My dear brothers and sisters,
Wishing you a Merry and Blessed Christmas and may the celebration of the birth of Christ bring peace and joy to our hearts.
I want to give thanks to God for the many inspirations to make His "Word become flesh" in the daily readings of the liturgy. I also want to thank those whom I have not been able to acknowledge but from whom I got the ideas, the stories, the examples and the situations in life in which they shared their experience of God.
I give thanks to God if the reflections on the daily readings have helped you grow in faith, love and understanding of the ways of God.
Since it is Christmas, I have daringly posted a little tune to entertain you :)
I wished I could have given a better rendition of that popular carol. But I once read somewhere:
Sing the songs that you can sing
Forget about the perfect offering
There's a crack in everything
But that's how the light shines in.
Merry Christmas & God bless you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxPj6PtwBMY
Click the links under My Blog List to get to Chinese and English weekday homilies.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
2nd Sunday of Advent 05.12.2010
Isaiah 11:1-10 / Romans 15:4-9 / Mathew 3:1-12
Sometimes it is difficult to say when does Christmas begin.
Sometimes it is difficult to say when does Christmas begin.
Yes, today is the 2nd Sunday of Advent, which means that we begin the 2nd week of Advent.
And that means to say that Christmas is about three weeks away.
But while the Church is waiting for another three more weeks for Christmas, it seems that for the rest of the world, Christmas celebrations have already begun.
So while in Church we sing “O come O come Emmanuel”, the world is already singing “Jingle Bells” and Santa Claus is already in town.
Just open the newspapers and it’s page after page of Christmas sales and special offers.
Come to think of it, I have never come across an Advent sale or Advent special offer.
So in the papers, over the radio, and on tv commercials, Christmas is in the air, and it began as early as November.
The world is telling us to make this Christmas special, and the media is spewing out special offers.
So there will be offers on special food to hold that special Christmas party.
And since we might be going for Christmas parties, then we might want to take up that special offer to buy that special car.
And not forgetting that special set of clothes to “wow” our friends at the parties.
And to fit into that special set of clothes, we might want to consider that offer to have a special figure for Christmas.
Unless we are going to play Santa Claus at the parties.
And then of course, the face. There are many special offers to give us that special look for Christmas.
We can even have a nose job to look like Rudolf!
Yes, the world is telling us to have a special Christmas with their special offers.
And we won’t deny it. We also want to have a special Christmas.
Well, on this 2nd Sunday of Advent, the Church brings in a special guest.
Yes, indeed a special guest, with special clothes for the occasion as well as a special diet to go along with it.
It’s none other than John the Baptist.
And John the Baptist is going to tell us how to have a special Christmas.
Ok, be ready for this. It’s just a special word. And that is : Repent! Yes, repent! Sounds like some hangover talk right
Oh come on, we want to hear words like “party” “celebrate” “it’s the season to be jolly”.
But no! Three weeks before Christmas, John the Baptist comes with a special message and it’s “Repent!”
Yes, repent! And it comes along with an axe!
John the Baptist is telling us that if we want to have a special Christmas, then we have to do some cutting and chopping.
Yes, we will have to cut away and chop off everything that is blocking the way of the Lord into our hearts.
So what is it that we need to cut? What is it that we need to chop off?
Maybe among other things we may need to cut away this idea of having a special Christmas.
The month of December is an anxious and stressful month.
Besides the stress of closing accounts and year-end reports, there is also the anxiety of preparing for Christmas and to make it special.
So there are Christmas decorations to put up, but we have to find them first, and then the lights may not work.
And I think that people may not request for a house blessing during this period of time.
Just imagine – you ask the priest to come and bless your house.
And the house is in a mess with Xmas decorations half done and you have to prepare a Xmas present for the priest even.
So better wait till after Christmas for house blessing.
Well, besides Christmas decorations, there is also the anxiety of getting special presents for the people who are special in our lives.
Because we also want them to have a special Christmas right
Well all this adds to the festive mood. But all this does not make Christmas special. In fact they are just ornamental.
We need to cut away the idea of an ornamental Christmas, and what we need to do is to make this Advent special.
We do that by preparing the way for the Lord, and we make a special place for Him this Advent.
We make a special place for the Lord, first and foremost, in our homes.
Earlier on I was talking about house blessing. Some time back I went to bless a house.
As I finished the prayers and was about to sprinkle the house with holy water, the little boy asked me : Father, why must use holy water to bless the house?
So I looked at the parents and asked : Do you know why?
They gave me that “google” look (searching … ) and in case they come up with something like … holy water will drive away the devil and those funny spirits, I quickly said :
Well, I use holy water to bless the house to remind us of our baptism and that our home is the first place to live out our baptismal promises.
So the home is a special place. Because God wants to be in our homes.
And hence we have to make our homes a special place for the Lord, we have to make our homes a special place for prayer.
Advent is the time to make a special place for the Lord at home.
Even if we don’t have an Advent wreath at home, we can dedicate a place and have the four Advent candles there, and light it and have our family prayer.
Already the two lighted candles tell us that we must hurry in making this Advent special.
We must hurry in making a special place for the Lord in our homes.
