Wisdom 9:13-18/ Philemon 1:9-10, 12-17/ Luke 14:25-33
One characteristic of most Singaporeans when they travel overseas, especially when they travel out of the Asian region, is that they will bring along a particular spice.
And that particular spice is none other than chilli.
For most Singaporeans, or at least a number of Singaporeans, chilli is the spice of life.
So into the luggage will go a bottle of chilli, be a dried chilli, or chilli powder, or sambal chilli or whatever chilli.
If there is such a thing as chilli perfume, it will also be brought along. (Not to spray on the body but on the food! : P )
Yes, in Singapore, chilli is the spice of life. So if you are a Singaporean, and you don’t eat chilli, then it may mean that you have a crisis of identity.
Having said all that, chilli after all, is only a spice. And spices are used to add flavor to food or to preserve food.
We don’t eat chilli as food, or consume spices as food!
Food will still be food, with or without spices. And when we are very hungry, we will eat whatever food there is, even without the chilli or the other spices.
In other words, without chilli we won’t die. Even without the other spices of life, we also won’t die.
And the spices of life is not just about what we put into our food.
Broadly speaking, there are many things that can spice up our lives.
For example, there was the “Spice Girls”, though they are not so hot now. There is also a smartphone model called “Desire”.
Oh yes, these kind of spices certainly fuel our desires and make us forget our essential needs, just like how too much chilli can make us forget the original taste of food.
When there is too much of these spicy flavoring in our lives, then the 1st reading has this to say: The reasonings of mortals are unsure, and man’s intentions become unstable.
Then like the examples that Jesus gave in the gospel, we will build but we won’t be able to finish. We can fight with all our might but we won’t be able to win.
When there is too much clutter in our lives, then we lose the clarity of our vision, and hence our reasoning become unsure and our intentions become unstable.
In today’s gospel, Jesus gave a rather severe teaching on discipleship.
Jesus makes it clear to us that if we want to be His disciple, then He must be over and above what we treasure most.
And that means that He must be above father, mother, spouse, children, brothers and sisters.
And as if that is not tough enough, He asks for where it will hurt most – and that is our very own life!
And that is where Jesus brings in the cross.
As we all know, and for those who are listening to Him knew it as a reality, the cross was the ultimate punishment for those who are sentenced for rebellion or subversion.
Hence, His listeners know, as a matter of fact, what crucifixion was, how horrible it was, how gruesome it was and shockingly cruel.
And yes, Jesus said that anyone who does not carry his cross and come after Him cannot be His disciple.
Certainly the cross meant pain and shame. And along with that it also means fears and tears.
So the cross challenges us in a very shocking way.
The cross challenges our fears of losing our loved ones – father, mother, spouse, children, brothers and sisters.
The cross challenges our fear of pain and suffering.
And finally the cross challenges our fear of dying to ourselves and giving up our lives for others.
Because our understanding of the survival of the fittest is that the one who has the most and who possess the most, will survive.
It is so unnatural to let go and sacrifice and give ourselves for others.
Here is where we can learn something from the grey squirrel. As we know, the grey squirrel would run around gathering nuts for food for the winter.
It would hide the nuts in a few places. Yet very often it would also forget where it has hidden the nuts so in the end it would only consume about 10% of the nuts that it had gathered.
Well, as for the rest of the 90% of the nuts, after winter, they will germinate and bear fruit for the next cycle.
So unintentional and out of forgetfulness, the squirrel helps in the reproduction of the food cycle.
Like the grey squirrel, we too will gather, but as a disciple carrying the cross, what we gather we must scatter and give to others.
The cross is painful because it challenges us to give up ourselves for others.
The cross will cut away all that we spice up our lives with, but when all the spice of life is cut away, we will get the real taste of life.
No doubt, the cross will bring tears to our eyes, but very often tears are the lenses we need to see Jesus (quote from Pope Francis); yes, to see Jesus clearly and to continue to carry our cross and follow Him as His disciple.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Saturday, August 31, 2013
22nd Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 01.09.2013
Sirach 3:19-21, 30-31 / Heb 12:18-19 / Luke 14:1, 7-14
It is said that a proud man can learn humility but he will be proud of it.
Pride is the scourge of humanity and it has brought about the first Fall and countless misery.
Well, it was pride that changed angels into devils.
Having said all that about pride, it is also necessary to look at its counterpart - humility.
It is humility that makes men as angels; the Lord turns His eyes on the lowly and the humble.
Indeed the first test of a truly great person is his humility.
Yet humility does not mean that one looks down on himself, or to have a poor self esteem, or does not have self-respect or dignity.
That would be like false humility or a warped understanding of humility.
Maybe putting it simply "humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less" (C. S. Lewis)
Having said all this about humility, it would be helpful to have practical ways of humility.
Below are 10 ways that humility can be put into practice.
1. Listen without interrupting (Proverbs 18)
2. Speak without accusing (James 1:19)
3. Give without sparing (Proverbs 21:26)
4. Pray without ceasing (Colossians 1:9)
5. Answer without arguing (Proverbs 17:1)
6. Share without pretending (Ephesians 4:15)
7. Enjoy without complaining (Philippians 2:14)
8. Trust without wavering (1 Cor 13:7)
9. Forgive without punishing (Colossians 3:13)
10. Promise without forgetting (Proverbs 13:12)
Yes, we can live without pride, and humility is not just the key to living but also the key to loving.
It is said that a proud man can learn humility but he will be proud of it.
Pride is the scourge of humanity and it has brought about the first Fall and countless misery.
Well, it was pride that changed angels into devils.
Having said all that about pride, it is also necessary to look at its counterpart - humility.
It is humility that makes men as angels; the Lord turns His eyes on the lowly and the humble.
Indeed the first test of a truly great person is his humility.
