8th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 02.03.2025

Ecclesiasticus 27:4-7 / 1 Cor 15:54-58 / Luke 6:39-45

We know this common saying: Do not judge a book by its cover. 

This is quite true because the cover of the book does not really say much about the contents of the book. 

Nonetheless, the cover of the book will still have some information like the title and who the author is. 

The title and the author might already give an idea or an indication about the contents of the book. 

Going by the title of a book, it is difficult to say what the book is about. 

But whatever the title of a book may be, the author will be the one who will give us the most information about the book. 

Because from the author, we will generally know the category of the book. 

So, from the author, we will generally know whether the book is about history, or fiction, or mystery, or self-help or self-improvement. 

And the author's background will also tell us about his character and his orientation. 

In a gospel, Jesus gave a teaching using a tree and its fruit as an example. 

A tree is not judged by its height and size, or by its branches and leaves. 

Rather, a tree is judged by its fruit. 

In fact, by its fruit, we will know the species of the tree. 

Using the tree and its fruit as an example, Jesus goes on to teach about how to tell the character of a person. 

Jesus says that no sound tree produces rotten fruit, nor would a rotten tree produce sound fruit. 

The point of the teaching is this: A good person draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart. 

A bad person draws what is bad from the store of badness in his heart. 

Jesus then made this statement that summed up His teaching: 

For a man's words flow out of what fillls his heart. 

That should certainly make us think about the words that come out of our mouths. 

As Jesus said, our words are a reflection and an indication of what fills our hearts. 

In a way we are like a book. A book cannot be judged by its cover, nor can a person be judged by his looks and appearance. 

But when a person speaks, his words will reveal his character. 

So too, our words will reveal to others our character and integrity. 

And our words will also reveal whether we listen to respond, or we listen to understand. 

Because, quite often, even before the other person has finished speaking, we are already forming words to respond, instead of listening to understand. 

So, speaking and listening are like the two covers of a book. 

Let us speak in a way that others would love to listen to us.

And let us listen in a way that others would love to speak to us. 

Then we would be like a good book that others would love to read. 

May we also be like a book that tells others of the love of God.

7th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 23.02.2025

 1 Sam 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23 / 1 Cor 15:45-49 / Luke 6:27-38

In the Bible, the book of Genesis described the story of creation. 

God created the world and everything in it in six days. With each day of creation, the world was getting more and more beautiful. 

Finally, on the 6th day, when God created man in His image, God saw that His creation was very good. 

Indeed, all creation is very good as it reflects the beauty and the goodness of God. 

But when man sinned against God, the image of man became disfigured and distorted. 

And man's relationship with God and the rest of creation also became disfigured and distorted. 

Though disfigured and distorted, mankind and creation still retained the beauty and the goodness of God. 

When we look at nature, it shows us what life is about and also who we are. 

For example, life is like a river that is long and winding. And so is life; life is also not a straight and clear journey. 

Another image from nature is this: The branch that bears the most fruit bows the lowest. That reminds us of the need for humility in our time of prosperity. 

So, nature and creation are reminders of who God is and who we are. 

In the emphasis of the care for creation and the environment, it is also a reminder to care for each other. 

It is a reminder of who we are and in whose image we are created. 

In the gospel, Jesus, who is the True image of God, teaches us how to recover the beauty and the goodness of our humanity. 

He teaches us the way of love, but it is the way of a hard and tough love. 

Jesus teaches us to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who treat us badly. 

That is a hard and a tough love. It goes against our disfigured and distorted tendencies. 

But that way of love brings about healing and restores us to the beautiful image of God. 

And nature also keeps showing us to go that way of love, if we want to be healed, if we want to be restored. 

In the Chinese zodiac, this year is the “year of the snake”. 

So let us see what the snake can show us. Imagine being bitten by a snake. Instead of focusing on healing from the bite, we go after the snake to find out why it bit us, and even to teach the snake a lesson so that it won't bite us again. 

That may sound rather silly, but that is also how we react to those whom we don't like, or those who don't like us. 

It is the way of confrontation and retaliation, but that is not the way of love, because there is no restoration, there is no reconciliation. 

In the 1st reading, we hear of that moment when David had the opportunity to retaliate and to eliminate king Saul who was persecuting him. 

But David held back and made this memorable statement: I will not raise my hand against the Lord's anointed. 

To raise the hand, in this sense, is to harm someone. 

Although David could retaliate and eliminate king Saul, he submitted to the authority of God, and respected those whom God has anointed and appointed. 

We may not resort to raising our hands in violence and to harm those who dislike us or persecute us. 

