Isaiah 63:7-9 / Col 3:12-17 / Luke 12:22-30
*The theme for this year’s National Day Parade (NDP) is “#OneNationTogether”, a rallying call to unite all Singaporeans to stand together and overcome all odds together. ‘One Nation’ is to remind Singaporeans that regardless of origin and background, we belong as one people and one nation. It encourages Singaporeans to harness our diversity and to leave no one behind as we strive towards an even brighter future. ‘Together’ emphasises the importance of unity in times of uncertainty and challenges ahead and represents a call-to-action for all Singaporeans to overcome the odds together.
For the first time in NDP, the hash symbol (#) has been incorporated into an NDP theme, #OneNationTogether, enabling Singaporeans to share the rally call through social media. The “#” also serves as symbols of unity and home. “#” draws a close resemblance to the iconic image of four interlocking arms found in our nation’s first Orchid series $10 note launched in 1967. This symbolizes our nation’s strength in social unity and multicultural harmony. “#” is also a familiar feature in Singaporean home addresses, making “#” synonymous with the idea of home.*
* from https://www.ndp.org.sg/about
In the write-up above, the year 1967 with its associated icons are mentioned.
That was 50 years ago and since then, our country has progressed and developed in the economic and material sense and we are proud to be Singaporeans.
And as a nation we need to keep on growing in unity and integrity, with democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality, which are our country's ideals as symbolised in the country's flag.
Yet all this would not be realised if not for the spiritual dimension of the country. Just as a person has a spiritual dimension, so has a country.
In our multi-racial an multi-religious country, we not only respect other religions and appreciate the religious freedom, we also have a duty to pray for our country to grow and develop spiritually.
So we need to work hard to progress and develop in the economic and material sense. But we, as the Church also need to set our hearts on the Kingdom of God in this country, so that our country will be united in integrity, and progress in democracy, peace, justice and equality.
May our Lord God bless Singapore and may the peace of Christ reign in our country.
Numbers 12:1-13 / Matthew 15:1-2, 12-14 (Year A)
Envy and jealousy are what we feel in our hearts whenever we feel inferior to another person.
As it is, envy and jealousy already contorts and distorts our actions and behaviour.
In the spoken form, it comes out as criticism and moral judgement.
In the 1st reading, we heard how Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses in connection to his marriage with a Cushite woman.
There was really nothing wrong with that, but the real reason was that they were envious and jealous of Moses and they used a trivial matter to express it.
So what they said merely expressed the envy and jealousy that were biting away in their hearts.
As what Jesus said in the gospel, what goes into the mouth does not make a man unclean.
Rather it is what comes out of the mouth that really shows the state of the heart.
Hence, in our examination of conscience, it is necessary to recollect and reflect on the words that have come out of our mouths.
By our own words, we will know what is in our hearts.
May we offer our hearts to the Lord to be cleansed and healed so that our hearts will be where the Lord makes His home and that we will speak only words of love.
Numbers 11:4-15 / Matthew 14:22-36 (Year A)
A baby's cry is an alarm to the parents that the baby has some needs that require attention.
That is understandable because that is how a baby communicates with the world.
But when the baby starts to wail, it could mean that serious attention is needed. Moreover the wailing can be intolerable and irritating.
If that is the case with babies, then what about adults when they start wailing?
The 1st reading told us that the people of Israel began to wail, every family at the door of its tent.
The cause of the wailing was that they were clamouring for meat - "Who will give us meat to eat?"
Their wailing irritated the Lord to the extent that the anger of the Lord flared out, and Moses was also irritated to the extent that he was finding the people intolerable.
And to think that the wailing was all about the craving for meat! It is indeed difficult to understand how people would behave when they give in to their craving.
Yet in the gospel we saw a totally different kind of behaviour from Jesus when He received news about the death of John the Baptist, His relative.
He did not wail, He did not vent His anger or rave with revenge. He withdrew to a lonely place by Himself, but after that He went back to His disciples and to the people to continue His work of teaching, healing and proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom.
Let us ask the Lord Jesus to give us grateful and thankful hearts so that we can rise above our desires and cravings and praise the Lord for all the blessings we have received.
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 / 2 Peter 1:16-19 / Matthew 17:1-9
There is one thing that we will surely notice by now, as it makes its prominence around this time of the year. We see it on HDB flats and other buildings, on the streets, on cars, and also at the entrance of the Church. Yes, it’s the Singapore flag, as we prepare to celebrate the 52nd birthday of our nation.
