Isaiah 2:1-5 / Ephesians 3:1-12 / Mark 16:15-20
Whenever we talk about mission and spreading the gospel several ideas might come to our minds.
We may think of the missionaries who go to other countries like China, Cambodia, and Laos, to build up the churches there.
We may also think that missionaries are usually priests or religious or some specially chosen lay people because speaking the Gospel is a serious thing and not everyone can do it.
We may also think that our task is to pray for these missionaries and also to give them some financial support.
Today’s celebration of Mission Sunday reminds us that we have an important role in the spreading of the gospel.
Let me tell you this story so that we can have a deeper understanding of our role and mission.
An old man was going around planting small fruit trees.
Some asked him when these trees would bear fruit.
He replied: Oh, probably many years after I am gone from this earth.
So then, why plant trees when he won’t be around to enjoy the fruits?
His reply was this: When I came into this world, I didn’t find this world without any fruit trees.
I enjoyed the fruits. Now I plant these fruit trees for those who will come after me, just as those who have done before me.
These are very profound words of the old man – I plant these fruit trees for those who will come after me, just as those who have done before me.
When we reflect upon the words of the old man, we will also come to a deeper understanding of our faith and mission.
We will come to see that the faith we have had been built upon and handed down to us by the earlier generation of believers.
What we have received, we too must build it up and hand it over to the next generation.
That is not just the work of missionaries, priests, religious and a selected few parishioners.
Each of us has a task in the spreading of the gospel.
Just as trees bear fruit and gives us shade, so is each one of us called to plant trees of faith that bear fruits of truth and love.
Trees are important not just because they bear fruit and provide shade and beauty.
Trees have an ecological importance. A world without trees is like a dry desert wasteland.
Similarly, faith is important for the world. This world needs God and needs to know His truth and love.
A world without God and His truth and love becomes a dark and dangerous world.
So, Mission Sunday reminds each of us that we have a task and a responsibility.
We have to continue planting trees of faith that will bear fruits of truth and love.
And we have to start planting these trees of faith in our homes, in our parish, in our workplace, in our own country.
This world needs to know God. This world needs to know His truth and love.
And we are the ones to show it. We are God’s messengers.
As the 1st reading puts it: All the nations will say – come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, that He may teach us His ways so that we may walk in His path.
Our task and mission is to plant trees of faith along that path so that as people walk towards the Lord, they will also see the fruits of His truth and love.
Click the links under My Blog List to get to Chinese and English weekday homilies.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
29th Ordinary Sunday Year C 17 Oct 2010
Exodus 17:8-13 / 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 / Luke 18:1-8
I wonder if we could still remember this person if I were to mention his name.
It was not that long ago when we heard of this person.
The name is Low Wei Jie. Can we still remember him?
Just about two months ago he was in the news.
We may not quite remember his name, but we will surely remember his story.
He was that 12 year-old schoolboy who followed the Youth Olympic flame torch relay.
The amazing thing was that he was dressed in an orange T-shirt, blue Bermudas and flip-flops.
Armed with a digital camera, he just wanted to take pictures of the Youth Olympic flame torch relay, as it weaved through Sengkang, Punggol and Hougang.
When he started off, it was bright and early.
As the relay began, he followed the torch, and he ran, and ran, and ran.
Over two and a half hours, he covered almost 15km, undeterred by a heavy downpour along the way.
At first, nobody paid attention to the boy in the orange T-shirt as he ran along, snapping pictures as the torchbearers handed the flame from one to the other.
His quest was not without problems though – his feet hurt because he was running with just flip flops.
And to his frustration and disappointment, the camera he borrowed from his parents got jammed because of the rain. But he still continued running along.
Although he didn’t plan to, he followed the torch relay to the end.
By that time, he had already caught the attention of the cameramen, the relay entourage, the officials, the traffic police officers, and of course, the reporters.
At the end of the relay, Low Wei Jie was a sort of a celebrity, a surprise star of the YOG, and words like “determination” and “perseverance” were used on him.
Well, that was Low Wei Jie and his amazing story.
Amazing because who would want to run for two and a half hours in the rain just to take pictures of a torch.
And when the camera had jammed, who would want to keep running to the end? What’s the point?
Amazing also because it was a 12 year-old boy, and there was nothing in it for him.
The good thing was that in the end, he got some recognition for it, besides also getting a brand new camera.
So in a way, we can say that Low Wei Jie got determination, he got perseverance.
But, would we say that he was persistant?
Maybe not. Because persistence may have an irritating and annoying tone to it.
Maybe that’s why Jesus used the word “persistence” in today’s gospel parable.
He used that word to describe the widow who kept seeking for justice from a judge who couldn’t be bothered about her.
But she persisted and persisted until the judge gave in to her, even though it took a long time.
Jesus said we also should pray with persistence.
And Jesus even made this promise. He promised that God will see that justice is done and done speedily.
Yet Jesus is not making a new promise.
In the Old Testament, God already promised to protect His people from danger and from their enemies.
In the first reading, Israel was attacked by the Amalekites.
So Moses prayed for God’s protection over their enemies.
As long as Moses raised his hands in prayer, Israel was winning the battle.
But when he let his arms drop due to tiredness, the Amalekites were winning.
Moses had to persist in prayer, and Aaron and Hur helped him by supporting his arms and even took a stone for him to sit on.
It looked funny and strange, but with 3 men holding up a staff, Israel managed to overcome the Amalekites.
But when it comes to persistence in prayer, nothing can ever sound so strange or funny.
To pray is difficult. To persist in prayer is even more difficult.
A short story to share with you. A woman was late for an important interview, and as she was rushing to catch the bus, she prayed: O God, let me not be late, let me not be late.
Just then she tripped and fell. Picking herself up and straightening her dress, she prayed: O God, let me not be late, let me not be late, but no need to push me ok, no need to push me!!! (she will be in time, won’t be late)
Well, I have come across Catholics who have devised many interesting as well as strange and funny ways to persist in praying for a need or an intention.
Some will have an hourly chime on their watches so that they will stop whatever they are doing and say a short prayer, like an Our Father or a Hail Mary.
Some will come for Mass everyday to pray for their need or intention, especially during this period of school exams.
Another interesting way that I have come across is synchronized prayer.
A group of people wants to pray for a particular need or intention.
But because they are all busy and cannot come together, they agreed upon a particular time of the day, usually at night, to pray together wherever they are.
