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.

11th Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 21-06-2025

2 Cor 12:1-10 / Matthew 6:24-34     

We often hear of these phrases “win-win situation” or “the best of both worlds”.

That sounds nice and appealing and we would try to achieve these ideals.

But in reality of life, sometimes we win, sometimes we lose.

Whether we win or whether we lose, it all happens in this one world, and there is no other world to talk about.

So in this world in which we will journey through only once, what is it that is important?

And if we believe in the next world, then what is it that can be carried on from this world to the next?

In the gospel, Jesus says that we cannot be the slave of masters. We cannot be the slave of both God and money.

Between God and money, there is no “win-win situation” or “the best of both worlds”.

But the reality is that there is nothing to win in this world.

In God we already have everything we need in this world, because He already provided everything for us.

With God, we will rise from the worries of this world.

And with God, we will have a tomorrow in the eternal world.

11th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 20-06-2025

2 Cor 11:18, 21-30 / Matthew 6:19-23   

No matter how good our eyesight may be, we have to accept that it will deteriorate as we get older.

Over the years, we will need reading glasses or other visual aids to see things better and clearer.

We want to see the things of life better and clearer.

We not only want to see things better and clearer, we also want to understand life better and clearer.

In the 1st reading, St. Paul says that there are many people who have been boasting of their worldly achievements.

These people see their worldly achievements as the most important treasure in life.

But in the gospel, Jesus gives a stark image of what will happen to the treasures of this world.

Moths and woodworms will destroy them, and thieves will steal them.

When we are able to see that the treasures of this world are temporary and fleeting, then our eyes have seen the light.

We will also see that our true treasure is in heaven, and that is also our eternal home.

Let us set our sights on heaven, and we will know how to live life here on earth.

11th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 19-06-2025

2 Cor 11:1-11 / Matthew 6:7-15  

At the very core of every religion is the desire to come into communion with the divine.

While there are many means to achieve this, the primary way is through prayer.

For a Christian, prayer is essential, as prayer is an expression of the desire to come into communion with God.

So, prayer is an expression of a relationship with God.

In the gospel, Jesus tells us not to babble or to use many words in prayer to think we will make ourselves be heard.

Jesus taught us the prayer of the “Our Father”, which is a prayer that is short enough even for children to memorize.

The prayer begins by calling God our Father.

Already those two words lead us into an intimate relationship with God who wants to be our Father.

And it is a prayer taught by Jesus, the Son of God.

So, when we pray that prayer, let us not babble carelessly and forget about what we are saying.

We are calling on God our Father as we give thanks and praise for His love for us, and we also offer up our needs and petitions.

Let us meditate and ponder about that prayer because it is also the prayer of Jesus.

11th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 18-06-2025

2 Cor 9:6-11 / Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18   

 

As human beings, we have a need for identification and recognition.

We need to be identified and recognised as an individual and as a person.

More than just physically identifiable and recognisable, we also need the acknowledgement of our existence.

Quite often, we express that need with actions that will bring attention to ourselves.

Some may even desire that self-attention to the extent that they will even “hog the lime-light”, and even at the expense of others.

This can also happen in religion when spiritual acts can be turned into attention-seeking.

As Jesus pointed out in the gospel, acts like almsgiving, fasting and prayer can be used to attract attention and for self-gain.

But as St. Paul says in the 1st reading: thin sowing means thin reaping.

When we sow in the field of human desires and seek self-attention and worldly-gains, then we are going to reap what is passing and temporary.

But when we sow in the field of humility and charity, then our reward is in eternity.

As the 1st reading puts it – he was free in almsgiving and gave to the poor and his good deed will never be forgotten.

Let us do what is pleasing to God, and He will bless us with peace and joy, and give us our due recognition.