We must hurry in making a special time for the Lord in prayer, especially family prayer which is so lacking in families, and yet it is so important.
Let us make this Advent special, and only in doing so Christmas will be special.
Let us remember that Advent is a time for prayer, especially family prayer.
Yes, prayer is special. The rest are just ornamental.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
31st Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 31.10.10
Wisdom 11:22-12:2 / 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2 / Luke 19:1-10
Well, to begin with, I must say that we should be happy.
Yes, happy and thankful.
Simply because, just about a week ago, things looked hazy.
Remember the haze? That was only a week ago.
Yes, just a week ago, it was hazy, it was humid, and the air was heavy.
But with the wind and the rains, the air was cleared, and we should be happy and thankful.
So since we are in a happy mood, since I am in a happy mood, let me tell you a couple of jokes ok, to make you happier.
A woman went to see her doctor and complained of an embarrassing problem.
She said: Doctor, I have a serious flatulence problem. I fart all the time. But they are soundless and have no smell. In fact, since I’ve been here, I farted no less than 20 times.
So the doctor said: Ok, so here’s the prescription. Take these pills 3 times a day for seven days. After that come back and see me.
Well, after a week, the woman stormed into the doctor’s office and said: Doctor, I don’t know what was in those pills, but the problem got worse. I am farting just as much and now they smell terrible. What is this?!?
The doctor said: Ok ok, calm down, calm down. Now that I have cured your sinuses, I will work on your hearing, ok?
If jokes have a moral, than the moral of the joke is this: You will only know what is your real problem when you get someone else to see it for you.
Here is the second joke: A man was talking to his wife about the idea of living and dying.
He said to her: My dear, never let me live in a vegetative state, totally dependent on machines and liquid from a bottle.
If you see me in that state, I want you to disconnect all the contraptions that are keeping me alive. I would rather die.
The wife looked at him admiringly and said: Ok, I’ll do that.
And then she went to disconnect the TV, the cable, the DVD, the computer, the laptop, the smart phone, the Xbox, the play station and then she went to the fridge and threw away all the beer.
Well as for the man… he nearly died!
Jokes make us laugh because there is always something witty in a joke.
There is a twist in the story that brings about some humour.
Today’s gospel might sound like just another gospel story to us.
But for the crowd, the onlookers in the gospel story, it was like a very bad joke, something that they did not expect and something that they didn’t like.
As the story began, all seemed quite normal, and then there was that senior tax collector, Zacchaeus climbing up a sycamore tree to get a better view of Jesus.
As the story went on, Jesus reached the spot, looked up and saw Zacchaeus and said: Zacchaeus, come down.
From here on, what the crowds expected was a pay-back time.
It was a perfect occasion for Jesus to teach Zacchaeus a public lesson, and a condemnation on injustice and exploitation, and impending punishment.
Or at least, Jesus could make Zacchaeus do a public admission of his guilt and make a public apology.
Here is where the twist comes in : Jesus looked at Zacchaeus and said: Zacchaeus, come down! Hurry, I must stay at your house today.
And the crowd’s reaction was – Huh?!? What is this?
For them, it was not a joke, and if Jesus was joking, then it was a very bad joke, and no one was laughing.
Maybe only Zacchaeus. Yet for him, if he were laughing, it was not because it was a joke.
It was simply because Jesus could accept him for who he was.
Just like the joke about the man whose wife disconnected all his modern contraptions, Zacchaeus had to unplug and disconnect all the stuff he thought was important – his wealth, his income, his possessions, his authority, his power – so that he could have a new life in Jesus.
It was like Jesus pressed the “Reset” button and Zacchaeus went back to his original settings.
Zacchaeus realized that he was freed from the contraptions of life and could live on as a child of God.
Yet, the gospel story is not just about a sinner who repented and was forgiven.
The story is also for the crowd, and for us.
Like the joke about the woman with a serious flatulence problem, we might think that we do not have a big sinful problem as compared to others.
We may think that other people have greater sins and we want them to remain in their sins. We also want to trap them in their sins.
We will know that we want others to be trapped in their sins when we say things like:
Remember last time you cheated on me…
Remember last time you played me out…
Remember last time you stole money from me…
Remember last time how you ill-treated me…
Remember last time they burned the trees and we got the haze …
It’s always a “Remember last time…” and it’s always a smelly past.
We use this phrase to hurt others, and yet we ourselves resent and detest it when others use it on us.
But Jesus is our healer. He gives us His sacred body as medicine to realize our own sins are as smelly as the rest and yet we are forgiven.
Jesus is also our Saviour. He came to seek and save what was lost.
Jesus rejoices over one repentant sinner. Heaven rejoices over one repentant sinner.
That is not a joke. Yet let us repent and rejoice.
Well, to begin with, I must say that we should be happy.
Yes, happy and thankful.
Simply because, just about a week ago, things looked hazy.
Remember the haze? That was only a week ago.
Yes, just a week ago, it was hazy, it was humid, and the air was heavy.
But with the wind and the rains, the air was cleared, and we should be happy and thankful.
So since we are in a happy mood, since I am in a happy mood, let me tell you a couple of jokes ok, to make you happier.
A woman went to see her doctor and complained of an embarrassing problem.