They even SMS each other to remind each other of their prayer time.
So persistence in prayer also needs support, just as Moses was supported by Aaron and Hur, and even by a stone.
Let us keep faith in what Jesus had promised that God will see justice done and done speedily.
Let is also support each other in persisting in prayer.
If the 12 year-old Low Wei Jie could keep running just to take pictures of a torch, then all the more we should persist in our prayer to keep the flame of faith burning.
Our persistence will be rewarded. That is what Jesus promised us.
Jesus will persist in His promise. May we persist in our praying.
I wonder if we could still remember this person if I were to mention his name.
It was not that long ago when we heard of this person.
The name is Low Wei Jie. Can we still remember him?
Just about two months ago he was in the news.
We may not quite remember his name, but we will surely remember his story.
He was that 12 year-old schoolboy who followed the Youth Olympic flame torch relay.
The amazing thing was that he was dressed in an orange T-shirt, blue Bermudas and flip-flops.
Armed with a digital camera, he just wanted to take pictures of the Youth Olympic flame torch relay, as it weaved through Sengkang, Punggol and Hougang.
When he started off, it was bright and early.
As the relay began, he followed the torch, and he ran, and ran, and ran.
Over two and a half hours, he covered almost 15km, undeterred by a heavy downpour along the way.
At first, nobody paid attention to the boy in the orange T-shirt as he ran along, snapping pictures as the torchbearers handed the flame from one to the other.
His quest was not without problems though – his feet hurt because he was running with just flip flops.
And to his frustration and disappointment, the camera he borrowed from his parents got jammed because of the rain. But he still continued running along.
Although he didn’t plan to, he followed the torch relay to the end.
By that time, he had already caught the attention of the cameramen, the relay entourage, the officials, the traffic police officers, and of course, the reporters.
At the end of the relay, Low Wei Jie was a sort of a celebrity, a surprise star of the YOG, and words like “determination” and “perseverance” were used on him.
Well, that was Low Wei Jie and his amazing story.
Amazing because who would want to run for two and a half hours in the rain just to take pictures of a torch.
And when the camera had jammed, who would want to keep running to the end? What’s the point?
Amazing also because it was a 12 year-old boy, and there was nothing in it for him.
The good thing was that in the end, he got some recognition for it, besides also getting a brand new camera.
So in a way, we can say that Low Wei Jie got determination, he got perseverance.
But, would we say that he was persistant?
Maybe not. Because persistence may have an irritating and annoying tone to it.
Maybe that’s why Jesus used the word “persistence” in today’s gospel parable.
He used that word to describe the widow who kept seeking for justice from a judge who couldn’t be bothered about her.
But she persisted and persisted until the judge gave in to her, even though it took a long time.
Jesus said we also should pray with persistence.
And Jesus even made this promise. He promised that God will see that justice is done and done speedily.
Yet Jesus is not making a new promise.
In the Old Testament, God already promised to protect His people from danger and from their enemies.
In the first reading, Israel was attacked by the Amalekites.
So Moses prayed for God’s protection over their enemies.
As long as Moses raised his hands in prayer, Israel was winning the battle.
But when he let his arms drop due to tiredness, the Amalekites were winning.
Moses had to persist in prayer, and Aaron and Hur helped him by supporting his arms and even took a stone for him to sit on.
It looked funny and strange, but with 3 men holding up a staff, Israel managed to overcome the Amalekites.
But when it comes to persistence in prayer, nothing can ever sound so strange or funny.
To pray is difficult. To persist in prayer is even more difficult.
A short story to share with you. A woman was late for an important interview, and as she was rushing to catch the bus, she prayed: O God, let me not be late, let me not be late.
Just then she tripped and fell. Picking herself up and straightening her dress, she prayed: O God, let me not be late, let me not be late, but no need to push me ok, no need to push me!!! (she will be in time, won’t be late)
Well, I have come across Catholics who have devised many interesting as well as strange and funny ways to persist in praying for a need or an intention.
Some will have an hourly chime on their watches so that they will stop whatever they are doing and say a short prayer, like an Our Father or a Hail Mary.
Some will come for Mass everyday to pray for their need or intention, especially during this period of school exams.
Another interesting way that I have come across is synchronized prayer.
A group of people wants to pray for a particular need or intention.
But because they are all busy and cannot come together, they agreed upon a particular time of the day, usually at night, to pray together wherever they are.
They even SMS each other to remind each other of their prayer time.
So persistence in prayer also needs support, just as Moses was supported by Aaron and Hur, and even by a stone.
Let us keep faith in what Jesus had promised that God will see justice done and done speedily.
Let is also support each other in persisting in prayer.
If the 12 year-old Low Wei Jie could keep running just to take pictures of a torch, then all the more we should persist in our prayer to keep the flame of faith burning.
Our persistence will be rewarded. That is what Jesus promised us.
Jesus will persist in His promise. May we persist in our praying.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
26th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 26.09.10
Amos 6:1a,4-7/ 1 Timothy 6:11-16/ Luke 16: 19-31
For those of us who love art, or know something about art, I am sure you would also know the names of famous artists.
So let me name some art pieces and you tell me who is the artist. They are all by the same artist anyway.
So here it comes – Sunflowers; The starry night; Irises; The potato eaters. So tell me, who is the artist.
Yes, it’s Vincent Van Gogh. His masterpieces range from $50 – 80 over million dollars.
For those of us who love art and can appreciate art, then we would certainly love to have one of the masterpieces by Vincent Van Gogh hanging in a prominent place in our home.
Yes, we would like to have an $80 million masterpiece from Vincent Van Gogh in our home.
But I am not too sure if we would like to have Vincent Van Gogh himself in our home.
If we know something about the life of Vincent Van Gogh, then you will probably understand why I said that we might not want to have Vincent Van Gogh himself in our home.
Vincent Van Gogh lived from 1853 – 1890.
In his lifetime, he produced 2000 artworks. But he had very little success as an artist.
In fact he only sold one painting “The Red Vineyard”.
Besides that he was also temperamental, depressed and also difficult to get along with, and other things besides.
Then at 37 years-old, he took his own life.
It was only after his death that his works became famous and renowned.
So that was why I said that we won’t mind having a multi-million-dollar painting by Vincent Van Gogh at home.
But we certainly won’t want to have him in our home.