Yet humility does not mean that one looks down on himself, or to have a poor self esteem, or does not have self-respect or dignity.
That would be like false humility or a warped understanding of humility.
Maybe putting it simply "humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less" (C. S. Lewis)
Having said all this about humility, it would be helpful to have practical ways of humility.
Below are 10 ways that humility can be put into practice.
1. Listen without interrupting (Proverbs 18)
2. Speak without accusing (James 1:19)
3. Give without sparing (Proverbs 21:26)
4. Pray without ceasing (Colossians 1:9)
5. Answer without arguing (Proverbs 17:1)
6. Share without pretending (Ephesians 4:15)
7. Enjoy without complaining (Philippians 2:14)
8. Trust without wavering (1 Cor 13:7)
9. Forgive without punishing (Colossians 3:13)
10. Promise without forgetting (Proverbs 13:12)
Yes, we can live without pride, and humility is not just the key to living but also the key to loving.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
20th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 18.08.2013
Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10/ Hebrews 12:1-4/ Luke 12:49-53
There was a TV advertisement in the 1980s for a particular brand of stout that had this catchy phrase: “Are you afraid of the dark?”
Because the colour of that particular brand of stout is dark, almost blackish.
So, when ordering drinks, this catchy phrase will go around “Are you afraid of the dark?” and of course who would want to say he is afraid, and so they will order that dark bitter stout.
It was an innovative advertisement because it played on the two aspects of human nature.
Yes, it played on the male ego to say that they are not afraid of anything.
Yet, it also highlighted the human primeval fear of the dark.
So, just put the male ego and a primeval fear together and we get an advertisement for a stout.
But the fear of the dark is a reality for men, women and especially children, and even faith and courage are called upon to address the fear.
There is this joke about a little boy who was always afraid of the dark and he wouldn’t go outdoors alone after sunset.
One day, he forgot to bring in his badminton racket from the garden and since it was already dark, he asked his mother to bring it in for him.
His mother wanted to help him overcome his fear of the dark, so she told him:
Don’t be afraid, Jesus is out there even in the dark! So, just go and get your badminton racket back.
So the little boy opened the door a bit and said in a loud voice: Jesus, if you are out there, please bring in my badminton racket!
Oh yes, Jesus is out there everywhere, especially in the dark.
Jesus is the light of the world and He came to scatter the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome Him.
Oh yes, where there is darkness, let there be light, let there be the Light of Christ.
And we love the light, in every sense of the word, because it gives us security and clarity.
But in today’s gospel, Jesus seemed to be saying much more than just being the light of the world.
He said to His disciples: I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were burning already.
It is just a metaphor, just an image. But it is also a powerful image.
Fire is not something that we can remain indifferent to.
Fire is not a weak, pale, lifeless thing. Fire is alive and it gives out warmth and comfort.
And it has the power to burn up what is useless and refine what is impure.
Jesus said that He is the light of the world and that light comes from the fire that He is bringing with Him.
And He is not talking about a small fire. He is talking about a big fire that will set the whole world ablaze.
Well, so far so good, and all of that is very nice to hear.
But what follows after that is what is considered to be a hard saying of Jesus, hard and disturbing.
Because Jesus said: Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.
And then He goes on to talk about a division that will cut right down to family ties.
But peace is what we want and more so we want peace in our family.
Yet it also cannot be denied that every family has got some burning issues that need to be addressed.
One example of a burning issue that would cause division in a family would be when a member of the family wants to convert to Christianity.
If there is opposition, that person could choose to hide it from the family in order to avoid tension.
But just as light cannot be concealed, burning issues must be addressed, be it in the family, or in the Church community or in the society.
We may remember the story about Moses and the burning bush in the book of Exodus.
While looking after his flock of sheep, Moses happened to notice a bush that was burning but not consumed by the fire.
He went to investigate this strange thing, and then God spoke to him from the burning bush.
Well, one thing led to another and in the end, Moses led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt.
It all began with a burning bush and what a fire it started in Egypt.
Well, the burning bush may have evolved into burning issues and it is up to us to look at them and to address them.
But strangely, we fear to address burning issues, just like we fear the dark.
But just as Jesus is the Light that will pierce through the darkness, Jesus also wants to speak to us in the burning issues that we see around us.
When we face these burning issues and address them, it will become a fire that will burn up what is useless and refine what is impure.
But it is a fire that will also give comfort and warmth and light.
Because it is a fire that comes from Jesus who is the Prince of Peace and the Light of the world.
So let us not be afraid of the fire from the burning issues of our lives, because the fire will scatter the darkness of our sins and our fears.
There was a TV advertisement in the 1980s for a particular brand of stout that had this catchy phrase: “Are you afraid of the dark?”
Because the colour of that particular brand of stout is dark, almost blackish.
So, when ordering drinks, this catchy phrase will go around “Are you afraid of the dark?” and of course who would want to say he is afraid, and so they will order that dark bitter stout.
It was an innovative advertisement because it played on the two aspects of human nature.
Yes, it played on the male ego to say that they are not afraid of anything.
Yet, it also highlighted the human primeval fear of the dark.
So, just put the male ego and a primeval fear together and we get an advertisement for a stout.
But the fear of the dark is a reality for men, women and especially children, and even faith and courage are called upon to address the fear.
There is this joke about a little boy who was always afraid of the dark and he wouldn’t go outdoors alone after sunset.
One day, he forgot to bring in his badminton racket from the garden and since it was already dark, he asked his mother to bring it in for him.
His mother wanted to help him overcome his fear of the dark, so she told him:
Don’t be afraid, Jesus is out there even in the dark! So, just go and get your badminton racket back.
So the little boy opened the door a bit and said in a loud voice: Jesus, if you are out there, please bring in my badminton racket!
Oh yes, Jesus is out there everywhere, especially in the dark.
Jesus is the light of the world and He came to scatter the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome Him.