She said: Doctor, I have a serious flatulence problem. I fart all the time. But they are soundless and have no smell. In fact, since I’ve been here, I farted no less than 20 times.
So the doctor said: Ok, so here’s the prescription. Take these pills 3 times a day for seven days. After that come back and see me.
Well, after a week, the woman stormed into the doctor’s office and said: Doctor, I don’t know what was in those pills, but the problem got worse. I am farting just as much and now they smell terrible. What is this?!?
The doctor said: Ok ok, calm down, calm down. Now that I have cured your sinuses, I will work on your hearing, ok?
If jokes have a moral, than the moral of the joke is this: You will only know what is your real problem when you get someone else to see it for you.
Here is the second joke: A man was talking to his wife about the idea of living and dying.
He said to her: My dear, never let me live in a vegetative state, totally dependent on machines and liquid from a bottle.
If you see me in that state, I want you to disconnect all the contraptions that are keeping me alive. I would rather die.
The wife looked at him admiringly and said: Ok, I’ll do that.
And then she went to disconnect the TV, the cable, the DVD, the computer, the laptop, the smart phone, the Xbox, the play station and then she went to the fridge and threw away all the beer.
Well as for the man… he nearly died!
Jokes make us laugh because there is always something witty in a joke.
There is a twist in the story that brings about some humour.
Today’s gospel might sound like just another gospel story to us.
But for the crowd, the onlookers in the gospel story, it was like a very bad joke, something that they did not expect and something that they didn’t like.
As the story began, all seemed quite normal, and then there was that senior tax collector, Zacchaeus climbing up a sycamore tree to get a better view of Jesus.
As the story went on, Jesus reached the spot, looked up and saw Zacchaeus and said: Zacchaeus, come down.
From here on, what the crowds expected was a pay-back time.
It was a perfect occasion for Jesus to teach Zacchaeus a public lesson, and a condemnation on injustice and exploitation, and impending punishment.
Or at least, Jesus could make Zacchaeus do a public admission of his guilt and make a public apology.
Here is where the twist comes in : Jesus looked at Zacchaeus and said: Zacchaeus, come down! Hurry, I must stay at your house today.
And the crowd’s reaction was – Huh?!? What is this?
For them, it was not a joke, and if Jesus was joking, then it was a very bad joke, and no one was laughing.
Maybe only Zacchaeus. Yet for him, if he were laughing, it was not because it was a joke.
It was simply because Jesus could accept him for who he was.
Just like the joke about the man whose wife disconnected all his modern contraptions, Zacchaeus had to unplug and disconnect all the stuff he thought was important – his wealth, his income, his possessions, his authority, his power – so that he could have a new life in Jesus.
It was like Jesus pressed the “Reset” button and Zacchaeus went back to his original settings.
Zacchaeus realized that he was freed from the contraptions of life and could live on as a child of God.
Yet, the gospel story is not just about a sinner who repented and was forgiven.
The story is also for the crowd, and for us.
Like the joke about the woman with a serious flatulence problem, we might think that we do not have a big sinful problem as compared to others.
We may think that other people have greater sins and we want them to remain in their sins. We also want to trap them in their sins.
We will know that we want others to be trapped in their sins when we say things like:
Remember last time you cheated on me…
Remember last time you played me out…
Remember last time you stole money from me…
Remember last time how you ill-treated me…
Remember last time they burned the trees and we got the haze …
It’s always a “Remember last time…” and it’s always a smelly past.
We use this phrase to hurt others, and yet we ourselves resent and detest it when others use it on us.
But Jesus is our healer. He gives us His sacred body as medicine to realize our own sins are as smelly as the rest and yet we are forgiven.
Jesus is also our Saviour. He came to seek and save what was lost.
Jesus rejoices over one repentant sinner. Heaven rejoices over one repentant sinner.
That is not a joke. Yet let us repent and rejoice.
Friday, October 22, 2010
World Mission Sunday 24-10-10
Isaiah 2:1-5 / Ephesians 3:1-12 / Mark 16:15-20
Whenever we talk about mission and spreading the gospel several ideas might come to our minds.
We may think of the missionaries who go to other countries like China, Cambodia, and Laos, to build up the churches there.
We may also think that missionaries are usually priests or religious or some specially chosen lay people because speaking the Gospel is a serious thing and not everyone can do it.
We may also think that our task is to pray for these missionaries and also to give them some financial support.
Today’s celebration of Mission Sunday reminds us that we have an important role in the spreading of the gospel.
Let me tell you this story so that we can have a deeper understanding of our role and mission.
An old man was going around planting small fruit trees.
Some asked him when these trees would bear fruit.
He replied: Oh, probably many years after I am gone from this earth.
So then, why plant trees when he won’t be around to enjoy the fruits?
His reply was this: When I came into this world, I didn’t find this world without any fruit trees.
I enjoyed the fruits. Now I plant these fruit trees for those who will come after me, just as those who have done before me.
These are very profound words of the old man – I plant these fruit trees for those who will come after me, just as those who have done before me.
When we reflect upon the words of the old man, we will also come to a deeper understanding of our faith and mission.
We will come to see that the faith we have had been built upon and handed down to us by the earlier generation of believers.
