4th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 03.02.2019

Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19 / 1 Cor 12:31 – 13:13 / Luke 4:21-30
The Lunar New Year is just around the corner, with the usual festive frenzy, and with people busy with cleaning, cooking and shopping.

And with two public holidays to celebrate the Lunar New Year, there will be plenty of eating, as we go around visiting our relatives and friends.

But not everyone will be looking forward to it, because there will be the usual yearly questioning from those people whom we usually meet only once a year (usually it’s the aunties).

So for those who are thinking how to answer those questions, here are some snappy and not-so-polite answers to those irritating and not-so-polite questions.

When they ask: Why so old still collecting ang bao?
You can say: Why until now you still giving only $2 angbao?

When they ask: Why no girlfriend/boyfriend?
You can say: They heard about you and they ran away.

When they ask: When are you getting married?
You can say: Married already, didn’t invite you.

So, there it is, not-so-polite answers to those irritating and not-so-polite questions. But then it might end up as a not-so-happy Lunar New Year. So, better be polite to those who are not-so-polite.

But Lunar New Year or otherwise, we will always have to face those difficult questions that have no easy answers.

Those questions will irritate us, and it will be rather challenging not to be irritating in return. It would be even more challenging to answer it with truth and with love.

No doubt the truth will set us free but the truth can also make some people unhappy and even angry.

We heard in today’s gospel passage that Jesus preached in the synagogue and He won the approval of all and they were astounded by the gracious words that came from His lips.

So all was well until they started asking questions like “This is Joseph’s son, surely?” It was a rather intrusive question. They were not questioning about what He said. They were questioning about who He is and His family background.

Jesus replied by saying that they missed the point. They were not focused on the message but they were investigating the messenger. So it was not so much about what was said but who said it. So Jesus had to tell them that they missed the point.

And Jesus had to remind them that in the past their ancestors had also missed the point of God’s message.

And so the prophets who were sent to them, were sent to outsiders, the non-Jews, to proclaim the message of God and that the blessings and miracles were worked for outsiders and not for the people of God.

Obviously, they were not happy to hear that. They were not happy and they were so angry that they hustled Jesus out of town and to the brow of the hill and to throw Him from the cliff. In other words, they wanted to kill Jesus.

Nothing new actually. When people miss the point of the message, they turn on the messengers, the prophets and persecuted and killed them. 

But of course, we are not so violent as to want to kill people for answering us impolitely or rudely. But of course we will get angry with them for doing that. And we may also get irritated when we are told truth about ourselves. 
But we can spare ourselves of the cutting truth when we think a bit before we ask our questions. Because very often, those questions that we want to ask reveal very much about ourselves, our motives, our insecurities.

Just like in the gospel, when the people asked the question: This is Joseph’s son, surely?

Besides revealing that they missed the point of the message of Jesus, their question revealed their prejudice and biasness. Jesus is the son of Joseph the carpenter. Carpenters don’t preach and they cannot do so.

Or that occasion when Peter asked Jesus how many times must he forgive someone. Was 7 times enough? Peter thought that 7 times was already too much. And then Jesus had to tell him that it is not 7 times but 70 x 7 times. Poor Peter, just when he thought he was going to score high with Jesus, he got it really low.

So before we ask questions, let us think about what is the question that we are asking. Think as in: 

T for truth. Is it as truthful question, or is it there an ulterior motive behind it?

H for helpful. Is it helpful to both parties to come to an understanding?

I for important. Is that question important for clarification? Or is it going to cause confusion?

N for necessary. Is it necessary to ask that question there and then, especially when there are others around.

K for kind. Is that question asked out of a genuine kindness and concern for that person?

So think before we ask those questions and we won’t get scorching answers in return.

Think and may the Lord bless us with a joyful and peaceful Lunar New Year.

3rd Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 27.01.2019

Nehemiah 8:2-6, 8-10 / 1 Cor 12:12-30 / Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21
There are some words which have more than one meaning, and they are called homonyms. Some examples are:
- Point: The pencil has a sharp point. / It is not polite to point at people.
- Right: You were right. / Make a right turn

And then there are some words which may have a clear meaning but we respond and react to it differently.

