2nd Sunday of Easter, Year A, 23.04.2017

Acts 2:42-47 / 1 Peter 1:3-9 / John 20:19-31

Whether we like shopping or not, the ways of shopping have evolved tremendously.

When we think of shopping, what might come to mind are shopping malls, supermarkets, departmental stores, heartland shops, pasar-malam (or night bazaars).

And what we see is what we get. We not only get to see what we are interested in, we get to touch it and feel it.

Of course, some items are nice to touch and hold, but break it and it’s considered sold.

But with the rise of technology and the Internet, shopping has taken on another form, i.e.  online shopping!

From our computer screens, we go “window” shopping at those big online stores like eBay, Qoo10, Lazada, Redmart, and even if we don’t know Chinese we would have heard of Taobao.

Even though we are seated comfortably and just moving the cursor, we can literally shop till we drop. It’s almost like, if you can name it, then you can find it, and buy it.

Online shopping is getting so popular that when we want to buy something, we go online because it is cheaper and better still if it’s free shipping.

And some people can be so into online shopping that even a prayer has emerged out of it: Dear Lord. Please don’t let my husband be at home when all my online orders arrive. Amen.  

The only issue with online shopping is what we see and what we order, may not be what we get. And that’s when disappointment and frustration sets in.

So nothing is as certain as what we see is what we get when we get to touch and feel it, along with all that interaction of bargaining and choosing. 

Now we do not know what kind of shopping profile each of the apostles have. But most probably Thomas, called the twin, is not likely an online shopper.

Because even when the other disciples told him that they have seen the Lord, he answered: Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands, and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.

Thomas was not going to believe so easily what the disciples say about having seen the Lord. He himself wants to see the Risen Jesus, and not just see, but to touch, and to even touch those wounds.

To say the least, he could have been very disappointed. He had placed his hopes and dreams on Jesus and it come down, crumbling and crashing at the crucifixion. He lost it all.

Maybe that was why he was not there when Jesus first appeared to His disciples.

He wanted to be left alone and to get up and move on. He didn’t want to be disappointed again. And since the disciples told him that Jesus is risen and is alive, then he wanted to put the Risen Lord to the reality test. So it’s not just seeing, but touching, and touching and feeling those gaping wounds.

In a much lesser way, that is also a bit like our experience of online shopping isn’t it?

What we see on our computer screen excites us so much that we proceed to place an order. Our hopes and dreams begin to build on what we read about what we have ordered.

And then the disappointments come one by one. The shipping is delayed. The wrong item comes in. Or the size is wrong, the colour is not quite like what we saw, or wrong specs, or wrong this and wrong that.

In our frustration and disappointment, we would let fly some scorching reviews and write off online shopping, and go back to the old ways that we are familiar with and certain about.

It is not likely that the online seller would go out of his way to appease us by unconditional exchange of goods or quickly refund our money in order try to restore our faith in online shopping.

And here is where the difference lies. Jesus rose from the dead, He came back to His disciples to restore their faith, He came back again just for Thomas to lift him from his disappointment and even granted his request by letting him touch His wounds.

And that is the love and mercy of the Risen Jesus, the mercy that we celebrate on this Divine Mercy Sunday.

His glorious Resurrection is expressed tenderly in His love and mercy for His disciples and especially for Thomas.

And that love and mercy is also shown to us through His wounds. 

Because in those wounds of Jesus, we can also see our own wounds – wounds of disappointment, hurt, shame, rejection, frustration, envy, jealousy.

His wounds are the marks of His suffering in order to save us. By His wounds we are healed.

We look at the wounds of Jesus and the life-size statue of Jesus at the entrance shows us the wounds of His hands.

Through those wounds, Jesus is offering us mercy and healing. 

Yes, as we look at those wounds, we may also want to touch those wounds and with St. Thomas we too say “My Lord and my God”.

Jesus came to heal Thomas; He comes now to heal our wounds. Let us show Him our wounds and let Him touch it, and we will be forgiven and healed.

