The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Saturday, 28-06-2025

Isaiah 61:9-11 / Luke 2:41-51       (2021 / 2023)

The feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is closely connected to the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus which was celebrated yesterday.

This feast highlights the joys and sorrows of Mary in doing the will of God, her virtues of obedience and humility, her love for God and for Jesus, and not least, her love for all people.

In Christian art, the Immaculate Heart of Mary is depicted with a sword pierced through the heart, and wrapped with roses or lilies.

In the gospel of Luke, Simeon prophesied that a sword will pierce through her heart (Lk 2:35) because of the sorrows and sufferings she will have to go through with Jesus.

Hence, closely connected to the devotion of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is the seven sorrows of Mary :

1. The prophecy of Simeon (Lk 2:35)

2. The flight to Egypt (Mt 2:13-14)

3. The finding of Jesus in the Temple (Lk 2:43-45)

4. The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the way of the cross

5. The crucifixion

6. The taking down of the body of Jesus from the cross

7. The burial of Jesus (Jn 19:38-42)

Usually seven Hail Marys are also said while meditating upon the seven sorrows of Mary. Furthermore, the devotion to the Immaculate Heart would also include going for Confession before or after the first Saturday of every month, receive Communion and the praying of the Rosary.

All this is in reparation for the sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, which are also the sins committed against the Sacred Heart of Jesus, because the two Hearts are closely and intimately connected.

It is also a way of expressing our union with the Hearts of Jesus and Mary and sharing in their love for all people and praying for the conversion and salvation of sinners.

Yes, we and all peoples are in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. May Jesus and Mary be in our hearts and in the hearts of all peoples too so that all will be saved.

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday, 27-0-6-2025

Ezekiel 34:11-16 / Romans 5:5-11 / Luke 15:3-7  

It is interesting to note how we associate certain actions with certain parts of our body.

When we say that we are thinking about some matters, we will instinctively point to the head.

When we want to say what we feel about something, we will put our hand on our heart.

Thinking is based very much on logic and reasoning.

Feeling is based much on emotions and the five senses.

And depending on the situation and circumstances, one may take priority over the other.

The gospel parable gives a good example of whether thinking or feeling has the priority.

From the logical and rational angle, it is not worth it to leave the 99 sheep in the wilderness just to look for that one missing sheep.

But in that gospel parable, the man did the opposite – he left the 99 sheep in the wilderness just to look for that lost sheep.

And Jesus used that parable to reveal to us His Sacred Heart, which is also the Heart of the Good Shepherd.

For Jesus, each of us is a precious lamb to Him, and when we get lost in the maze of life, Jesus goes all out in search of us.

It may sound too good to be true, but that is the love Jesus has for us.

Jesus wants all of us to be gathered into His Sacred Heart.

Let us ask Jesus to make our hearts like His, so that we too will go and look for those that are lost and bring them to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

12th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 26-06-2025

Genesis 16:1-12, 15-16 / Matthew 7:21-29  

Human beings have this great gift of the freedom of choice.

With this gift of choice, a person can decide his direction in life and his destiny.

But with this gift of the freedom of choice, there comes a challenge.

This challenge is to let go of our freedom of choice and be obedient to a higher order or superior.

In the 1st reading, Sarai had no child, so in her own thinking, she decided to get children through her slave girl Hagar.

Although it was a cultural practice at that time, Sarai, as well as Abram, chose to let their own human thinking and designs chart their future’s direction.

But as it turned out, their ideas and ways went off course and things became unpleasant and ugly.

In the gospel, Jesus reminds us that it is not just about acknowledging Him as Lord, but to do the will of God.

To do the will of God is to surrender our freedom of choice to the Lord and to follow the ways of God.

The ways of God is difficult as it goes against our human reasoning and our liking.

But it is a choice between standing firmly on rock or to be washed away like the sand.

Let us choose the difficult ways of God and our lives will be at peace.

12th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 25-06-2025

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 / Matthew 7:15-20  

The phrase “frog in the well” gives an imagery to what it means.

It refers to someone with a narrow perspective or with limited knowledge.

It is like being similar to a frog that only knows the small world inside the well, and cannot conceive of anything larger than that of the well.

In the 1st reading, Abram was lamenting that he still did not have an heir of his own flesh and blood, even though God had promised him a son.

There is a rather casual phase that changed Abram’s perception.

God took Abram outside, and He said: Look up to heaven and count the stars if you can. Such will be your descendants.

And Abram put his faith in the Lord who counted this as making him justified.

In the gospel, Jesus told His disciples to beware of false prophets.

False prophets will tell people to look at the world and to gain whatever they can.

False prophets will tell us to be happy and stay in the well.

But true prophets will tell us to look up and beyond this world to the promises of God.

True prophets will tell us to come out of the well and wonder at the marvels of God.

May we come out of our narrow perspectives and limited knowledge and see the wonders and marvels of God’s love for us.

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Tuesday, 24-06-2025

Isaiah 49:1-6 / Acts 13:22-26 / Luke 1:57-66, 80        

We might be wondering why the birth of St. John the Baptist is such a big feast-day, in fact a solemnity.

Maybe we can get an idea from the meaning of his name.

John, or in Hebrew "Yehohanan", means "the Lord is gracious" or "the Lord shows favour".

Indeed, in St. John the Baptist, God had shown His favour, not just to Zachariah and Elizabeth by blessing them with a child.