What we have received, we too must build it up and hand it over to the next generation.
That is not just the work of missionaries, priests, religious and a selected few parishioners.
Each of us has a task in the spreading of the gospel.
Just as trees bear fruit and gives us shade, so is each one of us called to plant trees of faith that bear fruits of truth and love.
Trees are important not just because they bear fruit and provide shade and beauty.
Trees have an ecological importance. A world without trees is like a dry desert wasteland.
Similarly, faith is important for the world. This world needs God and needs to know His truth and love.
A world without God and His truth and love becomes a dark and dangerous world.
So, Mission Sunday reminds each of us that we have a task and a responsibility.
We have to continue planting trees of faith that will bear fruits of truth and love.
And we have to start planting these trees of faith in our homes, in our parish, in our workplace, in our own country.
This world needs to know God. This world needs to know His truth and love.
And we are the ones to show it. We are God’s messengers.
As the 1st reading puts it: All the nations will say – come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, that He may teach us His ways so that we may walk in His path.
Our task and mission is to plant trees of faith along that path so that as people walk towards the Lord, they will also see the fruits of His truth and love.
Whenever we talk about mission and spreading the gospel several ideas might come to our minds.
We may think of the missionaries who go to other countries like China, Cambodia, and Laos, to build up the churches there.
We may also think that missionaries are usually priests or religious or some specially chosen lay people because speaking the Gospel is a serious thing and not everyone can do it.
We may also think that our task is to pray for these missionaries and also to give them some financial support.
Today’s celebration of Mission Sunday reminds us that we have an important role in the spreading of the gospel.
Let me tell you this story so that we can have a deeper understanding of our role and mission.
An old man was going around planting small fruit trees.
Some asked him when these trees would bear fruit.
He replied: Oh, probably many years after I am gone from this earth.
So then, why plant trees when he won’t be around to enjoy the fruits?
His reply was this: When I came into this world, I didn’t find this world without any fruit trees.
I enjoyed the fruits. Now I plant these fruit trees for those who will come after me, just as those who have done before me.
These are very profound words of the old man – I plant these fruit trees for those who will come after me, just as those who have done before me.
When we reflect upon the words of the old man, we will also come to a deeper understanding of our faith and mission.
We will come to see that the faith we have had been built upon and handed down to us by the earlier generation of believers.
What we have received, we too must build it up and hand it over to the next generation.
That is not just the work of missionaries, priests, religious and a selected few parishioners.
Each of us has a task in the spreading of the gospel.
Just as trees bear fruit and gives us shade, so is each one of us called to plant trees of faith that bear fruits of truth and love.
Trees are important not just because they bear fruit and provide shade and beauty.
Trees have an ecological importance. A world without trees is like a dry desert wasteland.
Similarly, faith is important for the world. This world needs God and needs to know His truth and love.
A world without God and His truth and love becomes a dark and dangerous world.
So, Mission Sunday reminds each of us that we have a task and a responsibility.
We have to continue planting trees of faith that will bear fruits of truth and love.
And we have to start planting these trees of faith in our homes, in our parish, in our workplace, in our own country.
This world needs to know God. This world needs to know His truth and love.
And we are the ones to show it. We are God’s messengers.
As the 1st reading puts it: All the nations will say – come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, that He may teach us His ways so that we may walk in His path.
Our task and mission is to plant trees of faith along that path so that as people walk towards the Lord, they will also see the fruits of His truth and love.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
29th Ordinary Sunday Year C 17 Oct 2010
Exodus 17:8-13 / 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 / Luke 18:1-8
I wonder if we could still remember this person if I were to mention his name.
It was not that long ago when we heard of this person.
The name is Low Wei Jie. Can we still remember him?
Just about two months ago he was in the news.
We may not quite remember his name, but we will surely remember his story.
He was that 12 year-old schoolboy who followed the Youth Olympic flame torch relay.
The amazing thing was that he was dressed in an orange T-shirt, blue Bermudas and flip-flops.
Armed with a digital camera, he just wanted to take pictures of the Youth Olympic flame torch relay, as it weaved through Sengkang, Punggol and Hougang.
When he started off, it was bright and early.
As the relay began, he followed the torch, and he ran, and ran, and ran.
Over two and a half hours, he covered almost 15km, undeterred by a heavy downpour along the way.
At first, nobody paid attention to the boy in the orange T-shirt as he ran along, snapping pictures as the torchbearers handed the flame from one to the other.
His quest was not without problems though – his feet hurt because he was running with just flip flops.
And to his frustration and disappointment, the camera he borrowed from his parents got jammed because of the rain. But he still continued running along.
Although he didn’t plan to, he followed the torch relay to the end.
By that time, he had already caught the attention of the cameramen, the relay entourage, the officials, the traffic police officers, and of course, the reporters.
At the end of the relay, Low Wei Jie was a sort of a celebrity, a surprise star of the YOG, and words like “determination” and “perseverance” were used on him.
Well, that was Low Wei Jie and his amazing story.
Amazing because who would want to run for two and a half hours in the rain just to take pictures of a torch.
And when the camera had jammed, who would want to keep running to the end? What’s the point?
Amazing also because it was a 12 year-old boy, and there was nothing in it for him.
