Isaiah 30:19-21, 25-26 / Matthew 9:35 - 10:1, 6-8
We are always attracted to this phrase: Free of charge! Of course we would rather be receiving it than to be giving it.
Indeed, we get a spurt of happiness whenever we get something free, and more so when it is something valuable.
As we think about it, let us also reflect about the free and valuable things that God has given us daily - the warm sunshine, the rain, the fresh air, the cool evening, the beautiful moon, etc.
Most of all, the life that is beating in our hearts and the love that we experience around us.
All these are certainly blessings from God. But what if God were to charge us for His blessings?
What if God were to charge us for the help He gave us, for the times He saved us from trouble and danger, for healing us when we were sick?
But God doesn't need our money nor does He want us to pay Him back anything.
God is all loving and generous and merciful and compassionate. Furthermore it is out of His great love for us that He created us in His image and likeness.
Jesus, the greatest gift from God wants us to know this and that is why He said in today's gospel: You received without charge, give without charge.
It is not just about the material blessings that we have received from God that we are called to share without charge with others.
Our greatest treasures are in our heart, and in there are the gifts of love, care, compassion, forgiveness, patience, understanding and all the blessings that God has given us free of charge.
Let us share these gifts and blessings without charge with the others around us.
That will be one way of preparing to celebrate Christmas, because at Christmas we celebrate the greatest gift of God.
We celebrate the gift of Jesus, who was given to us free of charge.
Friday, December 8, 2017
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Immaculate Conception of the BVM, Friday, 08-12-17
Genesis 3:9-15, 20 / Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12 / Luke 1:26-38
The Immaculate Conception is the conception of Mary in the womb of her mother without any stain of sin.
Church doctrine states that, from the first moment of her existence, Mary was preserved by God from the Original Sin and filled with sanctifying grace that would normally come with baptism after birth. Catholics believe Mary was free from any personal or hereditary sin.
The Immaculate Conception was proclaimed as a dogma in 1854 by Pope Pius IX. It means that it is to be accepted as an infallible statement of faith.
But why such a focus on Mary? Yet we must remember that any teaching about Mary must eventually point to Christ.
The teaching on the Immaculate Conception points to the grace of God which preserved Mary from sin at her conception in order that she will bear the divine Son of God in her at the Annunciation.
Although God removed sin from Mary at her conception, He did not remove her free will and her freedom of choice.
At the Annunciation, Mary made her choice for God's plan to be fulfilled in her.
We have been cleansed of sin at our baptism. It is for us now to remain in God's grace by choosing to do God's will always, just as Mary chose to do God's will.
On this feast of the Immaculate Conception, let us also ask for Mary's intercession for the grace to do God's will always.
Let us pray that prayer found on the Miraculous Medal, or otherwise also called the medal of the Immaculate Conception.
The prayer goes like this: O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.
The Immaculate Conception is the conception of Mary in the womb of her mother without any stain of sin.
Church doctrine states that, from the first moment of her existence, Mary was preserved by God from the Original Sin and filled with sanctifying grace that would normally come with baptism after birth. Catholics believe Mary was free from any personal or hereditary sin.
The Immaculate Conception was proclaimed as a dogma in 1854 by Pope Pius IX. It means that it is to be accepted as an infallible statement of faith.
But why such a focus on Mary? Yet we must remember that any teaching about Mary must eventually point to Christ.
The teaching on the Immaculate Conception points to the grace of God which preserved Mary from sin at her conception in order that she will bear the divine Son of God in her at the Annunciation.
Although God removed sin from Mary at her conception, He did not remove her free will and her freedom of choice.
At the Annunciation, Mary made her choice for God's plan to be fulfilled in her.
We have been cleansed of sin at our baptism. It is for us now to remain in God's grace by choosing to do God's will always, just as Mary chose to do God's will.
On this feast of the Immaculate Conception, let us also ask for Mary's intercession for the grace to do God's will always.
Let us pray that prayer found on the Miraculous Medal, or otherwise also called the medal of the Immaculate Conception.
