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.