Oh yes, where there is darkness, let there be light, let there be the Light of Christ.
And we love the light, in every sense of the word, because it gives us security and clarity.
But in today’s gospel, Jesus seemed to be saying much more than just being the light of the world.
He said to His disciples: I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were burning already.
It is just a metaphor, just an image. But it is also a powerful image.
Fire is not something that we can remain indifferent to.
Fire is not a weak, pale, lifeless thing. Fire is alive and it gives out warmth and comfort.
And it has the power to burn up what is useless and refine what is impure.
Jesus said that He is the light of the world and that light comes from the fire that He is bringing with Him.
And He is not talking about a small fire. He is talking about a big fire that will set the whole world ablaze.
Well, so far so good, and all of that is very nice to hear.
But what follows after that is what is considered to be a hard saying of Jesus, hard and disturbing.
Because Jesus said: Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.
And then He goes on to talk about a division that will cut right down to family ties.
But peace is what we want and more so we want peace in our family.
Yet it also cannot be denied that every family has got some burning issues that need to be addressed.
One example of a burning issue that would cause division in a family would be when a member of the family wants to convert to Christianity.
If there is opposition, that person could choose to hide it from the family in order to avoid tension.
But just as light cannot be concealed, burning issues must be addressed, be it in the family, or in the Church community or in the society.
We may remember the story about Moses and the burning bush in the book of Exodus.
While looking after his flock of sheep, Moses happened to notice a bush that was burning but not consumed by the fire.
He went to investigate this strange thing, and then God spoke to him from the burning bush.
Well, one thing led to another and in the end, Moses led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt.
It all began with a burning bush and what a fire it started in Egypt.
Well, the burning bush may have evolved into burning issues and it is up to us to look at them and to address them.
But strangely, we fear to address burning issues, just like we fear the dark.
But just as Jesus is the Light that will pierce through the darkness, Jesus also wants to speak to us in the burning issues that we see around us.
When we face these burning issues and address them, it will become a fire that will burn up what is useless and refine what is impure.
But it is a fire that will also give comfort and warmth and light.
Because it is a fire that comes from Jesus who is the Prince of Peace and the Light of the world.
So let us not be afraid of the fire from the burning issues of our lives, because the fire will scatter the darkness of our sins and our fears.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
19th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 11.08.2013
Wisdom 18:6-9/ Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19/ Luke 12:32-48
If we were asked what are the top ten popular inventions, we would certainly be able to name far more than just ten, in fact, there are so many.
It depends very much on how important it is in our lives and how much we use it for our convenience.
But the one invention that we have with us, here and now, is the handphone (mobile phone or cell phone, or smartphone).
From an independent survey, it is reported that there are 7.8million mobile phones in Singapore and 90% of the population own a mobile phone.
That is quite a staggering number and it seems like there is a lot of communication going around.
But the irony is that whenever we call a hotline, or a helpline, we may find ourselves talking to an answering machine.
“Press 1 for English…press 0 to speak to our customer service officer” or “Our Customer service officers are all engaged at the moment, please wait, your call is important to us…” (elevator music).
The irony is that telephones were invented for the purpose of direct voice communication.
Yet, just when we need to talk to someone on the line, we may end up talking to a recording, a voice mail, or we listen to a minute of ring tone and then get disconnected.
Yes, when we call someone on the phone, we expect the person to answer the call.
We expect the person to be like on standby to answer the phone, especially if it is an important and urgent call.
So when our calls are not answered, we get disappointed and frustrated.
Yet, for us who have our handphones so intimately close to us, we also have missed calls. Most of those calls are missed unintentionally, though some are intentionally not answered for various reasons.
And if we are waiting for an important call, we will make sure that our phone is in our hand, or at least within our reach.
Nonetheless, waiting for a call is not as stressful and anxious when we have our phones with us.
But waiting for someone important to appear can be quite wearisome.
Especially if it is that kind of person that Jesus was talking about in the gospel.
Jesus told a parable about being dressed for action, and having our lamps lit and to be like servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks.
The trouble here is that the servants do not know when the master is going to appear, and he can come at any time, and so they have to be ready and alert at all times.
There is no way of calling the master to ask what time he would be arriving.
There is also no way of checking the Internet for the estimated time of arrival.
There was nothing for them to rely on, nothing for them to check with.
All the servants need to do is to be dressed and ready, have their lamps lit and wait for the master to come and knock.
Surely, that is wearisome and tiresome. Furthermore there is no knowledge and clarity about the whole situation.
And that is what happens in life most of the time – we are blur and we are not clear about where life is going and what God is saying to us.
And we envy those who seem to have so much clarity about life and what God wants them to do.
People like Mother Teresa seemed to be clear about life and what God wants her to do.
She founded the Missionaries of Charity which numbered about 4000, in addition to thousands of lay volunteers.
The MC sisters also have 610 foundations in 123 countries on all seven continents. That indeed is very impressive.
One young man came to Mother Teresa and asked her to pray for him.
She asked: What do you want me to pray for?
The young man replied: Pray that I have clarity, just like you have clarity.
Mother Teresa replied: No. Clarity is what you desire but it is what you have to let go of.
The young man said: But you seem to have the clarity that I long for.
Mother Teresa laughed and said: I never had clarity. What I have is trust in God. So I pray that you will have trust in God.
Well, we can be sure that Mother Teresa who is sitting at God’s banquet in heaven is praying for us to have trust in God.
We often complain that we call upon God and get no answer. God don’t seem to answer our “phone calls”.
So we get disappointed and frustrated and we say that God doesn’t speak to us and we don’t know what to do. We are blur and we are not clear.
But the fact is that God speaks to us all the time! Just that we may have missed His “calls”.
Because God calls us at the unexpected time, at an inconvenient time, a time when we are too busy with ourselves, a time when we would rather reject the call.