Similarly, we don’t mind having a Bible in our home. In fact we should have the Bible, the Word of God, at home.
But, would we welcome Jesus, the Word made flesh, into our home?
We would say – Of course, we want to have Jesus in our home.
Yet Jesus does not come alone. Because He comes along with His close friends.
And who are they? Well, they are the poor and helpless, the problematic and difficult people, the Vincent Van Goghs.
We shouldn’t be surprised that these are the close friends of Jesus.
Because the Bible tells us that God is on the side of the poor and needy and helpless.
Indeed, God is closest to the poor and helpless, the weak and the lowly, the defenseless and the oppressed.
At least in today’s 1st reading, the Responsorial Psalm and the gospel tell us that. And we must see it!
Yes, God is for them. God cares about them. And God will console them. If not in this life, then it will be in the next.
Yes, God will console them and comfort them in His bosom and wipe away every tear from their eyes.
That was what happened in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
We can call that a reversal of fortunes, and the reversal is not temporal; it is eternal.
Although it is just a parable, it makes us see that the reversal is for real.
At least it was real enough for the rich man. In the flames of agony, he looked up and saw Lazarus and even knows his name.
While on earth, he certainly saw Lazarus, or at least he knew he was at the gate.
But he just chose not to see, not to know, not to care.
But in the flames of agony, the rich man saw. Yes, he saw, but it was too late, and it was forever.
In Singapore, we don’t usually have beggars or destitudes or Lazaruses sitting at our doors.
Yet we cannot say that the poor and needy do not exist.
Just come every 1st Saturday in the afternoon and we will see the members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul at work, distributing rations to the poor and needy.
And we will see for ourselves who are the poor and needy, the helpless and the rejected.
So we can’t say that we didn’t see, or we don’t know.
Or maybe we saw, and we knew, and we feel that we can do nothing about the multitudes of poor and needy and helpless.
Granted that it is an immense challenge, maybe let me ask you this.
Do you know what is the late Mother Teresa’s favourite number?
Well, I think that her favourite number is the number 1. And I will quote the following from her to say why I think it’s the number 1.
She said : I don’t agree with the big ways of doing things. Love needs to start with the individual. To love a person you must make contact with that person. To love the poor you must make contact with the poor.
When you do that, you cross the enormous divide between you and the poor, and it’s somebody you have actually touched.
She continues by saying : I look at the individual. I can only love one person at a time. I can only feed one person at a time.
So that’s why I think that Mother Teresa’s favourite number is 1. For her it is one person at a time.
So the Word of God in today’s readings makes us open our eyes.
God is not asking us how rich we are or how much we can give to the poor and needy.
Rather, God is asking us this : How much do we care? How much do we love? How much do we want to see?
And we don’t have to see far, see wide or see too much.
Let us look at the one who is at the gate.
The one who is poor and needy. The one that we can help.
And that one may not be outside the gate. That one may be within our gates.
But we may have become numbed and indifferent.
Let us listen to the voice of God prompting us to see, to care and to love the one who is poor and needy and helpless, the one who is difficult and problematic, the Vincent Van Goghs.
Yes, they are poor and needy, they may be difficult and problematic, but they are God’s close friends.
And it is they who will lead us into God’s bosom, forever.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
23rd Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 05-09-2010
Wis 9:13-18b / Phmn 1:9-10, 12-17 / Lk 14:25-33
Recently the famous topic of the 4 Cs came up in the news again.
I m sure we know what the 4 Cs commonly stands for – cash, car, condo and credit card.
Along with that are other additions like country club membership, casino membership, etc.
There are spoofs of it like coffin, columbarium, whatever.
At a recent Pre-University seminar, the 4 Cs were given another version: confidence, compassion, the ability to compartmentalize and to be in good company.
Well, I also want to join in the bandwagon, but I want to change the letter. So instead of the letter C, I want to use another letter.
I was thinking of the letter G. Because it can stand for God, for good, for glory, for grace.
But then if I were to ask what does the 3 Gs stand for, or what the 4 Gs stand for, some might think I am talking about 3G network or the 4G super broadband which came out last week.
And then some will start thinking about the computer fair that is going on now, today’s the last day, need to get a new laptop, and then G will stand for “Gone! I have lost you!”
So G is not very good. Got to find another letter. Maybe the letter F.
F can stand for Father, for faithfulness, for forgiveness.
But then again, if I were to say what does F stand for, some might hear it wrong and think I was saying : What the what?!
So again, it doesn’t sound very nice.
Sigh, so better not use the letter F. So what other letter to use?
Well, I was asking myself : Why do people come to Church? Why do people want to believe in God?
So I came up with this letter “P”, P for papa, which means father, and God is our Father. So with the letter P I have covered the letters F and G. ;-P
So what does the letter P stands for?
To answer that question, then we have to ask ourselves why do we believe in God? What kind of God do we believe in?
Well, at the level of basic religious needs, we want to believe in God who can protect us, who can provide for us, and who will also pamper us.
So there it is: we want God to protect us, provide for us and to pamper us.
I am not making up all this. God Himself said it in the Bible.
God said it to Moses and the Israelites when they panicked upon seeing the sword-wielding Egyptians charging at them to cut their throats.
God said: The Lord will do the fighting for you; you only have to keep still. (Ex 14:14) So you see, God will protect us and He will fight our battles for us.
And God will also provide for us. Jesus said that the Heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask Him.
So ask and we will receive, because God will provide.
That is what Jesus said.
So finally how will God pamper us? Well, God loves us with a tender everlasting love, and He will forgive us over and over again, 70x7 times.
If that is not pampering, then it is like God is spoiling us.
So there we have it: God is our Papa, He protects us, He provides for us, and He even pampers us.
Sounds too good to be true right? But it is true, otherwise why would we want to believe in God?
Yes, God will certainly protect us, provide for us, and even pamper us.
But I also have to say that there is another P involved here, and it stands for “price”.
There is a price to pay, on our part. So what is this price?
That price is stated by Jesus in the gospel.
To the great crowds that were following Him, He said: If anyone comes to Me without hating father, mother, brother, sister, and his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
The word “hate” here actually means to prefer less, or to give a lesser priority. It does not mean hate, as how we usually understand it.
Because in the Jewish language, there is no word to mean “prefer less” or “give a lesser priority”, so the word hate is used.
So what Jesus is saying is that either He is above all, or He is not at all. There is no in-between.