The flag marked the beginning of our nation and our country. Over the years, as our country progressed and developed, the flag remained unchanged as it fluttered silently on flag-poles of national and government buildings.
The flag represents who we are as Singaporeans. So even though we are a multi-racial and multi-religious country, we are bounded in unity as symbolized by the upper red section of the flag. The lower white section represents purity and virtue.
The crescent moon represents a rising young nation, while the five stars depict Singapore’s ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality. In short, the flag reminds us of who we are as Singaporeans and what Singapore should be.
And we acknowledge the emotions that are stirred up in our hearts when the state flag is hoisted and the national anthem is sung. And one of those recent moments was when Joseph Schooling won the gold medal in the swimming event at the 2016 Olympics. We were proud to be Singaporeans.
It was a glorious “remembered moment”. So whenever the flag is hoisted up, it recalls for us all those “remembered moments” of our country.
Today, the Church celebrates a “remembered moment” in the life of Jesus, and it is celebrated in the feast of the Transfiguration.
In the presence of His three disciples, Jesus was transfigured – His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
It was a moment in the life of Jesus that was recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, and St. Peter also recalled it in his letter in the 2nd reading.
But just as we need to know the meaning of the symbols of the flag in order to understand what it represents, we also need to know the purpose of the Transfiguration.
The Transfiguration reminds us of what we are created for and what we are to be eternally. In other words, we are created to have faces that shine like the sun and with hearts that are as white as the light.
The Transfiguration of Jesus is a “remembered moment” because it recalls for us who we are and what we are to be.
But in the drudgery of life, our memory becomes dimmed, and the shine begins to fade.
Coupled with the troubles of life, we succumb to the temptations of the devil and we get discouraged and we slowly begin to get disfigured.
The sun in our faces get covered by dark storm-clouds, and the light in our hearts fade and give way to darkness.
Discouragement and distress can cause disfiguration, but the Transfiguration of the Lord tells us that it can be different, and it must be different.
We see some examples of this in the Bible:
- When the Israelites were caught in the distressful situation between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army, they wailed in terror. But Moses told them, “God will fight your battles for you” (Ex 14:14). How? The Red Sea parted and the Israelites crossed over but the Egyptians were drowned in the sea.
- David, the one who brought down Goliath, was pursued and hunted by king Saul. Then David had the opportunity to take his revenge when Saul was sleeping alone in a cave. But he said, “I shall not harm the Lord’s anointed” (1 Sam 26:9). David later became Israel’s greatest king.
- St. Augustine, after his conversion from a life of debauchery, wrote this: Our hearts are made for you O God, and they shall not rest until they rest in you.
These are just some of the “remembered moments” from the Bible and from the lives of the saints, and they tell us that things can be different and must be different.
The disfiguration caused by discouragement and distress can be healed by these “remembered moments” and the Transfiguration of the Lord brings about that healing for us.
Last Friday, 4th August, was the feast-day of St. John Vianney, Patron Saint of all Priests, who was also known for his ministry as a confessor.
There is this story from his early days as a seminarian. John Vianney was called up by the Rector of the Major Seminary where he was studying for the priesthood, to inform him of the negative report he received from his professors.
The Rector said: “John, your teachers don’t think you have what it takes to be ordained a priest and they cannot in good conscience present you for ordination. One professor in particular went on record saying that you are as dumb as a donkey!”
But John Vianney, was not perplexed at all. After a moment of silence, he replied: “Father Rector, do you remember the story in chapter 15 of the book of Judges, where God used Samson to kill a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey, thus saving the people of Israel?”
“Of course I do” answered the Rector. John Vianney continued, “If God could work such a wonderful deed with the jawbone of a donkey, can you imagine what God can accomplish with a total donkey?”
Indeed, it was another “remembered moment” and indeed God transfigured a “dumb as a donkey” John Vianney into the Patron Saint of all Priests.
So the Transfiguration of the Lord is not a cleverly invented myth that is repeated year after year.
The Transfiguration brings about the healing of the disfiguration caused by discouragement and distress.
The Transfiguration of the Lord also encourages us to recall those “remembered moments” in the Bible and also in the lives of the saints.
May those “remembered moments” make our faces shine like the sun and may our hearts be white as the light.