The prayer goes like this: O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
1st Week of Advent, Thursday, 07-12-17
Isaiah 26:1-6 / Matthew 7:21, 24-27
For those of us who have gone up to the highest floor of a really tall building, we would have enjoy the view from there.
It is really quite amazing that we can be so high up and seeing things that we don't usually have the opportunity to see.
And as we take in the sights, it will probably not cross our minds that we are not standing on the ground but that we are way up in the air in a building made of concrete and beams.
And it will also not cross our minds to question the stability of the building which we assume is safe even though it may be very tall.
But as much as we marvel at tall buildings, nothing is more assuring than having our feet on solid ground.
The 1st reading talks about a strong city that is guarded by wall and rampart. But that is only possible when the people in the city put their trust in the Lord who is the everlasting Rock.
Similarly, Jesus tells a parable of a sensible man who builds his house on rock and a stupid man who builds his house on sand.
The Advent question for today is what are we building and what are we reaching for?
Whatever it might be if the Lord is not our Rock that we are building on, then we are reaching out into thin air.
May we put our trust in the Lord our Rock for He came to show us how to build the kingdom of God so that heaven can be within our reach.
For those of us who have gone up to the highest floor of a really tall building, we would have enjoy the view from there.
It is really quite amazing that we can be so high up and seeing things that we don't usually have the opportunity to see.
And as we take in the sights, it will probably not cross our minds that we are not standing on the ground but that we are way up in the air in a building made of concrete and beams.
And it will also not cross our minds to question the stability of the building which we assume is safe even though it may be very tall.
But as much as we marvel at tall buildings, nothing is more assuring than having our feet on solid ground.
The 1st reading talks about a strong city that is guarded by wall and rampart. But that is only possible when the people in the city put their trust in the Lord who is the everlasting Rock.
Similarly, Jesus tells a parable of a sensible man who builds his house on rock and a stupid man who builds his house on sand.
The Advent question for today is what are we building and what are we reaching for?
Whatever it might be if the Lord is not our Rock that we are building on, then we are reaching out into thin air.
May we put our trust in the Lord our Rock for He came to show us how to build the kingdom of God so that heaven can be within our reach.
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
1st Week of Advent, Wednesday, 06-112-17
Isaiah 25:6-10 / Matthew 15:29-37
And the words of today's readings are fulfilled: On this mountain, the Lord of host will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food , a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines. On this mountain, he will remove the mourning veil covering all peoples. The Lord will wipe away the tears from every cheek.
And on the hills of Galilee, Jesus felt sorry for the people and fed them with more than enough.
God's compassion and love for us is renewed every Christmas and Advent is a time to realise God's love for us through people who show us His love.
May St. Nicholas pray for us that we too in turn will show God's love to those in need during this Advent.
In this particular season, whether we want to call it the festive season, or the Advent season or the rainy season, a famous figure will appear to bring some cheer, and a short popular description of this figure will tell us who this is.
He has a white bushy beard, quite roundish, dressed in red with white trimmings, and his famous quote is “ho, ho, ho”.
Yes, we are talking about Santa Claus, who appears around this time in the festive decorations and also in advertisements. But Santa Claus is not a clever figment of commercial imagination.
The name, Santa Claus comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas which means St. Nicholas.
St. Nicholas was a 4th century saint and the bishop of Myra (which is modern day Turkey), and his feast day is today, 6th December.
Many miracles were attributed to the intercession of St. Nicholas and he became known as Nicholas the Wonder Worker.
He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him. And so he became the model for Santa Claus.
One of his famous acts of charity was towards a poor man who had three daughters but could not afford a proper dowry for them.
This would mean that they would remain unmarried and in the face of poverty, they might be forced into prostitution.
When St. Nicholas came to know about it, he decided to help the poor man secretly.
Under cover of night, he went to the poor man’s house and threw three small bags, each filled with gold coins, one for each daughter, through the window opening of the man’s house.