For example, the word “tomorrow”. It may give us a kind of hope and something to look forward to, eg. Tomorrow we can try again / Tomorrow the parcel will arrive / Tomorrow it will be completed. 

So the word “tomorrow” gives a sense of continuation, as well as, a sense of progress and growth and expectation.

But tomorrow can also generate an attitude of complacency and a lack of urgency.

We may put off to tomorrow what we can or must do today. Since we think there is a tomorrow, then we will think that we still have plenty of time. We daydream about tomorrow and we forget about reality of today.

So we begin to procrastinate and we push to tomorrow what we can really do today. So we procrastinate and we get lazy, and we become careless, and things begin to pile up from yesterday and the day before, and it gets more and more.

Even when it comes to paying a debt, some people can say “Tomorrow I’ll pay”.  But for them, there is always another tomorrow. Meanwhile today we see in their Facebook, photos of them having fine dining or having a holiday in some exotic place.

So for some people, tomorrow is another word for procrastination. Tomorrow is another word for wait. Tomorrow is just another word for “no time”, “no hurry”, “no urgency”. 

But for St. Luke, the author of today’s gospel passage, that was not his attitude. As much as many others have undertaken to draw up the accounts of Jesus, he decided to write an ordered account for Theophilus.

But he didn’t wait for that perfect time, that perfect environment, that perfect setting to do it. He listened to the promptings of the Spirit and then he got down to doing it.

As it is said: When you pray, God listens. When you listen, God speaks. When you act, God works.

St. Luke acted on the promptings of the Spirit and with power of the Spirit, we have the gospel according to St. Luke, to give us an understanding of the life and mission of Jesus.

But St. Luke got his inspiration from none other than Jesus. He wrote that Jesus, with the power of the Spirit in Him, began preaching and teaching and His reputation grew.

He then came to Nazara, His hometown, and at the synagogue, He read that passage from the prophet Isaiah, that the Spirit had anointed Him to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, and to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.

And then finally Jesus stated the purpose of His mission and the urgency when He said this text is being fulfilled today even as they listened.

So it is clear that for Jesus, the healing and the salvation of souls is not for tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. It is for today and here and now.

And even as we listen to what Jesus is saying the Spirit is already anointing us and prompting us.
Because we know of someone who is in need of Jesus and yet are we procrastinating, are we dilly-dallying, are we dreaming about it and not acting on it? But today is the day and the time is now!

Or for that matter, maybe it is we ourselves who need Jesus. We may be saying: Tomorrow then I start praying / Tomorrow then I stop watching porn / Next month then I go for Confession.

The bigger the spiritual problem, the longer we wait, the longer we procrastinate, the longer we delay, then the deeper and bigger the problem will be.

We always assume that there will be a tomorrow but we forget that God did not promise us tomorrow.
What we have is today and the Spirit is prompting us to bring Jesus to those in need of Him.
• To our aged parents who are waiting for a visit from us.
• To our children who are waiting for us to teach them how to pray.
• To that lapsed Catholic who is waiting for someone to bring him/her back to Church.
• To that person who is having an immoral life and waiting to be shown the way of truth with love.

So there are these people who are waiting to hear the good news and waiting to experience peace and joy in their lives. 

For ourselves, and for them, tomorrow might be too late. Salvation is urgent and there cannot be any procrastination. 

The Spirit is prompting, so let us listen and let us get going – not tomorrow, not the day after, but today.

2nd Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 20.01.2019

Isaiah 62:1-5 / 1 Cor 12:4-11 / John 2:1-12

There is this interesting and amusing thing that is trending on social media. It goes by the heading #10yearschallenge.

Essentially, it has two photos of the same subject, but the time gap between the two photos is 10 years apart, meaning to say that one photo was taken recently while the other was taken about 10 years ago.

With the two photos placed side by side, we will immediately notice the interesting and amusing change, especially when the subject is a person.

The background may be similar, the posture may be similar, but the difference is in the hairstyle (bushy hair vs receding hairline), the physique (skinny vs pot-belly).

What comes across obviously is change. For better or otherwise, the change is obvious as well as relentless. Almost everything will have to undergo some kind of change.

