Today we celebrate the deepest and the most profound mystery of our faith.
Yes, the Resurrection is indeed the core and the center of our faith, the very reason why we are here, the very reason why we are Church, the very reason why we believe in God.
Yet, having said that, the stark reality is the finality of death.
So even though we may believe in the Resurrection, do we dare to take death lightly?
Yes, preparing for death is a serious matter, but let’s see if we can take this story lightly.
An elderly woman was getting her earthly matters in order.
So she prepared her will, and made her final arrangements.
As part of the arrangements, she went to see the priest to talk about the type of funeral service she wanted, the hymns to be sung, etc.
She told the priest that she wanted 2 things done.
Firstly, she wanted to be cremated. That’s well and good.
Secondly, she wanted her ashes to be scattered over every golf course in Singapore.
The priest was so puzzled that he had to ask why.
The elderly woman explained – Well, in that way, I will know that my son will visit me whenever he goes to play golf.
Yes, death is a serious matter, whether we are prepared for it or not.
Yet, whether prepared or otherwise, we will have to face it, and accept it.
The disciples of Jesus were not prepared for His sudden and violent death on the cross. It was just too fast, too furious.
When Mary Magdalene (and the other Mary) came to the tomb and saw that the stone was rolled away, her (their) reaction was not one of immense relief or joy, that Jesus was not dead.
In fact, she (they) came to the tomb to finish the embalming of the crucified and dead Jesus.
Mary Magdalene saw how Jesus died and her only conclusion was that the dead body of Jesus was stolen.
So the reality of the death of Jesus was accepted and sealed, and there was no question about it.
But, it was from the reality of His death that came about the resurrection.
God accepted the death of His Son. But God did not leave Him for dead.
In raising Jesus from the dead, God did not allow death to have the final say.
God will always have the final word and that word is the resurrection.
God loved His only Son, and He won’t leave Him for dead.
Indeed nothing could ever separate the love God has for His Son, not even the reality and finality of death.
It was with God’s love that Jesus rose from the dead and conquered death and sin.
The letter to the Romans 8 will ask us this – What will separate us from the love of God? Trials? Tribulation? Anguish? Persecution? The sword of death?
But because of the Resurrection, we now know that nothing could ever separate us from the love of God, which is in Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord!
Just as nothing could ever separate God’s love for His Son, nothing could also separate the love that our Risen Lord has for us.
Yes, God accepted the death of His Son. But through the Resurrection, God saved Him, not from death, but out of death (Hebrews 5:7-9).
So for us who believe in the Resurrection of Easter Sunday, we also have to accept the crucifixion of Good Friday.
We have to accept that life is going to be a series of dyings.
It is essentially a dying to self – dying to our pride and ego, dying to be a perfectionist and a control freak, dying to be acknowledged and praised, dying to be looked up to.
Dying to be remembered and visited by our descendents, long after our ashes are frozen in the columbarium or scattered in the golf course or whatever.
Come to think of it, we so carelessly use the phrase “dying to”, for e.g. we might say later “I am dying to sleep”. Well you may just end up with eternal rest.
Maybe we should say – I am dying to live, and mean it.
Because the truth is that it is in our dying to our old life that we rise to a new life.
That is what the Resurrection is telling us. That is what God is telling us.
Maybe let me just tell you a little joke about death, so that we can have some humour about life.
One morning, a man opened the newspapers and he was shocked to see his obituary. He was surely not pleased at all.
So he called up his best friend and said to him – Hey! Did you read about my obituary in the papers?
His friend replied – Ya, I just saw it ……… Err… by the way, where are you calling from? (That’s what friends are for!)
Yes, Jesus Christ is risen. He is calling the Elect to be baptized into His death so that they can rise to a new life.
And the Risen Lord is also calling us who are already baptized to accept our dying, so that we can truly go on living.
Because we believe that Christ is risen, we can truly say, we are dying to live. And it’s not a joke.
Click the links under My Blog List to get to Chinese and English weekday homilies.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
3rd Sunday of Lent, Year A, 27.03.2011
Exodus 17:3-7/ Roman 5:1-2, 5-8/ John 4:5-42
Well, that is a long gospel, and I am sure you are tired from standing, and I am also trying to catch my breath.
Normally I won’t say such mundane and trivial things as I begin a homily. Normally.
But when there are changes, then the behaviour also changes.
And when these changes create a need, then our behaviour also changes to satisfy the need.
Maybe one example could be how we use the restroom (or what we commonly call the toilet)
We won’t go to the toilet if there is no need, right?
But when there is a need, and if it’s an urgent need, then our behaviour somehow becomes a little altered, our behaviour changes.
What won’t normally bother us, somehow becomes an issue for us, in that time of need.
For e.g. the smell will bother us, the floor is wet, and if we have to do some serious potty business, then the toilet paper, whether have or don’t have, whether smooth enough or not, the toilet seat is clean or not, all these will become major issues.
Talking about toilet seats, women are often irritated when men don’t put down the toilet seats after they are done with their “local calls” as different from “trunk calls”.
What’s even worse is that the men don’t even lift up the toilet seats when they are doing their local calls.
This really irritates the women, for obvious reasons.
But do you know what it takes to get men to lift the toilet seat before they start and to put the seat down after they are done?
Nothing less than a sex-change operation. Then the men will get it. (but by which time they are not exactly men anymore)
So in a time of need, what normally doesn’t bother us or what we don’t normally care much about, somehow becomes an issue and a cause of complaint for us.
All because there is a need, and with that need, our behaviour changes.
In the gospel, we saw how a need changes the behaviour of a person.