Just like how we would reject calls from our parents, or from our spouse, our boss, our colleagues, or someone whom we consider a nuisance or troublesome.
Those calls usually come at an unexpected time and at an inconvenient time, but yet those are precisely the calls from God.
But if we are faithful and trusting servants, any time is a good time. For an unfaithful servant, anytime is a bad time.
But if we truly trust God, whenever He calls, it is a good time. Because with God, anytime is a good time.
If we were asked what are the top ten popular inventions, we would certainly be able to name far more than just ten, in fact, there are so many.
It depends very much on how important it is in our lives and how much we use it for our convenience.
But the one invention that we have with us, here and now, is the handphone (mobile phone or cell phone, or smartphone).
From an independent survey, it is reported that there are 7.8million mobile phones in Singapore and 90% of the population own a mobile phone.
That is quite a staggering number and it seems like there is a lot of communication going around.
But the irony is that whenever we call a hotline, or a helpline, we may find ourselves talking to an answering machine.
“Press 1 for English…press 0 to speak to our customer service officer” or “Our Customer service officers are all engaged at the moment, please wait, your call is important to us…” (elevator music).
The irony is that telephones were invented for the purpose of direct voice communication.
Yet, just when we need to talk to someone on the line, we may end up talking to a recording, a voice mail, or we listen to a minute of ring tone and then get disconnected.
Yes, when we call someone on the phone, we expect the person to answer the call.
We expect the person to be like on standby to answer the phone, especially if it is an important and urgent call.
So when our calls are not answered, we get disappointed and frustrated.
Yet, for us who have our handphones so intimately close to us, we also have missed calls. Most of those calls are missed unintentionally, though some are intentionally not answered for various reasons.
And if we are waiting for an important call, we will make sure that our phone is in our hand, or at least within our reach.
Nonetheless, waiting for a call is not as stressful and anxious when we have our phones with us.
But waiting for someone important to appear can be quite wearisome.
Especially if it is that kind of person that Jesus was talking about in the gospel.
Jesus told a parable about being dressed for action, and having our lamps lit and to be like servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks.
The trouble here is that the servants do not know when the master is going to appear, and he can come at any time, and so they have to be ready and alert at all times.
There is no way of calling the master to ask what time he would be arriving.
There is also no way of checking the Internet for the estimated time of arrival.
There was nothing for them to rely on, nothing for them to check with.
All the servants need to do is to be dressed and ready, have their lamps lit and wait for the master to come and knock.
Surely, that is wearisome and tiresome. Furthermore there is no knowledge and clarity about the whole situation.
And that is what happens in life most of the time – we are blur and we are not clear about where life is going and what God is saying to us.
And we envy those who seem to have so much clarity about life and what God wants them to do.
People like Mother Teresa seemed to be clear about life and what God wants her to do.
She founded the Missionaries of Charity which numbered about 4000, in addition to thousands of lay volunteers.
The MC sisters also have 610 foundations in 123 countries on all seven continents. That indeed is very impressive.
One young man came to Mother Teresa and asked her to pray for him.
She asked: What do you want me to pray for?
The young man replied: Pray that I have clarity, just like you have clarity.
Mother Teresa replied: No. Clarity is what you desire but it is what you have to let go of.
The young man said: But you seem to have the clarity that I long for.
Mother Teresa laughed and said: I never had clarity. What I have is trust in God. So I pray that you will have trust in God.
Well, we can be sure that Mother Teresa who is sitting at God’s banquet in heaven is praying for us to have trust in God.
We often complain that we call upon God and get no answer. God don’t seem to answer our “phone calls”.
So we get disappointed and frustrated and we say that God doesn’t speak to us and we don’t know what to do. We are blur and we are not clear.
But the fact is that God speaks to us all the time! Just that we may have missed His “calls”.
Because God calls us at the unexpected time, at an inconvenient time, a time when we are too busy with ourselves, a time when we would rather reject the call.
Just like how we would reject calls from our parents, or from our spouse, our boss, our colleagues, or someone whom we consider a nuisance or troublesome.
Those calls usually come at an unexpected time and at an inconvenient time, but yet those are precisely the calls from God.
But if we are faithful and trusting servants, any time is a good time. For an unfaithful servant, anytime is a bad time.
But if we truly trust God, whenever He calls, it is a good time. Because with God, anytime is a good time.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
18th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 04.08.2013
Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21-23/ Colossians 3: 1-5, 9-11/ Luke 12:13-21
There are many lessons in life that we keep learning over and over again.
One lesson that life always teaches us is that we won’t appreciate something until we lose it.
So it may be something precious, or it may be a pet, or it may be someone dear to us.
The sudden loss will embark us on an immediate and frantic search.
And depending on how precious it is to us, our hearts and minds may not be at rest until we find it.
But there are some things that are lost gradually and over a long period of time.
So much so that we don’t really notice it or miss it too much (until it is too late!)
Well, one thing that I can think of, and it affects men as well as women, is hair loss.
Oh yes, that crowning glory on our heads that we spend time in front of the mirror, combing, brushing, styling and even colouring (dyeing).
What started off as a full head of hair slowly thins along the years, and especially for men, there is the balding, or receding hair-line.
Well, everything happens for a reason, but if we can’t understand it then at least, we can try to laugh at it.
A joke has it that a little boy was having his breakfast and then he asked his mother, “Mummy, Mummy, why does Daddy has so few hairs on his head?”
His mother replied, “Because he thinks a lot.” And she was quite pleased with herself for coming up with such a quick answer.
Or so she thought, until the boy asked, “So Mummy, why do you have so much hair?”
But whether there is plenty hair or no hair, the 1st reading would call it as vanity.
But whether it is about hair or look, it is just one of the vanities. There is also this vanity of vanities.