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 / 2 Peter 1:16-19 / Matthew 17:1-9
There is one thing that we will surely notice by now, as it makes its prominence around this time of the year. We see it on HDB flats and other buildings, on the streets, on cars, and also at the entrance of the Church. Yes, it’s the Singapore flag, as we prepare to celebrate the 52nd birthday of our nation.
The flag marked the beginning of our nation and our country. Over the years, as our country progressed and developed, the flag remained unchanged as it fluttered silently on flag-poles of national and government buildings.
The flag represents who we are as Singaporeans. So even though we are a multi-racial and multi-religious country, we are bounded in unity as symbolized by the upper red section of the flag. The lower white section represents purity and virtue.
The crescent moon represents a rising young nation, while the five stars depict Singapore’s ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality. In short, the flag reminds us of who we are as Singaporeans and what Singapore should be.
And we acknowledge the emotions that are stirred up in our hearts when the state flag is hoisted and the national anthem is sung. And one of those recent moments was when Joseph Schooling won the gold medal in the swimming event at the 2016 Olympics. We were proud to be Singaporeans.
It was a glorious “remembered moment”. So whenever the flag is hoisted up, it recalls for us all those “remembered moments” of our country.
Today, the Church celebrates a “remembered moment” in the life of Jesus, and it is celebrated in the feast of the Transfiguration.
In the presence of His three disciples, Jesus was transfigured – His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
It was a moment in the life of Jesus that was recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, and St. Peter also recalled it in his letter in the 2nd reading.
But just as we need to know the meaning of the symbols of the flag in order to understand what it represents, we also need to know the purpose of the Transfiguration.
The Transfiguration reminds us of what we are created for and what we are to be eternally. In other words, we are created to have faces that shine like the sun and with hearts that are as white as the light.
The Transfiguration of Jesus is a “remembered moment” because it recalls for us who we are and what we are to be.
But in the drudgery of life, our memory becomes dimmed, and the shine begins to fade.
Coupled with the troubles of life, we succumb to the temptations of the devil and we get discouraged and we slowly begin to get disfigured.
The sun in our faces get covered by dark storm-clouds, and the light in our hearts fade and give way to darkness.
Discouragement and distress can cause disfiguration, but the Transfiguration of the Lord tells us that it can be different, and it must be different.
We see some examples of this in the Bible:
- When the Israelites were caught in the distressful situation between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army, they wailed in terror. But Moses told them, “God will fight your battles for you” (Ex 14:14). How? The Red Sea parted and the Israelites crossed over but the Egyptians were drowned in the sea.
- David, the one who brought down Goliath, was pursued and hunted by king Saul. Then David had the opportunity to take his revenge when Saul was sleeping alone in a cave. But he said, “I shall not harm the Lord’s anointed” (1 Sam 26:9). David later became Israel’s greatest king.
- St. Augustine, after his conversion from a life of debauchery, wrote this: Our hearts are made for you O God, and they shall not rest until they rest in you.
These are just some of the “remembered moments” from the Bible and from the lives of the saints, and they tell us that things can be different and must be different.
The disfiguration caused by discouragement and distress can be healed by these “remembered moments” and the Transfiguration of the Lord brings about that healing for us.
Last Friday, 4th August, was the feast-day of St. John Vianney, Patron Saint of all Priests, who was also known for his ministry as a confessor.
There is this story from his early days as a seminarian. John Vianney was called up by the Rector of the Major Seminary where he was studying for the priesthood, to inform him of the negative report he received from his professors.
The Rector said: “John, your teachers don’t think you have what it takes to be ordained a priest and they cannot in good conscience present you for ordination. One professor in particular went on record saying that you are as dumb as a donkey!”
But John Vianney, was not perplexed at all. After a moment of silence, he replied: “Father Rector, do you remember the story in chapter 15 of the book of Judges, where God used Samson to kill a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey, thus saving the people of Israel?”
“Of course I do” answered the Rector. John Vianney continued, “If God could work such a wonderful deed with the jawbone of a donkey, can you imagine what God can accomplish with a total donkey?”
Indeed, it was another “remembered moment” and indeed God transfigured a “dumb as a donkey” John Vianney into the Patron Saint of all Priests.
So the Transfiguration of the Lord is not a cleverly invented myth that is repeated year after year.
The Transfiguration brings about the healing of the disfiguration caused by discouragement and distress.
The Transfiguration of the Lord also encourages us to recall those “remembered moments” in the Bible and also in the lives of the saints.
