonely. 

The gospel reminds us of the presence of those who are left out and lonely, as well as those who are the least, the last and the lost. 

We don't often notice them because they are not often mentioned, and we don't see them in public. 

So, the leper in today's Gospel is a symbol of those who are left out and lonely, and those who are the least, the last and the lost. 

For the leper, just the feeling of being left out and lonely was more painful than the leprosy, and that made him seek out Jesus and to ask for a cure. 

In our modern times, leprosy may not be that widespread thanks to the advancement of medical science and health-care. 

But, there is the reality of people who are lonely and being left out, and those who are the least, the last and the lost. 

They may not be crying out loud for attention, but Jesus wants us to think about them and to care for them. 

And some of these people are as close to us as in our family members and loved ones. 

On Friday evening, I went home for the traditional reunion dinner with my mother. 

We already had a sort of reunion dinner with my brother and his family a week ago. 

But last Friday I knew I had to go home for that dinner as there was a significance. 

Usually, the reunion dinner with the family is held on the eve of Chinese New Year. 

This year was just my mother and me. My sister passed on exactly a year ago, and so it was a rather quiet dinner. 

During dinner, my mother mentioned that last year, we had a simple reunion dinner at the hospital where my sister was being treated. 

And after a while, my mother mentioned that my sister went on to see the 15 days of the Chinese New Year before returning to the Lord on the 16th day. 

Those bits and pieces of her recollection of my sister tells me that my mother still thinks about the loss of her daughter.

And I also thank God that I was with my mother in her moment of loneliness and that she didn't feel left out and forgotten on the significant occasion of the reunion dinner. 

So, let us look, and let us listen to the voices of those who are lonely and those who are left out. 

They may not cry out loud, and all they need is a little love and care. 

The gospel reminds us that Jesus came for the lonely, the left-outs, the least, the last and the lost. 

He came to show God's love to them and to give them hope that there are people who will listen to them and care for them. 

So, if we feel a prompting to visit someone, or to give a call to someone, then it could be Jesus who is showing us who are the lonely and who are those that are being left out. 

That little act of love, and that bit of time spent with them, will be enough for them to know that Jesus loves and cares for them.

5th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 04.02.2024

  Job 7:1-4, 6-7 / 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23 / Mark 1:29-39  

Human beings are weak and fragile. No matter how strong we are, we are not super beings. 

No matter how high a position or status we have in society, we are not indispensable. 

We are mere flesh and blood, and we can succumb to illness and diseases. 

And emotionally, we can be discouraged from failures, and hurt and suffer from arguments and criticisms. 

Some days we are up and about, other days we are down and out. And we are also aware that we can be here today and suddenly be gone tomorrow. 

Such is the fragility and the unpredictability of life, and we also lament that happiness is so short-lived, while sadness is so prolonged. 

In the 1st reading, what Job said may probably express some of our thoughts: Is not man's life on earth nothing more than pressed service, his time no better than hired drudgery? Like the slave sighing for the shade, or the work man with no thoughts but his wages. 

That reflection could possibly express the stark and blunt reality of our lives. 

And if that is not pessimistic enough, there is something else that we have to face and struggle with. 

And that is the scourge of sickness and diseases. 

There is no guarantee that we will not succumb to anything from aches and pains, to health issues and life threatening diseases. 

All this sounds dark and depressive, but that is the reality of life. 

Today's Gospel passage also reminds us of this reality of life. 

But the gospel gives us hope in the face of this dark and gloomy reality of life.

Jesus went about in His ministry of healing and deliverance. He cured Peter's mother-in-law of her fever, and those who are sick and possessed by devils were brought to Him.

Jesus cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another, and He also cast out many devils. 

The gospel shows the human need for comfort and healing being fulfilled by divine power and love. 

But the gospel also tells us a deeper aspect of life, and that is the power of prayer over the reality of human need. 

Jesus went off early in the morning to a lonely place to pray. 

It is in prayer that Jesus is empowered and strengthened in His mission of proclaiming the Good News through healing and deliverance. 

And that reminds us of this: Life is fragile handle with prayer. 

When the fragility of life is exposed by sickness and diseases, then prayer is the remedy and the necessity. 

More than just a remedy, prayer brings us to understand one of the fundamentals of our faith, and that is redemptive suffering. 

Redemptive suffering is what we see on the Cross.

Jesus suffered and even died to save us. 

Jesus called us to carry our cross and to follow Him as His disciples. 