In the gospel, Jesus would put a name to this vanity of vanities. He calls it “avarice” which is the extreme greed for wealth and material gains.
It all began when Jesus refused a request from a man to be a judge or arbitrator over the sharing of inheritance with his brother.
Jesus then took the opportunity to expose the cause of this fight over the sharing of inheritance.
In fact, it is not just about the fight over inheritance, it is about the desire and craving for material gains, whether rightfully or otherwise.
Jesus then told a parable that will certainly make us think and even lose some hairs.
But what is hair-raising is when God appears in the parable and says to the rich man: Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul, and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?
If someone were to call us a fool, it is a great insult. But if God were to call us a fool, then it would be the greatest tragedy.
And Jesus would tell us what a fool is – a fool is someone who stores up treasures for himself in place of making himself rich in the presence of God.
We must remember that riches and earthly treasures do not equate to greatness, although the world connects them together.
We have heard of Alexander the Great. Legend has it that after conquering many kingdoms, he was returning home but he fell seriously ill and he came to the point of death.
With death staring at him in the face, Alexander realized that his conquests, his great army, his sharp sword and all his wealth were of no consequence.
Knowing that his end is near, he called his generals and said, “I will depart from this world soon, but I have three wishes and they must be carried out without fail.”
“Firstly, my physicians alone must carry my coffin. Secondly, when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the grave will be strewn with all the gold and silver and precious stones that I have collected.”
“Finally, my last wish is that both my hands be kept dangling out of my coffin.”
His generals assured him that his three wishes would be fulfilled, but they would like to know why those three strange wishes, and so he explained.
“I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that no doctor can cure every illness. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the clutches of death. So let people not take life for granted.
As for strewing the gold and silver and other riches along the way to the grave, that is to tell people that not even a fraction of gold will come with me. I spent all my life gaining riches but cannot take anything with me. Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth.
And about my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I want people to know that I came empty handed into this world and empty handed I will go out of this world.”
And with those final words, Alexander the Great closed his eyes and breathed his last.
So from Alexander the Great, we learn those lessons about life.
We learn that life and health are gifts from God. We must take care of it and yet we must realize that we cannot live forever nor be healthy always. We are only human, frail and weak.
We also learn that riches and wealth are only meaningful when they are shared with others. Riches and wealth are not only for “me”, they are for “we”.
And finally, what you do for yourself dies with you, but what you do for others, lives on and makes you rich in the sight of God.
Yes, these are the lessons about life. Let us learn these lessons from life, rather than be taught a lesson by death.
The difference between life and death is like a hair-line difference, but it is a difference between now and forever.
So let us learn the lesson of life from the parable of Jesus, so that we know how to live now, as well as forever.
There are many lessons in life that we keep learning over and over again.
One lesson that life always teaches us is that we won’t appreciate something until we lose it.
So it may be something precious, or it may be a pet, or it may be someone dear to us.
The sudden loss will embark us on an immediate and frantic search.
And depending on how precious it is to us, our hearts and minds may not be at rest until we find it.
But there are some things that are lost gradually and over a long period of time.
So much so that we don’t really notice it or miss it too much (until it is too late!)
Well, one thing that I can think of, and it affects men as well as women, is hair loss.
Oh yes, that crowning glory on our heads that we spend time in front of the mirror, combing, brushing, styling and even colouring (dyeing).
What started off as a full head of hair slowly thins along the years, and especially for men, there is the balding, or receding hair-line.
Well, everything happens for a reason, but if we can’t understand it then at least, we can try to laugh at it.
A joke has it that a little boy was having his breakfast and then he asked his mother, “Mummy, Mummy, why does Daddy has so few hairs on his head?”
His mother replied, “Because he thinks a lot.” And she was quite pleased with herself for coming up with such a quick answer.
Or so she thought, until the boy asked, “So Mummy, why do you have so much hair?”
But whether there is plenty hair or no hair, the 1st reading would call it as vanity.
But whether it is about hair or look, it is just one of the vanities. There is also this vanity of vanities.
In the gospel, Jesus would put a name to this vanity of vanities. He calls it “avarice” which is the extreme greed for wealth and material gains.
It all began when Jesus refused a request from a man to be a judge or arbitrator over the sharing of inheritance with his brother.
Jesus then took the opportunity to expose the cause of this fight over the sharing of inheritance.
In fact, it is not just about the fight over inheritance, it is about the desire and craving for material gains, whether rightfully or otherwise.
Jesus then told a parable that will certainly make us think and even lose some hairs.
But what is hair-raising is when God appears in the parable and says to the rich man: Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul, and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?
If someone were to call us a fool, it is a great insult. But if God were to call us a fool, then it would be the greatest tragedy.
And Jesus would tell us what a fool is – a fool is someone who stores up treasures for himself in place of making himself rich in the presence of God.
We must remember that riches and earthly treasures do not equate to greatness, although the world connects them together.
We have heard of Alexander the Great. Legend has it that after conquering many kingdoms, he was returning home but he fell seriously ill and he came to the point of death.
With death staring at him in the face, Alexander realized that his conquests, his great army, his sharp sword and all his wealth were of no consequence.
Knowing that his end is near, he called his generals and said, “I will depart from this world soon, but I have three wishes and they must be carried out without fail.”
“Firstly, my physicians alone must carry my coffin. Secondly, when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the grave will be strewn with all the gold and silver and precious stones that I have collected.”
“Finally, my last wish is that both my hands be kept dangling out of my coffin.”
His generals assured him that his three wishes would be fulfilled, but they would like to know why those three strange wishes, and so he explained.
“I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that no doctor can cure every illness. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the clutches of death. So let people not take life for granted.
As for strewing the gold and silver and other riches along the way to the grave, that is to tell people that not even a fraction of gold will come with me. I spent all my life gaining riches but cannot take anything with me. Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth.