But later, the poor man found out about it and came to thank St. Nicholas. In humility, St Nicholas said that it was not him he should thank. Rather he should thank God and God alone.
Yes, thank God for the gift of saints like St. Nicholas to show His great love and His help to those in need.
He has a white bushy beard, quite roundish, dressed in red with white trimmings, and his famous quote is “ho, ho, ho”.
Yes, we are talking about Santa Claus, who appears around this time in the festive decorations and also in advertisements. But Santa Claus is not a clever figment of commercial imagination.
The name, Santa Claus comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas which means St. Nicholas.
St. Nicholas was a 4th century saint and the bishop of Myra (which is modern day Turkey), and his feast day is today, 6th December.
Many miracles were attributed to the intercession of St. Nicholas and he became known as Nicholas the Wonder Worker.
He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him. And so he became the model for Santa Claus.
One of his famous acts of charity was towards a poor man who had three daughters but could not afford a proper dowry for them.
This would mean that they would remain unmarried and in the face of poverty, they might be forced into prostitution.
When St. Nicholas came to know about it, he decided to help the poor man secretly.
Under cover of night, he went to the poor man’s house and threw three small bags, each filled with gold coins, one for each daughter, through the window opening of the man’s house.
But later, the poor man found out about it and came to thank St. Nicholas. In humility, St Nicholas said that it was not him he should thank. Rather he should thank God and God alone.
Yes, thank God for the gift of saints like St. Nicholas to show His great love and His help to those in need.
And the words of today's readings are fulfilled: On this mountain, the Lord of host will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food , a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines. On this mountain, he will remove the mourning veil covering all peoples. The Lord will wipe away the tears from every cheek.
And on the hills of Galilee, Jesus felt sorry for the people and fed them with more than enough.
God's compassion and love for us is renewed every Christmas and Advent is a time to realise God's love for us through people who show us His love.
May St. Nicholas pray for us that we too in turn will show God's love to those in need during this Advent.
Monday, December 4, 2017
1st Week of Advent, Tuesday, 05-12-17
Isaiah 11:1-10 / Luke 10:21-24
The meanings of words change, not all the time, but more like over time. The meanings of some words changed so much that it may be surprising, and the present meanings are so different from the past.
"Awful" used to mean “worthy of awe” and in the long past it can be used as in “the awful majesty of God.” But that doesn't sound right nowadays. Today, it means something is bad or that someone looks terrible. It also means exceedingly great as in “an awful lot of money.”
Long ago, "naughty" means naught or nothing. Then it came to mean evil or immoral, then it came to mean mischievous, and then it came to have sexual connotations.
Likewise the word "innocence" may have other meanings besides naive or ignorant or immatured.
Also, the virtue of innocence is often trampled upon in a social culture where winning is everything and the only thing worth measuring.
But when Jesus talks about the innocence of children, He is talking about a person's knowledge of God, and it is expressed in a life of peace and love.
Knowledge of God brings about a capacity for peace and love, and a peaceful and loving person cannot hurt or harm anyone.
That is the kind of person we are called to be, because we already have the knowledge of God, we have that wisdom, we have that insight.
In this time of Advent, we go back to our innocence of heart so that we can see clearer and understand deeper.
We need to understand the true meaning of peace and love in this time of Advent so that we can truly have the peace and love that Jesus came to give us.
The meanings of words change, not all the time, but more like over time. The meanings of some words changed so much that it may be surprising, and the present meanings are so different from the past.
"Awful" used to mean “worthy of awe” and in the long past it can be used as in “the awful majesty of God.” But that doesn't sound right nowadays. Today, it means something is bad or that someone looks terrible. It also means exceedingly great as in “an awful lot of money.”
Long ago, "naughty" means naught or nothing. Then it came to mean evil or immoral, then it came to mean mischievous, and then it came to have sexual connotations.
Likewise the word "innocence" may have other meanings besides naive or ignorant or immatured.
Also, the virtue of innocence is often trampled upon in a social culture where winning is everything and the only thing worth measuring.