And of all people, that person was Jesus. He had a need. He was tired and He was thirsty.
There was the well, but He can’t get the water.
So when a Samaritan woman came along with a bucket, He threw aside all restrictions and barriers and asked her for a drink.
That was why the Samaritan woman was surprised, maybe even shocked, and her first word was “What!”, and even the gospel took the trouble to explain what was the problem.
Jesus had a need – He was thirsty – so He couldn’t be bothered about restrictions and barriers.
But the Samaritan woman also had a need. And it was shown implicitly in her behaviour.
She came to the well at the 6th hour – meaning at noon – the hottest time of the day.
It’s an awkward time to draw water because everyone would want to be at home under shelter. But that tells us that the Samaritan woman wanted to avoid people.
But as she talked with Jesus, her other needs became obvious. She was also thirsty.
She was thirsting for dignity and self-worth, so that she won’t have to keep avoiding people and drawing water in the noon-day sun.
She was thirsting for love and relationship. Well, she had had five husbands, and still counting.
So when people thirst, their behaviour changes, and can even change drastically, especially in the hot and dry desert, as we heard in the 1st reading.
Tormented by thirst, the Israelites didn’t care about who God is and their words were as scorching as the hot desert sands.
Yes, when people thirst, their behaviour changes.
And they will say things which they won’t usually say.
Earlier on, I said that the toilet is a place where we will go only when we are in need.
But have you heard of toilet talk?
Well the story goes that a man went to a pub for a drink.
After a few drinks, he felt the need to go to the toilet.
When he was in the cubicle, he heard a voice from the next cubicle : Hi, how are you doing?
The man was a bit surprised, but he replied : Oh, I’m fine. Things are going smoothly, literally.
And then the voice said : So what are you doing this evening?
Feeling a bit awkward now, the man nonetheless replied : Oh I’m just here for a few drinks.
Then the voice said : Tell you what, I will call you back later. There is this guy in the next cubicle who is answering all my questions. (so be careful what you say in the toilet; better still don’t talk in the toilet)
In the gospel there was no mention that Jesus got His drink.
There was also no mention of the Samaritan woman drawing water from the well.
But Jesus started the conversation, and they began talking. And it was certainly no toilet talk.
They talked about water, about relationships, about God, they talked about the things that mattered in life. It was a heart to heart talk.
In a way, Jesus asked the right questions and the Samaritan woman gave the answers that revealed her need.
What we need in life are also conversations that will refresh us.
Have we ever noticed that when we are engaged in a meaningful conversation, we forget about our thirst and we don’t even need a drink. Even if there is a drink around, it is just like an ornament, a decoration.
Because meaningful conversations with words spoken in love refreshes our hearts, like cool water that soothes the parched throat.
Let us ask the Lord to quench our hearts with His living water, so that our conversations with others will refresh them and lead them to Jesus who will quench their thirst.
Well, that is a long gospel, and I am sure you are tired from standing, and I am also trying to catch my breath.
Normally I won’t say such mundane and trivial things as I begin a homily. Normally.
But when there are changes, then the behaviour also changes.
And when these changes create a need, then our behaviour also changes to satisfy the need.
Maybe one example could be how we use the restroom (or what we commonly call the toilet)
We won’t go to the toilet if there is no need, right?
But when there is a need, and if it’s an urgent need, then our behaviour somehow becomes a little altered, our behaviour changes.
What won’t normally bother us, somehow becomes an issue for us, in that time of need.
For e.g. the smell will bother us, the floor is wet, and if we have to do some serious potty business, then the toilet paper, whether have or don’t have, whether smooth enough or not, the toilet seat is clean or not, all these will become major issues.
Talking about toilet seats, women are often irritated when men don’t put down the toilet seats after they are done with their “local calls” as different from “trunk calls”.
What’s even worse is that the men don’t even lift up the toilet seats when they are doing their local calls.
This really irritates the women, for obvious reasons.
But do you know what it takes to get men to lift the toilet seat before they start and to put the seat down after they are done?
Nothing less than a sex-change operation. Then the men will get it. (but by which time they are not exactly men anymore)
So in a time of need, what normally doesn’t bother us or what we don’t normally care much about, somehow becomes an issue and a cause of complaint for us.
All because there is a need, and with that need, our behaviour changes.
In the gospel, we saw how a need changes the behaviour of a person.
And of all people, that person was Jesus. He had a need. He was tired and He was thirsty.
There was the well, but He can’t get the water.
So when a Samaritan woman came along with a bucket, He threw aside all restrictions and barriers and asked her for a drink.
That was why the Samaritan woman was surprised, maybe even shocked, and her first word was “What!”, and even the gospel took the trouble to explain what was the problem.
Jesus had a need – He was thirsty – so He couldn’t be bothered about restrictions and barriers.
But the Samaritan woman also had a need. And it was shown implicitly in her behaviour.
She came to the well at the 6th hour – meaning at noon – the hottest time of the day.
It’s an awkward time to draw water because everyone would want to be at home under shelter. But that tells us that the Samaritan woman wanted to avoid people.
But as she talked with Jesus, her other needs became obvious. She was also thirsty.
She was thirsting for dignity and self-worth, so that she won’t have to keep avoiding people and drawing water in the noon-day sun.
She was thirsting for love and relationship. Well, she had had five husbands, and still counting.
So when people thirst, their behaviour changes, and can even change drastically, especially in the hot and dry desert, as we heard in the 1st reading.
Tormented by thirst, the Israelites didn’t care about who God is and their words were as scorching as the hot desert sands.