May those “remembered moments” make our faces shine like the sun and may our hearts be white as the light.
Leviticus 25:1, 8-17 / Matthew 14:1-12
What others think about us and what they will say about us matters to us in varying degrees.
But it is quite unavoidable that what they think or what they say will affect us somehow.
Simply because we are not that stoic nor do we have stone-hard emotions that are unaffected by people's opinions about us.
In the gospel, we could see how many people were affected by just one sentence from John the Baptist.
He said to Herod: It is against the Law for you to have your brother's wife.
That sparked off a violent reaction in Herod and he wanted to kill John the Baptist. It also made Herodias scheme against John the Baptist and she looked for an opportunity to kill him.
Matters spiralled down tragically when Herodias prompted her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist, thus dragging the daughter into an immoral act.
And Herod, who could have put a stop to all this, simply cared more about what his guests would say and completed it by giving the order for John the Baptist's head.
A holy man got executed all because some people cared more about their reputation and the opinions of others.
That was a complete contrast from what the Lord told Moses in the 1st reading - to proclaim liberation and a jubilee, a time of rejoicing.
That can only happen when we heed what God told Moses: Let none of you wrong his neighbour, but fear your God; I am the Lord your God.
Indeed, when we stand upright before the Lord, we will not wrong our neighbour, nor be too concerned about what they will think about us.
Leviticus 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34-37 / Matthew 13:54-58
(Memorial of St. John Vianney, Patron of all Priests)
To label and categorise things can be useful for the purpose of inventory and stock-keeping.
But to label and categorise persons is quite another matter. It may say something about the person in question, but it says a lot more about us.
Whatever earlier impressions of that person, especially those that are not favourable and disadvantageous, are stuck on our minds and we have somewhat boxed up the image of that person with those back-dated opinions.
Such was the case with Jesus when He came to His hometown and when He taught in the synagogue, His own people were initially astonished with His wisdom and miraculous powers.
But then came the labels and categorisations: He is the carpenter's son; is not His mother the woman called Mary? They knew who He was and where He came from. They were too familiar with who He was. But they did not realise that their knowledge was backdated.
Jesus has "changed" but their ideas of Him did not. Jesus had moved on but they were stuck in the past. Their labelling and categorising of Jesus revealed more about themselves than what they know about Jesus. And that also closed the door for any more miracles for them.
Fast-forward to the turn of the 19th century, there was John Vianney, a son of a peasant farmer. He was a slow and unpromising candidate for the priesthood. Nonetheless, he was ordained on account of his love for Jesus rather than any merit or achievement. But initially he was not allowed to preach at Mass or even teach catechism, for fear that he would end up teaching something heretical.
In 1818, Fr. John Vianney was sent to be the parish priest of Ars, an isolated village some distance from Lyon. It was thought that it was not much he could do there and he would fade off in obscurity.
But it was there that he became known as a confessor with spiritual insights into the heart of the penitent, and he had to spend many hours in the confessional.
But there is something else about his ministry in the confessional. When St. John Vianney was asked about his method in the confessional which caused even hardened sinners to melt, he replied, "My recipe is to give sinners a little penance and do the rest myself."
So St. John Vianney practiced penance not as his own work but as a minimal participation in Christ's sacrificial offering of His life on the cross for the salvation of sinners.
He was ordained because he had a heart for Jesus. But as a priest and in the confessional, Jesus made his heart like His, full of love and mercy for the sinner.
St. John Vianney preached about the necessity of prayer - When God sees us coming to Him in prayer, He leans His Heart down very low to His little creature, like a father who bends down to listen to his child.
St. John Vianney, being a man of prayer, knows the Heart of Jesus as he prays. But he also says this - Nothing afflicts the Heart of Jesus so much as to see all His sufferings of no avail to so many.
And so St. John Vianney did what he could to bring souls back to Jesus, be it at Mass, at preaching, at the confession, in everything he did.
If he had subjected himself to the labels and categorisations that others have of him, he won't be available to what Jesus wanted him to be. And now the Church honours him as the Patron of all Priests.
But let us remember this simple but profound saying of St. John Vianney - Anything we do, without offering it to God, is wasted.
So besides offering up our penance, our reparation and our expiation to Jesus for the salvation of souls, let us also offer up those who are lowly and despised, labelled and categorised.
May their lives not be wasted, but offered to God, so that He can make a miracle out of them, just as He did with St. John Vianney.
