3rd Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 01-02-2025

Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 / Mark 4:325-41  

If we like to drink coffee or tea, then we know that something is needed for a good cup of coffee or tea.

Especially when the coffee or tea comes in a bag, then we know that we need hot water; better still is freshly boiled water.

The longer the coffee or tea bag stays in that hot water, the better the aroma and the taste.

In a way, faith is like a coffee or a tea bag.

We will not know how strong our faith until we are in hot water.

For the disciples in the gospel passage, their faith was tested in stormy waters, and they were frightened.

In the 1st reading, the faith of Abraham, Sarah, Issac and Jacob was tested in murky waters.

They had to believe in God’s promises and lived by faith.

But as the 1st reading says: Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen.

So, it can be said that to be in hot water is a blessing.

Then our faith will give out that strong aroma that will deepen our trust in God, and also be an inspiration for others.

3rd Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 31-01-2025

Hebrews 10:32-39 / Mark 4:26-34  

At times, in order to describe realities, it may be helpful to use examples or analogies or metaphors.

That may be because no amount of words would give an adequate or comprehensive description.

More so for abstract realities like heaven or the afterlife, there can be no precise description.

In the gospel, when Jesus preached about the kingdom of God, He used daily life examples so that the listeners were capable of understanding it.

These examples would also help us to comprehend some aspects of what the kingdom of God, especially in terms of seeds and growth.

So, words can help to give some understanding to the reality, but words cannot fully describe the reality.

Even when we try to describe what life is about, words can be used to form images and recall experiences.

The 1st reading describes the challenges of the Christian life.

It uses words like suffering, insults, violence to give an image of what to really expect for being a faithful and true Christian.

But it also encourages us to be confident that the reward is truly great.

And we will also need endurance to do God’s will and gain what God has promised us.

So in order to attain the reward of God’s promise, let us keep growing the seed of faith that is planted in us by Jesus.

Let us look beyond the things of this earth, to God’s reward waiting for us above.

3rd Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 30-01-2025

Hebrews 10:19-25 / Mark 4:21-25  

Coming for Mass regularly will certainly strengthen the faith.

We come for Mass to offer worship and thanks to God, as well as our needs and petitions.

But coming for Mass weekly, or even daily, can become routine.

And in the spiritual sense, routine can be an erosion of reverence.

The 1st reading brings us back into the deep mystery that we encounter at Mass.

It says that through the blood of Jesus, we have the right to enter the sanctuary by a new way which He has opened for us.

It is a living opening, and as we enter into the church, we enter into the living Body of Jesus, who is the high priest in the House of God.

The 1st reading urges us that as we enter, let us be sincere in heart and be filled with faith, our minds cleansed and free from impurity.

As we reflect on what the 1st reading said, Jesus tells us to take notice of what we are hearing.

What we get out of the Mass depends on what we bring to the Mass.

When we come for Mass with humility, we will be blessed with charity.

And that charity will be expressed in concern for others, and we will respond with love and good works. 

Indeed, the Mass is a celebration of the deep mystery of God’s love for us.

May we also go forth to celebrate that love with others.

Chinese New Year, Wednesday, 29-01-2025

Numbers 6:22-27 / James 4:13-15 / Matthew 6:31-34   

In the celebration of the Chinese New Year, there are many forms of decorations and many symbols are also used.

So there are lanterns and frills, banners with New Year greetings of peace, joy and prosperity.

The most prominent colour of these decorations and symbols is none other than the colour red; not just red, but very red.

And these red-coloured decorations and symbols are not just on the walls and ceilings.

They come right down into our hands in the form of “ang pows”.

But the colour red is not just a Chinese New Year colour, or a colour for Chinese New Year decorations and symbols.

For the Church, the colour red also symbolizes the sacrifice of Jesus.

The colour red symbolizes the blood of Jesus that is poured out on the Cross for our salvation.

And that sacrifice of Jesus brought about abundant blessings for us.