Yes, when people thirst, their behaviour changes.
And they will say things which they won’t usually say.
Earlier on, I said that the toilet is a place where we will go only when we are in need.
But have you heard of toilet talk?
Well the story goes that a man went to a pub for a drink.
After a few drinks, he felt the need to go to the toilet.
When he was in the cubicle, he heard a voice from the next cubicle : Hi, how are you doing?
The man was a bit surprised, but he replied : Oh, I’m fine. Things are going smoothly, literally.
And then the voice said : So what are you doing this evening?
Feeling a bit awkward now, the man nonetheless replied : Oh I’m just here for a few drinks.
Then the voice said : Tell you what, I will call you back later. There is this guy in the next cubicle who is answering all my questions. (so be careful what you say in the toilet; better still don’t talk in the toilet)
In the gospel there was no mention that Jesus got His drink.
There was also no mention of the Samaritan woman drawing water from the well.
But Jesus started the conversation, and they began talking. And it was certainly no toilet talk.
They talked about water, about relationships, about God, they talked about the things that mattered in life. It was a heart to heart talk.
In a way, Jesus asked the right questions and the Samaritan woman gave the answers that revealed her need.
What we need in life are also conversations that will refresh us.
Have we ever noticed that when we are engaged in a meaningful conversation, we forget about our thirst and we don’t even need a drink. Even if there is a drink around, it is just like an ornament, a decoration.
Because meaningful conversations with words spoken in love refreshes our hearts, like cool water that soothes the parched throat.
Let us ask the Lord to quench our hearts with His living water, so that our conversations with others will refresh them and lead them to Jesus who will quench their thirst.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
7th Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 20.02.2011
Lev 19:1-2, 17-18/ 1 Cor 3:16-23/ Mt 5:38-48
One of the most feared predators of the sea is the shark.
It doesn’t matter whether it was those slimy-creepy looking shark characters in the movie “Finding Nemo”, or that man-eating big shark in the movie “Jaws”, just mention “sharks” and fear and danger immediately comes to mind.
But mention sharks fin, and something else comes to mind.
But there are also sharks without fins, and they don’t live in the sea.
I am sure you know what I am talking about – Loan Sharks!
The term loan sharks is used to describe a certain type of predatory money lenders whose aim was to keep their customers eternally in debt.
So we may lend money to others, but that does not mean that we are loan sharks.
In fact, there may be another species called “debt sharks”. So what are these debt sharks?
Well, they are those kind of people who are able to convince you to lend them money, anything from a 3-figure to a 5 or even 6 figure sum, depending on how much they know you have.
Once we have parted with our money, these debt sharks will happily swim away, leaving us to slowly feel the pain of their bite.
Well, as they always say, this is a small world, and those debt sharks will somehow swim into our paths again one day.
We might think that they would be shocked and ashamed upon seeing us right?
On the contrary, they will look at us like total strangers, like as if they don’t know us since the world began, and then again we will feel the bite of these debt sharks.
I wonder if you ever had that kind of experience?
The pain of losing our money to these debt sharks is not just the bite. It is like as if they left their teeth in our hearts and leaving us in pain.
We won’t ordinarily call these debt sharks our enemies, but we certainly resent them, we detest them, we curse them under our breath, because we feel the pain and hurt when we think about them.
We may not have any enemies in the exact sense of the word.
But bad and dishonest people, like those debt sharks are the pain of our lives, and how we wish we could sink our teeth into their flesh, just as they had done to us.
But when we can’t, and so we just end up grinding our teeth.
So at the core of these so-called “teething” problems is the urge for revenge.
It’s that “eye for eye, tooth for tooth” thing that Jesus was talking about in the gospel.
In other words, it’s this-for-that, butter-for-fat, you kick my dog and I’ll skin your cat.
Well, revenge is a crass and crude word, so we will disguise it with other words like “seeking justice”, “settle scores” or “pay back time”.
Revenge is what we have been exposed to, and revenge is what we have learnt.
Jesus even acknowledged it when He said: You have learnt how it was said: eye for eye, tooth for tooth.
But immediately He follows with: But I say this to you.
And then He gives a set of teachings that is difficult to bite, and more difficult to swallow.
But all in all, Jesus is telling us that if we are to be His disciples, then we have to be different from the rest, in the way we respond to the evils we suffer.
In other words, we must not let evil conquer us; instead we are to conquer evil with good, we are to conquer evil with love.
That’s why Jesus gave us this directive: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.
Yes, it is a directive – But I say this to you – strong words that tell us that it is not optional, nor is it negotiable.
Let me ask you a “corny” riddle : What do sharks not eat?
Sharks don’t eat clowns. (Why?) Because they taste funny.
Well the Bible does not have the word “clowns”. But somewhere in the Bible there is this mention of “fools”, and specifically “fools for Christ” (1 Cor 4:10)
Loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us may sound foolish.
But come to think of it, it doesn’t hurt to be nice and loving right?
There are many types of sharks waiting to bite us – loan sharks, debt sharks, hammerhead sharks, etc.
If they want to bite, then like what Jesus said, offer them no resistance, let them bite.
All the more, give them a bite of love (not a love bite!)
Let me tell a story with a corny ending.
A rich retired old man bought a house on a large bay front property, something like Sentosa Cove, but more classy.
So he had his own private beach with picnic tables and the beach was perfect for swimming.
One day as he was reclining on his deck chair and taking a nap, he was awakened by voices shouting and squeals of laughter and water splashing.
He went over to his beach and he saw a group of young people swimming on his beach.