As much as change is relentless and unavoidable, the question is about the expectation of the change. For example, in a marriage, the wife might expect the husband to change from his bad old habits of smoking, drinking and gambling. But he does not and maybe even change for the worse. Or that the husband might expect the wife to remain pretty, shapely and docile. But whether she remains like that or not depends.

But whether with persons or with situations, change is inevitable. The question is about our expectations about what will happen with the change.

The gospel passage is about the event known as the Wedding at Cana, and among the guests were Mary, as well as Jesus and His disciples.

All was going well and expected to go on well when something happened – the wine ran out. Those four words “They have no wine” were certainly anxious words spoken by Mary to Jesus. 

At the happy wedding celebration, something changed, and that change brought about an anxiety and possible embarrassment for the wedding couple. It was certainly not a good way to start the first day of a marriage.

Other nasty things could also have happened, like finger-pointing, blame-pushing, voice-raising, but none of these would change the fact that there is no more wine.

So how? There were possible options but Mary chose the best option and that is to let Jesus know with those four words “They have no wine”.

The reply of Jesus was quite unexpected – “Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not come yet.” Jesus was almost saying that He can do nothing about it.

But the response of Mary is even more unexpected, as she tells the servants “Do whatever He tells you”. Just what was Mary expecting?

As it is, change is constant and inevitable, and change is either for the better or for the worse.

To say that things cannot change is like saying that things can only change for the worse.

To say that things can change and change for the better is to have hope. And that hope is in Jesus who changed water into wine at the wedding in Cana when they ran out of wine, although He had said that His hour has not come yet.

But what is it that made Jesus change His mind? So the miracle is not so much the water changing into wine but rather Jesus changing His mind. So what made Jesus change His mind?

One reason could be what Mary said to the servants – Do whatever He tells you. Jesus would have heard that and so maybe He reconsidered His earlier decision. 

The other reason could also be that the servants took the trouble to fill those six big stone jars with water. It was an ordinary and even mundane task but the servants did as He told them to.

And with that Jesus changed His mind and water changed into wine.

What we can learn from the wedding at Cana is that, like Mary, let us have faith and hope in Jesus that things can change and things will change even if we think that Jesus is saying “No” to our prayers. Well, at the wedding in Cana, Jesus showed that He can change His mind.

The other thing that we can learn is from the lowly servants. They did as they were told. In a way, we can say that they helped Jesus change His mind. If they didn’t fill up the water, there will be no wine.

And so we may have prayed and prayed and prayed, but we have no answer. But we must keep on praying. And have we tried all possible means?

How about writing in a petition? It is surprising that some people have desperate needs but did not think of writing a humble petition form to Jesus.

Well, let us keep praying and writing and things will change and change for the better. 

Jesus will not take 10 years to answer our prayers or take that long to change His mind.

He is just waiting for the jars to be filled with water and with our prayers.

Baptism of the Lord, Year C 13.01.2019

Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 / Acts 10:34-38 / Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
There are many important days in our lives, important days that we will always remember, and important days that we should not forget.

Certainly, we will remember our birthdays, the day that we came into this world. So whether we celebrate our birthday in a big way or just quietly, we will remember that day for as long as we can.

That’s why on the first weekend of every month, we have birthday blessings for those who are celebrating their birthdays in that month. We give thanks to God for the gift of life and we also invoke God’s blessings of love on those celebrating their birthdays.

The other important days that we should not forget are the spouse’s birthday, especially the wife’s birthday (otherwise it is going to be D-Day), or the wedding day and other significant days. 

But it is said that the two most important days in our life are the day that we are born and the day we find out why (Mark Twain).

It is interesting to say that the other most important day after our birthday is the day we find out why we were born.

And we can see why that day is important as we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord.

We celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas, which has a more festive feel to it, but nonetheless, a birthday celebration fitting of Jesus.

Today, as we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, it is more solemn and has a more spiritual feel to it.

After His Baptism, and when He was at prayer, the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him, and the voice of God proclaimed Jesus is. 

John the Baptist would describe the mission of Jesus as baptizing with the Holy Spirit and fire.