And about my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I want people to know that I came empty handed into this world and empty handed I will go out of this world.”
And with those final words, Alexander the Great closed his eyes and breathed his last.
So from Alexander the Great, we learn those lessons about life.
We learn that life and health are gifts from God. We must take care of it and yet we must realize that we cannot live forever nor be healthy always. We are only human, frail and weak.
We also learn that riches and wealth are only meaningful when they are shared with others. Riches and wealth are not only for “me”, they are for “we”.
And finally, what you do for yourself dies with you, but what you do for others, lives on and makes you rich in the sight of God.
Yes, these are the lessons about life. Let us learn these lessons from life, rather than be taught a lesson by death.
The difference between life and death is like a hair-line difference, but it is a difference between now and forever.
So let us learn the lesson of life from the parable of Jesus, so that we know how to live now, as well as forever.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
17th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 28.07.2013
Genesis 18:20-32/ Colossians 2:12-14/ Luke 11:1-13
It is certainly more convenient to watch a movie at home than at the cinema.
With TV screens that are 40” and more, and with Blue Ray format and with home theatre systems, we may not feel the need to go to the cinemas.
Even with a laptop, we won’t miss much when watching a movie like “Despicable Me 2”.
We don’t need to see those cute yellow minions on a big screen.
They are so cute and small they will fit into any screen size.
And we don’t need great sound effects to listen to their minion language to try to understand it.
Because it may be obvious enough. Especially when one of the minions has alarm lights on its head, and goes around with "Bee Doo…Bee Doo…" (Either it’s a fire engine or an ambulance).
But some movies have to be seen on the big screen – in fact, the bigger the better.
One movie that I can think of is “Pacific Rim”, a science fiction movie in which action movie stars manned giant robots that fight against gigantic alien monsters.
If you watch that movie on a laptop, then it’s going to be a waste, because you won’t be able to see clearly who’s who when the monsters and the robots clash.
And of course, the sound is much more explosive and pounding when you watch it in a cinema.
Yes, size does matter, and when we watch a movie in the cinema, we will get big picture and big sound.
Yes, we will watch the movie in “big size”.
Yet, a number of us will say that we have not gone to the cinemas to watch a movie for quite some time already.
The reasons are that we are busy, we don’t have the time, the movie tickets are expensive, it is also inconvenient, because at the climax of the movie, we will also feel the urge to go to the toilet (and miss the best part!).
So, we settle for home theatre systems and we are contented with a “down-sized” movie.
Somehow, our movie watching experience may be similar to our prayer experience.
We downsize our prayers when we are praying to God, the Almighty.
In the gospel, Jesus gave a teaching on prayer, and He also pointed out something about our prayer.
Jesus taught us a prayer – the “Our Father”, or the Lord’s Prayer.
He also told us to pray with persistence. In other words, we must be thick-skinned, we must not be ashamed to pray, to ask, to knock on heaven’s door.
We must not be shy or even ashamed to pray for small things, because we must believe that prayer changes things, even small things.
We may remember what Jesus said about small things. He said that if we can be faithful in small things, then we will be faithful in big things.
So, it also means that when we offer small things to God in prayer, then there is nothing too big that God will not answer.
Praying for a parking lot might seem like a small thing.
Once I went with a friend to the hospital to anoint his father who was critically ill.
When we reached the hospital car park it was full and it seemed like it was going to be a long wait for a parking lot.
Then my friend suggested that we pray the prayer for a parking space. He said that it was his father who taught him the prayer and it always worked.
So, I asked him what was that prayer and he said this: Hail Mary, full of grace, help me find a parking space.
I squirmed a bit when I heard that prayer, so I told him that he can say that prayer if he wants.
But he retorted that since I am the priest I should be the one saying the prayer!
Since I didn’t intend to sit in the car and waste time, I sheepishly and quite unwillingly said the prayer – Hail Mary, full of grace, help us find a parking space.
And then, almost immediately, a man came into the carpark, went into a car in front of us and drove out of the lot. And my friend rubbed it in by saying: See, it always works! Especially, when a priest says it.
Yes, we must not be shy. We must not hesitate, we must not be ashamed to offer up all things to God in prayer, yes, all things big and small.
But maybe that is where the crisis is. We may have neglected small things as well as big things and we choose to turn to our own reserves which inevitably will fail us.
Like the minion in the movie wearing the alarm lights and going “Bee Doo… Bee Doo…” our prayer life may be in crisis.
We may think that our prayer is some kind of minion language that God does not bother to reply.
But let us also remember that out of the mouths of children and babes (Psalm 8), out of simple and humble prayers, God will give us strength to foil our enemies and the monster problems that we face in life.
In all things, big or small, we must pray, for prayer changes things.
I want to share with you a poem about prayer and it’s called “The Difference”.
It is certainly more convenient to watch a movie at home than at the cinema.
With TV screens that are 40” and more, and with Blue Ray format and with home theatre systems, we may not feel the need to go to the cinemas.
Even with a laptop, we won’t miss much when watching a movie like “Despicable Me 2”.
We don’t need to see those cute yellow minions on a big screen.
They are so cute and small they will fit into any screen size.
And we don’t need great sound effects to listen to their minion language to try to understand it.
Because it may be obvious enough. Especially when one of the minions has alarm lights on its head, and goes around with "Bee Doo…Bee Doo…" (Either it’s a fire engine or an ambulance).
But some movies have to be seen on the big screen – in fact, the bigger the better.
One movie that I can think of is “Pacific Rim”, a science fiction movie in which action movie stars manned giant robots that fight against gigantic alien monsters.
If you watch that movie on a laptop, then it’s going to be a waste, because you won’t be able to see clearly who’s who when the monsters and the robots clash.
And of course, the sound is much more explosive and pounding when you watch it in a cinema.