The group saw him, but instead of apologizing, they went into deeper water, and taunted him by saying: Come on grandpa, show us you can swim.
The old man replied: It’s ok, I didn’t come down here for a swim. I just came to feed my sharks!
Whatever it may be, never return evil for evil. In any case, can blood be washed away with blood, and can injury heal injury?
The disciple of Jesus will always suffer wrong rather than to do wrong.
That might sound foolish, but that’s what we are called to be – fools for Christ.
Yes, we are called to be fools for Christ, offering to the sharks of the world, love at first bite.
Yes, love our enemies, love those sharks, because those who deserve our love the least, need it the most – from us.
One of the most feared predators of the sea is the shark.
It doesn’t matter whether it was those slimy-creepy looking shark characters in the movie “Finding Nemo”, or that man-eating big shark in the movie “Jaws”, just mention “sharks” and fear and danger immediately comes to mind.
But mention sharks fin, and something else comes to mind.
But there are also sharks without fins, and they don’t live in the sea.
I am sure you know what I am talking about – Loan Sharks!
The term loan sharks is used to describe a certain type of predatory money lenders whose aim was to keep their customers eternally in debt.
So we may lend money to others, but that does not mean that we are loan sharks.
In fact, there may be another species called “debt sharks”. So what are these debt sharks?
Well, they are those kind of people who are able to convince you to lend them money, anything from a 3-figure to a 5 or even 6 figure sum, depending on how much they know you have.
Once we have parted with our money, these debt sharks will happily swim away, leaving us to slowly feel the pain of their bite.
Well, as they always say, this is a small world, and those debt sharks will somehow swim into our paths again one day.
We might think that they would be shocked and ashamed upon seeing us right?
On the contrary, they will look at us like total strangers, like as if they don’t know us since the world began, and then again we will feel the bite of these debt sharks.
I wonder if you ever had that kind of experience?
The pain of losing our money to these debt sharks is not just the bite. It is like as if they left their teeth in our hearts and leaving us in pain.
We won’t ordinarily call these debt sharks our enemies, but we certainly resent them, we detest them, we curse them under our breath, because we feel the pain and hurt when we think about them.
We may not have any enemies in the exact sense of the word.
But bad and dishonest people, like those debt sharks are the pain of our lives, and how we wish we could sink our teeth into their flesh, just as they had done to us.
But when we can’t, and so we just end up grinding our teeth.
So at the core of these so-called “teething” problems is the urge for revenge.
It’s that “eye for eye, tooth for tooth” thing that Jesus was talking about in the gospel.
In other words, it’s this-for-that, butter-for-fat, you kick my dog and I’ll skin your cat.
Well, revenge is a crass and crude word, so we will disguise it with other words like “seeking justice”, “settle scores” or “pay back time”.
Revenge is what we have been exposed to, and revenge is what we have learnt.
Jesus even acknowledged it when He said: You have learnt how it was said: eye for eye, tooth for tooth.
But immediately He follows with: But I say this to you.
And then He gives a set of teachings that is difficult to bite, and more difficult to swallow.
But all in all, Jesus is telling us that if we are to be His disciples, then we have to be different from the rest, in the way we respond to the evils we suffer.
In other words, we must not let evil conquer us; instead we are to conquer evil with good, we are to conquer evil with love.
That’s why Jesus gave us this directive: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.
Yes, it is a directive – But I say this to you – strong words that tell us that it is not optional, nor is it negotiable.
Let me ask you a “corny” riddle : What do sharks not eat?
Sharks don’t eat clowns. (Why?) Because they taste funny.
Well the Bible does not have the word “clowns”. But somewhere in the Bible there is this mention of “fools”, and specifically “fools for Christ” (1 Cor 4:10)
Loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us may sound foolish.
But come to think of it, it doesn’t hurt to be nice and loving right?
There are many types of sharks waiting to bite us – loan sharks, debt sharks, hammerhead sharks, etc.
If they want to bite, then like what Jesus said, offer them no resistance, let them bite.
All the more, give them a bite of love (not a love bite!)
Let me tell a story with a corny ending.
A rich retired old man bought a house on a large bay front property, something like Sentosa Cove, but more classy.
So he had his own private beach with picnic tables and the beach was perfect for swimming.
One day as he was reclining on his deck chair and taking a nap, he was awakened by voices shouting and squeals of laughter and water splashing.
He went over to his beach and he saw a group of young people swimming on his beach.
The group saw him, but instead of apologizing, they went into deeper water, and taunted him by saying: Come on grandpa, show us you can swim.
The old man replied: It’s ok, I didn’t come down here for a swim. I just came to feed my sharks!
Whatever it may be, never return evil for evil. In any case, can blood be washed away with blood, and can injury heal injury?
The disciple of Jesus will always suffer wrong rather than to do wrong.
That might sound foolish, but that’s what we are called to be – fools for Christ.
Yes, we are called to be fools for Christ, offering to the sharks of the world, love at first bite.
Yes, love our enemies, love those sharks, because those who deserve our love the least, need it the most – from us.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
5th Ordinary Sunday, Year A 06.02.2011
Is 58:7-10/ 1 Cor 2:1-5/ Mt 5: 13-16
Today is already the 4th day of the Chinese New Year.
But when does Chinese New Year actually starts?
On Thursday? Which is the first day of Chinese New Year?
I would say that Chinese New Year starts with the Reunion Dinner.
Because with the Reunion Dinner, the Chinese New Year celebrations will begin, because that’s when we celebrate family love, family unity and family relationships over dinner.
So does the Reunion Dinner have anything spiritual?
