19th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 11.08.2024

 1 Kings 19:4-8 / Ephesians 4:30 – 5:2 / John 6:41-51

We need to eat in order to live and stay alive. Food is one of the basic human needs. 

Food not only helps us to stay alive, it also nourishes our body and keeps us strong and healthy. 

In other words, we eat to live. 

But when there is food in abundance, we won't just eat any and every kind of food. 

We will eat what we like to eat, and we will also be choosy about what we want to eat. 

So, we eat to live. But when there is plenty of food, then we will also begin to live to eat. 

Eating becomes a pleasure, and we want our food to be tasty, and maybe even look pretty. 

And we will have our favourite foods, and we may even travel to the ends of the island, to eat some reputable food. 

When we live to eat, food is no longer for sustenance. Food becomes a substance, which we will categorize into like and don't like, as well as tasty and not tasty. 

And of course, when the food is not to our liking, and not to our expectation, we will certainly complain. 

We complain, not because there is no food, but because the food is not to our liking, or not to our expectation. 

In the gospel, the people were complaining about Jesus because He said this: I am the bread that has come down from heaven. 

The people were expecting some kind of special bread from heaven. 

Their ancestors had manna to eat when they were wondering in the desert for 40 years. 

But now, that they have settled down, and their standing of living is better, their expectations were also higher. 

So, they were expecting some kind of special bread from heaven, bread that will be a pleasure to their taste buds. 

But when Jesus said that He is the bread that has come down from heaven, the people were disappointed. 

They knew Jesus as the son of Joseph, and He was too ordinary.

So, they cannot accept it when Jesus said that He is the bread that comes down from heaven. 

So, the people complained, because Jesus was too ordinary. He couldn't have come down from heaven, and they didn't understand this bread that He was talking about. 

As for us, we know and we believe that Jesus came down from heaven to be the bread of life which we receive at Holy communion. 

We ought to partake with thanksgiving and gratefulness that bread of life, because it is the bread of love. 

Jesus sacrificed Himself in order to give us that bread of life and love. 

We in turn are to be the bread of life and love for others, so that they can taste and see the goodness of the Lord. 

There was one lesson that I learned at home, and that is about not taking for granted the meals my mother cooks. 

I was eating away at lunch when my mother asked me about how is the food. 

I said “okay”, and then she said something like she thought I didn't like the food because I said nothing about it. 

Immediately, I learned my lesson, that I have taken my mother's cooking for granted, whereas I would compliment other people's cooking. 

Through her cooking, my mother offered me the bread of her life and her love. 

Let us take nothing for granted, especially when our mothers, or others, cook a meal for us. They have put in their life and their love to it. 

And may we also never take the Eucharist for granted. 

In it, Jesus gave us all of His life and His love.

18th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 04.08.2024

 Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 / Ephesians 4:17, 20-24 / John 6:24-35

The recommended amount of time for sleeping is 8 hours. 

For most of us to be able to sleep for 8 hours at night is like a luxury. Because, most of us may be sleeping less than that, maybe 5 or 6 hours. 

Besides, our sleeping time may also be interrupted every now and then. And at times, insomnia may also cut down our sleeping time. 

But whether it is 8 hours or lesser, we will know whether we have rested well by the state when we wake up. 

If the alarm rings and we have difficulty waking up, that already tells us whether we have rested enough. 

And if we can't even hear the alarm, and we oversleep, then we may need to do a check-up. 

But often, we are forced to sacrifice our sleeping or resting time because of the busyness of our work. 

We spend quite an amount of time at work. And even after working hours, we are busy with other matters like family and personal matters. 

So, we cut away our sleeping and resting time in order to try to finish our work. 

But no matter what, there will always be work, and maybe even more work to be done. 

But, we should pause and ask ourselves, why are we working so hard and tiring ourselves and yet not sleeping enough. 

In the gospel, Jesus tells us not to work for food that cannot last, but to work for food that endures to eternal life. 

And like the people, we too will ask, what must we do to do the work that God wants. 

Jesus gave this answer: This is working for God; you must believe in the One He has sent. 

That might sound quite simple, but let us not think that what is simple is easy. 

Because to believe in Jesus is indeed hard work. 

To believe in Jesus means that we have to carry our cross in order to follow Him. 

