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.