So it can be said that the two most important days in the life of Jesus is His birthday and the day of His baptism. Because the day of His baptism is the day of revelation.

In the 2nd reading, we heard that Jesus came to do good and save all who have fallen into the power of the devil.


And the 1st reading has this to say of Jesus: He does not break the crushed reed, nor snuff out the wavering flame.

Which brings us to this question. We can remember our birthdays, but do we know when is the day of our baptism?

If we don’t know, then it is good to find that out from our baptism certificate, and if we have misplaced that baptism certificate, it would be good to get a copy of it.

Actually, it is called a “Baptism Extract” and that would be needed for marriage, for priesthood, for entry into religious life, for school registration and catechism class registration. Oh, and also for booking of niche in the columbarium.

So it means that the day of our baptism is an important day, not just in the administrative sense, but also in the spiritual sense.

At our baptism, Jesus washes us clean from sin and saved us from the snares of the devil. That’s why it’s said the baptism is necessary for salvation - we are saved from evil and become united with Jesus. 

And with that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do good and to proclaim the Good News that Jesus is our Saviour.

So the good that we do is not just out of human compassion, but with the power of the Holy Spirit, what we do will lead others to Jesus and to salvation.

But a deeper question to ask ourselves is this: Is Jesus my Saviour? Do I know why I am born and what my baptism is all about?

More so if our life is like a crushed reed and a wavering flame, all the more we need Jesus to save us.

We just need to cry out like how Peter cried out when he was sinking in the water: Jesus, save me!

And Jesus will save us. He will not break the crushed reed nor snuff out the wavering flame.

And when we acknowledge Jesus as our Saviour then we will know what our baptism is all about.

Because we will be empowered by the fire of the Holy Spirit to go out and bring Jesus to those “crushed reeds” and “wavering flames”.

We don’t have to shout aloud or make our voices heard in the streets.

A simple and non-intrusive statement to those “crushed reeds” and “wavering flames” like “ I think Jesus can help you” would be enough for the Holy Spirit to bring them to Jesus.

When we begin to proclaim Jesus in word and in action, then we will know that the two most important days in our lives are the day that we are born and the day that we are baptized. 

Epiphany, Year C, 06.01.2019

Isaiah 60:1-6 / Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 / Matthew 2:1-12

We are already 6 days into the new year. And if we had made those New Year resolutions, then I hope that they are coming along well.

But what really is a New Year’s resolution?
Some say that it is a “To Do” list for the first week of January. After that we can forget about it.
Some say New Year’s resolutions are the same as last year’s because nothing will ever change.

I made a New Year’s resolution, and that is to simply remember to write 2019 instead of 2018 on the date. The success rate is so far 95%.

So actually, making resolutions, whether New Year or otherwise is a good thing, as long as we keep it simple and achievable, we will hit our targets.

But maybe the problem comes from the understanding of the word “resolution”. Its original meaning is “a breaking into parts” and “a process of reducing things into simpler forms”.

When we understand resolution as such, then we can see that we actually have the solution to our problem. But if the solution doesn’t seem to work, then we may need to “re-solution” – meaning that we need to relook at the solution and simplify it further.

But of course, it may not be as easy as it sounds. The question is how to simplify the solution further in order to make it work.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of the Epiphany. Epiphany means a revelation or a manifestation. It means that the newborn Saviour was revealed to the whole world through the wise men.

But it was not as simple as it sounds. The wise men saw the star and they knew it was a special star – it was the star of the infant king of the Jews.

So where is this infant King of the Jews? Well, just follow the star. The solution is as simple as that. But not really that easy!

Because obviously at times, they couldn’t see the star and that is why they ended up in Jerusalem because they supposed that the infant King would be born in a big city.

Well, at least the wise men were wise enough to ask for direction. Their question of where is the infant King of the Jews had its answer with the help of the star. Now they just need a bit of help from the Jewish scripture scholars.

The search of the wise men began with a question “where?” – the answer was to follow the star. But that answer also needed to be reduced to a simpler and relevant form – the prophesies of the Jewish scriptures.

In this whole Epiphany event, the wise men are the real heroes. Because without them, there will be no Epiphany. Without them, Jesus would not be revealed as Saviour of the whole world.