So, we will raise our voice in confrontation and retaliation. But it will be futile, fruitless and frustrating. 

Instead of raising our voice, let us raise our minds and our hearts to God, and speak words of love. 

Nature tells us that it is the rain that grows the flowers, not the thunder or the lightning. 

May the flowers of God's love bloom in our lives, and bring us healing and restoration to God's image of love.

6th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 16.02.25

  Jeremiah 17:5-8 / 1 Cor 15:12, 16-20 / Luke 6:17, 20-26

The festive celebrations have finally come to an end on the 15th day which was last Wednesday. 

With that, it means the popular “Lo Hei” will disappear from the menu. Anyway we also have had enough of it. 

The glaring red decorations are also taken down and those New Year songs are also taken off the air. 

So, it is back to life and back to reality. 

But what about those well wishes that we exchanged, like, “Gong Xi Fa Cai”. 

Will those well wishes turn into reality, or are they just festive formalities. 

Certainly, we wish that we will be happy in the year ahead. We also wish for the good things in life, like, health and wealth. 

So, we look forward for our wishes to come true, for others as well as for ourselves. 

And of course, we don't want anything bad or sad to happen. 

In the gospel passage, Jesus talked about happiness. But His teaching on happiness does not seem to go along with our understanding of happiness. 

In fact, the teaching of Jesus on happiness is like a contradiction for us. 

How can it be happy when we are hungry and sad. And why would it be bad or sad to be rich, or filled, or laughing. 

This gospel message is strange, and no wonder it wasn't used for the Chinese New Year Mass, even though it has the word happiness in it. 

So, what is the gospel truth here. Well, the gospel truth is this: That life is so ironic. 

It takes sadness to know what happiness is, noise to appreciate silence, and absence to value presence. 

But we don't like the bad and sad. In fact, we fear it. This is where faith comes in. 

Fear says “what if”. But faith says “even if”. 

I would like to share this story about “The last bouquet of carnations”, and for ease of narration I will narrate it in the first person.

When Mom passed away, she didn't forget to remind me of one thing.

"Mother's Day is coming. Remember to send flowers. And remember to send them every year, never forget!"

I nodded, understanding that what Mom meant was for me to send flowers to a woman named Doreen.

Doreen wasn't a relative, nor a close friend, and certainly not a regular customer. I didn’t understand why Mom was so insistent on this, even at the end of her life, making sure to remind me to send flowers to a stranger.

The older generation hold onto all sorts of illogical things, and can’t even explain why they do certain things. And yet they continue doing the same thing year after year.

Annie, who had been working in our store for a long time, said that sending flowers to Doreen had been a practice since we were little. Mom used to manage the flower shop herself. One day, a girl came in to order flowers, wanting to send them to a woman named Doreen. From that day on, Mom started sending flowers every year, even though that girl never came back and had only paid for one bouquet.

Back when Mom was the shop owner, she could send flowers to anyone she wanted, even if she didn’t get paid. But now, since Mom's health started deteriorating, I took over the flower shop.

For the past twenty years, Mom had always stuck to a certain way of doing things, never wanting to change the store. Of course, Mom was excellent at flower arranging, keeping the old customers coming, but she couldn’t attract new ones. 

Sometimes, when a large client from a hotel came in, they would leave simply because we didn’t have a proper catalogue to show them.

I didn’t want our flower shop to eventually become a tourist attraction or a museum. I was planning to renovate it and get rid of some of the old habits Mom had, like giving special treatment to regular customers and their families, friends, and so on. 

What could we earn from a single bouquet? How many times would a customer come back in a year? They were always trying to get something for nothing, especially when they saw a woman like Mom, so kind and naive. Everyone took advantage of her! The habit of sending flowers to Doreen seemed unnecessary too, though I had promised Mom I would continue doing it.

Annie was in a state of panic about my “big reform,” looking lost, and I could tell that if it had been Mom, her face would’ve looked just as pale.

"Are you really not going to send flowers to Doreen?" she asked.

I replied, "The flower shop is a business. If we don’t make money, you won’t even have a job!"

Annie looked around at the newly renovated flower shop, speaking hesitantly. Everything that once felt familiar seemed strange now.

Then Annie said, "I understand what you mean. Even if we don’t send flowers anymore... the last time should be done. Doreen has been receiving flowers every year, and it will be odd if no one comes this time. At least we should let her know not to wait anymore."

Her reasoning wasn’t entirely wrong. I thought at least I should go and see what kind of woman had attracted Mom to send flowers to her every year. I would explain that Mom was gone, and that the "practice" had to end.