And we will be receiving God’s blessings in the form of mandarin oranges.

The oranges are golden in colour to symbolize the royal blessings from the King of kings.

The sweetness of the fruit symbolize the deep and gracious love of God for us.

So with such abundant blessings of love, let us not worry too much about what to eat, or what to drink, or what to wear. 

Let us not worry too much about life or about the future.

God blesses us and loves us. Let us be a blessing for others by sharing God’s love with them as we celebrate this festival.

3rd Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 28-01-2025

Hebrews 10:1-10 / Mark 3:31-35   

Sometimes religion can be thought of as some kind of barter trade between the deity and the devotee.

Religious rituals and sacrifices are performed in order to gain some kind of favours from the deity.

So someone may have gained a sum of ill-gotten money and to offset the guilt, he makes a donation to a religious institution in order to ease his conscience.

Or he may perform some religious rituals in order to ask for favours and to be granted what he desires.

Yet, we read in 1 Samuel 15:22 that the prophet Samuel told king Saul this, "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."

So what God is asking of us, over and above everything else, is our obedience to Him. With that, our religious rituals and sacrifices will fall into place and find their meaning in our faith.

And this is reiterated in the 1st reading when it said that God wanted no sacrifice or oblation or holocaust but that we do His will.

And in the gospel, Jesus would tell His disciples that whoever does the will of God is His brother and sister and mother.

So as we pray to God for our needs and intentions, let us also remember that God's will must also be done.

Obedience to God's will will give us peace of heart and mind. And that is what we really want.

3rd Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 27-01-2025

Hebrews 9:15, 24-28 / Mark 3:22-30

When we come for Mass, we come to worship God and to give thanks.

We also pray for God’s blessings, for guidance and for protection.

We also offer to God our needs and petitions.

We go through a set of rituals to express contrition and to ask for forgiveness.

We listen to Word of God, and unite ourselves with Christ in His sacrifice on the Cross.

But the Mass is not a re-enactment of the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary.

As the 1st reading says, Jesus Christ does not have to offer Himself again and again.

He offers Himself only once to take the faults of many on Himself.

And He enters not a man-made sanctuary but of heaven itself, so that He could appear in the actual presence of God on our behalf.

This may be beyond human comprehension, but the fact is that when we come for Mass, we enter into a deep and profound mystery.

It is a divine mystery that reveals and keep revealing itself to us.

And it is by faith that we enter into this mystery, and we can only give thanks to God for letting us participate in this mystery of His great love for us.

That is why the Mass is also called the Eucharist. Eucharist means thanksgiving.

Let us always give thanks, and with that we will also enter deeper into the mystery of God’s love for us.

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.

The Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle, Saturday, 25-01-2025

Acts 22:3-16/ Mark 16:15-18

Life, as we know, is a never-ending process of learning.

Not just of learning but also of discovery.

In that learning and discovery process, we also grow and we change.

Hence some of the principles and convictions that we had before may need to be reassessed and even revamped completely.

For St. Paul, the journey to Damascus was the critical milestone of his life.

In answer to his question "Who are you, Lord?", he discovered the person behind the people he was persecuting.

His next question - What am I to do? - that question he alone must answer for himself.

He can stick to his so-called security of his earlier unquestioned convictions and principles.

Or he can follow the way of the truth which will open him to change.

The feast of the conversion of St. Paul, former persecutor-turned-apostle, challenges us not only to look at our convictions and principles and beliefs.

We are also challenged to look at our relationship with Jesus.

Our relationship with Jesus must also be expressed in our relationship with others.

If there are some people whom we have a dislike for or a resentment against, or even some others whom we are " persecuting", then like St. Paul, we need to ask the question - Who are you Lord?

2nd Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 24-01-2025

Hebrews 8:6-13 / Mark 3:13-19 

In life, changes are inevitable. 

Landscape changes with development.

News ideas change thinking.