That sounds like tough and rough language from Jesus isn’t it?
But that is the price to pay if we want to be true disciples of Jesus.
So has anyone paid that price before? Well, plenty actually.
One such person was St. Thomas More, who was the Chancellor when King Henry VIII was the king of England.
But when St. Thomas More refused to acknowledge King Henry’s second marriage and to cut ties with the Pope, he was thrown into prison.
The king sent close friends and even his family members to persuade him, because his vote was critical for the king’s standing.
But St. Thomas More stood firm and he was later charged with treason and sentenced to death.
His last words before he was beheaded were this: I am the king’s good subject, but first and foremost I am God’s servant.
The price was his head and his life. But his reward is eternal life.
The world as we know is practical, pragmatic, profitable and very pleasing to us.
Yes, the practical, pragmatic, profitable and pleasing world has been our father, mother, brother and sister.
But the nagging question is: So what if we gain the whole world and all that if offers? So what?
So Jesus puts the price tag before us.
Do we dare to let Jesus be above all?
We want God to protect us, to provide for us, to pamper us.
But as the song goes, we also say: Papa don’t preach.
Because we don’t want to hear the tough stuff and what price to pay for true discipleship.
But Jesus said in no uncertain terms that anyone who does not carry his cross cannot be His disciple.
The cross is painful indeed. But the cross also points us towards true discipleship and eternal life.
Recently the famous topic of the 4 Cs came up in the news again.
I m sure we know what the 4 Cs commonly stands for – cash, car, condo and credit card.
Along with that are other additions like country club membership, casino membership, etc.
There are spoofs of it like coffin, columbarium, whatever.
At a recent Pre-University seminar, the 4 Cs were given another version: confidence, compassion, the ability to compartmentalize and to be in good company.
Well, I also want to join in the bandwagon, but I want to change the letter. So instead of the letter C, I want to use another letter.
I was thinking of the letter G. Because it can stand for God, for good, for glory, for grace.
But then if I were to ask what does the 3 Gs stand for, or what the 4 Gs stand for, some might think I am talking about 3G network or the 4G super broadband which came out last week.
And then some will start thinking about the computer fair that is going on now, today’s the last day, need to get a new laptop, and then G will stand for “Gone! I have lost you!”
So G is not very good. Got to find another letter. Maybe the letter F.
F can stand for Father, for faithfulness, for forgiveness.
But then again, if I were to say what does F stand for, some might hear it wrong and think I was saying : What the what?!
So again, it doesn’t sound very nice.
Sigh, so better not use the letter F. So what other letter to use?
Well, I was asking myself : Why do people come to Church? Why do people want to believe in God?
So I came up with this letter “P”, P for papa, which means father, and God is our Father. So with the letter P I have covered the letters F and G. ;-P
So what does the letter P stands for?
To answer that question, then we have to ask ourselves why do we believe in God? What kind of God do we believe in?
Well, at the level of basic religious needs, we want to believe in God who can protect us, who can provide for us, and who will also pamper us.
So there it is: we want God to protect us, provide for us and to pamper us.
I am not making up all this. God Himself said it in the Bible.
God said it to Moses and the Israelites when they panicked upon seeing the sword-wielding Egyptians charging at them to cut their throats.
God said: The Lord will do the fighting for you; you only have to keep still. (Ex 14:14) So you see, God will protect us and He will fight our battles for us.
And God will also provide for us. Jesus said that the Heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask Him.
So ask and we will receive, because God will provide.
That is what Jesus said.
So finally how will God pamper us? Well, God loves us with a tender everlasting love, and He will forgive us over and over again, 70x7 times.
If that is not pampering, then it is like God is spoiling us.
So there we have it: God is our Papa, He protects us, He provides for us, and He even pampers us.
Sounds too good to be true right? But it is true, otherwise why would we want to believe in God?
Yes, God will certainly protect us, provide for us, and even pamper us.
But I also have to say that there is another P involved here, and it stands for “price”.
There is a price to pay, on our part. So what is this price?
That price is stated by Jesus in the gospel.
To the great crowds that were following Him, He said: If anyone comes to Me without hating father, mother, brother, sister, and his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
The word “hate” here actually means to prefer less, or to give a lesser priority. It does not mean hate, as how we usually understand it.
Because in the Jewish language, there is no word to mean “prefer less” or “give a lesser priority”, so the word hate is used.
So what Jesus is saying is that either He is above all, or He is not at all. There is no in-between.
That sounds like tough and rough language from Jesus isn’t it?
But that is the price to pay if we want to be true disciples of Jesus.
So has anyone paid that price before? Well, plenty actually.
One such person was St. Thomas More, who was the Chancellor when King Henry VIII was the king of England.
But when St. Thomas More refused to acknowledge King Henry’s second marriage and to cut ties with the Pope, he was thrown into prison.
The king sent close friends and even his family members to persuade him, because his vote was critical for the king’s standing.
But St. Thomas More stood firm and he was later charged with treason and sentenced to death.
His last words before he was beheaded were this: I am the king’s good subject, but first and foremost I am God’s servant.
The price was his head and his life. But his reward is eternal life.
The world as we know is practical, pragmatic, profitable and very pleasing to us.
Yes, the practical, pragmatic, profitable and pleasing world has been our father, mother, brother and sister.
But the nagging question is: So what if we gain the whole world and all that if offers? So what?
So Jesus puts the price tag before us.
Do we dare to let Jesus be above all?
We want God to protect us, to provide for us, to pamper us.
But as the song goes, we also say: Papa don’t preach.
Because we don’t want to hear the tough stuff and what price to pay for true discipleship.
But Jesus said in no uncertain terms that anyone who does not carry his cross cannot be His disciple.
The cross is painful indeed. But the cross also points us towards true discipleship and eternal life.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 15.08.10
Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab/ 1Corinthians 15:20-27/ Luke 1:39-56
We know how great an influence a mother has over her children.
Mothers teach their children, and one of the tactics they use is information-overload, i.e., they talk, talk, talk, nag, nag, nag, and they hope that something goes into their children.
But mothers teach not only with their words, but also by their actions.
There are many examples in history of how mothers have influenced their children.
One example from Chinese history is this Chinese general called “岳飞”(Yue Fei)
Yes, just mention the name “岳飞”(Yue Fei) in Chinese circles, and these four words will come to mind: 精忠报国.