Easter Sunday, Year A, 16.04.2017

Acts 10:34, 37-43 / Col 3:1-4 / John 20:1-9

This weekend is certainly not an ordinary weekend. Besides being a long weekend with Friday being a holiday, some of us have been coming to church every day since Thursday. So we can say that this weekend is a very spiritual weekend, a very churchy weekend.

For instance, there is the new Church of the Transfiguration which had its first Mass on Thursday, there were priests washing the feet of parishioners, people coming to church on a public holiday although it was raining heavily.

But as much as it is a spiritual weekend and a rather solemn weekend, there are some people who can see the lighter side of things.

Someone thought up of a conversation between Pontius Pilate and Joseph of Arimathea.

Pilate: Joseph, I don’t understand. You’re one of the richest man in the region. You have made this brand new tomb for yourself, and now you are going to let Jesus be buried in it. I don’t understand.

Joseph of Arimathea: Oh come on, Pilate. He is just going to be in there for the weekend.

So the word “weekend” now has another shade of meaning. And more than that, the word “tomb” now also has another shade of meaning.

As we look at the gospel accounts over this weekend, we heard of women going to the tomb where Jesus was buried, and then there was an earthquake and an angel came and rolled away the stone and sat on it.

The impression that the women had was that someone had taken the body of Jesus out of the tomb.

And just when the women were wondering what had happened, Jesus appeared to them. Yes, Jesus is alive! Or to be more exact, Jesus rose from the dead.

The tomb was just His weekend resting place, and it is now an empty tomb with the stone rolled away. Yes, Jesus had died but now He is risen! And it is for us to believe in it.

This weekend is not an ordinary weekend for 16 people in our parish. This evening they are here among us dressed in white, looking like the angel who rolled away the stone.

They are going to profess their faith in God and they are going to do it in our presence and then they will receive the Sacrament of Baptism.

For nine months, they have taken the journey of faith and they have “seen” Jesus.

They don’t have the feet of Jesus to clasp but we will have to offer our hands and our hearts to them to help them continue their journey so that together we will experience the Risen Christ and grow in faith.

That is our commitment to them as we ourselves renew our baptismal promises.

And that is also our commitment to Jesus as we renew our baptismal promises.

The stone covering the tomb of sin and death is once again removed so that the Risen Christ can bring us forgiveness and healing.

The Risen Christ wants to empower us to go forth and remove the stones covering the tomb of sin and death so that the light of the Risen Christ can shine in and bring about new life for those who are searching for the truth and the real meaning of life.

This weekend is certainly not an ordinary weekend. It is a weekend of faith, hope and love.

It is with faith, hope and love that the stones of sin and evil, the stones of selfishness and greed, the stones of doubt and pessimism will be removed.

Yes, there are stones to be removed. And the Risen Christ is sending us out to do that. 

That is what the profession of faith and the renewal of baptismal promises are about.

And it is not just for this weekend. It will be for every day.

Palm Sunday, Year A, 09.04.2017

Isaiah 50:4-7 / Philippians 2:6-11 / Matthew 26:14 – 27:66

At the beginning of today’s Mass, we were given palm branches, which were blessed and we waved it to commemorate the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem.

But these palm branches are not some kind of door gift or freebie that the church gives out once a year.

In fact they are “loaned” to us because a year later we will collect them back to be burnt and used for ashes on Ash Wednesday.

We bring them back and place it in a prominent place at home or at the workplace or in the car.

It is a sign of our welcoming Jesus into the areas of our lives where we live out our faith. 

These sturdy and spiky palm branches remind us to be firm and sturdy in our faith just as Jesus remained sturdy and firm in His Passion because of His love for us.

And those spiky needles of the palm branches reminds us that life has its painful moments and there will be times when like Jesus we will cry out: My God, my God, why have you deserted me.

But God will never desert us. Jesus suffered and died. But He rose from the dead. So let us stay close to Jesus and we too will rise from our pain and sufferings. When we do, then we will wave these spiky palm branches joyfully.