When we face our cross of sickness, diseases and suffering, we too must follow what Jesus did.

Just as Jesus went off early in the morning to a lonely place to pray, we too must pray. 

And just as Jesus was empowered and strengthened to continue His mission, we too will receive divine power in our human weakness. 

That divine power will help us to understand what is redemptive suffering. 

That divine power will also give us hope that with our prayer, our suffering will lead us to salvation. 

And that is what the Cross promises us: 

That by His suffering and death on the Cross Jesus will heal us and save us.

4th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 28.01.2024

  Deut 18:15-20 / 1 Cor 7:32-35 / Mark 1:21-28  

The world that we live in has many sights and sounds for us to interact with. 

From what we see with our eyes, we will be able to make an assessment. 

So, when we see beauty and goodness, we will give thanks to God for His marvellous works.

But when we see wrongdoing and wickedness, we would want to see how to stop it, and pray for God's help. 

And from what we hear with our ears, we are also able to make an assessment. 

When we hear what is good and inspiring, we will give thanks to God for His blessings. 

But when we hear what is sad and bad, or irritating and disturbing, we too will have to do something. 

In the gospel, Jesus was in the synagogue teaching. And His teaching made a deep impression on the people because He taught with authority. 

Then, all of a sudden, there was some shouting, and it was irritating and disturbing. 

It came from a man who was possessed by an unclean spirit, and it shouted: What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God. 

But Jesus said sharply, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” And with that, the unclean Spirit was cast out. 

The people's assessment of what happened was this: He gives orders even to unclean spirits and they obey Him. 

The gospel passage highlights some important aspects of the spiritual world that we need to take note of. 

One of which is the power of God's Word. Whenever the Word of God is proclaimed, goodness is bestowed and evil is exposed. 

Hence, conversion and repentance can only happen when the Word of God is proclaimed and obeyed. 

To obey is to listen, and to listen with faith, so that the power and the goodness of God can be manifested. 

There is a story of a poor woman who had a firm belief in God's providence through the charity of others. 

On one occasion, her family didn't get any food for a few days. 

She prayed and then wrote this notice on her front door: O God, please listen to my prayer and send us some food. 

A rich atheist man passed by in his car and saw the notice, and he thought of doing something to shake her faith in God. 

He instructed his driver to buy a lot of food and provisions, and have it delivered to that poor woman's house with this message: 

This is not sent by your God, but is sent by the devil. 

The driver did as he was told. He bought a lot of food and provisions, and went to that poor woman's house. 

When the poor woman opened the door and saw the driver and all that food, she went down on her knees and praised and thanked God. 

But the driver quickly said, “Wait, wait. This food is not sent by your God, but sent by the devil. 

But the poor woman laughed and said, “God is so great. He provided all this food and He made the devil pay for it, and even sent it over. Thanks be to God! 

Well, blessed are those who trust in God, He will provide for them. 

And blessed are those who hear the Word of God and obey it, they will see the goodness and the marvels of God. 

In the gospel, when Jesus gave the order, that evil spirit had to obey. 

As for us, as we listen to the Word of God, let us also obey, and put God's word into action. 

Let the Word of God also be read in our homes, in our meetings, and in every possible situation and occasion. 

The Word of God brings about healing, forgiveness, reconciliation, peace and love.

 When we listen to the Word of God and obey it, we will see the power and the marvels of God. 

3rd Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 21.01.2024

  Jonah 3:1-5, 10 / 1 Cor 7:29-31 / Mark 1:14-20   

Whenever we are asked “What's the time?” we would automatically look at our wrist watch. 

Time has become so important for us that we wear time on our hands. 

Time has become so important for us that we live our lives according to the clock. 

So, every day we wake up according to the time set in the alarm clock, we will have breakfast at a particular time, and we will go to work at a particular time. 

We will have lunch at a particular time, and we will finish work at a particular time. 

We will have dinner at a particular time, and then finally, we will go to bed at a particular time. 

The next day will also have a similar routine with more or less the similar timings. 

These routines and timings are certainly helpful to give us some regularity and stability in our lives. 

And we like regularity and stability because it gives us a sense of security. 

If every day is filled with anxiety and uncertainty, we might end up with panic attacks and stress disorder.

So, we like to live our lives according to our own way and according to our own time. 

But there is also another time that does not go according to the clock. 

That time is called God's time, or the appointed time. 