But when Jesus talks about the innocence of children, He is talking about a person's knowledge of God, and it is expressed in a life of peace and love.
Knowledge of God brings about a capacity for peace and love, and a peaceful and loving person cannot hurt or harm anyone.
That is the kind of person we are called to be, because we already have the knowledge of God, we have that wisdom, we have that insight.
In this time of Advent, we go back to our innocence of heart so that we can see clearer and understand deeper.
We need to understand the true meaning of peace and love in this time of Advent so that we can truly have the peace and love that Jesus came to give us.
Sunday, December 3, 2017
1st Week of Advent, Monday, 04-12-17
Isaiah 2:1-3 / Matthew 8:5-11
In our civilised society where there is law and order, it is an offence to carry a knife of a certain length which is categorised as an offensive weapon.
The punishment for such an offence can be quite severe, especially for carrying offensive weapons.
But even a kitchen knife can be turned into an instrument of harm if it is in the hands of someone with a harmful intention.
But in our civilised society, we won't carry a weapon like knife even if we intend to hurt someone. But we carry those "knives" in our hearts.
And those "knives" come out of our mouths in the form of abusive and hurtful words, slandering and disparaging words, lies and deceiving words.
So hammering swords into ploughshares and spears into sickles may only eradicate weapons that harm and kill.
But the weapons that we carry in our hearts are more dangerous as they can inflict invisible injuries and torment the lives of others.
But in the gospel, we hear of a centurion, a solder who is familiar with weapons and bloodshed, approaching and pleading with Jesus to heal his servant.
The centurion knows that weapons can harm and kill, no weapon can ever heal and save. He had to abandon whatever weapons he had, whether in his hand or in his heart, and turn to Jesus who came to heal and save.
May we be able to discover what are those "weapons" that are hidden in our heart and to surrender them to Jesus as we begin our Advent preparation.
Saturday, December 2, 2017
1st Sunday of Advent, Year B, 03.12.2017
Isaiah 63:16-17; 64:1, 3-8 / 1 Cor 1:3-9 / Mark 13:33-37
The season of Advent officially begins today with the 1st Sunday of Advent.
Advent is an exciting time especially for children. Because as they see Christmas decorations appearing at Orchard Road and shopping malls and everywhere else, they also want to be part of this decoration excitement.
They too would want some Christmas decoration at home, so parents would have to drag out the Christmas tree and untangle the lights and search for those other Christmas decorations tucked away somewhere in the house.
But as much as most Christmas decorations have some kind of spiritual meaning, there is one that stands out from the rest and it symbolizes the season of Advent.
At the beginning of the Mass, we blessed the Advent wreath and we lighted the first candle of the wreath.
The Advent wreath is rich in symbols. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent in which we prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
The circular wreath symbolizes the eternity of God who is without beginning or end, and that He loves us with an everlasting love.
The evergreens of holly and pine represent our hope in the saving love of God, a hope which is fulfilled in the birth of the Saviour and the hope of eternal salvation.
As Advent progresses, from the 1st week to the 4th week, the number of candles are lighted accordingly.
This has a profound spiritual meaning in that Jesus, the light of world is coming to scatter the darkness of our sins, and with each passing week, the light of the candles in the Advent wreath grows brighter in preparation to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the true light.
So in Church, the Advent wreath is the symbol of the Advent season and it is placed within the sanctuary to remind us of the need to prepare ourselves spiritually for the celebration of Christmas.
And as in Church, so it should be at home. Especially with the children on school holidays, we the parents and adults must keep the spiritual traditions alive and find meaning and direction for our faith in the Advent season.
With the stress and busyness of life, the family hardly has time for prayer, and if parents and adults do not lead the way and show the way, the children would not have any spiritual directions to follow.
So Advent is like a spiritual alarm clock that rings into our hearts and bids us to wake up and prepare ourselves for the coming of our Saviour.
Yes, we must wake up but as like most mornings, the alarm clock wakes us up and then we put it to snooze and we fall back to sleep.
That’s why in the gospel, Jesus urges us to stay awake, and be on our guard against complacency and carelessness.