Well, let us listen to this story and see how the Reunion Dinner can be something spiritual.
Well, after the Reunion Dinner, some people would go down to Chinatown, to shop for bargains.
So, this little girl was walking with her mother when she saw balloons for sale, the type that are filled with helium.
So, she asked her mum to get one for her, and she was thrilled and happy with the balloon floating in the air as she held on to the string attached to the balloon.
Then accidentally, she lost grip of the string and the balloon began to float and rise up to the sky.
Happiness turned into sadness and she cried over the loss of the balloon.
Her mum wanted to console her. Now, what do you think she would say to her?
By and large, we would think that her mother would tell her that it’s alright, don’t cry and that she will get her another balloon. (Right? That’s what we would most likely say.)
Well, the mother thought for a while, and said to her little girl.
Don’t cry, the balloon has gone up to have Reunion Dinner with its family. Just like we go home for Reunion Dinner, the balloon has gone home for Reunion Dinner.
When the little girl heard this, she stopped crying and became happy for the balloon.
Interesting to note what the mother said to her girl.
No religious talk, no big faith concepts, just a little something about what the little girl understood.
In the gospel, Jesus used two common things to help us realize who we are and what we are.
As much as Jesus talked about salt and light, yet we also know that these two things do not exist for themselves.
Salt gives taste but we don’t eat salt as it is.
Light does not shine in, light shines out.
So, salt and light are in many ways similar to faith and love.
Faith does not exist for itself. Faith helps us to realize the presence of love and the presence of God in all situations (where there is love, there is God).
Jesus Himself was salt and light when others forgot about the presence of God in several instances in the gospels.
Remember that instance, when He was asked if it was necessary to pay taxes?
He asked for a coin, he asked them whose image was on the coin, and then He said: Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.
The people were talking about taxes, a tasteless thing.
Jesus put in some salt and made them realize the presence of God, and more importantly that all things belong to God. So what belongs to Caesar, actually belongs to God.
In another instance, when Jesus was asked where His authority came from, He in turn asked them where the authority of John the Baptist came from. From man or from God?
Well, His question was the answer for them, and they had no reply to that.
Because the moment God comes into the picture, their question becomes redundant and pointless.
So Jesus Himself showed us what salt and light are all about.
Any situation without the involvement of God is a tasteless situation.
Faith is like salt that brings in the presence of God and it enlightens the situation with the love of God.
Just want to share with you another story about balloons.
A balloon-seller was holding on to a bunch of balloons of various colours- red, yellow, blue, green, white.
And children gathered around him, thrilled by the balloons that were dancing in the air.
So he asked them what was their favourite colour, and they said red, blue, green, yellow, white.
So he asked them which balloon will rise faster up if he let all of them go at the same time.
And the children said that it will be the balloon of their favourite colour.
And then the balloon-seller let go all the balloons, and the children shouted with delight as the balloons danced and floated up towards the sky.
As the balloons slowly disappeared out of sight, the balloon-seller said to the children.
So you see, it is not the colour of the balloon that will make it rise faster, it is what is inside the balloon.
Yes, it is not what is outside that is important, it is what is inside that matters.
Well, as I prepare to move on to my next parish appointment, I know what it is inside of me.
Inside of me is filled with your prayers, your love, your care.
You have affirmed me, you have supported me, you have been patient with me when I am in my cranky moods.
From what filled your heart, you have filled my heart.
To me, you are a great parish community, very heart-lander, very real, very loving.
Jesus tells us that we are to be salt of the earth and light of the world.
I would just add on and say that may you also be like the balloons that will rise up to heaven and give glory and praise to God.
May you always be aware of what fills your inside, and of WHO fills your inside.
And from what you are filled with, may you in turn fill others. Amen.
Today is already the 4th day of the Chinese New Year.
But when does Chinese New Year actually starts?
On Thursday? Which is the first day of Chinese New Year?
I would say that Chinese New Year starts with the Reunion Dinner.
Because with the Reunion Dinner, the Chinese New Year celebrations will begin, because that’s when we celebrate family love, family unity and family relationships over dinner.
So does the Reunion Dinner have anything spiritual?
Well, let us listen to this story and see how the Reunion Dinner can be something spiritual.
Well, after the Reunion Dinner, some people would go down to Chinatown, to shop for bargains.
So, this little girl was walking with her mother when she saw balloons for sale, the type that are filled with helium.
So, she asked her mum to get one for her, and she was thrilled and happy with the balloon floating in the air as she held on to the string attached to the balloon.
Then accidentally, she lost grip of the string and the balloon began to float and rise up to the sky.
Happiness turned into sadness and she cried over the loss of the balloon.
Her mum wanted to console her. Now, what do you think she would say to her?
By and large, we would think that her mother would tell her that it’s alright, don’t cry and that she will get her another balloon. (Right? That’s what we would most likely say.)
Well, the mother thought for a while, and said to her little girl.
Don’t cry, the balloon has gone up to have Reunion Dinner with its family. Just like we go home for Reunion Dinner, the balloon has gone home for Reunion Dinner.
When the little girl heard this, she stopped crying and became happy for the balloon.
Interesting to note what the mother said to her girl.
No religious talk, no big faith concepts, just a little something about what the little girl understood.
In the gospel, Jesus used two common things to help us realize who we are and what we are.
As much as Jesus talked about salt and light, yet we also know that these two things do not exist for themselves.
Salt gives taste but we don’t eat salt as it is.
Light does not shine in, light shines out.
So, salt and light are in many ways similar to faith and love.
Faith does not exist for itself. Faith helps us to realize the presence of love and the presence of God in all situations (where there is love, there is God).