He has shown favour to the whole of humanity.

Because before St. John the Baptist came into the scene, the prophetic voice in Israel has been silent for 400 years.

When St. John the Baptist came into the scene, he breathed fire and preached thunder.

All that was to prepare the way for Jesus the Christ, the Anointed One of God.

So St. John the Baptist prepared the people to receive the graciousness from God.

He prepared the people to receive Jesus who is filled with grace and truth.

What St. John the Baptist did for the people of his time, we too are to do for the people of our time.

We too are to prepare our people to receive the graciousness and the favour of God.

The name John means "God is gracious" and "God shows favour".

We have an even more important name.

We are called Christians. It means the "anointed ones". It means that we are to be another Christ to the world.

May we be filled with God's grace and favour to fulfill our mission.

12th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 23-06-2025

Genesis12:1-9 / Matthew 7:1-5    

According to a popular theory of psychosocial development by Erik Erikson, there are 8 stages of life, namely:

Infancy, Toddlerhood, Preschool years, Early school years, Adolescence, Young adulthood, Middle adulthood and Late adulthood.

The theory also proposes a conflict at each stage of life, which is a turning point that brings about the transition into the next stage.

So a person will face struggle or a crisis at each stage of life before going to the next stage.

It can be presumed that at the final stage of life, the only thing left to face is the finality of life, which is death.

And it can be supposed that it would be in the senior years, probably in the late 70s or 80s.

In the 1st reading, when God called Abram to leave his country, his family and his father’s house to go to another land, Abram was already 75 years old.

Ordinarily speaking, at that age, we would call it the sunset years and also call it a day.

Who would ever expect God to call a 75 year old man to a new phase or stage of life.

Jesus taught us in the gospel not to give a moral judgement on others, especially when we are no better than the rest.

But let us also not judge others on what they can or cannot do.

After all, when God calls a person, it is not so much about suitability but availability.

And let us also not judge ourselves about our abilities.

When God calls us, let us just be available to do His will.

Corpus Christi, Year C, 22.06.2025

 Genesis 14:18-20 / 1 Cor 11:23-26 / Luke 9:11-17

There are many reasons why people come to Church. 

One of the reasons is that they feel peaceful when they come to Church. 

And there are also some people who have a favourite, or a few favourite churches to go to. 

But the strange thing is that the church they go to is not about convenience or distance. 

There may be a church that is just a stone's throw from where they stay, but they prefer to go to a church that is across the island. 

Whatever it is, the reasons why people go to church can be logical and reasonable, as well as spiritual and emotional. 

It is about how they feel about going to a church, and keep going there week after week. 

So, it is not just about the colour of the paint, or a design of the church, or the food at the canteen, or the projections and the audio. 

Neither is it all about the choir or the preaching or the vibrancy of the church. 

People go to church essentially because they believe in God, and they want to pray in Church. 

After all, the Church is the House of God and the House of prayer. 

And people come, week after week, to keep praying and to give thanks because of prayers answered. 

Essentially, that is why people come to Church and keep coming to Church. 

This Sunday, the Church celebrates the Feast of Corpus Christi, which in English means “the Body of Christ.” 

The term “the Body of Christ” points to two fundamental realities. 

It points to the reality of the consecrated host that we received at Holy Communion - It is the Body of Christ. 

It also points to us, who receive the Body of Christ. We become what we receive. We become the Body of Christ. 

And as the Body of Christ, we also become the Church of Christ. 

As the Body of Christ, as the Church of Christ, we are to be what Jesus did in today's gospel passage. 

Jesus made the crowds welcome, and talked to them about the Kingdom of God, and cure those in need of healing. 

When we come to Church on Sundays, we come from various situations and circumstances. 

We had a busy week, we bring along our worries and anxieties, we struggle with our troubles. 

We come to Church to find peace, to offer our prayers, to rest and to be strengthened so that we can go forth and face the world again. 

And when we receive the Body of Christ at Holy Communion, we receive divine strength and power. 

We become a member of the Body of Christ who would want to welcome the weary and tired. 

As a member of the Body of Christ, we want to echo the Good News of the Kingdom of God to those who want to listen to the voice of God. 

And for those who are suffering and in pain, whether physically or mentally, we want to point them to the Divine Healer. 

And for all those in need, we want to pray for them so that they can find peace and healing in Jesus Christ. 

A priest was relating this story, that one day he was on his way to celebrate Mass when two women approached him. 

One of them said that her companion, who is a non-Catholic, would like to see a priest. 

But as it was about time for Mass, the priest told them to go for Mass and then see him after Mass. 

The priest saw the two women at Mass, but they did not come to see him after Mass. 

For the next few days, he saw them attending Mass. 

Then one day, the priest managed to see the two of them and he asked about the request to see him. 

The woman who made the request told him: No need already Father. You told us to go for Mass that day. We went and my friend here found peace. Since then, she wanted to come for Mass every day because her prayers are answered. Now she wants to join the RCIA. 

The priest was amazed. That was truly all God's work. 

That is also the wonderful and marvellous power of the Mass and the Eucharist. 

Indeed it is all God's work. The Body of Christ is the gift from God. Becoming a member of the Body of Christ is also the work of God. 

As the Body of Christ, let us welcome those who are seeking, those who are searching, and those who are in need. 

And may we also help those who want to believe in the love of God to be a member of the Body of Christ.