People change their lifestyles with advancements in science and technology.

But we know that God does not change. 

We know that God is faithful in His love for us.

Still, God changes His ways for relating to us.

The 1st reading tells of a transition from the old covenant to the new covenant.

That new covenant is expressed in the person of Jesus Christ.

In the gospel, Jesus chose His twelve apostles.

And over time and with changes, the Church emerged as the expression of the new covenant.

But even from age to age and change after change, what is essential remained.

And that is, the Church is to be a sign of God’s saving love and that will not change.

Let us continue the saving mission of Jesus by bring expressions of the Good News, bringing reconciliation and healing to the Church and to the world.

2nd Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 23-01-2025

Hebrews 7:25 - 8:6 / Mark 3:7-12  

One of the more common phrases that are used to end off a prayer is this: We ask this through Christ our Lord.

That phrase is used in the Liturgy and also other devotional prayers.

It is a phrase that is used and heard often, but it is a phrase that reminds us of who Jesus Christ is.

Jesus Christ was sent by God to bring sinful humanity back to God.

He is the Saviour and in Him we are forgiven and saved by His sacrifice on the Cross.

As the 1st reading says: The power of Jesus to save is utterly certain, since He is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through Him.

When a prayer ends off with “We ask this through Christ our Lord” we respond by saying “Amen.”

In saying Amen, we profess that Jesus is our Saviour who came to save us, forgive us our sins so that we can turn back to God who loves us.

In saying Amen, we declare our belief that our prayers are heard by God because Jesus intercedes for us.

Yes, through Jesus, with Jesus and in Jesus, we are blessed with salvation, forgiveness and healing.

So, let us say Amen with conviction and give thanks to Jesus for being our Saviour.

2nd Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 22-01-2025

Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17 / Mark 3:1-6  

In order to have a good understanding of the New Testament, it is necessary to know what the Old Testament is about.

The connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament is that the New Testament is a fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesies.

So the New Testament has implicit as well as explicit references to the Old Testament.

The 1st reading states that when the Old Testament mentioned about Melchizedek, king of Salem, it was a prophecy about Jesus.

The name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness” and he is also the king of Salem, which means peace.

The Old Testament says that Melchizedek has no ancestry and his life has no beginning or ending.

He is like the Son of God, and he remains forever.

The figure of Melchizedek is a prefiguring and a prophecy of who Jesus is and what His mission is.

Jesus came to forgive, to heal and bring about righteousness and peace.

Even though there was opposition, Jesus is the king who will overcome evil and prevail in goodness.

Let us follow Jesus our King, and together let us build the kingdom of God and be witnesses of peace and righteousness.

2nd Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 21-01-2025

Hebrews 6:10-20 / Mark 2:23-28  

An organization or a company has a set of procedures or practices to follow.

This is to ensure that operations will be orderly and processes will be adhered to.

People who want to join the organization or company will need to abide by these procedures and practices.

In a similar sense, a religion also has its own precepts, and the Church also has her own precepts.

Those precepts help us to know what we need to do as expressions of our faith.

As the 1st reading puts it, we need some precepts to follow so that we could go on showing the same earnestness to the end, to the perfect fulfillment of our hopes, never growing careless, but imitating those who have the faith and the perseverance to inherit the promises.

In other words, we want to inherit the promises of God and so the precepts are there to teach and guide us.

But at the same time, Jesus teaches in the gospel, that the sabbath was made for man and not man for the sabbath.

And He says that He is master even of the sabbath.

So we follow the precepts because we need some guidance and direction.

And it must all lead to Jesus our Master.

May Jesus teach us the meaning of the precepts of our faith, so that we will do God’s will and do what is for the good of others.

2nd Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 20-01-2025

Hebrews 7:1-3, 13-17 / Mark 3:1-6 

To say that Jesus is our Saviour is certainly not a casual statement.

When we think about what Jesus went through to save us, it is unimaginable.