To follow Jesus is to follow His way of love. And that means to love others just as He has loved us. 

It also means that we forgive others just as Jesus forgave His enemies when He was nailed to the Cross. 

It also means that we put into practice what Jesus taught us. 

Like, praying for enemies; like, returning a blessing when others are cursing us; like, to give and not to ask back. 

And just as we will sacrifice sleep in order to get some work done, we too will cut down our prayer time in our busyness. 

But, Psalm 127 reminds us of this: 

“If the Lord does not build the house,

in vain do its builders labour;

if the Lord does not watch over the city,

in vain does the watchman keep vigil.

In vain is your earlier rising,

your going later to rest,

you who toil for the bread you eat,

when He pours gifts on His beloved while they slumber.”

Let us do that work of believing in Jesus by praying and loving God and others. 

And when we rest for the night, we will have a peaceful sleep, and we will wake up fresh the next day to keep believing in Jesus and loving God and others.

17th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 28.07.2024

 1 Kings 4:42-44 / Ephesians 4:1-6 / John 6:1-15

By the expectations of the world, there are at least two things that will capture attention. 

One is this: the bigger the better. In other words, size does matter. 

The other is this: the more the better. 

So, attention will be given to something big, whether it is a car, or a house or a building. 

And when it comes to more, that is measured in terms of numbers. 

Like how much is a business is worth, or how much is a celebrity is worth.

By current expectations, even millions are considered ordinary, because it is those in the billions that will get the attention. 

So, the bigger the better, the more the better. That is the influence and the expectation of the world, that is the measurement and the direction of the world. 

And as Christians in the world, we can also be influenced by such expectations, and even conform to such measurements and directions. 

Today's gospel points out some of these worldly influences. 

But today’s gospel also reveals the mysterious love of God in the simple and humble. 

In the gospel, a large crowd was following Jesus because they were impressed with the signs He gave by curing the sick. 

And the gospel tells us that the large crowd numbered around 5,000. That is quite a crowd. 

And then Jesus asked His disciples if they could buy some food for the crowd to eat. 

One of His disciples, Philip, looked at their finances, and told Jesus that they could hardly buy enough bread to feed the crowd. 

Another of His disciples, Andrew, said that there is a small boy with five barley loaves and two fish. 

But that is obviously not enough for such a large crowd. 

And here is where the mysterious power of God's love is revealed beyond human reckoning. 

Jesus took the five Loaves and the two fish, gave thanks to God, and gave it out to the crowd. 

The crowd ate as much as they wanted, and what was even more surprising was that 12 baskets of leftovers were collected. 

The crowd was so impressed by it, that they wanted to take Jesus by force and to make Him king. 

The crowd wanted to make Jesus king because they saw that He could provide more for them. 

They see Him with worldly expectations, but they did not see the sign. 

They did not see that in the simplicity and humility of that small boy with five loaves and the two fish, God's blessings came in abundance. 

In the simple and humble, God reveals the mysterious power of His love and providence. 

There's this story of Pope Francis when he visited a particular country. As expected, there were detailed preparations, and an impressive altar was constructed for the celebration of the Mass. 

When Pope Francis arrived at the venue, it started to rain heavily, and strong winds blew the rain onto the altar. 

Finally, the rain stopped, and it was possible for Mass to commence. 

But that impressive and elaborate altar and it's surrounding area was drenched and soaking wet. 

The alternative was the Credence table, or the side table, which is used to put all the accessories for the Mass. 

So that simple and humble side table became the altar for the Pope’s Mass. 

That is one of the many instances when the simple and humble became a sign of God's mysterious choice to show His love and providence. 

So, while the world looks at what is more and bigger, let us pay attention to the simple and humble. 

The simple and humble is the sign that God wants us to look at.

16th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 21.07.2024

 Jeremiah 23:1-6 / Ephesians 2:13-18 / Mark 6:30-34

There is a question about life that we wish we could answer, and yet, we can't. 

And that question is this: If we can live life all over again, would our life be different from what it is now? 

As much as we wish we could answer that question, we can only dwell on it with imagination. 

That is because we cannot go back in time and live life all over again.

But there are times when we do imagine about the “what if”question.

What if I were born into a rich family? What would my life be like now? 

What if I were more intelligent and had better qualifications? What would my profession be like now? 