In the Nativity scene, the three of them look so royal, so finely dressed, so elegant and dignified, compared with Mary and Joseph and the shepherd, and not to mention the cow and the donkey.

But in reality, they would be worn out as well as stressed out. Having made the journey of a thousand miles over desert sands, they were foreigners in a foreign land, and they were taken advantage of by King Herod to be his agents and informants of the whereabouts of the Infant King of the Jews.

As we come to think of it, the wise men can be called our ancestors-in-faith. Because they, like us, were non-Jews, but they embarked on a search for the king who will give meaning to everything.

They had a resolution when they started off on their search, and that is to find this king.

This feast of the Epiphany celebrates who they have finally found and what was revealed through them. Indeed, the wise men are the essential characters in this feast of the Epiphany.

But the Epiphany continues, and like the wise men, we are now the essential characters in this on-going Epiphany.

But the question for us goes further back. Have we found Jesus? Or are we even searching for Him? Do we even believe that Jesus is the King who would give meaning to everything?

And even if we are searching and finding for this king, would we give up because of the obstacles and difficulties?

On this feast of the Epiphany, it would be a good faith practice to incense the home since one of the gifts offered to Jesus is frankincense.

Just as the scent of the incense permeates into all corners of the house, the scent of incense also permeates into the corners of our faith.

The scent of incense will also make us recall the journey and the quest of the wise men.

Their resolution was to follow the star and find the king. May we too, like them, find the king we are searching for. And then we will find meaning to everything.

Holy Family, Year C, 30.12.2018

By now we would have opened up all our Christmas presents and we will know from the presents we have received if we have been naughty or nice.

Of course we had been nice and I hope that we are happy with the presents we have received.

And by now we would have finished or are finishing the festive foods that were prepared for the Christmas season, foods like the stuffed turkey, honey baked ham, sausages, pudding and fruitcake.

And talking about the fruitcake, it can be used to describe the theme of the celebration for this weekend which is the feast of the Holy Family, and hence the reflection is on the family.

It is said that the fruitcake can be used to describe the family in that it is mostly sweet and fruity, but with some nuts, and some got more nuts that others.

Indeed, the family is like a fruitcake, there are some nuts in it, and some nuts are pretty hard. A bite on a hard nut and the pain gets to the brain.

But no matter how many nuts, or how many hard nuts, it is still a fruitcake and not a nut cake.
Today, as we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family, the Gospel passage tells us that even for the Holy Family, life is not always sweet and fruity.

The gospel recalls that occasion when Mary and Joseph brought the 12 year-old Jesus to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.

When they were on their way home after the feast, Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents’ knowledge.

And when they failed to find Him, they went back to Jerusalem looking for Him everywhere. And after three long anxious days, they finally found Him in the Temple.

They were overcome when they saw Him, and we can imagine what this “overcome” means. And in this “overcome” state, we can imagine how emotional Mary was when she said, “My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been looking for you.” (!!!)

The reply Jesus gave didn’t make any sense to Mary and Joseph, but it was like biting on a hard nut in a fruit cake. The exchange was tensed, and though nothing more was said, we could imagine how awkward the situation was.

So it was not all that sweet and fruity for the Holy Family. Mary was left wondering and pondering. Joseph might be thinking that it could be easier to build a house for God than to bring up the Son of God.

Yet, Mary and Joseph would have recalled and remembered the teachings from the 1st reading about the relationships between parents and children.

And the second reading also gives us practical advice on family life and relationship.

And with the feast of the Holy Family coming immediately after Christmas, we will realise that Jesus came to be among us so as to unite us to the family of God, with the Holy Family as the model.

But as we know, family life is challenging, whether as the family of God or in our own families.

And even though we want to be home for Christmas, things may not be always sweet and fruity.

There is this story over the recent holidays about a man who booked 6 flights just to spend Christmas with his flight attendant daughter.

The daughter had to work on the 24 and 25 December which means Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! So her father decided to spend Christmas with her in the sky. When it comes to love, the sky is the limit.

The story goes that when the flight attendant daughter found out that she had to work on Christmas, the family came out with a plan.

