2nd Sunday of Easter, Year C, 26.04.2025

 Acts 5:12-16 / Apocalypse 1:9-13, 17-19 / John 20:19-31 

Yesterday afternoon, most of the world's attention was focused on Rome, or more specifically at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City. 

As for us Catholics who couldn't be at the St. Peter's Square, we would be watching the funeral Mass that was being streamed live. 

Together with the Church, we want to bid farewell to our beloved Pope Francis and to pray for him. 

We want to thank God for Pope Francis who led the Church for 12 years. 

We want to thank God for the great blessing of having Pope Francis visiting us in Singapore, and giving us an experience of unity and hope. 

Now that the funeral of Pope Francis is over, the attention will be on the coming Conclave.

The Church, and the world, will await the election of the next Pope. 

But the memory of Pope Francis will linger on, and the legacy that he left behind will still be remembered. 

Pope Francis held the highest office of the Church for 12 years, which was not really a long time. 

But his simple, humble and ordinary lifestyle resonated with many of us. 

After his election as Pope, he took the bus back together with the other Cardinals instead of taking the papal limousine.

 He continued to stay in Casa Santa Martha, which was a guest house for clergy. 

That choice of residence symbolized Pope Francis’ papacy, which was defined by humility, accessibility and the rejection of luxury. 

He also died there, and the Church, and the world, was reminded of how he transformed the papacy and the Church through his living arrangements as much as through his words. 

Little things mattered to Pope Francis. 

After his election as Pope, he called up his newspaper vendor in Argentina to tell him to cancel the newspaper subscription. 

He also personally called up some people to tell them that he won't be coming back to Argentina, and they all thought it was a prank call. 

Pope Francis also taught us that when we give money to the poor, it is not just about putting money into their hands, but also looking into the eyes of the poor. 

Pope Francis brought the Church to regain her core purpose and core mission, and to recover the image of a Church for the poor. 

Yes, little, simple and humble things matter to Pope Francis. 

But, we are tempted and attracted by the big, the grand and the spectacular things. 

In a way, we are quite similar to Thomas in the gospel reading. 

Thomas was not contented with what the rest said about having seen the Risen Christ. 

He not only wanted to see the Risen Christ, he demanded to put his finger and his hand into those wounds. 

Thomas was demanding, he wanted certainty, he wanted it to be spectacular, so that it will be like the biggest news, or like breaking news. 

So, when Jesus appeared again, He addressed those demands of Thomas. 

Whether or not Thomas put his finger into those holes and his hand into the side, the gospel did not say. 

But Thomas made this simple and humble proclamation: My Lord and my God. 

Pope Francis has taught us to move away from the big, the grand, the spectacular and the attractive, and to go back to the core of our humanity, and to the core of our Christianity. 

Like Thomas, we too must say: My Lord and my God. 

And with simplicity, humility and with charity, let us say what we mean, and mean what we say, when it comes to those words “my Lord and my God”.

Easter Sunday, Year C, 20.04.2025

 Easter Sunday C-2025                                                                                                 20-04-25

Life is ironic, and yet surprising. 

Because it takes sadness to know what happiness is. 

It takes noise to appreciate silence. 

And it takes absence to value presence. 

Yes, life is ironic, and the surprise is in the opposite. 

This weekend is what is often called a “long weekend”. 

Since Friday was a holiday, then it can be quite tempting to go for a short trip or do something exciting over the weekend.

But Friday is a religious holiday, and for us Catholics, that means it was a day of fasting and also coming to church. 

It may seem rather ironic to spend a holiday with fasting and praying instead of doing something exciting. 

But the irony is that in giving up what seems exciting that we receive something inspiring. 

We came to church on Good Friday, and there is one thing that we will remember doing. 

We will remember that we came forward to venerate the cross. 

Parents brought their children along and as they kissed the cross, their children did likewise. 

Whether ordinary or celebrity, they went down on their knees to kiss the cross. 

Elderly aunties and uncles took great effort to get down and to kiss the cross and to get up again. 

It is amazing, as well as inspiring. 

It is ironic that the cross of suffering and pain is the majestic object of our veneration and adoration. 

And it is also ironic that in the instrument of death is the symbol of life and love. 

The mystery of the Resurrection is often symbolized in the empty tomb. 

But the irony of the mystery is not in the empty tomb. 

The question the angels had for those who went to the tomb is this: 

Why look among the dead for the One who is alive? 

The question that people may ask us is this:

Why kiss the cross on Good Friday? Why kiss an object of pain and suffering when we can enjoy the holiday and have fun and do something exciting. 

But the irony is that in the symbol of pain and death, we encounter life and love. 

But it is not because of the cross, but because of Jesus who died on it. 

We believe in the Resurrection, not because of the empty tomb, but because of Jesus who rose from the dead, and rolled away the stone of sin and death. 

So, we don't look among the dead for the One who is alive. 

And Jesus lives, not in the empty tomb, but in our hearts. 

With Jesus, let us roll away the stones of sin and death. 

And may our faith in the Resurrection of Christ, bring out the love and life from us, so that others will also come to believe in Jesus who rose from the dead, and will give them life and love.   

5th Sunday of Lent, Year C, 06.04.2025

 Isaiah 43:16-21 / Philippians 3:8-14 / John 8:1-11 

One ordinary item that can be found almost everywhere is the mirror. 

Mirrors come in all shapes and sizes. 

It can be found in bedrooms and in the restrooms. 

It can be found in hairdressing saloons and in boutiques. 

So, mirrors can be found in high and mighty places, as well as in ordinary and lowly places. 

Regardless of where it may be found, if there is a mirror, we would certainly want to look at it or at least glance at it. 

That is because we like to look at ourselves in the mirror. 

It may be out of vanity to see how good we look. 

Or it may be out of curiosity to see if we look good. 

But most of the time, we are concerned with the externals, we are concerned with our appearances. 

Mirrors don't show us the emotional and psychological state of ourselves. 

In the gospel, scribes and Pharisees brought before Jesus, a woman who was caught committing adultery. 

They said that according to the Law, that woman is to be condemned to death by stoning. 

When the scribes and the Pharisees persisted with their question, Jesus made this stunning statement: 

If there is one of you who have not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. 

There was probably silence after that statement. There is no need for any further discussion or questions. 

No stones were thrown, and no one wanted to be around to see if anyone would throw a stone. 

All went away until only Jesus and the woman were left alone. 

That statement of Jesus was like a mirror that each one had to look at. 

What they saw, they had to look away and walk away. 

While they may judge other people's sins, they could not and would not want to look at their own sins.

So, that statement from Jesus was like the mirror of truth that reveals, and yet also conceals. 

We may recall this phrase “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” 

That phrase is from the fairy tale Snow White and the Seven dwarfs, and it was said by the evil queen. 

While that mirror told the truth that the evil queen was the fairest of all, the time came when Snow White was born and that mirror had to say that Snow White was now the fairest of all. 

So, what reflections and thoughts do we have about that statement from Jesus: 

If there is one of you who have not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. 

That statement could be like the mirror of truth that reveals to us that we all have sinned. 

But we may also want to conceal the truth and direct the attention to other people's sins. 

So, even when we look into the mirror of truth, we may accept it for what it reveals. 

Or we can turn it around and let the truth be concealed. 

The problem with this is that we would rather be ruined by praise than to be saved by criticism. 

As we reflect and think about that statement of Jesus, may the Lord God turn the stones of our sins into stepping stones that will lead us to God's mercy and forgiveness.