Annie had arranged the carnations, with light purple forget-me-nots and white baby’s breath, a big beautiful bouquet. It was as lovely as it could be.

On Mother’s Day, I ran all over Singapore before finally reaching Doreen’s house, when the sun was setting.

As soon as I rang the doorbell, I heard something being knocked over inside.

An old woman with hunched shoulders and white hair opened the door.

I expected her to be surprised, thinking she would be shocked to see me instead of Mom, who had been sending flowers every year.

But she didn’t react at all. Instead, she smiled at me.

"You’re here. Come in quickly!" Her words were filled with eager excitement.

"You always come early, so I made jasmine tea, just the way you like it. But now... it’s cold." The old woman walked toward the table to pick up the teapot. "I’ll heat it up, it won’t take long."

Then I finally saw her eyes, which seemed frozen, not turning. No wonder she hadn’t "noticed" me … she can’t see me.

"Thank you, but that’s not necessary. You are Doreen, right?"

The old woman froze, gripping the teapot tightly in her hands, standing still.

"My mom has passed away. I’m here to deliver the last bouquet of flowers for her." I stepped forward and handed her the flowers.

She took the flowers excitedly, gently caressing them.

"The last bouquet of carnations? ...Thank you." She nodded and smiled, bringing the flowers close to her nose, inhaling the scent. A sudden sense of loss filled the wrinkles on her face...

Then she said, “Twenty years ago, a girl had ordered a bouquet of flowers to surprise her mother for Mother’s Day, but tragically, on the way home, a careless driver took her young life. Every year, I’ve held on just to wait for this bouquet of flowers!"

I had never imagined that such an ordinary bouquet could keep a life hanging on, a mother who had almost given up, heartbroken and blind from grief.

I realised I didn't know my Mom well.

It was already dark when I returned to the flower shop, and Annie was still there, nervously asking me: "Did you deliver the flowers? Did you explain that you won’t be sending them anymore?"

I looked at Annie, and said, "I will keep sending them. From now on, I’ll send them every day. Carnations, everyday!"

Yes, it takes sadness to know what happiness is. 

But we need not fear sadness and ask “what if”. 

Rather, with faith, let us say “even if”. 

So, even if we are poor and hungry, let us be like carnation flowers for others. 

When we can help others to be happy, then we too will be happy. 

This is what our Lord Jesus promised us.

5th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 09.02.2025

 Isaiah 6:1-8 / 1 Cor 15:1-11 / Luke 5:1-11

One of the rather stressful things to do is to drive and navigate at the same time. 

This usually happens when we are going to an unfamiliar place for the first time. 

We will certainly need some navigation aids, especially when driving around in dense and congested areas. 

Before the modern electronic navigation aids like the GPS came to the scene, drivers have to rely on roadmaps. 

Some of us may remember the “Singapore Street Directory”. 

Drivers going to an unfamiliar destination will have to keep one eye on the road and the other eye on the road map. 

One hand will be on the steering wheel, and the other hand on the page of the road map. 

Oh yes, those were stressful driving moments, and to make the situation even more frustrating, some maps were not updated. 

But with the modern electronic navigation aids like GPS, driving to an unfamiliar destination is not that challenging or difficult. 

We only need to switch on the GPS device, and it will show where we are in the electronic map and there's even a voice navigator to guide us along. 

The gospel began with Jesus teaching by the lakeside. Then He got into one of the boats because of the crowd, and continued to teach from there. 

The boat belonged to Simon Peter, so while he was washing his nets, he was also listening to Jesus. 

When Jesus had finished speaking, He turned to Peter and said: Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for catch. 

Simon Peter was taken by surprise and maybe confused. He had worked hard all night long and caught nothing. 

Nonetheless, he said to Jesus: But if you say so, I will pay out the nets. 

And then they caught so much fish that Simon Peter was stunned. 

Simon Peter was stunned, but he was not stunned into silence. 

Rather, he confessed his sinfulness and unworthiness in the presence of the authority and majesty of Jesus. 

Before Jesus told him to put out into the deep waters, Simon Peter had his own ideas about what to do and where to go in life. 

But that voice from Jesus was like the voice from the GPS device that told Simon Peter where to go and what to do. 

The voice of God that we hear in the Scriptures is like the voice from the GPS device. 

And instead of calling it the “Global Positioning System”, we can call it “God's Positioning System”. 

And like how we follow the voice navigator in the GPS device, when we listen to the voice of God in the Scriptures, we will know where to go and what to do. 

And when we ourselves listen to the voice of God in the Scriptures, then we too can become “God's Positioning System” for others. 

There is one peculiarity about that voice navigator in the GPS device. 