The good thing was that in the end, he got some recognition for it, besides also getting a brand new camera.
So in a way, we can say that Low Wei Jie got determination, he got perseverance.
But, would we say that he was persistant?
Maybe not. Because persistence may have an irritating and annoying tone to it.
Maybe that’s why Jesus used the word “persistence” in today’s gospel parable.
He used that word to describe the widow who kept seeking for justice from a judge who couldn’t be bothered about her.
But she persisted and persisted until the judge gave in to her, even though it took a long time.
Jesus said we also should pray with persistence.
And Jesus even made this promise. He promised that God will see that justice is done and done speedily.
Yet Jesus is not making a new promise.
In the Old Testament, God already promised to protect His people from danger and from their enemies.
In the first reading, Israel was attacked by the Amalekites.
So Moses prayed for God’s protection over their enemies.
As long as Moses raised his hands in prayer, Israel was winning the battle.
But when he let his arms drop due to tiredness, the Amalekites were winning.
Moses had to persist in prayer, and Aaron and Hur helped him by supporting his arms and even took a stone for him to sit on.
It looked funny and strange, but with 3 men holding up a staff, Israel managed to overcome the Amalekites.
But when it comes to persistence in prayer, nothing can ever sound so strange or funny.
To pray is difficult. To persist in prayer is even more difficult.
A short story to share with you. A woman was late for an important interview, and as she was rushing to catch the bus, she prayed: O God, let me not be late, let me not be late.
Just then she tripped and fell. Picking herself up and straightening her dress, she prayed: O God, let me not be late, let me not be late, but no need to push me ok, no need to push me!!! (she will be in time, won’t be late)
Well, I have come across Catholics who have devised many interesting as well as strange and funny ways to persist in praying for a need or an intention.
Some will have an hourly chime on their watches so that they will stop whatever they are doing and say a short prayer, like an Our Father or a Hail Mary.
Some will come for Mass everyday to pray for their need or intention, especially during this period of school exams.
Another interesting way that I have come across is synchronized prayer.
A group of people wants to pray for a particular need or intention.
But because they are all busy and cannot come together, they agreed upon a particular time of the day, usually at night, to pray together wherever they are.
They even SMS each other to remind each other of their prayer time.
So persistence in prayer also needs support, just as Moses was supported by Aaron and Hur, and even by a stone.
Let us keep faith in what Jesus had promised that God will see justice done and done speedily.
Let is also support each other in persisting in prayer.
If the 12 year-old Low Wei Jie could keep running just to take pictures of a torch, then all the more we should persist in our prayer to keep the flame of faith burning.
Our persistence will be rewarded. That is what Jesus promised us.
Jesus will persist in His promise. May we persist in our praying.
I wonder if we could still remember this person if I were to mention his name.
It was not that long ago when we heard of this person.
The name is Low Wei Jie. Can we still remember him?
Just about two months ago he was in the news.
We may not quite remember his name, but we will surely remember his story.
He was that 12 year-old schoolboy who followed the Youth Olympic flame torch relay.
The amazing thing was that he was dressed in an orange T-shirt, blue Bermudas and flip-flops.
Armed with a digital camera, he just wanted to take pictures of the Youth Olympic flame torch relay, as it weaved through Sengkang, Punggol and Hougang.
When he started off, it was bright and early.
As the relay began, he followed the torch, and he ran, and ran, and ran.
Over two and a half hours, he covered almost 15km, undeterred by a heavy downpour along the way.
At first, nobody paid attention to the boy in the orange T-shirt as he ran along, snapping pictures as the torchbearers handed the flame from one to the other.
His quest was not without problems though – his feet hurt because he was running with just flip flops.
And to his frustration and disappointment, the camera he borrowed from his parents got jammed because of the rain. But he still continued running along.
Although he didn’t plan to, he followed the torch relay to the end.
By that time, he had already caught the attention of the cameramen, the relay entourage, the officials, the traffic police officers, and of course, the reporters.
At the end of the relay, Low Wei Jie was a sort of a celebrity, a surprise star of the YOG, and words like “determination” and “perseverance” were used on him.
Well, that was Low Wei Jie and his amazing story.
Amazing because who would want to run for two and a half hours in the rain just to take pictures of a torch.
And when the camera had jammed, who would want to keep running to the end? What’s the point?
Amazing also because it was a 12 year-old boy, and there was nothing in it for him.
The good thing was that in the end, he got some recognition for it, besides also getting a brand new camera.
So in a way, we can say that Low Wei Jie got determination, he got perseverance.
But, would we say that he was persistant?
Maybe not. Because persistence may have an irritating and annoying tone to it.
Maybe that’s why Jesus used the word “persistence” in today’s gospel parable.
He used that word to describe the widow who kept seeking for justice from a judge who couldn’t be bothered about her.
But she persisted and persisted until the judge gave in to her, even though it took a long time.
Jesus said we also should pray with persistence.
And Jesus even made this promise. He promised that God will see that justice is done and done speedily.
Yet Jesus is not making a new promise.
In the Old Testament, God already promised to protect His people from danger and from their enemies.
In the first reading, Israel was attacked by the Amalekites.