In the gospel we heard about this appointed time. 

For Jesus, the appointed time came when John the Baptist was arrested. Then, He went to Galilee and proclaimed the Good News from God with this message: 

The time has come and the kingdom of God is closed at hand. Repent and believe in the Good News. 

The appointed time came for Jesus to begin His mission. 

The appointed time also came for Simon and Andrew when Jesus called them to follow Him and to be fishers of men. 

The appointed time also came for James and John as they left their father and their livelihood to follow Jesus. 

So, in God's time, or at the appointed time, people and events will just move into place by the hand of God. 

But how would we know when is the appointed time for us? By what sign would we know that it is God's time? 

Maybe, let us take a break for a riddle. Why shouldn't we share secrets when the clock is around? Answer: Because time will tell. 

But seriously, when our regularity and routine is broken, then time is telling us something about the plans of God. 

In the Old Testament, there was this occasion when Abraham was sitting in his tent at the hottest time of the day, when he saw three men passing by. 

It was not a convenient time to welcome guests, but still Abraham came out of his tent to welcome the three men. 

And for that, the men told Abraham that Sarah, his wife, would conceive and bear the son he was waiting for. 

So, the hottest time of the day became the happiest time for Abraham. 

In the New Testament, the old man Simeon had waited a lifetime to set his eyes on the Saviour. 

Every day he went to the Temple to pray, and just on that day when he came to the Temple, Mary and Joseph brought the Child Jesus to present Him to the Lord. 

Simeon had waited for a long time, but on that day, all his waiting time became his fulfilling time. 

And we will remember the beloved Pope John Paul II. As a Cardinal, he was just back to his native Poland after the election of Pope John Paul I. 

He had hardly unpacked his bags when he was summoned back again to Rome because Pope John Paul I died suddenly after only 33 days as Pope. 

And in the midst of that sudden change of events, he was elected Pope, the first non- Italian Pope after 455 years, the youngest ever Pope at 58 years old, and elected only after 3 days of the conclave. 

And after him, was Pope Benedict XVI, and he resigned from office and the Church was shaken. But God has His plans. 

Then came along Pope Francis who brought a new era of simplicity and poverty for the Church.

Oh, it is he who instituted Word of God Sunday which the Church is celebrating this weekend. 

So, when the time of regularity and routine is interrupted and disrupted, then it is telling us something about God's appointed time. 

God's appointed time comes in the form of an inconvenient and unexpected time. 

But, let us embrace this inconvenient, interrupted and disrupted time as God’s appointed time. 

When we embrace God's appointed time, then time will tell, and it will be a time of rejoicing and gladness.

2nd Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 14.01.2024

 1 Samuel 3:3-10, 19 / 1 Cor 6:13-15, 17-20 / John 1:35-42   

In life, we have many needs. In fact, from the moment we are conceived, we immediately have needs. 

In our mother's womb, we have needs for nourishment, warmth, love and protection. 

From the moment we are born, we cry out in need. We need nourishment, we need to be kept warm, we need to be cared for, we need to be protected. 

Even as we grow and develop in life, our basic needs are always there. 

We need food, clothing and shelter, as well as security and protection. 

As we grow and mature in life, we may not cry out like babies or children for these basic needs. 

Instead, we will work and strive to meet these needs. 

When we are able to meet these needs, it does not mean that we will be contented and satisfied. 

Because, the next level of needs will come along. 

So, we will look at our place in society, and what we want to achieve in life. 

What will come along will be financial security and emotional security. 

We want to have a stable and secure job, we want to be independent, we will think about companionship and marriage to fulfil our emotional needs. 

In short, when our basic needs in life are achieved, what we will look for is meaning and direction in life. 

We want to live life with a purpose, and even to “give back to society”, and to help others in their need. 

In the gospel, the two disciples of John the Baptist were also looking for meaning, direction and purpose in life. 

They saw in John the Baptist, as someone who has found the meaning and the purpose of life. 

But John the Baptist knew that more than just having meaning and purpose, he had a mission in life. 

He knows that there is someone coming after him, someone who is greater than he is, and his mission is to point out that someone. 

So, when Jesus came along, John the Baptist looked hard and intensely at him. 

And then he proclaimed to his disciples: Look, there is the Lamb of God. 

The two disciples knew what he meant, and they went and followed Jesus. 

Jesus turned around, saw them following, and ask them a straightforward question: What do you want? 