When we make a wrong turn or when we don't follow its directions, it does not reprimand us. 

It will simply adjust our route and tells us where to turn next. 

So, we need to listen to what God is saying to us in the Scriptures, so as to know where to go and what to do. 

And even if we get confused, or reluctant like Simon Peter, God will still keep prompting us until we reach our destination. 

And when we are the GPS for others, or “God's Positioning System” for others, they may not always listen to our suggestion or directions. 

But we keep praying and keep listening to what God wants us to tell them. 

With God, we will get to our destination. 

Or, like Simon Peter, we may get a new direction.

--------------------

My Instagram handle is PasturesofGod

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The Presentation of the Lord, Year C, 02.02.2025

 Malachi 3:1-4 / Hebrews 2:14-18 / Luke 2:22-40

One of the most useful things to have around is something that gives light. 

Of course, there are luminous objects that glows in the dark. But that effect can only last for a limited period of time. 

What is more useful are electric lamps or battery operated torch lights. These will give out sufficient amount of light to help us see especially in the dark. 

But, what if there is a blackout, or when electricity is not available? Then, battery operated torch lights will be the next in line. 

But as it is often the case, the battery is flat just when we need them. 

Of course, there is the torch light app in our mobile phone. So, there are ample modern day means of lighting, and so, we don’t have to fear the dark that much. 

Compared to these modern day lighting gadgets, the humble candle seems rather primitive, and it can be messy and also a fire hazard. 

But the light from just one candle is sufficient to brighten up a dark place. 

On this feast of the Presentation of the Lord, candles are blessed at the beginning of the Mass. 

In the prayer for the blessing of the candles, the Church invokes the Lord, who is the source of all light, to make the candles holy. 

And we who use these candles are to walk in the path of goodness and come to the light then shines forever. 

So, the blessed candles become a symbol of Christ, the light of the world. 

As Mary and Joseph presented the Infant Jesus at the Temple, the Divine Light shines on the Temple. 

The glory of God is manifested and the Temple radiates with the holy and divine Light. 

And those with faith will be able to recognize that divine light and see what it reveals. 

For the upright and devout Simeon, and the 84-year-old prophetess Anna, the divine light shines on them. 

It revealed to them who the Saviour is. It also revealed what their future is. 

For Simeon and Anna, they saw the light and they will now walk towards the Eternal Light. 

For Mary, the light revealed the sword that will pierce her heart. 

The divine light has revealed many things to various people in the past. 

The Wise Men followed the light of the star that revealed the newborn King of the Jews. 

St. Paul was struck with the flash of light that revealed to him it was Jesus he was persecuting. 

The feast of the Presentation reminds us that the divine light is shining on us, and God wants to reveal something to us. 

But when the light is brightest, the shadows are darkest. 

It may reveal our sinfulness, but it also leads us to holiness. 

As we bring back the candles, let us light the  candles in prayer, in times of need, in times of sickness, in times of worry and anxiety, in times of fear and darkness. 

May the gentle light of God's love fill us with peace, and to let us know that Jesus is with us now and always.

My official Instagram handle is PasturesofGod

My official Facebook page is PasturesOfGod

3rd Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 26.01.2025

 Nehemiah 8:2-6, 8-10 / 1 Cor 12:12-30 / Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

It has been announced that the usage of cheques for monetary transactions will come to an end soon. 

So, with the era of cheques coming to an end, phrases like “my first pay-cheque” will also become archaic and obsolete. 

But for those of us who had the experience of receiving our first pay-cheque, we may remember how thrilled we were then. 

It was a symbol of our first achievement in the working world. 

It was a symbol of our independence and our abilities. 

And we may remember what we did with our first pay-cheque. 

We may have given half the amount to our parents as a gesture of gratitude. Or we may have given a treat to our family and friends. 

Whatever it might be, that piece of paper with writing on it says a lot and meant a lot to us. 

As we move to electronic banking, we will surely miss receiving cheques, because that means money coming in. 

On the other hand, we won't miss writing cheques, because that means money going out. 

And with the “go green” campaign and going paperless, there are also lesser and lesser hard copies of printed matter. 

But we also do not deny that there is a realistic feel about hard copies like books and notes. 

We can touch it, feel it, read it in black and white, and we are able to relate to it with almost all our senses. 

In the gospel, Jesus came to Nazareth, and He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. 

He stood up to read, and was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. 

He opened the scroll and found the passage that began with: The spirit of the Lord was given to me for he has anointed me. 

That passage talked about bringing good news to the poor, liberty to captives, to the blind new sight, setting the downtrodden free, and to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour. 