Jesus Himself was salt and light when others forgot about the presence of God in several instances in the gospels.
Remember that instance, when He was asked if it was necessary to pay taxes?
He asked for a coin, he asked them whose image was on the coin, and then He said: Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.
The people were talking about taxes, a tasteless thing.
Jesus put in some salt and made them realize the presence of God, and more importantly that all things belong to God. So what belongs to Caesar, actually belongs to God.
In another instance, when Jesus was asked where His authority came from, He in turn asked them where the authority of John the Baptist came from. From man or from God?
Well, His question was the answer for them, and they had no reply to that.
Because the moment God comes into the picture, their question becomes redundant and pointless.
So Jesus Himself showed us what salt and light are all about.
Any situation without the involvement of God is a tasteless situation.
Faith is like salt that brings in the presence of God and it enlightens the situation with the love of God.
Just want to share with you another story about balloons.
A balloon-seller was holding on to a bunch of balloons of various colours- red, yellow, blue, green, white.
And children gathered around him, thrilled by the balloons that were dancing in the air.
So he asked them what was their favourite colour, and they said red, blue, green, yellow, white.
So he asked them which balloon will rise faster up if he let all of them go at the same time.
And the children said that it will be the balloon of their favourite colour.
And then the balloon-seller let go all the balloons, and the children shouted with delight as the balloons danced and floated up towards the sky.
As the balloons slowly disappeared out of sight, the balloon-seller said to the children.
So you see, it is not the colour of the balloon that will make it rise faster, it is what is inside the balloon.
Yes, it is not what is outside that is important, it is what is inside that matters.
Well, as I prepare to move on to my next parish appointment, I know what it is inside of me.
Inside of me is filled with your prayers, your love, your care.
You have affirmed me, you have supported me, you have been patient with me when I am in my cranky moods.
From what filled your heart, you have filled my heart.
To me, you are a great parish community, very heart-lander, very real, very loving.
Jesus tells us that we are to be salt of the earth and light of the world.
I would just add on and say that may you also be like the balloons that will rise up to heaven and give glory and praise to God.
May you always be aware of what fills your inside, and of WHO fills your inside.
And from what you are filled with, may you in turn fill others. Amen.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
2nd Ordinary Sunday, Year A 16.01.2011
Isaiah 49:3, 5-6/ 1 Corinthian 1:1-3 / John 1:29-34
Back to the fold and back to the flock, It was a sheep that the Good Shepherd brought.
Now, why should the sheep be so carefully fed
And cared for even today?
That’s because there is danger if they go wrong,
They will lead the lambs astray.
The lambs will follow the sheep, you know,
Wherever they wander–wherever they go.
If the sheep goes wrong, it will not be long
That the lambs will just be as wrong.
So to the Good Shepherd we must earnestly pray,
For the sake of the lambs today.
If the lambs are lost, what a terrible cost,
That we, the sheep, will have to pay.
I am sure you know how Singapore got its name.
Maybe let me refresh your memory a little about the history lessons we had in school.
We may remember reading about how Sang Nila Utama came to an island which was then called Temasek which means “sea port” or “sea town”.
When he landed there, he saw a strange, agile, fast-moving animal.
It had a red body and a black head.
When he asked what animal was that, he was told it was a lion.
He thought that the animal was a good sign, so he established a city at Temasek which he named Singapura, which means “Lion City”.
Can we remember all that? Brings back memories of school days and history lessons huh?
Well that account goes way back to the 14th century.
Today, Singapore has lived up to its name as the Lion City.
It is a lion in progress and prosperity, a lion in productivity and efficiency.
And we who live in Singapore are also brought up to be like lions.
We are brought up to be like lions in everything, from the airport to the integrated resorts, from the MRT to the ERP, from the clean to the green.
Yes, these are the show-pieces of Singapore, the Lion City.
Yes, we want to be like the lions in everything.
Yes, everything, maybe except football.
Maybe lions and football don’t go along well.
Nonetheless, the lion is a powerful symbol.
It is said that a 100 sheep led by a lion, is mightier than a 100 lions led by a sheep.
So between a lion and a sheep, it is obvious what we would choose.
But between a lion and a sheep what would God choose? What would Jesus choose?
In today’s gospel passage, we heard how John the Baptist pointed out Jesus and described who He is.
Jesus was described as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.
Sounds a bit strange right?
A lamb means that it has not crossed 12 months yet.
So it is a pretty small and meek thing.
So how can a lamb take away the sins of the world?
It would make more sense to say that the lion will take away the sins of the world.
But we know that the mighty lion did not take away the sins of the world, not even the woes of the world.
The mighty lion of capitalism promises wealth but we now know the world was brought to its knees in the recent financial crisis.
The lion of military might has not brought about peace; in fact, it keeps shattering the world to pieces.
Yet, it is the lamb that takes away the sins of the world, the lamb that was slain and sacrificed on the cross.
Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Yet Jesus is also called the Good Shepherd.
Remember the parable about the Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 and goes about in search of the lost sheep.
Notice that it was not a lost lamb, but a lost sheep.
I came across this poem that tells us why it was a lost sheep. It goes like this:
Out on the hilltop, and out in the cold, It was a sheep the Good Shepherd sought.Back to the fold and back to the flock, It was a sheep that the Good Shepherd brought.
Now, why should the sheep be so carefully fed
And cared for even today?
That’s because there is danger if they go wrong,
They will lead the lambs astray.
The lambs will follow the sheep, you know,
Wherever they wander–wherever they go.
If the sheep goes wrong, it will not be long
That the lambs will just be as wrong.
