Acts 2:36-43 / John 20:11-18
The gospel began with Mary staying outside the tomb weeping.
The gospel ends with Mary of Magdala going forth to tell the disciples that she had seen the Lord.
In between, something very personal, something very intimate, happened to Mary.
She heard the Risen Lord call her by her name, and she responded in Hebrew, her mother tongue, a language that was most intimate to her.
Before that, she was a broken person - weeping, grieving and lost.
But the experience of the Risen Lord gave her back her identity and a mission; she was Mary of Magdala and she had seen the Lord.
Similarly, the Peter who spoke on the day of Pentecost was a different person from the one who denied Jesus three times and wept.
Something happens when people experience the Risen Lord. They regain their identity and find a new purpose and mission in life.
So when we feel that life has come to a standstill, our dreams are broken, and we have more fears than hopes, the Risen Lord comes to us.
He calls out to us just as He called Mary. Mary responded with her heart.
We can't be always standing outside the tomb of emptiness or the tombs of pleasure, wealth and power and sin.
The Risen Lord calls us by our names. Let us respond with our hearts so that our lives can have a meaning and a mission.
Monday, April 22, 2019
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Monday within Easter Octave, 22-04-19
Acts 2:14, 22-33 / Matthew 28:8-15
Truth has a way of bringing out the stuff that people are made of.
In the gospel, we see two groups of people with different reactions to the empty tomb.
The women saw the empty tomb, saw the Truth, ie. the Risen Christ, and then went off to proclaim the truth with joy in their hearts.
The soldiers saw the empty tomb, went to report to the chief priests and the elders, cooked up a lie and then lived on in fear and in worry.
Strange that the second group of people who are supposed to be people of courage and bravery, somehow succumbed to cowardice and deceit.
And it is surprising that the first group of people, the women, who were powerless, discounted and devalued, were the ones who lived up to the truth with courage.
So as long as we have something to lose, whether it is our social standing, our reputation, our security, our investments, our pride, then we will have a difficulty with the truth.
But the Easter greeting of the Risen Christ always assures us that He knows how we feel and He knows what we need.
The Risen Lord wants to calm our hearts with these four words "Do not be afraid" so that we too can proclaim the truth.
The Truth, who is the Risen Lord, will set us free. Let us not be afraid. Jesus will be with us to conquer our fears.
Truth has a way of bringing out the stuff that people are made of.
In the gospel, we see two groups of people with different reactions to the empty tomb.
The women saw the empty tomb, saw the Truth, ie. the Risen Christ, and then went off to proclaim the truth with joy in their hearts.
The soldiers saw the empty tomb, went to report to the chief priests and the elders, cooked up a lie and then lived on in fear and in worry.
Strange that the second group of people who are supposed to be people of courage and bravery, somehow succumbed to cowardice and deceit.
And it is surprising that the first group of people, the women, who were powerless, discounted and devalued, were the ones who lived up to the truth with courage.
So as long as we have something to lose, whether it is our social standing, our reputation, our security, our investments, our pride, then we will have a difficulty with the truth.
But the Easter greeting of the Risen Christ always assures us that He knows how we feel and He knows what we need.
The Risen Lord wants to calm our hearts with these four words "Do not be afraid" so that we too can proclaim the truth.
The Truth, who is the Risen Lord, will set us free. Let us not be afraid. Jesus will be with us to conquer our fears.
Easter Sunday, Year C, 21.04.2019
Acts 10:34, 37-43 / Col 3:1-4 or 1 Cor 5:6-8 / John 20:1-9
Whenever we are told that “what you see is what you get”, the meaning is almost as clear as the sentence.
What we see is almost all that we get to see and there is nothing more to it and we don’t expect anything more than it.
For example, a 5-room flat is a 5-room flat. There are no hidden rooms or extra rooms. A $10 bill is a $10 bill and there is no extra hidden value to it.
But as much as what you see is what you get, there is also the other side of things, and that is “there is more than meets the eye”.