When He had finished, Jesus rolled up the scroll and sat down, and all eyes were fixed on Him. 

Then He said to them: This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen. 

And every Mass, we listen to the readings from the Scriptures. As we listen, was there any word or phrase or image that came to our minds? 

Today, the Church celebrates “Word of God” Sunday. God speaks to us through His Word in the Scriptures. There is something that is to be fulfilled today as we listen. 

There is a story of a young boy, Tommy, who was very intelligent, but also very naughty and disruptive in class. 

One day, Tommy came to class early and saw his teacher scribbling something on a piece of paper, and he asked her what she was writing. 

The teacher replied: I'm writing a prayer for you. Tommy tried to look at the prayer, but he couldn't read it as it was written in shorthand (a system of fast writing that uses lines and simple signs to represent words and phrases). 

Then another student came into the class and talked to the teacher. While the teacher was not looking, Tommy took that prayer slip and put it into his exercise book. And then he forgot about it. 

Many years later, Tommy became a very successful businessman, but he had been resorting to some dishonest means. 

One day, while he was clearing his storeroom, he flipped through his old exercise book and that prayer slip of many years ago slipped out. 

He was surprised, but also intrigued by what was written in it but he could not read it as it was in shorthand. 

So, next morning, he asked his secretary to translate it for him. The secretary read it, and blushed, and said that she will type it out and put it on his desk. 

The translated note came in an envelope, and Tommy took it out and read that prayer that his teacher wrote. It went like this:

Lord, Tommy is a very intelligent boy, but he is very disruptive in class and very naughty. Please guide him as he grows up so that he won't do anything wrong in the future. 

Tommy was stunned by what his teacher wrote, because he was about to close a deal in which he would receive a very fat pay-cheque, but it was by a very dishonest means. 

That prayer note woke him up and he stopped the deal. 

It can be said that God had fulfilled that prayer of Tommy’s teacher. 

If prayer notes can change lives, then God's Word can move mountains and change hearts. 

So, let us listen attentively to God's Word, and may it awaken us to do what God wants of us today.

2nd Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 19.01.2025

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

One of the profound expressions of love is in a wedding celebration. 

A wedding is more than just between a man and a woman. It also includes the families, the relatives and friends. 

And in the run-up to the day of the wedding, that is a lot of preparation. 

Like: the photo-shoot, wedding gifts, booking of the restaurant, food tasting. 

But no matter how well the preparations can be, the reality is that nothing is perfect. 

Because something will be left undone, or something will be forgotten. 

Like, the best man might forget to bring along the wedding rings. 

Or, when the bridegroom and his happy band of brothers bring the wedding gifts to the bride’s home, and the bride's mother and aunties make a huge commotion because the roasted pig does not have a tail. 

More than just something missing, the tail has a great significance. So, it is like, no tail, no wedding. 

The opening line of the gospel says that there was a wedding that Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited. 

It was like a communal celebration, and there was food and wine and it was happy occasion. 

And then a problem came up - the wine ran out. It was urgent and serious enough for the mother of Jesus to tell Him that they have no wine. 

The wine in a wedding celebration is a symbol of joy and hope. No wine means no joy, and maybe even no hope. 

And response of Jesus does not sound that encouraging, and He says that His hour has not come yet. 

With no wine and a seemingly no response from Jesus, the wedding celebration seems to be turning into an embarrassment. 

And in that desperate situation, Mary made that profound statement: Do whatever He tells you. 

That is a faith statement, as well as a reminder and a revelation. 

Life is not perfect, and we will have to face our desperate situations, as well as disappointments and frustrations. 

So, we will have no time, no money, no boyfriend, no girlfriend, no job. 

Going on a little further, then it can be, no peace, no love, no joy, no meaning, no future. 

For us, life is like a big “no”. And even when we pray, we feel that God is telling us “no”. 

But Jesus did not say “no” to His mother, and He will not say no to us either. 

And Mary tells us to do whatever Jesus tells us. 

So, we pray and wait. And Jesus will turn our disappointments and frustrations into rejoicing and celebration, just as He changed water into wine. 

The gospel tells us that the miracle of the water changing into wine is the first of the signs given by Jesus. 

A sign points to a meaning and a direction. 

Today's gospel reminds us that we have been washed and cleansed by the waters of Baptism. 

Jesus now wants to raise us up and change the waters of our washing and cleansing into the wine of our rejoicing. 

So yes, there will be wine, there will be peace, there will be joy and there will be love. 

There will be meaning, there will be direction. 

We only need to remember what Mary told us.

And that is to pray, wait, and do whatever Jesus tells us.