Broadly translated it means : Faithfully serve your country.
You may know the story of “岳飞”(Yue Fei) but I will just narrate it briefly.
“岳飞”(Yue Fei) lived during the Southern Song Dynasty, around the 12th century.
At that time, the barbarians were invading China from the north, and the country was also in turmoil and strife.
“岳飞”(Yue Fei’s) mother taught him faithfulness and loyalty since he was young.
So, being a faithful and loyal citizen, he decided to join the army to help protect his country.
When he told his mother of his decision, his mother affirmed him because that was also what she had always taught him.
Being a wise mother and knowing how easy it was to fall into corruption and dishonesty, she made sure that her son remembered what she taught.
So on his back, she tattooed these four words “精忠报国”, i.e., - Faithfully serve your country
Yue Fei became a great general and he served his country faithfully and protected the people against the enemy.
But traitors plotted against him and eventually got him executed.
Yet, Yue Fei served his country faithfully to the end, and he accepted death, even though he knew he was accused by traitors of his own country.
That’s why, mention the name Yue Fei and these four words 精忠报国 came to mind - Faithfully serve your country
And these were the words tattooed on his back by his mother.
So why am I telling you this story？
Today we celebrate the Assumption of Mary into heaven.
This is a very important feast because it celebrates the completion of salvation.
Jesus, by his death and resurrection had overcome sin, and won for us eternal life.
By his ascension into heaven, He has assured us of our place in heaven.
By assuming Mary into heaven, body and soul, God is proclaiming that salvation is a reality.
Mary, a human being had entered into heaven. And so can we.
What God has done for Mary, He will also do for us.
That is also our faith and our hope, that we will enter our eternal home in heaven.
But while we are on earth, we must remember what Mother Mary taught us.
In the gospel of John 2:5, she told the servants at the wedding in Cana : Do whatever He tells you.
And she is telling us the same thing: Do whatever He tells us.
In today’s gospel, she said this: My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.
She is telling us to join her to give thanks to God and also to be faithful to our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Back in 2008, a 98 year-old lady by the name of Irena Sendler passed away.
We may probably ask : Who passed away? What was the name again?
Well, Irena Sendler was a social worker in Poland when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939 during WW II.
She got permission to work as a sanitation worker in the concentration camp for the Jews in Poland.
She knew what the Nazis were doing to the Jews and she had a motive.
Irena Sendler smuggled the Jewish infants out of the camp in the bottom of the big tool box she carried.
During her time of doing this, she managed to save 2500 babies and young children out of the concentration camp.
But one day she was caught, and she was beaten severely, and had her arms and legs broken, and left for dead.
But she survived. She had also kept a record of the names of all the children she had smuggled out of the camp.
After the war, Irena Sendler tried to locate any parents who might have survived the concentration camp, and to unite them with their children.
But almost all had died in the concentration camp.
Nonetheless their children, the 2500 children survived, the children that Irena Sendler had smuggled out.
Last year, Irena Sendler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
But she did not win it. But it doesn’t matter anyway.
She had passed on from this world into the eternal world of peace where every tear is wiped away forever.
To save 2500 lives at the risk of your life is not a small thing.
But for the humble and little-known Irena Sendler, she stood in the face of violence and evil, and carried on her mission faithfully.
She was a Catholic, and she was faithful and loyal to what she believed in – that life is sacred because all life comes from God.
In this world, it is so easy to fall into temptation and sin.
It is so easy to be distracted and lose our focus on God and lose sight of our eternal home in heaven.
It is so easy to lose faith in God and to be disloyal to our own values and principles in life.
Earlier on we heard about the Chinese general Yue Fei and his mother.
Yue Fei’s mother tattooed those four words on his back: 精忠报国 which means “Faithfully serve your country”.
Mother Mary also wants us to remember just four words on this feast of her Assumption – Faithfully serve your Lord
Mother Mary also prays for us, that one day, we too, will join her in heaven to praise and glorify the Lord our God.
We know how great an influence a mother has over her children.
Mothers teach their children, and one of the tactics they use is information-overload, i.e., they talk, talk, talk, nag, nag, nag, and they hope that something goes into their children.
But mothers teach not only with their words, but also by their actions.
There are many examples in history of how mothers have influenced their children.
One example from Chinese history is this Chinese general called “岳飞”(Yue Fei)
Yes, just mention the name “岳飞”(Yue Fei) in Chinese circles, and these four words will come to mind: 精忠报国.
Broadly translated it means : Faithfully serve your country.
You may know the story of “岳飞”(Yue Fei) but I will just narrate it briefly.
“岳飞”(Yue Fei) lived during the Southern Song Dynasty, around the 12th century.
At that time, the barbarians were invading China from the north, and the country was also in turmoil and strife.
“岳飞”(Yue Fei’s) mother taught him faithfulness and loyalty since he was young.
So, being a faithful and loyal citizen, he decided to join the army to help protect his country.
When he told his mother of his decision, his mother affirmed him because that was also what she had always taught him.
Being a wise mother and knowing how easy it was to fall into corruption and dishonesty, she made sure that her son remembered what she taught.
So on his back, she tattooed these four words “精忠报国”, i.e., - Faithfully serve your country
Yue Fei became a great general and he served his country faithfully and protected the people against the enemy.
But traitors plotted against him and eventually got him executed.
Yet, Yue Fei served his country faithfully to the end, and he accepted death, even though he knew he was accused by traitors of his own country.
That’s why, mention the name Yue Fei and these four words 精忠报国 came to mind - Faithfully serve your country
And these were the words tattooed on his back by his mother.
So why am I telling you this story？
Today we celebrate the Assumption of Mary into heaven.
This is a very important feast because it celebrates the completion of salvation.
Jesus, by his death and resurrection had overcome sin, and won for us eternal life.
By his ascension into heaven, He has assured us of our place in heaven.
By assuming Mary into heaven, body and soul, God is proclaiming that salvation is a reality.
Mary, a human being had entered into heaven. And so can we.
What God has done for Mary, He will also do for us.
That is also our faith and our hope, that we will enter our eternal home in heaven.
But while we are on earth, we must remember what Mother Mary taught us.
In the gospel of John 2:5, she told the servants at the wedding in Cana : Do whatever He tells you.
And she is telling us the same thing: Do whatever He tells us.
In today’s gospel, she said this: My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.