To begin with, Jesus is divine, He is God.

And yet, He became one like us in all things, except sin.

If we have pets, and no matter how much we love our pets, we wouldn’t think of becoming like them.

But in becoming one like us, Jesus became the bridge between God and mankind.

It can be said that God became man so that man can go back to God.

Jesus showed us how to go back to God by obeying, even in suffering, and even unto death upon the Cross.

And by sacrificing Himself on the Cross to save us, Jesus offered Himself as the divine sacrifice and became our High Priest.

When we understand what Jesus went through to save us, we will also realise our calling.

We too are called to offer our lives in union with Jesus for our salvation and for the salvation of the world.

Our salvation begins with our obedience. 

Let us look at Jesus on the Cross and we will know what obedience is about.

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.

1st Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 18-01-2025

Hebrews 4:12-16 / Mark 2:13-17  

What we speak comes from what fills our hearts.

Hence our words reveal who we are and what we are thinking.

When Jesus saw Levi sitting by the customs house, He said only two words to him: Follow me.

That revealed who Jesus is. 

And when Levi got up and followed Jesus, it also revealed what Levi was searching for and what was the longing in his heart.

And when the scribes and the Pharisees commented and questioned the action of Jesus in eating with tax collectors and sinners, it also revealed what were their thoughts.

But the most profound revelation was in what Jesus said in response:

It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.

That statement revealed who Jesus is and also His mission.

The 1st reading says that the Word of God is something alive and active: it cuts like any double-edged sword but more finely.

Let us listen to the Word of God and keep it in our hearts.

May the Word of God continue to reveal God’s love to us, and may it also deepen our longing for Jesus.

1st Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 17-01-2025

Hebrews 4:1-5, 11 / Mark 2:1-12 

About 15% to 20% of the population in Singapore suffer from insomnia.

That is about one out of five person who suffers from a sleep disorder.

Even if we don’t suffer from insomnia, not being able to get to sleep quickly or having interrupted sleep can be quite frustrating.

Yes, it is so nice to be able to lie in bed and to sleep well and have a good rest.

But for the paralytic in the gospel passage, lying in bed was like a torture for him.

And there was nothing he could do about it, until his friends decided to do something.

They brought him to see Jesus, and in their determination, they even made an opening in the roof to lower the paralytic and his stretcher to where Jesus was.

The first words from Jesus that the paralytic heard was: My child, your sins are forgiven.

That was all that is needed to begin the healing of his spirit and body.

And the next time he lies in bed, it will be a good rest and a peaceful sleep.

The 1st reading tells of the promise of the place of rest that God had promised His people.

We understand this as an eternal rest in the peace and love of God.

But it also begins here on earth. 

As we end the day and prepare to sleep, let us ask for forgiveness for our sins.

May we be at peace with God and with others, and may God bless us with a good rest and a peaceful sleep.

1st Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 16-01-2025

Hebrews 1:67-14 / Mark 1:40-45

For most of us, every day is usually quite routine.

We go about the day doing the usual thing.

There may be surprises here and there, but it won’t jolt us out of our tracks.

For that leper in the gospel, each day was a dread.

He could be living alone. But even if he was in a colony of lepers, it is like in the company of misery.

But in that lonely misery, something prompted him to go look for Jesus.

And when he came before Jesus, he pleaded with Jesus on his knees to cure him.

And Jesus did cure him of his leprosy, and Jesus seem so eager to cure him.

We too have days when we feel lonely and in misery.

We can either continue in that lonely misery routine.

Or we can go to a church and go before Jesus and ask Him for help.

Like the leper, we may be surprised at how eager Jesus wants to help us.

1st Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 15-01-2025

Hebrews 2:14-18 / Mark 1:29-39  

We like to identify and to be identified by what we do and by our profession.

That is also the most common way to describe who we are and what we do.

In other words, who we are is, in a way, defined by what we do.