5th Sunday of Lent, Year A, 02.04.2017

Ezekiel 37:12-14 / Romans 8:8-11 / John 11:1-45

In life there are many decisions to make. And when it comes to making a decision, there are at least two choices.

A decision between two choices can be, for example, as simple (or as difficult) as to whether to come to Church or not. Your presence here already says what your choice is.

Also the more the choices, the more difficult the decision will be. For example, going to a food court with its great varieties of food, we can spend more time deciding what to eat than eating. But as it is, having to decide between two choices can be difficult enough.

At this point in time, a particular group of people is going to make a decision about their future, and perhaps it is a decision about their eternal future.

They are the Elects of the RCIA, and there are 16 of them in our parish.

By now, they should have made their decision about baptism, which is just two weeks away. But it cannot be denied that there can be doubts and uncertainties.

I remember this man who was in the RCIA and coming towards baptism.

Although he has acquired much knowledge about the faith, he has not quite reached a conviction about Jesus and so he was hesitant about baptism.

He consulted me about this and I told him to ask Jesus for a sign. 

He asked me what kind of sign should he ask for, and how would he know if it is from Jesus. I could only tell him that when Jesus gives the sign, he will know. He ended off by saying that it would be difficult to believe if he can’t “see” the sign.

About two weeks later, he came back and told me that he had seen the sign, and of course I asked him what it was.

First, it was an email that he opened when he got back to the office after talking with me. As he read the email, and as he came to the end, the sender signed off and then below the name was this scripture verse: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

He stared at the verse and the verse also stared at him. He went on to read the other emails, but he just can’t get that verse out of his mind.

A few days later, he accompanied his wife to the shopping mall, and as his wife did her shopping, he wandered around and he came to a Christian bookshop. And there on the display window was this painting of the Risen Christ with St. Thomas putting his hand into the wound of the side of the Risen Christ. And below the painting was this scripture verse: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” It was like a thunderbolt in his heart and he stood there like almost frozen.

And two signs were enough for him to make his decision about baptism and come to a conviction about Jesus.

Yes, we have to make decisions in life, and it is not so simple as coming to a decision with the toss of a coin.

Because we are unsure and uncertain of what will be the consequences of our decision. And as a people of faith, we have to turn to God and ask for His help so that we can make a decision that we are at peace with, and that it will also give glory to God.

In the gospel, we heard of Jesus making a rather intriguing decision when He heard that Lazarus was ill. Instead of hurrying over to see him, Jesus stayed where He was for another two days.

And Jesus made an equally intriguing statement when He said: This illness will not end in death but in God’s glory, and through it, the Son of God will be glorified.

The sign that Jesus gave to prove that what He said is true is when He called Lazarus out of the tomb.

The raising of Lazarus was indeed a profound sign that points to who Jesus is and many who had seen what He did believed in Him.

And Jesus will also give us the signs to help us make our decisions. 

Because the sign will give glory to God and also for us to come to a deeper faith in God.

And of course, the signs help us to make our decision about our immediate future as well as for our eternal future.

In about three weeks’ time, there will be a major shuffle in our Archdiocese as a number of priests take up their new postings.

One of those priests was sharing with me about that day when the Archbishop called him and asked him to take up the post of parish priest in another parish.

He was stunned as he did not expect this, and he was also quite happy being an assistant priest. He told the Archbishop that he need some time to consider it and then he started to think of how to decline the offer and he spent the whole day thinking.

Then the next day, as he was preparing for Mass, and as he looked at the gospel, it had to be that gospel passage where Jesus said: Why do you call me “Lord, Lord” and not do what I tell you?
What clearer sign can there be, and so he said “Yes” to the Archbishop. He had to come out of his own interest so that he can say “Yes” to God. 

But like Lazarus, it was like coming out of the tomb and into a new life.

Today we hear Jesus calling out to us: Come out. He is calling us to come out of our tombs of anger, resentment, failure, disappointment, in a word, the tomb of sin and death.

Jesus is calling us to come out of our tombs and to come out to life and to give glory to God.