Yes, size does matter, and when we watch a movie in the cinema, we will get big picture and big sound.
Yes, we will watch the movie in “big size”.
Yet, a number of us will say that we have not gone to the cinemas to watch a movie for quite some time already.
The reasons are that we are busy, we don’t have the time, the movie tickets are expensive, it is also inconvenient, because at the climax of the movie, we will also feel the urge to go to the toilet (and miss the best part!).
So, we settle for home theatre systems and we are contented with a “down-sized” movie.
Somehow, our movie watching experience may be similar to our prayer experience.
We downsize our prayers when we are praying to God, the Almighty.
In the gospel, Jesus gave a teaching on prayer, and He also pointed out something about our prayer.
Jesus taught us a prayer – the “Our Father”, or the Lord’s Prayer.
He also told us to pray with persistence. In other words, we must be thick-skinned, we must not be ashamed to pray, to ask, to knock on heaven’s door.
We must not be shy or even ashamed to pray for small things, because we must believe that prayer changes things, even small things.
We may remember what Jesus said about small things. He said that if we can be faithful in small things, then we will be faithful in big things.
So, it also means that when we offer small things to God in prayer, then there is nothing too big that God will not answer.
Praying for a parking lot might seem like a small thing.
Once I went with a friend to the hospital to anoint his father who was critically ill.
When we reached the hospital car park it was full and it seemed like it was going to be a long wait for a parking lot.
Then my friend suggested that we pray the prayer for a parking space. He said that it was his father who taught him the prayer and it always worked.
So, I asked him what was that prayer and he said this: Hail Mary, full of grace, help me find a parking space.
I squirmed a bit when I heard that prayer, so I told him that he can say that prayer if he wants.
But he retorted that since I am the priest I should be the one saying the prayer!
Since I didn’t intend to sit in the car and waste time, I sheepishly and quite unwillingly said the prayer – Hail Mary, full of grace, help us find a parking space.
And then, almost immediately, a man came into the carpark, went into a car in front of us and drove out of the lot. And my friend rubbed it in by saying: See, it always works! Especially, when a priest says it.
Yes, we must not be shy. We must not hesitate, we must not be ashamed to offer up all things to God in prayer, yes, all things big and small.
But maybe that is where the crisis is. We may have neglected small things as well as big things and we choose to turn to our own reserves which inevitably will fail us.
Like the minion in the movie wearing the alarm lights and going “Bee Doo… Bee Doo…” our prayer life may be in crisis.
We may think that our prayer is some kind of minion language that God does not bother to reply.
But let us also remember that out of the mouths of children and babes (Psalm 8), out of simple and humble prayers, God will give us strength to foil our enemies and the monster problems that we face in life.
In all things, big or small, we must pray, for prayer changes things.
I want to share with you a poem about prayer and it’s called “The Difference”.
The Difference
I got up early one morning
And rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I didn't take time to pray.
Problems just tumbled around me,
And heavier came each task;
"Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered.
He answered, "You didn't ask."
I wanted to see joy and beauty-
But the day toiled on, grey and bleak;
I wondered why God didn't show me,
He said, "But you didn't seek."
I tried to come into God's presence,
I used all my keys at the lock;
God gently and lovingly chided:
"My child, you didn't knock."
I woke up early this morning
And paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I had to take time to pray.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
16th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 21.07.2013
Genesis 18:1-10/ Colossians 1:24-28/ Luke 10:38-42
Generally speaking, there are two types of personalities: the extrovert and the introvert.
But this is just a broad generalization. Between the extrovert and the introvert, there is also a mixture of both types of characters.
And people may not really be what they seem to be.
For example, those who sit at the front seats may not be extroverts who like to be seen sitting there.
Just that probably they were ushered to the front. And if they happen to be an introvert, then it is going to be awkwardly shy for them to sit there and to be seen there.
And those who are at the back may not necessarily be introverts. They may be extroverts who like to see everything (not a bird’s eye view but a back-eye view)
And in a social gathering or meeting, there are those back-benchers who will voice their views aloud so that everyone can hear them and that everyone will have to turn their heads and look at them when they speak.
That may not always be the case but introverts and extroverts have certain obvious traits that characterizes them as such.
One of which is that extroverts are expressive, like to talk and make their presence felt. The introverts would be quietly at the corner and hoping that they won’t be noticed.
But the extroverts and introverts and all those in between make life interesting and there is a lot that we can learn from extroverts as well as from introverts.
We can assume that Jesus Himself showed traits of an extrovert. He preaches, He teaches, He heals, He eats with sinners and tax collectors.
He is always with people. And that is what He came for – to be with people and to show them the face of God as well as to show them how much God loves them.
As much as Jesus can be called an extrovert, He was also very sensitive to the needs of the painfully shy introverts.
From the gospels, we know that Jesus reached out to those who spent their lives in dark corners and the back lanes of society.
During his time on earth, He reached out to sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, the despised and the discarded – He reached out to them all to show that God cares about them, and loves them.
Today’s gospel may not be talking about introverts and extroverts, but there is so much we can learn from Jesus about being caring and loving.
As we have heard in the gospel, Jesus was invited to the home of Martha and Mary.
And then we heard about Martha getting distracted with all the serving and then she complained to Jesus in these words: Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.
There is no need for us to analyze, but it is obvious that Martha is the extrovert type – she is expressive and impulsive, and even explosive.
And Jesus had to gently point out to her that she worry and fret over so many things, and yet few are needed; indeed only one.
And then comes the shocker when Jesus said: It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.
And just what is this “better part”. Martha would really want to know. Not just Martha, we too want to know.
And through all this exchange of words between Martha and Jesus, Mary was silent; there was not a word from her.
In fact, from the gospel accounts, Mary of Bethany didn’t seem to have much to say.
For example, in the gospel of John, about the account of the death of Lazarus, Martha went out to meet Jesus and said to Him: If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now, God will give you whatever you ask.