So Moses prayed for God’s protection over their enemies.
As long as Moses raised his hands in prayer, Israel was winning the battle.
But when he let his arms drop due to tiredness, the Amalekites were winning.
Moses had to persist in prayer, and Aaron and Hur helped him by supporting his arms and even took a stone for him to sit on.
It looked funny and strange, but with 3 men holding up a staff, Israel managed to overcome the Amalekites.
But when it comes to persistence in prayer, nothing can ever sound so strange or funny.
To pray is difficult. To persist in prayer is even more difficult.
A short story to share with you. A woman was late for an important interview, and as she was rushing to catch the bus, she prayed: O God, let me not be late, let me not be late.
Just then she tripped and fell. Picking herself up and straightening her dress, she prayed: O God, let me not be late, let me not be late, but no need to push me ok, no need to push me!!! (she will be in time, won’t be late)
Well, I have come across Catholics who have devised many interesting as well as strange and funny ways to persist in praying for a need or an intention.
Some will have an hourly chime on their watches so that they will stop whatever they are doing and say a short prayer, like an Our Father or a Hail Mary.
Some will come for Mass everyday to pray for their need or intention, especially during this period of school exams.
Another interesting way that I have come across is synchronized prayer.
A group of people wants to pray for a particular need or intention.
But because they are all busy and cannot come together, they agreed upon a particular time of the day, usually at night, to pray together wherever they are.
They even SMS each other to remind each other of their prayer time.
So persistence in prayer also needs support, just as Moses was supported by Aaron and Hur, and even by a stone.
Let us keep faith in what Jesus had promised that God will see justice done and done speedily.
Let is also support each other in persisting in prayer.
If the 12 year-old Low Wei Jie could keep running just to take pictures of a torch, then all the more we should persist in our prayer to keep the flame of faith burning.
Our persistence will be rewarded. That is what Jesus promised us.
Jesus will persist in His promise. May we persist in our praying.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
26th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 26.09.10
Amos 6:1a,4-7/ 1 Timothy 6:11-16/ Luke 16: 19-31
For those of us who love art, or know something about art, I am sure you would also know the names of famous artists.
So let me name some art pieces and you tell me who is the artist. They are all by the same artist anyway.
So here it comes – Sunflowers; The starry night; Irises; The potato eaters. So tell me, who is the artist.
Yes, it’s Vincent Van Gogh. His masterpieces range from $50 – 80 over million dollars.
For those of us who love art and can appreciate art, then we would certainly love to have one of the masterpieces by Vincent Van Gogh hanging in a prominent place in our home.
Yes, we would like to have an $80 million masterpiece from Vincent Van Gogh in our home.
But I am not too sure if we would like to have Vincent Van Gogh himself in our home.
If we know something about the life of Vincent Van Gogh, then you will probably understand why I said that we might not want to have Vincent Van Gogh himself in our home.
Vincent Van Gogh lived from 1853 – 1890.
In his lifetime, he produced 2000 artworks. But he had very little success as an artist.
In fact he only sold one painting “The Red Vineyard”.
Besides that he was also temperamental, depressed and also difficult to get along with, and other things besides.
Then at 37 years-old, he took his own life.
It was only after his death that his works became famous and renowned.
So that was why I said that we won’t mind having a multi-million-dollar painting by Vincent Van Gogh at home.
But we certainly won’t want to have him in our home.
Similarly, we don’t mind having a Bible in our home. In fact we should have the Bible, the Word of God, at home.
But, would we welcome Jesus, the Word made flesh, into our home?
We would say – Of course, we want to have Jesus in our home.
Yet Jesus does not come alone. Because He comes along with His close friends.
And who are they? Well, they are the poor and helpless, the problematic and difficult people, the Vincent Van Goghs.
We shouldn’t be surprised that these are the close friends of Jesus.
Because the Bible tells us that God is on the side of the poor and needy and helpless.
Indeed, God is closest to the poor and helpless, the weak and the lowly, the defenseless and the oppressed.
At least in today’s 1st reading, the Responsorial Psalm and the gospel tell us that. And we must see it!
Yes, God is for them. God cares about them. And God will console them. If not in this life, then it will be in the next.
Yes, God will console them and comfort them in His bosom and wipe away every tear from their eyes.
That was what happened in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
We can call that a reversal of fortunes, and the reversal is not temporal; it is eternal.
Although it is just a parable, it makes us see that the reversal is for real.
At least it was real enough for the rich man. In the flames of agony, he looked up and saw Lazarus and even knows his name.
While on earth, he certainly saw Lazarus, or at least he knew he was at the gate.
But he just chose not to see, not to know, not to care.
But in the flames of agony, the rich man saw. Yes, he saw, but it was too late, and it was forever.
In Singapore, we don’t usually have beggars or destitudes or Lazaruses sitting at our doors.
Yet we cannot say that the poor and needy do not exist.
Just come every 1st Saturday in the afternoon and we will see the members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul at work, distributing rations to the poor and needy.
And we will see for ourselves who are the poor and needy, the helpless and the rejected.
So we can’t say that we didn’t see, or we don’t know.
Or maybe we saw, and we knew, and we feel that we can do nothing about the multitudes of poor and needy and helpless.