And if we are still hesitant and uncertain, then let us ask Jesus for a sign, and Jesus will give us that sign, and it will be an unmistakable sign.

And with that unmistakable sign, we must make a decision to say “Yes” to Jesus and “Yes” to life.

4th Sunday of Lent, Year A, 26.03.2017

1 Sam 16:1, 6-7, 10-13 / Ephesians 5:8-14 / John 9:1-41

It is not often that we are asked to describe ourselves. 

Probably the few occasions that we will be asked to describe ourselves are at group ice-breaking dynamics where we are asked to introduce ourselves.

To describe ourselves would be relatively easy. At least we should be able to describe ourselves with sentences beginning with “I am …”

We can begin with something obvious like: I am Chinese; I am medium-built; I am an executive. Or we can say what we have: I have short hair; I have brown eyes, etc.

But of course we won’t describe what is obvious about ourselves, or what is often taken for granted, e.g. I can see, I can hear, I can talk, I can walk. These don’t seem to be like such a big deal.

But for the blind man in today’s gospel, if he were asked to describe himself, he would probably begin with: I am blind.

It was obvious enough. It was his impediment. And for some, it was some sort of curse that he was born blind.

At least that was what the disciples thought when they asked Jesus: Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, for him to have been born blind?

It seems that when things go wrong, or when something bad happens, there is this tendency to put the blame on someone.

A story goes that a man bumped heavily onto another man on the street, and so he asked angrily, “Why don’t you look where you are going?” The other man retorted, “Then why don’t you go where you are looking?”

So, is it to look where you are going, or to go where you are looking? Is it the same? Or is there a difference?

If we were to look where we are going, and go where we are looking, then there will certainly be less accidents.

The blind man in today’s gospel had his eyes opened and he could see. More than just being able to see, he could also look deeper into his experience of being healed of his blindness.

While others were squabbling over what Jesus did on the Sabbath day, the man has this to say: I only know I was blind but now I see.

And he was clear about the whole matter when he said this of Jesus: If this man were not from God, he couldn’t do a thing.

So although we can see, do we see with clarity about the events of our lives, and more so to see Jesus present in those events of our lives?

We may remember the attack on the Twin Towers , the event that is now known as “9/11”. Some stories surfaced on why some people were still alive although they could have been numbers among the victims.

One survived that day because his son started kindergarten and had to take leave.

Another had to run an office errand so he wasn’t present in the office at the time of the attack.

Another was late because her alarm clock didn’t go off. 

Another missed the bus and couldn’t get a taxi. Another one’s car couldn’t start. Another one’s child fell ill and had to go to the doctor.

One or another, they couldn’t go where they were supposed to, and neither could they see what was going to happen. 

And because of that, they are still alive. And now they know why.

We too know why, and more than that, we can see the hand of Jesus in those events, just as the blind man eventually saw that he was born blind so that the works of God could be displayed in him.

And hence his profound testimony: I was blind and now I can see. That was also how he described himself after he was healed.

As for us, how do we describe ourselves? The words following “I am … “ are important because we dictate what is coming after.

So if we say “I am busy” then we will have no time. If we say “I am tired” then we will have no energy. If we say “I am old” then there will be more wrinkles!

But do we know how Jesus looks at us? And when we know how Jesus looks at us, then we will know how to describe ourselves.

Because we will say: I am a sinner, but I am saved. Because I am saved, then I am blessed. And because I am blessed, then I am thankful. 

And because I am thankful, then every event in my life is beautiful because I can see Jesus in all those events and in every event to come.

“I was blind but now I can see” said the blind man in the gospel.

May we also see, and see more with our hearts, so that we will describe to others, how great and how wonderful our God is.

3rd Sunday of Lent, Year A, 19.03.2017

Exodus 17:3-7 / Romans 5:1-2, 5-8 / John 4:5-42

There are some phrases in the English language that we have heard of that sound rather odd. And if we don’t know the meaning, then it would be really amusing.