She is telling us to join her to give thanks to God and also to be faithful to our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Back in 2008, a 98 year-old lady by the name of Irena Sendler passed away.
We may probably ask : Who passed away? What was the name again?
Well, Irena Sendler was a social worker in Poland when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939 during WW II.
She got permission to work as a sanitation worker in the concentration camp for the Jews in Poland.
She knew what the Nazis were doing to the Jews and she had a motive.
Irena Sendler smuggled the Jewish infants out of the camp in the bottom of the big tool box she carried.
During her time of doing this, she managed to save 2500 babies and young children out of the concentration camp.
But one day she was caught, and she was beaten severely, and had her arms and legs broken, and left for dead.
But she survived. She had also kept a record of the names of all the children she had smuggled out of the camp.
After the war, Irena Sendler tried to locate any parents who might have survived the concentration camp, and to unite them with their children.
But almost all had died in the concentration camp.
Nonetheless their children, the 2500 children survived, the children that Irena Sendler had smuggled out.
Last year, Irena Sendler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
But she did not win it. But it doesn’t matter anyway.
She had passed on from this world into the eternal world of peace where every tear is wiped away forever.
To save 2500 lives at the risk of your life is not a small thing.
But for the humble and little-known Irena Sendler, she stood in the face of violence and evil, and carried on her mission faithfully.
She was a Catholic, and she was faithful and loyal to what she believed in – that life is sacred because all life comes from God.
In this world, it is so easy to fall into temptation and sin.
It is so easy to be distracted and lose our focus on God and lose sight of our eternal home in heaven.
It is so easy to lose faith in God and to be disloyal to our own values and principles in life.
Earlier on we heard about the Chinese general Yue Fei and his mother.
Yue Fei’s mother tattooed those four words on his back: 精忠报国 which means “Faithfully serve your country”.
Mother Mary also wants us to remember just four words on this feast of her Assumption – Faithfully serve your Lord
Mother Mary also prays for us, that one day, we too, will join her in heaven to praise and glorify the Lord our God.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
17th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 25th July 2010
Genesis 10：20－32／Colossians 2：12－24／Luke 11：1－13
There is a local event happening now, but I think it’s coming to an end soon (in fact I think it’s ending today!)
It has been happening for two months already, and it would have caught our attention somehow.
Do you know what I’m talking about? Still thinking?
What if I say it’s connected to shopping?
Ahh … yes … it’s the Great S’pore Sale! Right?
Yes, the Great S’pore Sale, and it’s intended to spur us on to a shopping spree because there are supposed to be great discounts and bargains.
I can’t say much about the Great S’pore Sale because I don’t do much shopping, and I don’t have the time to go around comparing prices.
But I can say that there is something missing in the Great S’pore Sale.
Yes, there is something missing. What is missing is this very interesting activity called bargaining.
So as much as it is called the Great S’pore Sale, and the prices are slashed and discounted, yet that is the final price.
There is no further bargaining. The discounted price is fixed.
That is something that my mother and the women of her generation cannot quite understand, nor will they accept it.
For them, the displayed price, whether discounted or otherwise, is meant to be further reduced.
For them, the displayed price is a challenge for them to see how much more can be reduced, and their usual starting bid is 50% off the displayed price.
So at times, it can be quite difficult for me to go shopping with my mum at those classy departmental stores.
Because she will ask me to go and bargain with the salesgirl!
But if bargaining with the salesgirl at a classy department store can be embarrassing, then are we daring enough to bargain with God?
In the 1st reading, Abraham seemed to have the guts to do it.
The whole town of Sodom was to be destroyed because of their sinfulness.
Abraham pleaded with God not to destroy the just man with the sinner.
So he bargained with God, from finding 50 innocent persons to finding just 10 innocent persons, so that the whole town could be spared.
But in his bargaining with God, Abraham believed that God was merciful and compassionate.
So Abraham dared to persist further and further in his prayer bargain with God.
He did all that in order to try to save the people of that town.
In the gospel, Jesus teaches us to persist in prayer.
He told us to ask and we will receive, to search and we will find, to knock and it will be opened.
But we may need to look at what we are asking for in prayer.
Generally speaking, most of what we are asking for are valid needs.
So there are prayers for recovery from illness, for job stability, for peace in the family, for our children to do well in their exams, and maybe that our cars won’t be stuck in a flood, or whatever.
These are valid needs, and Jesus assures us that God knows what we need and He will provide for us.
In the gospel, Jesus told a parable about a man knocking on his neighbour’s door at midnight to ask for some bread because he had a guest.
Jesus concluded the parable by saying that if the neighbour does not get up and give it to the man for friendship’s sake, then persistence will be enough to make him get up and give the man what he wanted.
Jesus emphasized the need for persistence in prayer.
But there may be another side to this parable.
Now, let’s say, that your bank offers you this fantastic deal.
Each morning, the bank will deposit $86, 400 into your private account for your use.
But these are the following conditions.
Firstly, the money that you do not spend each day will be taken from you.
Secondly, you cannot transfer the money into another account.
Thirdly, only you, and you alone, can spend it.
Fourthly, the bank can end this deal without any notice.
At any time, it can say “Account closed” and you will not get a new account.
Now what would you do with the money in this account?
You would surely buy anything and everything you wanted right? No need Great S’pore Sale, just shop till you drop.
Not only for yourself, but also for the people you love and for your friends too, isn’t it?
Even for the people you don’t know, you will also spend it on them, because you couldn’t possibly spend it all on yourself.
You would try to spend every cent and use it all before the day ends, right?
Sounds like too good to be true, isn’t it?
Well, this is true, because each of us has such a bank account.
Everyday God gives us 86,400 seconds as a gift of life.
It cannot be brought forward. What we have not lived up to for that day is gone. Well, yesterday is forever gone.
Each new day, the account is renewed.
But the account can be terminated at any time, and without any notice.
Well, what are we going to do with our 86,400 seconds?
Certainly, those 86,400 seconds are worth so much more than the same amount in dollars.
Well, God is knocking at our doors and persistently asking us how we are spending our time, and what are we doing with our lives.
We don’t have to ask for more. Whatever we needed, God has already given to us.
86, 400 seconds of life is God’s gift to us everyday.
How we use it, how we live it out, is our gift to God and our gift to others.
Abraham used his gift to plead for the innocent people of the town.
May we use our gift to bring life and love to others.