More so in this time of Advent when we should be preparing ourselves with prayer, we will be tempted to busy ourselves with shopping for gifts and just getting materially prepared for Christmas but neglecting the spiritual aspects.
So if we don’t have an Advent wreath, then it would certainly be meaningful to get one, either from a Catholic bookshop or from the department store. It is quite easily available actually.
Jesus wants to come into our lives with His light and blessings.
He wants to bring us healing from the darkness of our sins and help us be reconciled with one another especially in the family.
He wants to be in our families so that we can experience His love and joy and peace with each other.
But we must invite Him, and the Advent wreath would be the means to bring the family together in prayer and to let the light of Christ shine in our hearts and bring about the warmth of love and peace that we always wanted for our families and for ourselves.
We only need to stay awake and be vigilant in prayer. Lighting the candles of the Advent wreath and praying together as a family may be a little and humble act but the blessings that Jesus gives will be bountiful.
We just have to stay awake in prayer to receive true blessings.
The season of Advent officially begins today with the 1st Sunday of Advent.
Advent is an exciting time especially for children. Because as they see Christmas decorations appearing at Orchard Road and shopping malls and everywhere else, they also want to be part of this decoration excitement.
They too would want some Christmas decoration at home, so parents would have to drag out the Christmas tree and untangle the lights and search for those other Christmas decorations tucked away somewhere in the house.
But as much as most Christmas decorations have some kind of spiritual meaning, there is one that stands out from the rest and it symbolizes the season of Advent.
At the beginning of the Mass, we blessed the Advent wreath and we lighted the first candle of the wreath.
The Advent wreath is rich in symbols. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent in which we prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
The circular wreath symbolizes the eternity of God who is without beginning or end, and that He loves us with an everlasting love.
The evergreens of holly and pine represent our hope in the saving love of God, a hope which is fulfilled in the birth of the Saviour and the hope of eternal salvation.
As Advent progresses, from the 1st week to the 4th week, the number of candles are lighted accordingly.
This has a profound spiritual meaning in that Jesus, the light of world is coming to scatter the darkness of our sins, and with each passing week, the light of the candles in the Advent wreath grows brighter in preparation to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the true light.
So in Church, the Advent wreath is the symbol of the Advent season and it is placed within the sanctuary to remind us of the need to prepare ourselves spiritually for the celebration of Christmas.
And as in Church, so it should be at home. Especially with the children on school holidays, we the parents and adults must keep the spiritual traditions alive and find meaning and direction for our faith in the Advent season.
With the stress and busyness of life, the family hardly has time for prayer, and if parents and adults do not lead the way and show the way, the children would not have any spiritual directions to follow.
So Advent is like a spiritual alarm clock that rings into our hearts and bids us to wake up and prepare ourselves for the coming of our Saviour.
Yes, we must wake up but as like most mornings, the alarm clock wakes us up and then we put it to snooze and we fall back to sleep.
That’s why in the gospel, Jesus urges us to stay awake, and be on our guard against complacency and carelessness.
More so in this time of Advent when we should be preparing ourselves with prayer, we will be tempted to busy ourselves with shopping for gifts and just getting materially prepared for Christmas but neglecting the spiritual aspects.
So if we don’t have an Advent wreath, then it would certainly be meaningful to get one, either from a Catholic bookshop or from the department store. It is quite easily available actually.
Jesus wants to come into our lives with His light and blessings.
He wants to bring us healing from the darkness of our sins and help us be reconciled with one another especially in the family.
He wants to be in our families so that we can experience His love and joy and peace with each other.
But we must invite Him, and the Advent wreath would be the means to bring the family together in prayer and to let the light of Christ shine in our hearts and bring about the warmth of love and peace that we always wanted for our families and for ourselves.
We only need to stay awake and be vigilant in prayer. Lighting the candles of the Advent wreath and praying together as a family may be a little and humble act but the blessings that Jesus gives will be bountiful.
We just have to stay awake in prayer to receive true blessings.
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