One such phrase is “to kick the bucket”. It means, bluntly speaking, to die. So, if we say that a person has kicked the bucket, it means that the person has died.

But if we don’t know what “kick the bucket” means, then we might wonder or even ask if the foot was injured.

There are many theories of how that phrase came about. One of those theories was that it originated from the Catholic practice of putting a bucket of holy water at the feet of a dead person so as to bless the body after prayer. But what has it to do with kicking the bucket, that wasn’t clear.

Another term that is connected with “kicking the bucket” is this “bucket list”. The meaning is quite obvious: before one kicks the bucket, one would make a bucket list, i.e, a list of things to do before one dies.

So, instead of saying what the things you want to do before you die, you can just simply say that you have a bucket list. (Sounds nicer right?)

So, do we have a bucket list? And what is in that bucket list? 

It may not be about going to the moon and exploring outer space, but it may be about looking into our hearts and to have inner peace.

Today’s gospel passage is commonly called “the Samaritan woman at the well”. And there is even a hymn about it that goes like this: Like the woman at the well I was seeking, for things that could not satisfy. And then I hear my Saviour speaking, “Draw from my well that never shall run dry.”

This Samaritan woman is interesting as well as mysterious. She is not known by name; she came to draw water at the sixth hour, which is around noon time, and that is the hottest time of the day in that region.

That already tells us that she wanted to avoid people and that her reputation in the town was on everyone’s lips.

She had a bucket with her to draw water, that was when she encountered Jesus and He asked her for a drink.

And with that a discussion about water began between Jesus and her, and then she got interested about the living water so that she may never be thirsty and never have to come to the well again to draw water.

And that was literally her bucket list: that she may never be thirsty again and never have to draw water from the well again.

And Jesus wanted to fulfill her wishes, on one condition – to call her husband here. 

And that was when her bucket started leaking. Jesus had told her everything she had done. She could decide to continue the conversation, or she could tell Jesus to mind His own business.

And here we must give credit to that Samaritan woman for her courage and humility to face Jesus even though she could be embarrassed and ashamed about herself.

And for that she had her bucket list granted, although not in the way she had expected. Because she forgot about her thirst and even hurried back to the town to tell the people about Jesus, the very people she had wanted to avoid. She would still be thirsty and she would still have to come to the well to draw water. But something had changed.

That was the Samaritan woman at the well, and her bucket had a new meaning for her.

And what about us? What is in the bucket of our hearts and do we want to show it to Jesus?

The Samaritan woman in today’s gospel in a way reminded me of a lady who was going through the RCIA journey. I remembered this lady because her attendance in the journey was not that regular because of one issue after another.

There is usually an interview before baptism when I have to ask the catechumens about their decision for baptism.

When this lady came to see me for the interview, I asked her if she wanted to be baptized, and I half-expected her to say that she was not ready for it.

To my surprise, she said, “Yes, I want to be baptized.” And of course I asked why.

Her reply was astonishing and amazing. She said, “I want to be baptized because now I am not afraid to die.”

She explained that one day, her young son looked troubled. When she asked him what was the matter, what her son said shocked her.

Her son said, “I don’t want mummy to die, and I am also scared to die.” Probably he had seen a movie or read something about death and loneliness.

That set her thinking and searching. She came to the RCIA, heard about Jesus, came to know about life after death, and about the eternal life that Jesus wants to offer her.

So despite the issues that hampered her from a regular attendance at RCIA, she heard enough for her to have an answer to death and about life hereafter.

So after hearing her story, what else can I say but a “Yes” for her baptism.

That brings us back to look at our bucket list. What is it that we are looking for and seeking for?

All things will come and go but Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Only Jesus can give us that living water that will turn into a spring and welling up to eternal life.

May we long only for that living water that only Jesus can give. 

Only that can fill up the bucket of our hearts.

2nd Sunday of Lent, Year A, 12.03.2017

Genesis 12:1-4a / 2 Tim 1:8-10 / Matthew 17:1-9

Whenever Wall Street of New York City is mentioned, a few images and ideas will come to mind.