What if I did not respond to God's call to the priesthood? What would I be doing in life now? 

The “what if” question brings us into the imaginary world of imaginary possibilities. 

However, it may also lead us to regret about some choices and decisions that we have made in life. 

But, snapping out of our imagination, and coming back to the reality of our situation, we ask ourselves this question. 

And the question is, what do I feel about life? Am I happy? Am I contented? What is it that I am looking for in life? 

In the gospel, when the apostles rejoined Jesus, they told Him about all they had done and taught. 

Jesus had sent them out to preach repentance, cast out demons and to cure sick. 

With the authority and power of God, they accomplished amazing signs and wonders. 

They were very much sought after by the peoples, so much so that they had no time even to eat. 

It was then that Jesus told them that they are going away to a lonely place by themselves to rest for a while. 

Besides the need for physical rest, there is something else that needs to rest. 

They need to have a spiritual rest, to rest their minds and hearts. 

They need to put to rest their excitement, their ambitions and their imaginations. 

They need to rest so that they can clear away all the distraction and people's attention, and focus on God’s mission. 

We too have our share of distractions, we look for people's attention, and we have our imagination about what we want in life. 

We too need to have a rest, so as to clear our minds and hearts. 

We too need a time to be alone with Jesus, as He shows us the meaning and the mission of our lives. 

There's this story of “The Giving Tree” (by Shel Silverstein). It is a simple story, but it tells us a lot about life as well as about ourselves.

Once there was a tree. And she loved a little boy. And every day the boy would come and he would gather her leaves, and make them into crowns and play king of the forest. 

He would climb up her trunk and swing from her branches, and when he was tired, he would sleep in her shade. And the boy loved the tree very much. And the tree was happy. 

But time went by, and the boy grew older. And the tree was often alone. Then one day the boy came to the tree and the tree said: "Come, Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be happy. 

"I am too big to climb and play," said the boy. "I want to buy thing and have fun. I want some money. Can you give me some money?" 

"I'm sorry," said the tree, "but I have no money. I have only leaves and apples. Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in city. Then you will have money and you'll be happy." 

And so the boy climbed up the tree and gathered her apples and carried them away. And the tree was happy... 

But the boy stayed away for a long time and the tree was sad. And then one day the boy came back and the tree shook with joy, and she said: "Come Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be happy”. 

"I am too busy to climb trees," said the boy. "I want a house to keep me warm," he said. "I want a wife and I want children, and so I need a house. Can you give me a house?" 

"I have no house," said the tree. “The forest is my house," said the tree, "but you may cut off my branches and build a house. Then you will be happy." 

And so, the boy cut off her branches and carried them away to build a house. And the tree was happy. 

But the boy stayed away for a long time and the tree was sad. And when he came back, the tree was so happy she could hardly speak. 

"Come, Boy, " she whispered, "Come and play."   

"I am too old and sad to play,” said the boy. "I want a boat that will take me away from here. Can you give me a boat?" 

"Cut down my trunk and make a boat," said the tree. "Then you can sail away and be happy." And so the boy cut down her trunk and made a boat and sailed away. 

And the tree was happy … but not really. 

And after a long time, the boy came back again. "I am sorry, Boy, " said the tree, "but I have nothing left to give you — my apples are gone." 

"My teeth are too weak for apples, " said the boy. 

"My branches are gone," said the tree. "You cannot swing on them." 

"I am too old to swing on branches," said the boy. 

"My trunk is gone," said the tree. "You cannot climb." 

"I am too tired to climb," said the boy. 

"I am sorry," sighed the tree. "I wish that I could give you something. . . but I have nothing left. I am just an old stump. I am sorry..." 

"I don't need very much now," said the boy, "just a quiet place to sit and rest. I am very tired." 

"Well" said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could. "Well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting. Come, Boy, sit down... and rest." And the tree was happy...

And the same can be said of the Boy; he would be happy just to sit and rest.

And that is also what Jesus is telling us today.

Let us come to Him and rest in prayer.

That is really what we need in life to be happy.

15th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 14.07.2024

 Amos 7:12-15 / Ephesians 1:3-14 / Mark 6:7-18

When there is some work to be done, we would look for people who would be able to do the job well. 

So, if we want to renovate our homes, we would look for interior designers and contractors who have a good reputation. 