May our lives bring joy and peace to others.
Let that be our prayer, our persistent prayer.
There is a local event happening now, but I think it’s coming to an end soon (in fact I think it’s ending today!)
It has been happening for two months already, and it would have caught our attention somehow.
Do you know what I’m talking about? Still thinking?
What if I say it’s connected to shopping?
Ahh … yes … it’s the Great S’pore Sale! Right?
Yes, the Great S’pore Sale, and it’s intended to spur us on to a shopping spree because there are supposed to be great discounts and bargains.
I can’t say much about the Great S’pore Sale because I don’t do much shopping, and I don’t have the time to go around comparing prices.
But I can say that there is something missing in the Great S’pore Sale.
Yes, there is something missing. What is missing is this very interesting activity called bargaining.
So as much as it is called the Great S’pore Sale, and the prices are slashed and discounted, yet that is the final price.
There is no further bargaining. The discounted price is fixed.
That is something that my mother and the women of her generation cannot quite understand, nor will they accept it.
For them, the displayed price, whether discounted or otherwise, is meant to be further reduced.
For them, the displayed price is a challenge for them to see how much more can be reduced, and their usual starting bid is 50% off the displayed price.
So at times, it can be quite difficult for me to go shopping with my mum at those classy departmental stores.
Because she will ask me to go and bargain with the salesgirl!
But if bargaining with the salesgirl at a classy department store can be embarrassing, then are we daring enough to bargain with God?
In the 1st reading, Abraham seemed to have the guts to do it.
The whole town of Sodom was to be destroyed because of their sinfulness.
Abraham pleaded with God not to destroy the just man with the sinner.
So he bargained with God, from finding 50 innocent persons to finding just 10 innocent persons, so that the whole town could be spared.
But in his bargaining with God, Abraham believed that God was merciful and compassionate.
So Abraham dared to persist further and further in his prayer bargain with God.
He did all that in order to try to save the people of that town.
In the gospel, Jesus teaches us to persist in prayer.
He told us to ask and we will receive, to search and we will find, to knock and it will be opened.
But we may need to look at what we are asking for in prayer.
Generally speaking, most of what we are asking for are valid needs.
So there are prayers for recovery from illness, for job stability, for peace in the family, for our children to do well in their exams, and maybe that our cars won’t be stuck in a flood, or whatever.
These are valid needs, and Jesus assures us that God knows what we need and He will provide for us.
In the gospel, Jesus told a parable about a man knocking on his neighbour’s door at midnight to ask for some bread because he had a guest.
Jesus concluded the parable by saying that if the neighbour does not get up and give it to the man for friendship’s sake, then persistence will be enough to make him get up and give the man what he wanted.
Jesus emphasized the need for persistence in prayer.
But there may be another side to this parable.
Now, let’s say, that your bank offers you this fantastic deal.
Each morning, the bank will deposit $86, 400 into your private account for your use.
But these are the following conditions.
Firstly, the money that you do not spend each day will be taken from you.
Secondly, you cannot transfer the money into another account.
Thirdly, only you, and you alone, can spend it.
Fourthly, the bank can end this deal without any notice.
At any time, it can say “Account closed” and you will not get a new account.
Now what would you do with the money in this account?
You would surely buy anything and everything you wanted right? No need Great S’pore Sale, just shop till you drop.
Not only for yourself, but also for the people you love and for your friends too, isn’t it?
Even for the people you don’t know, you will also spend it on them, because you couldn’t possibly spend it all on yourself.
You would try to spend every cent and use it all before the day ends, right?
Sounds like too good to be true, isn’t it?
Well, this is true, because each of us has such a bank account.
Everyday God gives us 86,400 seconds as a gift of life.
It cannot be brought forward. What we have not lived up to for that day is gone. Well, yesterday is forever gone.
Each new day, the account is renewed.
But the account can be terminated at any time, and without any notice.
Well, what are we going to do with our 86,400 seconds?
Certainly, those 86,400 seconds are worth so much more than the same amount in dollars.
Well, God is knocking at our doors and persistently asking us how we are spending our time, and what are we doing with our lives.
We don’t have to ask for more. Whatever we needed, God has already given to us.
86, 400 seconds of life is God’s gift to us everyday.
How we use it, how we live it out, is our gift to God and our gift to others.
Abraham used his gift to plead for the innocent people of the town.
May we use our gift to bring life and love to others.
May our lives bring joy and peace to others.
Let that be our prayer, our persistent prayer.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
14th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 4July 2010
First Reading: Isaiah 66:10-14
Second Reading: Galatians 6:14-18
Gospel: Luke 10:1-12.17-20
Among the species of animals, the one that gives us a sense of intrigue and enigma, and also fear, is the snake.
Actually the snake is an odd creature.
It has no hands or feet or wings, and it moves about by crawling on its belly.
But all this not withstanding, the snake has a reputation for being a deadly creature.
From constriction to venom, and from the time of Adam, the snake is like the scourge of mankind.
Though some snakes are not poisonous, yet there is just too much fear created about them.
A story has it that a preacher wanted to show his congregation that there is nothing to fear about snakes.
So he had a non-poisonous snake in a sack, and he told his congregation that there is nothing to fear about snakes and that they can even crush it with their heels.
So he let the snake out of the sack. Bad move.
Children started to scream and run, followed by the adults.
It was pandemonium, total chaos.
Well, if we priests try to do this kind of antics, we might just get ex-communicated!!
Yet, it is not a joke when Jesus said that He is sending us out like lambs among wolves.
But Jesus assures us that He has given us power to tread under foot snakes and scorpions.
He even tells us that nothing will harm us.
Well to that, a missionary can give testimony as he relates his encounter with danger.
This missionary was serving in a rural area where electricity was generated by a diesel generator.
One stormy night, the generator failed and his house was in total darkness.
He had no torchlight but he remembered that there were candles and matches in the church.
So he felt his way around, got out of the house and using the walls as a guide, made his way to the church, all this in pitch darkness.
Finally, he got to the candles and lighting a candle he made his way back to the house safely.
A few days later, there was another storm, and again the generator failed.
This time around, the missionary was prepared and he had a torch light.
So, with confidence, he made his way to the church to get some candles.
But as he opened the door to step into the church, his steps came to a sudden halt.
Because, as he shined his torch light ahead of him, he saw a snake coiled up in the church, taking shelter from the rain.