Whether we have been there or not, from what we know and heard about, we would expect the place to have stock brokers, businessmen in suits and briefcases and hear plenty of money-talk.

And there is the famous big bronze sculpture of a bull, a charging bull. That is supposed to be a symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity.

So it is quite correct to say that it is a world of stocks and shares, and people rushing about to close business deals. That is what we expect and that is what Wall Street is.

But some 30 meters away and straight in front of the charging bull is something that we may not expect to see. Facing the charging bull is a 4-feet bronze sculpture of a little girl in a dress with her hands on her hips and looking straight at the charging bull.

It is quite an unexpected and a surprising sight, but the bronze sculpture of the little girl changes the look and the feel of the place.

Now crossing over from Wall Street to Barcelona in Spain, one of the tourist attractions is the Barcelona Cathedral. It is a magnificent building of Gothic architecture.

Amidst this magnificence and within the cathedral is a small cloistered garden with a pond. And in that garden there are some free-roaming white geese, 13 of them.

It is quite a strange and unexpected sight, these 13 white geese, roaming around in the garden with a pond in the majestic cathedral. It certainly changes the look and the feel of the cathedral.

Whenever something strange and unexpected comes our way, there can be a variety of reactions: surprise, alarm, awe, amazement, astonishment.

In the gospel, we heard that Jesus led Peter, James and John up a high mountain where they could be alone. The disciples were not told what to expect, and probably they were not expecting anything, other than some fresh air and a good view.

But what they didn’t expect was to see Jesus being transfigured. Neither did they expect to Moses and Elijah to appear.

Their reaction was that of awe and amazement. But when a bright cloud covered them with shadow and when they heard the voice, the three of them fell on their faces and they were overcome with fear.

All that was unexpected and they don’t quite know what to make out of it.

But for us, this is nothing new. We have heard this before, many times even, and it’s no surprise to us.

We know why Moses and Elijah appeared. Moses represented the Law and Elijah represented the prophets. They pointed to Jesus who is the Law and the Prophet.

Moses also brought God’s people out of slavery in Egypt and that also pointed to Jesus who will bring us out of the bondage and slavery of sin. Elijah, as we know, went up to heaven in a chariot of fire. Jesus came, not just to bring us out of the bondage of sin, He also came to bring us back to heaven, our eternal home.

Oh yes, we know all that, or we should know all that. So the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus doesn’t seem to surprise us or make us think much about it.

But as we come for Mass and hearing the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus, are we also “transfigured” into a joyful people of God, celebrating our salvation in Christ, and proclaiming the Good News in our lives?

It is said that Catholics come for Mass looking like as if they are coming for a funeral. The faces are somber and sober; some try to sing, some lip-sync, some don’t sing. Some try to look happy, but others seem to look grumpy.

Maybe between the two Sundays of the week, we had gone through quite a rough time. We have been put down by rough words, by criticisms, gossips and slanders that burden our hearts and pull our faces down. So how to smile or be happy when we come to church?

But let us hear again what Jesus said to the three disciples: Stand up, do not be afraid.

We come to church so that we can hear again the life-giving words of Jesus.

We want to stand up and be transfigured so that like that bronze sculpture of the girl in Wall Street standing and facing the charging bull, we too can face the ugly world and bring beauty to it.

And about those 13 geese in the garden in the Barcelona cathedral, they represent the 13 year-old martyr St. Eulalia who refused to renounce her faith in Christ.

Her martyrdom brought about the birth of Christianity in Barcelona and eventually in Spain.

St. Eulalia was not afraid to stand up for her faith and her martyrdom brought about a transfiguration of the city and the country.

And Jesus is telling us to “Stand up and do not be afraid”, because He wants to transfigure us into a joyful, hopeful and a beautiful people of God.

When we are transfigured, then we too can help others to be transfigured by telling them to “Stand up and do not be afraid”.

And that is the Good News of the Transfiguration of Jesus. He is telling us to “Stand up” and be transfigured, so that we too can tell that to others.