Granted that it is an immense challenge, maybe let me ask you this.
Do you know what is the late Mother Teresa’s favourite number?
Well, I think that her favourite number is the number 1. And I will quote the following from her to say why I think it’s the number 1.
She said : I don’t agree with the big ways of doing things. Love needs to start with the individual. To love a person you must make contact with that person. To love the poor you must make contact with the poor.
When you do that, you cross the enormous divide between you and the poor, and it’s somebody you have actually touched.
She continues by saying : I look at the individual. I can only love one person at a time. I can only feed one person at a time.
So that’s why I think that Mother Teresa’s favourite number is 1. For her it is one person at a time.
So the Word of God in today’s readings makes us open our eyes.
God is not asking us how rich we are or how much we can give to the poor and needy.
Rather, God is asking us this : How much do we care? How much do we love? How much do we want to see?
And we don’t have to see far, see wide or see too much.
Let us look at the one who is at the gate.
The one who is poor and needy. The one that we can help.
And that one may not be outside the gate. That one may be within our gates.
But we may have become numbed and indifferent.
Let us listen to the voice of God prompting us to see, to care and to love the one who is poor and needy and helpless, the one who is difficult and problematic, the Vincent Van Goghs.
Yes, they are poor and needy, they may be difficult and problematic, but they are God’s close friends.
And it is they who will lead us into God’s bosom, forever.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
23rd Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 05-09-2010
Wis 9:13-18b / Phmn 1:9-10, 12-17 / Lk 14:25-33
Recently the famous topic of the 4 Cs came up in the news again.
I m sure we know what the 4 Cs commonly stands for – cash, car, condo and credit card.
Along with that are other additions like country club membership, casino membership, etc.
There are spoofs of it like coffin, columbarium, whatever.
At a recent Pre-University seminar, the 4 Cs were given another version: confidence, compassion, the ability to compartmentalize and to be in good company.
Well, I also want to join in the bandwagon, but I want to change the letter. So instead of the letter C, I want to use another letter.
I was thinking of the letter G. Because it can stand for God, for good, for glory, for grace.
But then if I were to ask what does the 3 Gs stand for, or what the 4 Gs stand for, some might think I am talking about 3G network or the 4G super broadband which came out last week.
And then some will start thinking about the computer fair that is going on now, today’s the last day, need to get a new laptop, and then G will stand for “Gone! I have lost you!”
So G is not very good. Got to find another letter. Maybe the letter F.
F can stand for Father, for faithfulness, for forgiveness.
But then again, if I were to say what does F stand for, some might hear it wrong and think I was saying : What the what?!
So again, it doesn’t sound very nice.
Sigh, so better not use the letter F. So what other letter to use?
Well, I was asking myself : Why do people come to Church? Why do people want to believe in God?
So I came up with this letter “P”, P for papa, which means father, and God is our Father. So with the letter P I have covered the letters F and G. ;-P
So what does the letter P stands for?
To answer that question, then we have to ask ourselves why do we believe in God? What kind of God do we believe in?
Well, at the level of basic religious needs, we want to believe in God who can protect us, who can provide for us, and who will also pamper us.
So there it is: we want God to protect us, provide for us and to pamper us.
I am not making up all this. God Himself said it in the Bible.
God said it to Moses and the Israelites when they panicked upon seeing the sword-wielding Egyptians charging at them to cut their throats.
God said: The Lord will do the fighting for you; you only have to keep still. (Ex 14:14) So you see, God will protect us and He will fight our battles for us.
And God will also provide for us. Jesus said that the Heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask Him.
So ask and we will receive, because God will provide.
That is what Jesus said.
So finally how will God pamper us? Well, God loves us with a tender everlasting love, and He will forgive us over and over again, 70x7 times.
If that is not pampering, then it is like God is spoiling us.
So there we have it: God is our Papa, He protects us, He provides for us, and He even pampers us.
Sounds too good to be true right? But it is true, otherwise why would we want to believe in God?
Yes, God will certainly protect us, provide for us, and even pamper us.
But I also have to say that there is another P involved here, and it stands for “price”.
There is a price to pay, on our part. So what is this price?
That price is stated by Jesus in the gospel.
To the great crowds that were following Him, He said: If anyone comes to Me without hating father, mother, brother, sister, and his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
The word “hate” here actually means to prefer less, or to give a lesser priority. It does not mean hate, as how we usually understand it.
Because in the Jewish language, there is no word to mean “prefer less” or “give a lesser priority”, so the word hate is used.
So what Jesus is saying is that either He is above all, or He is not at all. There is no in-between.
That sounds like tough and rough language from Jesus isn’t it?
But that is the price to pay if we want to be true disciples of Jesus.
So has anyone paid that price before? Well, plenty actually.
One such person was St. Thomas More, who was the Chancellor when King Henry VIII was the king of England.
But when St. Thomas More refused to acknowledge King Henry’s second marriage and to cut ties with the Pope, he was thrown into prison.
The king sent close friends and even his family members to persuade him, because his vote was critical for the king’s standing.
But St. Thomas More stood firm and he was later charged with treason and sentenced to death.
His last words before he was beheaded were this: I am the king’s good subject, but first and foremost I am God’s servant.