But of course, we would need to pay for their services. 

But, let's say, if we have a friend who has an interest in interior designing and DIY renovations. 

And he offers to help us with the design and the renovation of our home, would we take up his offer? 

The question is whether our preference is for the work to be done by professionals, or to be handled by amateurs. 

With professionals, we can expect and demand for a job well done. 

As for amateurs, there is certainly an obvious risk. And certainly, we can't entrust an important work or project to amateurs. 

At best, they will be able to deliver a “can-do” or “okay” job.

At worst, they will stumble and fumble, and may even end up creating more problems. 

But that word “amateur” has an interesting origin. The root word is “amare,” which in Latin means love. 

So, it means that amateurs have an interest and an attitude of love in what they do. 

In the gospel Jesus summoned the Twelve, and sent them out in pairs, giving them authority over unclean spirits. 

And He also instructed them to take nothing with them, except a staff, which is the symbol of the authority of Jesus. 

They are to preach repentance, cast out devils, and anoint sick people with oil to cure them. 

So, the Twelve had no instruction manual, no prayer book and no tried-and-trusted medicine. And by Human Resource standards, the Twelve are unqualified and unsuitable for the mission entrusted to them. 

By human expectations and standards, the Twelve look like some odd leftover rag-tag group of amateurs, who won't be able to achieve anything important, or get anything important done. 

We would wonder, why would Jesus choose those kinds of people as His disciples and for such a mission. 

He should have chosen the talented and gifted, the qualified and the certified, for such an important mission. 

But, that is the way of God isn’t it, so unexpected and so mysterious, and yet so enlightening and so unconforming. 

God chooses the lowly and humble, God chooses the amateurs, to show His power and His might. 

God wants to tell us that He will do the best, and we just do the rest. Yes, God will do the best, and we just do the rest.

     There is a story of a conversation between Jesus and an angel, which is purely fictional, but illustrates a good point.

     After Jesus ascended to heaven, an angel approached Him and said, "Master, You must have suffered terribly for men down there." "I did," He said. "And," continued the angel, "do they know all about how You loved them and what You did for them?"

     "Oh, no," said Jesus, "not yet. Right now only a handful of people know." The angel was perplexed. "Then, what have you done to let everyone know about Your love for them?"

     Jesus said, "I've asked Peter, James, John, and the rest of the Twelve apostles to tell other people about Me. Those who are told will in turn tell other people about Me, and My story will be spread to the furthest ends of the world. Ultimately, all of mankind will have heard about My life and what I have done for them."

     The angel frowned and looked rather skeptical. He knew well how weak and poor human beings are. 

"But what if Peter and James and John grow weary? What if the people who come after them forget? What if way down in the  21st century, people just don't tell others about You? Haven't you made any other plans?"

And Jesus answered, "I haven't made any other plans. I'm counting on them”

Well, twenty centuries later...Jesus still has no other plan!

There is no "plan B". Jesus counted on His Apostles and early disciples, and they somehow delivered.

Jesus is calling us and counting on us, even though we feel that we are unworthy, unqualified, unsuitable amateurs. 

But Jesus is telling us that He will do the best and we just need to pray and do the rest. 

Yes, we just need to pray, and as we do the rest, Jesus will show us the marvels and the wonders that He will work through us, His beloved amateurs.

14th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 07.07.2024

 Ezekiel 2:2-5 / 2 Cor 12:7-10 / Mark 6:1-6

When it comes to public speaking, we have the tendency to think that it is about addressing a group of people or a crowd. 

Public speaking is often thought of as a skill that is acquired through training and practice. 

It is a necessity for presenters and public figures to have some basic public speaking skills in order to communicate well. 

When a person says something, there will be three aspects that we will observe and pay attention to. 

First is what the person is saying, which is the content. It can be anything from information or advice, to an announcement or explanation. 

The second aspect is how the person is presenting it, whether it is confidently and clearly, or casually and indifferently. 

And finally, and maybe most importantly, it is about the person who is saying it. 

When it comes to the person, we will pay  attention. 

We will ask if the person is respectable and trustworthy. We will recall what others said about that person, and other matters that are connected to that person. 

When Jesus went back to His hometown, He did something unusual. 

He went to the synagogue and He taught there, and the people were astonished when they heard Him. 