Or, should it be the other way round?

What we do should be from who we are.

Our essence should determine our actions.

In the gospel, Jesus went about His healing work.

He cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another.

And He also cast out many devils.

But early in the morning, He went off to a lonely place and prayed there.

He knew that He was the Son of the Father, and that relationship was the most important to Him.

We too must know that we are the beloved children of God.

When we know that God has called us with love and in love, then we will know that we are to express that love in our lives.

That is how we should live our lives and that is what we must to do in life.

1st Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 14-01-2025

Hebrews 2:5-12 / Mark 1:21-28  

The book of Genesis tells us that God made man in His image.

So every person carries in himself a divine dignity.

But when mankind fell into sin, that divine dignity was tarnished.

The divine image in man became disfigured and contorted.

Sin also created openings in the heart of a person for evil spirits to even have possession of the person.

Such was the case of the man who was possessed by an unclean spirit in the gospel passage.

But that man was in the synagogue and it could mean that he wants to be liberated for the evil possession and also be freed from sin.

In delivering that man from the possession of the unclean spirit, Jesus reiterated the purpose of His mission.

Jesus came to break the power of evil, to forgive sins, and to restore humanity back to the divine dignity.

Let us turn to Jesus and ask for forgiveness for our sins and the sin of humanity.

Let us also ask Jesus for the healing of our hearts so that we can also be restored into the image of God and to help others discover their divine dignity.

1st Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 13-01-2025

Hebrews 1:1-6 / Mark 1:14-20  

One of the questions that is often asked is this:

How do I know if God is speaking to me? How can I be sure?

This question is often asked when there is a critical decision to be made.

And there is no certain indication of what God is saying about what to decide.

The 1st reading says that at various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets, but in our own time, the last days, He has spoken to us through His Son.

In the gospel, when Jesus called Simon and Andrew, and also James and John, to be His disciples, they responded immediately and even left everything behind.

We might wonder why they responded so quickly and what made them decide to do so.

Of course, we may say that it was Jesus who is calling them so it was easy for them to decide and respond.

But it can be said that God had already prepared their hearts and they heard the voice of God when Jesus called them.

As for us, it is in prayer that God prepares our hearts to listen to His promptings.

And when He speaks, we will know that it is His voice and we will know how to respond.

Baptism of the Lord, Year C, 12.01.2025

 Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 / Acts 10:34-38 / Luke 3:15-16, 21-22 

There are certain things that can be said about our country. 

We are called a “green city”, so yes, green and also quite clean. 

We may be just a small little dot in the world map, but the cost of living can be quite high. 

Whatever it might be, we have many things to be thankful for. 

One of which is the weather; we only have hot days or rainy days. 

The hot days are not that scorching, and the rainy days are not that freezing. 

Over the last couple of days, we have seen quite a lot of rain and quite a lot of water too. 

But in another country, there are raging fires that have caused much damage, and required mandatory evacuation. 

When we think about water and fire, they are good servants but bad masters. 

And in the religious sense, water and fire are also symbols of spiritual realities. 

In the gospel, John the Baptist also talks about water and fire. He said that he baptizes with water, but someone is coming after him, someone who is more powerful than he is. 

And that someone will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 

The gospel gives an account of the baptism of Jesus. 

After His baptism, Jesus was at prayer, and the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily shape, like a dove. 

And then there came a voice from Heaven that declared: You are my Son, the Beloved, my favour rest on you. 

With His baptism, Jesus began His work of salvation by immersing Himself into the broken and fractured human situation. 

By His baptism, water became a symbol and a means of spiritual cleansing and healing. 

Jesus came to save and to heal. He does not break the crushed reed nor quench the wavering flame, as the 1st reading puts it. 

The baptism of Jesus also reminds us of our own baptism. 

Yes, at our baptism, we have been washed and cleansed of sin, and we also received a lighted candle as a symbol of the Light of Christ. 