And that was Martha – bold and expressive and always have words ready on her lips, and strong words even.
Then Mary came along later, and when she saw Jesus, she fell at His feet and wept, and having no words of her own, she could only repeat what Martha said: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
And when Jesus saw her weeping, He was deeply moved and He even wept.
So, Mary didn’t say anything more than Martha, and didn’t have anything new to say.
But her tears said it all, and that moved Jesus to tears.
In a later episode, a dinner was given in honour of Jesus and Martha was serving and Lazarus was at table with Jesus.
Then Mary came in, and without a word, she poured expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus and wiped them with her hair.
When Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, criticized her action, it was Jesus who replied: Leave her alone. It was intended that she use this perfume for the day of my burial.
Well, it was that Mary, the one who does not say much, who somehow sensed the impending death of Jesus and she did what she could for him.
Indeed, Jesus was right. Mary had chosen the better part, because she could see what the better part was.
We may call Mary an introvert. She may not have many words, but she feels deeply for Jesus. She feels the heart of Jesus.
She sits at His feet; she weeps at His feet; she anoints His feet.
Extroverts may be at the head and shoulders and the introverts may be at where the lowly feet are.
But let us remember that Jesus is always with the lowly and the humble, and may I also say, that He is with the quiet and the introverted.
And as much as we may assume that Jesus is an extrovert, He may also be an introvert, in that He would often go off to a lonely place and sit at the feet of His Father in prayer to feel the love of His Father.
So let us also choose the better part. Let us sit at the feet of Jesus in prayer.
And when words are lacking, let there be love.
As long as we love with the heart of Jesus, we will not need too many words.
Generally speaking, there are two types of personalities: the extrovert and the introvert.
But this is just a broad generalization. Between the extrovert and the introvert, there is also a mixture of both types of characters.
And people may not really be what they seem to be.
For example, those who sit at the front seats may not be extroverts who like to be seen sitting there.
Just that probably they were ushered to the front. And if they happen to be an introvert, then it is going to be awkwardly shy for them to sit there and to be seen there.
And those who are at the back may not necessarily be introverts. They may be extroverts who like to see everything (not a bird’s eye view but a back-eye view)
And in a social gathering or meeting, there are those back-benchers who will voice their views aloud so that everyone can hear them and that everyone will have to turn their heads and look at them when they speak.
That may not always be the case but introverts and extroverts have certain obvious traits that characterizes them as such.
One of which is that extroverts are expressive, like to talk and make their presence felt. The introverts would be quietly at the corner and hoping that they won’t be noticed.
But the extroverts and introverts and all those in between make life interesting and there is a lot that we can learn from extroverts as well as from introverts.
We can assume that Jesus Himself showed traits of an extrovert. He preaches, He teaches, He heals, He eats with sinners and tax collectors.
He is always with people. And that is what He came for – to be with people and to show them the face of God as well as to show them how much God loves them.
As much as Jesus can be called an extrovert, He was also very sensitive to the needs of the painfully shy introverts.
From the gospels, we know that Jesus reached out to those who spent their lives in dark corners and the back lanes of society.
During his time on earth, He reached out to sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, the despised and the discarded – He reached out to them all to show that God cares about them, and loves them.
Today’s gospel may not be talking about introverts and extroverts, but there is so much we can learn from Jesus about being caring and loving.
As we have heard in the gospel, Jesus was invited to the home of Martha and Mary.
And then we heard about Martha getting distracted with all the serving and then she complained to Jesus in these words: Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.
There is no need for us to analyze, but it is obvious that Martha is the extrovert type – she is expressive and impulsive, and even explosive.
And Jesus had to gently point out to her that she worry and fret over so many things, and yet few are needed; indeed only one.
And then comes the shocker when Jesus said: It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.
And just what is this “better part”. Martha would really want to know. Not just Martha, we too want to know.
And through all this exchange of words between Martha and Jesus, Mary was silent; there was not a word from her.
In fact, from the gospel accounts, Mary of Bethany didn’t seem to have much to say.
For example, in the gospel of John, about the account of the death of Lazarus, Martha went out to meet Jesus and said to Him: If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now, God will give you whatever you ask.
And that was Martha – bold and expressive and always have words ready on her lips, and strong words even.
Then Mary came along later, and when she saw Jesus, she fell at His feet and wept, and having no words of her own, she could only repeat what Martha said: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
And when Jesus saw her weeping, He was deeply moved and He even wept.
So, Mary didn’t say anything more than Martha, and didn’t have anything new to say.
But her tears said it all, and that moved Jesus to tears.
In a later episode, a dinner was given in honour of Jesus and Martha was serving and Lazarus was at table with Jesus.
Then Mary came in, and without a word, she poured expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus and wiped them with her hair.
When Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, criticized her action, it was Jesus who replied: Leave her alone. It was intended that she use this perfume for the day of my burial.
Well, it was that Mary, the one who does not say much, who somehow sensed the impending death of Jesus and she did what she could for him.
Indeed, Jesus was right. Mary had chosen the better part, because she could see what the better part was.
We may call Mary an introvert. She may not have many words, but she feels deeply for Jesus. She feels the heart of Jesus.
She sits at His feet; she weeps at His feet; she anoints His feet.
Extroverts may be at the head and shoulders and the introverts may be at where the lowly feet are.
But let us remember that Jesus is always with the lowly and the humble, and may I also say, that He is with the quiet and the introverted.
And as much as we may assume that Jesus is an extrovert, He may also be an introvert, in that He would often go off to a lonely place and sit at the feet of His Father in prayer to feel the love of His Father.
So let us also choose the better part. Let us sit at the feet of Jesus in prayer.
And when words are lacking, let there be love.
As long as we love with the heart of Jesus, we will not need too many words.
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