So to the Good Shepherd we must earnestly pray,
For the sake of the lambs today.
If the lambs are lost, what a terrible cost,
That we, the sheep, will have to pay.
If the young are the future of the world, then they are the lambs who are going to take away the sins of the world.
And they, the lambs, look to us, the sheep, for faith and for moral direction.
Let us teach them about the Lamb of God who made a difference in the word.
He went silently to the shearers, He also turned the other cheek, also prayed for His enemies.
He was the Lamb of God who did not call down fire on the Samaritans, nor did He condemn a fallen adulterous woman.
He was the Lamb of God who laid down His life for His friends.
May we, the sheep, teach the lambs to follow the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Holy Family, Year A, 26.12.10
Sirach 3:3-7, 14-17/ Colossians 3:12-21/ Mathew 2:13-15, 19-23
The most prominent symbol of the feast of Christmas is none other than the Nativity crib.
The Nativity crib has to be the most prominent and the central symbol of Christmas.
Take that away and it is as good as taking the “Christ” out of the word Christmas, and as such it wouldn’t make sense.
Well the Nativity crib goes a long way back to the year 1223.
That year, St. Francis of Assisi set up the first Nativity crib, which would eventually spread across the whole Church.
His intention was to help the peasants, who were illiterate, to have a visual understanding of the situation and circumstances in which Jesus was born.
So there is the stable with a cow here, and a donkey there, and the baby Jesus lying in the manger, which was the feeding trough or the feeding tray of animals.
There is Mary and Joseph, and a couple of shepherds with a couple of sheep surrounding Jesus.
The scene is one of poverty, and it shows us that the Saviour of the world came in such humility.
Indeed the Nativity scene is a wonderful scene that is filled with many heart-warming aspects.
That is why as part of the Christmas celebrations, there is usually a Nativity play put up by children, to highlight the Christmas message.
Well there was this catechist who was preparing her children to put up a Nativity play.
As a warm-up to the preparations, she asked her children to write a composition on this very simple topic – Who do I want to be at Christmas?
Obviously they can say that they want to be Mary or Joseph or one of the shepherds or the angel or one of the wise men.
So after the children had written their compositions, the teacher collected it and was reading through it.
Then she read one that really surprised her, and she was stunned.
The topic was supposed to be – Who do I want to be at Christmas?
This composition began like this – At Christmas I want to be the tv in my house.
I want to take its place. I want to live like the TV in my house.
Have my own special place, and have my family around ME.
To be taken seriously when I talk.... I want to be the centre of attention and be heard without interruptions or questions.
I want to receive the same special care that the TV receives when it is not working.
I want to have the company of my father when he arrives home from work, even when he is tired.
And I want my mother to care for me ! Because when she is sad and upset, she ignores me...
And I want my brothers to fight to be with me...
I want to feel that my family just leaves everything aside, every now and then, just to spend some time with me.
And last but not least I can make them all happy and entertain them...
So at Christmas I want to be the tv in my house.
We may remember that last Sunday we saw some replies to a survey conducted among some parishioners.
We may have seen some needs like children wanting their parents to spend more time with them, communication problems between parents and teens, families not praying together, parents being worried about the influence of the internet on their children, etc.
Those were worrying trends, but Christmas has got good news for the family.
The profound message of Christmas is that when God came into the world, He was born into a family, the family of Mary and Joseph.
The Nativity scene was one of poverty. But it also shows the love and warmth of the family – the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
That is what makes the Nativity scene so attractive and heart-warming .
In it, we see the love and care Mary and Joseph had for each other and for the baby Jesus.
So even if there is a tv at that time, they won’t be watching it or paying much attention to it.
Simply because they had each other, and God was with them.
But if people wish they were a tv, or a handphone, or a computer game, then something is seriously wrong.
At Christmas, God became man so that He can be with us.
It is because God is with us that we can truly be with each other.
Well I am sure we know what a porcupine is. So let me ask you this : What sound do porcupines make when they kiss?
Answer : Ouch!
Let me share with you the story of the porcupine.
As we know, a porcupine has many needle-like spikes, actually it is called quills, on its body.
When it is threatened, it curls up and these quills deter its enemies from harming it.
But during winter or in a cold season, the porcupines will come together to share body warmth.
But as they huddle together, their quills also poke at each other, causing each other pain.
But if they stay away from each other, they will die from the cold.
Just as porcupines gather together when it is cold in order to survive, we are born into families to be nurtured in love and life.
But just like the porcupines gathered together will poke and prick each other, living together as a family can be difficult and painful at times.
But just as the porcupines will bear the pain in order to live, we too must bear with the failings of our family members in order to grow in love and forgiveness.
And we can bear this pain because Jesus has come to be with us. He is the Emmanuel – the God is with us.
And God is with us especially in our families.
And Jesus will help us bear the pain with our family members, because He Himself was pierced for our sins.
So as much as we have the Nativity scene here in church, let us also have that Nativity scene in our homes and in our families.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph care about our families.
God cares about our families.
Let us now look at the replies to that survey again.
Let us ask Jesus to make our families like the Holy Family.
And Jesus will do it. Because He knows what’s it like to be in a family.
The most prominent symbol of the feast of Christmas is none other than the Nativity crib.
The Nativity crib has to be the most prominent and the central symbol of Christmas.
Take that away and it is as good as taking the “Christ” out of the word Christmas, and as such it wouldn’t make sense.
Well the Nativity crib goes a long way back to the year 1223.
That year, St. Francis of Assisi set up the first Nativity crib, which would eventually spread across the whole Church.