But as we step out into the world, we face brokenness from disappointments, and fractured relationships with others. 

The fire of God's love that we received at baptism begins to quiver and waiver. 

And we get tempted and distracted, and we fall into sin and into the trap of the devil. 

But as the 2nd reading tells us, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who fell into the trap of the devil. 

Jesus did not break the crush reed nor quench the wavering flame. 

Jesus came to save and to heal those who are crushed in life and wavering in gloom. 

Today, we renew our baptism and our commitment to Jesus. 

And today, God tells us that we are His beloved children, and that He wants to bless us abundantly. 

We need God's blessings of love to be witnesses of the Good News of salvation.

God has given the Church Holy Water as a reminder of our baptism, that we are His beloved children, and as a sign of His blessings and love. 

Let us give thanks for this gift of Holy Water, and use it on ourselves and our loved ones, and also on those who need to experience the saving love of God. 

Jesus will heal our crushed spirits so that our hearts will burn brightly with the fire of His love. 

And may our lives as God's beloved children radiate with hope, so that others will be drawn to the saving waters of baptism.

Saturday after Epiphany, 11-01-2025

1 John 5:14-21 / John 3:22-30  

If we were to look around, would it be easy to find someone who is truly happy and contented.

It would be truly amazing to be able to find someone or people who are truly happy and contented.

But our own life experience tells us happiness and contentment are so elusive.

Even if we are happy and contented, it is only momentary.

More than half the time, we are either grumbling about something or unsatisfied with what we already have.

Here is where we need to reflect and think deep about that statement from John the Baptist in today’s gospel: “A man can lay claim only to what is given him from heaven.”

When we understand the meaning and the truth of that statement, then we will look at what we already had been given.

More than just what we have, Jesus wants to give us something much greater.

He wants to come into our lives and fill our heart, so that when He becomes greater and we become less, then we will be happier.

Everything we have comes from God, but to have Jesus making His home in our hearts, then we will be truly happy and contented.

Friday after Epiphany, 10-01-2025

1 John 5:5-13 / Luke 5:12-16   

There is one problem that is inherent in all machinery and equipment.

And that is wear and tear. 

So after a time, the parts need to be replaced or repaired.

Even household items need to be maintained. 

Knives need to be sharpened. Batteries need to be charged.

As for the spiritual life, our minds and hearts also need to be sharpened and maintained with prayer.

Otherwise, the weeds of sin will grow leading to moral decay and spiritual leprosy.

In the gospel, Jesus cured the leper of his disease.

It also symbolizes that Jesus wants to forgive our sins and heal us of our spiritual decay and leprosy.

But like Jesus, we too must pray and be faithful at it.

Life is fragile. Let us handle it with prayer and invoke God’s blessings on ourselves as well as on others.

Thursday after Epiphany, 09-01-2025

1 John 4:19 - 5:4 / Luke 4:14-22  

By now, the Christmas music is nowhere to be heard, and the Christmas decorations are taken down.

Yes, Christmas is over, the holidays are over, it is back to work and back to school.

So, the celebrations are over and now the celebrations are to be put into actions.

The gospel tells of the beginning of the mission work of Jesus.

With the power of the Spirit, He taught the people.

Then in the synagogue at Nazara, He read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.

With that, Jesus stated what His mission would be.

For us, the mission of Jesus is also our mission.

It is the mission of love. 

As the 1st reading puts it, we are to love because God loved us first.

We love God by loving others.

When we do that, the celebration of Christmas continues in our lives.

Wednesday after Epiphany, 08-01-2025

1 John 4:11-18 / Mark 6:45-52  

We may be very close to the light, and the light is also very bright.

But it would not be of any advantage if the eyes are closed.

The physical act of closing our eyes would indicate that we rather not look at what is happening around us.

On the other hand, our eyes may be wide open but we may not be looking or seeing.

In the gospel, the disciples were rowing against a heavy sea on a dark night.