The price was his head and his life. But his reward is eternal life.
The world as we know is practical, pragmatic, profitable and very pleasing to us.
Yes, the practical, pragmatic, profitable and pleasing world has been our father, mother, brother and sister.
But the nagging question is: So what if we gain the whole world and all that if offers? So what?
So Jesus puts the price tag before us.
Do we dare to let Jesus be above all?
We want God to protect us, to provide for us, to pamper us.
But as the song goes, we also say: Papa don’t preach.
Because we don’t want to hear the tough stuff and what price to pay for true discipleship.
But Jesus said in no uncertain terms that anyone who does not carry his cross cannot be His disciple.
The cross is painful indeed. But the cross also points us towards true discipleship and eternal life.
Recently the famous topic of the 4 Cs came up in the news again.
I m sure we know what the 4 Cs commonly stands for – cash, car, condo and credit card.
Along with that are other additions like country club membership, casino membership, etc.
There are spoofs of it like coffin, columbarium, whatever.
At a recent Pre-University seminar, the 4 Cs were given another version: confidence, compassion, the ability to compartmentalize and to be in good company.
Well, I also want to join in the bandwagon, but I want to change the letter. So instead of the letter C, I want to use another letter.
I was thinking of the letter G. Because it can stand for God, for good, for glory, for grace.
But then if I were to ask what does the 3 Gs stand for, or what the 4 Gs stand for, some might think I am talking about 3G network or the 4G super broadband which came out last week.
And then some will start thinking about the computer fair that is going on now, today’s the last day, need to get a new laptop, and then G will stand for “Gone! I have lost you!”
So G is not very good. Got to find another letter. Maybe the letter F.
F can stand for Father, for faithfulness, for forgiveness.
But then again, if I were to say what does F stand for, some might hear it wrong and think I was saying : What the what?!
So again, it doesn’t sound very nice.
Sigh, so better not use the letter F. So what other letter to use?
Well, I was asking myself : Why do people come to Church? Why do people want to believe in God?
So I came up with this letter “P”, P for papa, which means father, and God is our Father. So with the letter P I have covered the letters F and G. ;-P
So what does the letter P stands for?
To answer that question, then we have to ask ourselves why do we believe in God? What kind of God do we believe in?
Well, at the level of basic religious needs, we want to believe in God who can protect us, who can provide for us, and who will also pamper us.
So there it is: we want God to protect us, provide for us and to pamper us.
I am not making up all this. God Himself said it in the Bible.
God said it to Moses and the Israelites when they panicked upon seeing the sword-wielding Egyptians charging at them to cut their throats.
God said: The Lord will do the fighting for you; you only have to keep still. (Ex 14:14) So you see, God will protect us and He will fight our battles for us.
And God will also provide for us. Jesus said that the Heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask Him.
So ask and we will receive, because God will provide.
That is what Jesus said.
So finally how will God pamper us? Well, God loves us with a tender everlasting love, and He will forgive us over and over again, 70x7 times.
If that is not pampering, then it is like God is spoiling us.
So there we have it: God is our Papa, He protects us, He provides for us, and He even pampers us.
Sounds too good to be true right? But it is true, otherwise why would we want to believe in God?
Yes, God will certainly protect us, provide for us, and even pamper us.
But I also have to say that there is another P involved here, and it stands for “price”.
There is a price to pay, on our part. So what is this price?
That price is stated by Jesus in the gospel.
To the great crowds that were following Him, He said: If anyone comes to Me without hating father, mother, brother, sister, and his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
The word “hate” here actually means to prefer less, or to give a lesser priority. It does not mean hate, as how we usually understand it.
Because in the Jewish language, there is no word to mean “prefer less” or “give a lesser priority”, so the word hate is used.
So what Jesus is saying is that either He is above all, or He is not at all. There is no in-between.
That sounds like tough and rough language from Jesus isn’t it?
But that is the price to pay if we want to be true disciples of Jesus.
So has anyone paid that price before? Well, plenty actually.
One such person was St. Thomas More, who was the Chancellor when King Henry VIII was the king of England.
But when St. Thomas More refused to acknowledge King Henry’s second marriage and to cut ties with the Pope, he was thrown into prison.
The king sent close friends and even his family members to persuade him, because his vote was critical for the king’s standing.
But St. Thomas More stood firm and he was later charged with treason and sentenced to death.
His last words before he was beheaded were this: I am the king’s good subject, but first and foremost I am God’s servant.
The price was his head and his life. But his reward is eternal life.
The world as we know is practical, pragmatic, profitable and very pleasing to us.
Yes, the practical, pragmatic, profitable and pleasing world has been our father, mother, brother and sister.
But the nagging question is: So what if we gain the whole world and all that if offers? So what?
So Jesus puts the price tag before us.
Do we dare to let Jesus be above all?
We want God to protect us, to provide for us, to pamper us.
But as the song goes, we also say: Papa don’t preach.
Because we don’t want to hear the tough stuff and what price to pay for true discipleship.
But Jesus said in no uncertain terms that anyone who does not carry his cross cannot be His disciple.
The cross is painful indeed. But the cross also points us towards true discipleship and eternal life.
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