The two disciples knew what they wanted, and they were equally straightforward with their response: Rabbi, where do you live? 

That straightforward and frank exchange between Jesus and the two disciples is enough to make us think. 

Just as He asked the two disciples, Jesus is also asking us: What do you want? 

Yes, what do we want in life? Well, there are many things we want in life. 

For students who just got their “O” Level results, they would want to go to the school of their choice. Or, for some students, they may have to think of something else. 

Other than that, we want financial and emotional security, we want to be happy, we want to be healthy. 

Yes, we want all that. But, what is it that we really need? 

We may need to look at John the Baptist who stepped aside and even fade it off when Jesus came into the scene. 

For John the Baptist, his food, clothing and shelter were not much to begin with. He also didn’t have much material securities in life. 

But, he had a purpose in life. He had a mission in life. 

He is the prophet who would point out Jesus the Saviour for others. 

One of his famous quotes is this: He must increase, I must decrease. 

For John the Baptist, he followed the tradition of the prophets before him, by listening and looking at what and where God is pointing to. 

Like the prophet Samuel in the first reading, it is this: Speak Lord, your servant is listening. 

John the Baptist has shown us what we really need in life. And that is to listen, and look at what and where the Lord is pointing us to. 

Then we will know what is our purpose and mission in life. 

Then we will be happy, we will be contented, we will be at peace.

Epiphany, Year B, 07.01.24

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

Today's feast goes by a name that may need some explanation, if we don't know what it means. 

The word “Epiphany” is Greek in origin, and it means revelation. 

This feast follows closely after the feast of Christmas. 

At Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ at Bethlehem was announced to the shepherds by an angel. 

The shepherds were told where to find the newborn infant King of the Jews. They were told that He would be wrapped in swaddling cloths, and lying in a manger. 

And when they went to Bethlehem, it was exactly as what they had been told. 

At the feast of the Epiphany, the birth of Jesus Christ was revealed to the world. 

And the wise men came from the East to pay homage to the newborn King. 

But for the wise men, it was not that clear, and there was no angel to give them specific instructions. 

Although the star revealed to them the birth of the infant King, the star wasn't always there to guide them. 

So, they went to Jerusalem, thinking that the infant King would be born there. 

King Herod came to know of their purpose, and he used them to find out more details. 

But it was then that the wise men came to know about the prophecy, that the infant King was to be born at Bethlehem. 

It was a further revelation for the wise men in their search for the infant King. 

But for king Herod, it was a revelation that led him to think of an evil thing.

The star appeared again and it finally led the wise men to the infant King. 

They paid homage to Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And here, there is another revelation. 

Those three gifts, as much as they are valuable, they are also mystical. 

Gold symbolized royalty, that the infant is a King. 

Frankincense symbolized divinity, that the infant is God became man.

And the myrrh symbolized the humanity of the infant King. 

And the revelation goes further, as the wise men were warned in a dream not go back to king Herod, and they returned to their own country by a different way. 

So, the feast of the Epiphany is filled with revelations and meanings. 

The birth of Jesus Christ was revealed to the world, and the wise men came to pay homage. 

It shows that people who do not know of the prophecies in the Scriptures, will also come to know of the Saviour of the world. 

And the three gifts also revealed the true identity of Jesus Christ, that He is the King, and He is Divine as well as human. 

This feast of the Epiphany shows that God reveals Himself through people, as well as through gifts. 

At Christmas, we received gifts from others, and there could be a revelation for us. 

I remembered that some years back, I came to take charge of this Parish about three weeks before Christmas. 

Besides being unfamiliar with the parish and the parishioners, it was also a hectic time in preparation for Christmas. 

Burdened with worry and anxiety, I was stressed up and tired out. 

Then one day, a lady and her young son came to my office. 

They asked if I'm the priest, and then the boy said that they have a Christmas present for Jesus. 

The lady said that her son wanted to give Jesus a present, and so they went shopping and bought the present and came to Sacred Heart Church.

The gift wasn't even wrapped, and without saying much, the lady and her son left, and I never saw them again. 

The gift was a toy, and batteries are not included. 

It was a radio-control car, in the shape of a police car.

As I looked at it and reflected on it, I saw it as a revelation from God. 

God was telling me that He will protect me and the parish and keep us safe. 

That was what the radio controlled toy police car revealed to me. 

God reveals Himself through people and their gifts to us. 

Let us reflect deeper on these people and their gifts, and we will be as wise as the wise men.