The mother stayed at home to take care of the pets while the father booked the 6 flights that his daughter would be working on.

So, at 30,000 feet up in the air, it was still Christmas with family. It was an amazing true Christmas story about a father and his daughter spending family time despite the obstacles and challenges.

Family life will always have its obstacles and challenges. No family is perfect just as there is not fruitcake without the nuts.

As much as when it comes to love, the sky is the limit, it was also out of love that Jesus came down to earth and was born into a family and to show us how to live as the family of God.

We turn to Jesus, Mary and Joseph as we ask for their prayers that our families will be blessed to live like the Holy Family.

4th Sunday of Advent, Year C. 23.12.2018

Micah 5:1-4 / Hebrews 10:5-10 / Luke 1:39-44
It is two more days to Christmas Day. The days that are counting down to Christmas Day can be called as days of expecting and wondering.

Christmas is a time for gifts and presents not only for Christians but also for those who take the opportunity to have a celebration.

Whether we have made known to others our wish list or not, we will still be expecting and wondering. Of course there is no need to wonder if we will get any Christmas presents. We will certainly get our Christmas presents, at least a set of handkerchiefs, or some pairs of socks.

But will we be expecting to get what we wish for? But expectation is the mother of disappointment.  So let’s try to look at the funny side of expectation and then we may not be so sad in disappointment.

A woman was wondering what her husband will give her as a Christmas present, so she decided to drop a hint. So she said to her husband, “Last night I had a dream that I was wearing a diamond necklace. I wonder what it means.”
Her husband replied, “You will know this evening.” In the evening, when he came back from work, he had a present in his hand and he gave it to his wife and told her to open it.

The wife was delighted and excitedly opened the present. It was a book, and the title is “How to Interpret Dreams.”

Some people say that in order to avoid disappointments, it is better not to have expectations. So no expectation is no disappointment.

But that’s not how we should look at it. Rather we should have some expectations and then prepare for excitement.

In the gospel, we heard of Mary visiting Elizabeth. But it was not just a courtesy visit. As we know, much has gone on before, and much will happen after that.

Both Mary and Elizabeth were persons of faith and like the rest of God’s people; they were waiting in expectation of the coming of the Messiah. But the situation was bleak and unfavourable. The land was occupied by another power and the people were under foreign rule. 

So as much as Mary and Elizabeth were waiting in expectation for the coming of the Messiah, they did not expect it to happen during their time. Neither would they expect that they would have an important part to play in it. 

Mary was betrothed to Joseph, and then the Annunciation happened and she accepted God’s will. Elizabeth was barren, and when Zechariah did his priestly duty at the Temple, he had a vision, and after that he went back home, and then Elizabeth conceived.  

So when Mary visited Elizabeth, it was a meeting of two expectant mothers, both did not expect themselves to conceive, both did not expect themselves to have important roles to play in the coming of the Messiah.

Both had their expectations, they had more than they expected, and along with was also a lot of excitement.

So in a way, it can be said that Mary and Elizabeth got their first Christmas presents. It was not what they expected, and it was also way beyond their expectations.

But their gifts were not just for themselves. Their gifts were gifts of life, gifts that must be used to prepare others to encounter and experience the Messiah.

So what are we expecting for our Christmas presents? To be on the safe side, it is better to have no expectations so that there will be no disappointments. Or we might want to be optimistic and have low expectations and high hopes.

But like Mary and Elizabeth who were expecting God to fulfill the promise of the Messiah, let us also expect Jesus to come into our lives with joyful hope.

Maybe we will get gifts that are ordinary, like handkerchiefs or socks. But let us look at the gifts and see what God wants of us.

Maybe the handkerchiefs are for us to wipe away the tears of grief and sadness from the eyes of those who weep.

Maybe the socks are meant for us to wear in our shoes so as to journey with others in their trials and difficulties.

Yes, God comes to us as gifts, whether expected or unexpected, and He will show us what He wants us to do with those gifts.

Mary and Elizabeth knew that their gifts are meant to fulfill the expectations of the coming of the Messiah. May we also use our gifts to lead others to Jesus.