He turned back immediately and headed straight for his house, and when he got back, he went down on his knees to thank God.
As he thought about it, just a few days back, he made the same way in pitch darkness and, thank God, there was no snake.
This time around, he was not going to tread on the snake to see if it would bite; that would be crazy.
Putting it any way we want, we can be sure that Jesus was protecting that missionary, when he made his way to the church in pitch darkness.
And Jesus wants to protect us as we make our way in this world that is darkened by fear and danger, where the wolves howl, the snakes bite and the scorpions sting.
Jesus sends us forth into the world to be instruments and channels of His peace in the midst of fear and danger.
But let us also remember that peace is not the absence of fear and danger. There will always be fear and danger.
Peace is the presence of God, in the midst of fear and danger.
At every Mass, Jesus says to us – I leave you peace. My peace I give you.
So Jesus already gave us His peace. That’s what we have. That’s what we are – a people of peace.
Earlier on, I talked about a preacher with a snake.
I’d like to tell you now about a preacher with a $100 note.
So this preacher showed his congregation a $100 note and asked – Who would like to have this $100 note?
Of course, hands went up. Then he said, “OK, but what if I do this?” And he proceeded to crumple up the $100 note.
And then he asked, “So now, who would still like to have this?”
Well, the hands still went up.
And then the preacher said, “Ok, but what if I do this?”
And he dropped the note to the ground and started to grind it on the floor with his shoe.
He then picked it up, the crumpled and dirty note, then he asked, “Who still want this?” Would you want it?
Of course, we would still want it. Because no matter how crumpled and dirty it is, the value has not decreased. It is still a $100 note.
And that is the truth! In God’s eyes we will always have a value; and as God promised, we will always have peace.
It is a peace that the world cannot give; it is also a peace the world cannot take away.
Yet, we have to always ask ourselves: do we give others peace of mind, or do we give others a piece of our mind?
So, do we bring peace wherever we go?
Or do we bring peace whenever we go?
In this Mass, and in every Mass, peace is what Jesus gives to us.
It is this peace that we are to give to others.
May this peace give us the power and the strength ….
so that where there is injury, we bring pardon,
where there is doubt, we bring faith,
where there is despair, we bring hope,
where there is darkness, we bring light.
where there is sadness, we bring joy.
Second Reading: Galatians 6:14-18
Gospel: Luke 10:1-12.17-20
Among the species of animals, the one that gives us a sense of intrigue and enigma, and also fear, is the snake.
Actually the snake is an odd creature.
It has no hands or feet or wings, and it moves about by crawling on its belly.
But all this not withstanding, the snake has a reputation for being a deadly creature.
From constriction to venom, and from the time of Adam, the snake is like the scourge of mankind.
Though some snakes are not poisonous, yet there is just too much fear created about them.
A story has it that a preacher wanted to show his congregation that there is nothing to fear about snakes.
So he had a non-poisonous snake in a sack, and he told his congregation that there is nothing to fear about snakes and that they can even crush it with their heels.
So he let the snake out of the sack. Bad move.
Children started to scream and run, followed by the adults.
It was pandemonium, total chaos.
Well, if we priests try to do this kind of antics, we might just get ex-communicated!!
Yet, it is not a joke when Jesus said that He is sending us out like lambs among wolves.
But Jesus assures us that He has given us power to tread under foot snakes and scorpions.
He even tells us that nothing will harm us.
Well to that, a missionary can give testimony as he relates his encounter with danger.
This missionary was serving in a rural area where electricity was generated by a diesel generator.
One stormy night, the generator failed and his house was in total darkness.
He had no torchlight but he remembered that there were candles and matches in the church.
So he felt his way around, got out of the house and using the walls as a guide, made his way to the church, all this in pitch darkness.
Finally, he got to the candles and lighting a candle he made his way back to the house safely.
A few days later, there was another storm, and again the generator failed.
This time around, the missionary was prepared and he had a torch light.
So, with confidence, he made his way to the church to get some candles.
But as he opened the door to step into the church, his steps came to a sudden halt.
Because, as he shined his torch light ahead of him, he saw a snake coiled up in the church, taking shelter from the rain.
He turned back immediately and headed straight for his house, and when he got back, he went down on his knees to thank God.
As he thought about it, just a few days back, he made the same way in pitch darkness and, thank God, there was no snake.
This time around, he was not going to tread on the snake to see if it would bite; that would be crazy.
Putting it any way we want, we can be sure that Jesus was protecting that missionary, when he made his way to the church in pitch darkness.
And Jesus wants to protect us as we make our way in this world that is darkened by fear and danger, where the wolves howl, the snakes bite and the scorpions sting.
Jesus sends us forth into the world to be instruments and channels of His peace in the midst of fear and danger.
But let us also remember that peace is not the absence of fear and danger. There will always be fear and danger.
Peace is the presence of God, in the midst of fear and danger.
At every Mass, Jesus says to us – I leave you peace. My peace I give you.
So Jesus already gave us His peace. That’s what we have. That’s what we are – a people of peace.
Earlier on, I talked about a preacher with a snake.
I’d like to tell you now about a preacher with a $100 note.
So this preacher showed his congregation a $100 note and asked – Who would like to have this $100 note?
Of course, hands went up. Then he said, “OK, but what if I do this?” And he proceeded to crumple up the $100 note.
And then he asked, “So now, who would still like to have this?”
Well, the hands still went up.
And then the preacher said, “Ok, but what if I do this?”
And he dropped the note to the ground and started to grind it on the floor with his shoe.
He then picked it up, the crumpled and dirty note, then he asked, “Who still want this?” Would you want it?
Of course, we would still want it. Because no matter how crumpled and dirty it is, the value has not decreased. It is still a $100 note.
And that is the truth! In God’s eyes we will always have a value; and as God promised, we will always have peace.
It is a peace that the world cannot give; it is also a peace the world cannot take away.
Yet, we have to always ask ourselves: do we give others peace of mind, or do we give others a piece of our mind?
So, do we bring peace wherever we go?
Or do we bring peace whenever we go?
In this Mass, and in every Mass, peace is what Jesus gives to us.
It is this peace that we are to give to others.
May this peace give us the power and the strength ….
so that where there is injury, we bring pardon,
where there is doubt, we bring faith,
where there is despair, we bring hope,
where there is darkness, we bring light.
where there is sadness, we bring joy.
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