His intention was to help the peasants, who were illiterate, to have a visual understanding of the situation and circumstances in which Jesus was born.
So there is the stable with a cow here, and a donkey there, and the baby Jesus lying in the manger, which was the feeding trough or the feeding tray of animals.
There is Mary and Joseph, and a couple of shepherds with a couple of sheep surrounding Jesus.
The scene is one of poverty, and it shows us that the Saviour of the world came in such humility.
Indeed the Nativity scene is a wonderful scene that is filled with many heart-warming aspects.
That is why as part of the Christmas celebrations, there is usually a Nativity play put up by children, to highlight the Christmas message.
Well there was this catechist who was preparing her children to put up a Nativity play.
As a warm-up to the preparations, she asked her children to write a composition on this very simple topic – Who do I want to be at Christmas?
Obviously they can say that they want to be Mary or Joseph or one of the shepherds or the angel or one of the wise men.
So after the children had written their compositions, the teacher collected it and was reading through it.
Then she read one that really surprised her, and she was stunned.
The topic was supposed to be – Who do I want to be at Christmas?
This composition began like this – At Christmas I want to be the tv in my house.
I want to take its place. I want to live like the TV in my house.
Have my own special place, and have my family around ME.
To be taken seriously when I talk.... I want to be the centre of attention and be heard without interruptions or questions.
I want to receive the same special care that the TV receives when it is not working.
I want to have the company of my father when he arrives home from work, even when he is tired.
And I want my mother to care for me ! Because when she is sad and upset, she ignores me...
And I want my brothers to fight to be with me...
I want to feel that my family just leaves everything aside, every now and then, just to spend some time with me.
And last but not least I can make them all happy and entertain them...
So at Christmas I want to be the tv in my house.
We may remember that last Sunday we saw some replies to a survey conducted among some parishioners.
We may have seen some needs like children wanting their parents to spend more time with them, communication problems between parents and teens, families not praying together, parents being worried about the influence of the internet on their children, etc.
Those were worrying trends, but Christmas has got good news for the family.
The profound message of Christmas is that when God came into the world, He was born into a family, the family of Mary and Joseph.
The Nativity scene was one of poverty. But it also shows the love and warmth of the family – the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
That is what makes the Nativity scene so attractive and heart-warming .
In it, we see the love and care Mary and Joseph had for each other and for the baby Jesus.
So even if there is a tv at that time, they won’t be watching it or paying much attention to it.
Simply because they had each other, and God was with them.
But if people wish they were a tv, or a handphone, or a computer game, then something is seriously wrong.
At Christmas, God became man so that He can be with us.
It is because God is with us that we can truly be with each other.
Well I am sure we know what a porcupine is. So let me ask you this : What sound do porcupines make when they kiss?
Answer : Ouch!
Let me share with you the story of the porcupine.
As we know, a porcupine has many needle-like spikes, actually it is called quills, on its body.
When it is threatened, it curls up and these quills deter its enemies from harming it.
But during winter or in a cold season, the porcupines will come together to share body warmth.
But as they huddle together, their quills also poke at each other, causing each other pain.
But if they stay away from each other, they will die from the cold.
Just as porcupines gather together when it is cold in order to survive, we are born into families to be nurtured in love and life.
But just like the porcupines gathered together will poke and prick each other, living together as a family can be difficult and painful at times.
But just as the porcupines will bear the pain in order to live, we too must bear with the failings of our family members in order to grow in love and forgiveness.
And we can bear this pain because Jesus has come to be with us. He is the Emmanuel – the God is with us.
And God is with us especially in our families.
And Jesus will help us bear the pain with our family members, because He Himself was pierced for our sins.
So as much as we have the Nativity scene here in church, let us also have that Nativity scene in our homes and in our families.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph care about our families.
God cares about our families.
Let us now look at the replies to that survey again.
Let us ask Jesus to make our families like the Holy Family.
And Jesus will do it. Because He knows what’s it like to be in a family.
Friday, December 24, 2010
A Note for Christmas
My dear brothers and sisters,
Wishing you a Merry and Blessed Christmas and may the celebration of the birth of Christ bring peace and joy to our hearts.
I want to give thanks to God for the many inspirations to make His "Word become flesh" in the daily readings of the liturgy. I also want to thank those whom I have not been able to acknowledge but from whom I got the ideas, the stories, the examples and the situations in life in which they shared their experience of God.
I give thanks to God if the reflections on the daily readings have helped you grow in faith, love and understanding of the ways of God.
Since it is Christmas, I have daringly posted a little tune to entertain you :)
I wished I could have given a better rendition of that popular carol. But I once read somewhere:
Sing the songs that you can sing
Forget about the perfect offering
There's a crack in everything
But that's how the light shines in.
Merry Christmas & God bless you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxPj6PtwBMY
Wishing you a Merry and Blessed Christmas and may the celebration of the birth of Christ bring peace and joy to our hearts.
I want to give thanks to God for the many inspirations to make His "Word become flesh" in the daily readings of the liturgy. I also want to thank those whom I have not been able to acknowledge but from whom I got the ideas, the stories, the examples and the situations in life in which they shared their experience of God.
I give thanks to God if the reflections on the daily readings have helped you grow in faith, love and understanding of the ways of God.
Since it is Christmas, I have daringly posted a little tune to entertain you :)
I wished I could have given a better rendition of that popular carol. But I once read somewhere:
Sing the songs that you can sing
Forget about the perfect offering
There's a crack in everything
But that's how the light shines in.
Merry Christmas & God bless you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxPj6PtwBMY
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