They have not heard Him teach before, and they wondered. Where did Jesus get all that wisdom, and also how did He work all those miracles? 

And so, what they did was to do a background check. 

They dug up the information about His next-of-kin, who His mother is, and what was His profession. 

And with that, the people made a conclusion, and that is, a carpenter cannot be anything more than a carpenter. 

Regardless of how wise His teaching is, or how impressive His miracles were, they have already made up their minds about Jesus. 

In short, Jesus cannot be better than any of them, and in a way, they don't want Him to. 

It is like, what is called, the “basket of crabs” syndrome. 

It is said that when crabs are put in a basket, and as much as they want to climb out, they can't because when one starts to climb higher, the others will pull it down. 

But still the crab has a story to tell us. 

When St. Francis Xavier was on a boat in the Straits of Malacca, there was a heavy storm and it was getting dangerous. 

So, St. Francis Xavier stood at the bow of the boat, and held up his mission cross to say a prayer to calm the storm. 

But the cross slipped from his hand and fell into the sea. 

The storm subsided, and St. Francis Xavier landed on the beach. 

As he was walking on the beach, wondering if he could ever find his mission cross, he saw a crab at a distance carrying something with its pincers. 

As he came up to the crab, he saw that it was carrying his mission cross with its pincers. 

He gave thanks to God, and he blessed the crab, and it is said that the crab received a marking of the cross on its shell, and it is said to be the ancestor of the species called the “crucifix crab”. 

The story of the crucifix crab is also the story of our mission as God's prophets. 

We carry with us the prophetic Word of God to the world. 

We may experience rejection and being pulled down. 

But like Jesus we must continue to carry God’s Word, and to speak it to those who want to hear it, and to those who need to hear it. 

The world must know that God speaks, either through the mouths of unexpected prophets, or in silent actions like that of the crucifix crab.

13th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 30.06.2024

 Wisdom 1:13-15 / 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15 / Mark 5:21-43

There are three ideals in life that we wish for. We want to be healthy, we want to be wealthy and we want to be free of worry. 

If we can ever have these three ideals in life, then we will be happy, then we should be happy. 

But happiness in life comes and goes. And that is because health and wealth come and go, and we worry about both. 

And the folly of life is this: we spend our health trying to gain wealth, and then we spend our wealth trying to regain our health. 

Regardless of our status in life, no one is exempted from the worries of health and wealth. 

With all these worries in life, we may wonder what is the purpose and meaning of life. 

More so, when we are afflicted with sickness and struggling with financial difficulties, we will be desperate for solutions. 

And it is in times like these, that God speaks to us. 

In today's gospel, we hear the Good News of God's love and care for us, especially in our suffering.

There was the synagogue official, Jairus by name, and then there was that unidentified woman who was suffering from haemorrhage for 12 years. 

Both of them were from different social status, and backgrounds. But both had a need. 

Jairus came before Jesus, fell at His feet and pleaded earnestly for his daughter, who was desperately sick. 

The woman, who shouldn't be in public because of her condition, came up behind Jesus through the crowd to touch His cloak, hoping to find a cure. 

In the gospel message, there is like a story within a story. 

But the gospel passage also has this Good News to tell us. 

That regardless of status, personality or background, God cares for all and hears every prayer. 

Jairus came before Jesus, fell at His feet and pleaded with Him for his daughter. 

The woman, on the other hand, came up quietly from behind Jesus to touch His cloak without telling him. 

The Good News is that in the end, both received what they hoped and longed for. 

And Jesus pointed out what it was that their prayers were answered. 

Jairus and the unidentified woman both had faith in Jesus. 

Today's gospel passage serves to reinforce our faith in God. 

The 1st reading also tells us that God created us in the image of His own nature. 

So, we are created in God's love and created with God's love. 

Regardless of our status, personality or background, when we come before the Lord with our needs, He will hear our prayer. 

So, in the sunshine of our confidence, let us give thanks to God with a grateful heart. 

In the darkness of our doubt, let us be humble and plead with the Lord. 

Whether we are like Jairus pleading with Jesus, or like the woman who came up from behind Jesus to touch His cloak, God knows our needs. 

More than health or wealth, God wants us to have faith in Him. 

With faith in God, we know our prayer will be heard, and with faith we wait for God to grant us our needs.