And then when they saw Jesus walking on the water towards them, they were terrified and thought it was a ghost.

And when Jesus got into the boat and the wind dropped, the disciples were utterly and completely dumbfounded.

They saw the miracle of the loaves, they saw Jesus walking on the water and He calmed the wind.

They were very near the light and the light was very bright.

Their eyes may be open, but their minds are closed.

May what we see and look at be an act of prayer so that we can see and look at what God wants to reveal to us.

Tuesday after Epiphany, 07-01-2025

1 John 4:7-10 / Mark 6:34-44

When it comes to making a sacrifice, we would be hesitant.

We would be thinking of what we need to give up and if it is worth it.

If we were to make a sacrifice or give up something, we would expect to gain something from it.

We would certainly be reluctant to make a sacrifice if there is nothing to gain from it.

The 1st reading says that God loves us with such great a love that He sent His Son to be a sacrifice that takes our sins away.

There is nothing for God to gain by sacrificing His Son.

He only wanted us to come back to Him through the sacrifice of His Son.

In the gospel, the disciples gave up the five loaves and two fish, which they could have for themselves.

But for doing that they saw the miracle of the multiplication of loaves.

So, whenever we have to give up something, or make a sacrifice for the benefit of others, let us do it for the love of God.

In return, God will show us amazing miracles for the little sacrifice we make.

Monday after Epiphany, 06-01-2025

1 John 3:22 - 4:6 / Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25   

The celebration of the feast of Christmas and Epiphany has a common feature.

That feature is about light.

More than just physical light, there is a spiritual aspect to that light.

As the gospel passage quoted from the prophet Isaiah: 

The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light;

On those who dwell in the land and shadow of death, a light has dawned.

The coming of Jesus has brought a mystical light to the world.

And Jesus began His ministry with these words: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.

So, repentance is about letting the light of Christ shine on the darkness of our lives.

And that light brings the Good News to our lives, as well as a spiritual healing.

Christ the light brings healing to our relationship with God, and also healing and reconciliation in our relationship with others.

Repentance begins with prayer. In prayer, we let the light of Christ shine into our hearts.

Then the healing and reconciliation that we are longing for will begin.

Epiphany, Year C, 05.01.2025

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

We believe that everything happens under God's watchful eyes. 

And with that, it means that everything happens for a reason. 

So, when something good happens, we believe that it is a blessing from God. 

But when bad things happen, we may not say that it is from God. 

Nonetheless, we may ask why did God allow that to happen. 

When we look around and think about it, we have our questions about what is happening in life. 

Like the recent airplane tragedy that took a number of lives. 

Or the wars and conflicts and violence in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and all those acts of terrorism, that took away and are still taking away many innocent lives. 

We wonder why such tragedies and disasters are happening. 

If God sees, and God knows, then why does He allow such bad things to happen. 

Or a deeper question to ask is, what is God showing us, what is God telling us, when bad, or even when good things happen. 

In the Christmas story, the wise men saw the Star and they knew it was a sign from God to look for the new-born King of the Jews. 

But what is rather difficult to understand is that God did not tell them everything, and did not guide them all the way. 

Even the Star seemed to have disappeared now and then, and that was why the wise men came to Jerusalem, thinking that the infant King would be born there. 

Well, King Herod came to know about their intentions, and he was perturbed. But that also revealed how evil and wicked King Herod was. 

Finally, when the Star appeared and led the wise men to Bethlehem, they must be surprised. 

It would be indeed surprising for the wise men to see that the infant King of the Jews to be lying in a manger, instead of being in a palace. 

His parents were simple and lowly, instead of being royalties. 

All the assumptions and presumptions of an infant King seem to end up in opposition and contradiction. 

Today's feast is called Epiphany. Epiphany means revelation. 

It means that the birth of Jesus Christ, the King and the Saviour, is revealed to the whole world. 

