1st Sunday of Lent, Year B, 18.02.2024

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 11.02.2024

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Which school are you studying in? 

Where are you working? 

When are you getting married? 

When are you going to have baby? 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 04.02.2024

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that is the scourge of sickness and diseases. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Redemptive suffering is what we see on the Cross.

Jesus suffered and even died to save us. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that is what the Cross promises us: 

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

4th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 28.01.2024

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3rd Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 21.01.2024

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the gospel we heard about this appointed time. 

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

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

The appointed time came for Jesus to begin His mission. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2nd Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 14.01.2024

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Because, the next level of needs will come along. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Epiphany, Year B, 07.01.24

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

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

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

This feast follows closely after the feast of Christmas. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gold symbolized royalty, that the infant is a King. 

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

And the myrrh symbolized the humanity of the infant King. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God reveals Himself through people and their gifts to us. 

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