The wise men symbolize the nations of the world acknowledging the kingship of Jesus Christ, and coming to pay homage to Him. 

But there are also deeper and personal revelations. 

It revealed the true character of king Herod, and the wise men were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod. 

It revealed the faith of the wise men, in that though what they saw was contrary to their expectation, nonetheless they believed. 

And they expressed their belief with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

These gifts also have deeper revelations. They symbolize the Royalty, Divinity and Humanity of Jesus. 

The feast of Epiphany also reveals to us that God has His ways and His plans. 

And God will reveal to us what we need to know, so that we can do what He plans for us. 

And God will also reveal to us what we need to know about ourselves, so that we can understand ourselves deeper. 

And the three symbolic gifts are also revelations for our parish.

The infant King came to the world in humility and simplicity. So too must we. 

This church is the house of God; it is a holy place. We come here to pray and worship. 

Yes, we are reminded of the call to pray and to be holy. 

Myrrh symbolizes humanity and mortality. We are human and we have failings, but God loves us and sends Jesus to save us. 

So, even though we are human and we have our failings, still we must love and forgive, just as God loves and forgives us.

On this feast of Epiphany, we thank God for revealing Himself to us and for revealing His plans and His will to us. 

Like the wise men, let us believe, and let us offer our lives to God in love and in service of our brothers and sisters.

4th January 2025, Saturday, Weekday of Christmas Time

1 John 3:7-10 / John 1:35-42  

The destiny of seeds is to germinate and grow into a plant or a tree.

But a seed can only germinate when the conditions are conducive.

And even when a seed is able to germinate, there are other factors that will affect and determine its growth.

The 1st reading says that no one who has been begotten by God sins because God’s seed remains inside him.

So, as disciples of Jesus, we are begotten by God and we have God’s seed in us.

But when we sin, then that seed can’t germinate.

But a time will come when we will realise that we have sinned and will repent.

Then God’s seed in us will germinate and grow.

In the gospel, the time has come for Andrew and the other disciple, and as well as for Peter, for God’s seed to be sown in them.

We already have God’s seed sown in us. 

With prayer and living a holy life, God’s seed will bear fruit in us and make us true disciples of Jesus.

3rd January 2025, Friday, Weekday of Christmas Time

1 John 2:29-36 / John 1:29-34  

In everyday usage, water is used in washing and cleansing.

Water is also a necessity for sustaining life.

In the Church, water is used in the Rite of Baptism.

It symbolizes the cleaning of sin and the gift of new life.

Water is also used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

In the gospel, John the Baptist said that it was to reveal Jesus Christ to Israel that he came baptizing with water.

When John the Baptist baptized Jesus, he saw the Holy Spirit come down and rest on Jesus.

When we were baptized, we were made pure and the Holy Spirit also rested on us.

When we pray, we are cleansed from sin and faults and made pure again by the Holy Spirit.

But when we don’t pray, then sin and other failings begin to defile us, and we also close the door of our hearts to the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray regularly and constantly, so that we will remain pure and live holy lives as God’s children and become more and more like Jesus Christ.

2nd January 2025, Thursday, Weekday of Christmas Time

1 John 2:22-28 / John 1:19-28  

There are a few descriptions that are associated with John the Baptist.

The most common is that he is the one who is baptizing, with him standing in the water and pouring water over people.

Another would be him as a prophet, dressed in a camel's hair garment and a leather belt around his waist.

But it would be difficult to describe him as a voice that cries in the wilderness to make a straight path for the Lord.

That was how he described himself when he was asked who he was.

It is difficult to have an image for voice. Even symbols may not adequately express it.

The gospel says that John appeared as a witness.

A witness does not speak for himself. Rather he speaks for the one whom he bears witness to.

We too are called to be witnesses for Jesus.

By the witnessing of our voices, others will hear the voice of Jesus the Saviour.

May our voices make a straight way for others to Jesus.