The so-called reality that we see before us may not be all that it is. Because in everything, there is a mystery, in the broadest sense of the word.
And this mystery reveals the reality to what the eye can see, and yet this mystery may also have something more to reveal, such that the mind may take a while to comprehend and to understand.
In the mystery of the Incarnation, God became man in the person of Jesus, people saw Jesus in the flesh, the outward reality.
The people, as well as His disciples, saw how He suffered and died on the cross, as we heard in the readings on Good Friday.
And then in the Resurrection accounts, no one really saw the Risen Jesus. There were accounts of the stone that was rolled away from the tomb and it was an empty tomb.
There were accounts of angels telling the women not to look among the dead for the one who is alive.
The women ran back to tell the apostles but their story was dismissed as pure nonsense and no one believed them.
And then Peter ran to the tomb, saw the binding cloths, but nothing else, and he was just amazed.
Till then, the disciples failed to understand that Jesus must rise from the dead.
And as we gather to celebrate this great feast of Easter, the mystery of the Resurrection comes to us, just as it came to the disciples in the gospel accounts.
We too did not see the Risen Jesus, but we believe from the gospel accounts that He is risen. And blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.
And for the 11 candidates for baptism, they too believe and they are requesting for baptism, and to join us in the family of faith.
Yet the mystery of the Resurrection continues to unfold and to reveal to us who believe that Jesus is risen from the dead.
These 11 candidates for baptism will be baptized with water, and after that when we renew our baptismal promises, we too will be sprinkled with holy water.
The outward sign is that we are sprinkled with holy water, but the inward reality and mystery is that the Risen Jesus comes to wash and cleanse our hearts of all sin and defilement so that we too can rise with Jesus to new life and a higher life.
An imagery that can help in understanding this is that we are like ducks in the pond. On the surface everything is calm and graceful.
But under the water, the duck’s feet are paddling furiously to keep it floating and going.
So there is nothing dramatic about being baptized with holy water or being sprinkled with holy water.
It is all smiles, and everything is peaceful and graceful.
But in our hearts, the Risen Jesus is stirring and waking us up from the slumber of sin and shining the light of His Resurrection into our hearts so that we can turn away from sin and rise with Him to the new life.
That is the reality and the mystery of the Resurrection. Let us believe and we will be amazed at what the Risen Jesus can do for us.
Whenever we are told that “what you see is what you get”, the meaning is almost as clear as the sentence.
What we see is almost all that we get to see and there is nothing more to it and we don’t expect anything more than it.
For example, a 5-room flat is a 5-room flat. There are no hidden rooms or extra rooms. A $10 bill is a $10 bill and there is no extra hidden value to it.
But as much as what you see is what you get, there is also the other side of things, and that is “there is more than meets the eye”.
The so-called reality that we see before us may not be all that it is. Because in everything, there is a mystery, in the broadest sense of the word.
And this mystery reveals the reality to what the eye can see, and yet this mystery may also have something more to reveal, such that the mind may take a while to comprehend and to understand.
In the mystery of the Incarnation, God became man in the person of Jesus, people saw Jesus in the flesh, the outward reality.
The people, as well as His disciples, saw how He suffered and died on the cross, as we heard in the readings on Good Friday.
And then in the Resurrection accounts, no one really saw the Risen Jesus. There were accounts of the stone that was rolled away from the tomb and it was an empty tomb.
There were accounts of angels telling the women not to look among the dead for the one who is alive.
The women ran back to tell the apostles but their story was dismissed as pure nonsense and no one believed them.
And then Peter ran to the tomb, saw the binding cloths, but nothing else, and he was just amazed.
Till then, the disciples failed to understand that Jesus must rise from the dead.
And as we gather to celebrate this great feast of Easter, the mystery of the Resurrection comes to us, just as it came to the disciples in the gospel accounts.
We too did not see the Risen Jesus, but we believe from the gospel accounts that He is risen. And blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.
And for the 11 candidates for baptism, they too believe and they are requesting for baptism, and to join us in the family of faith.
Yet the mystery of the Resurrection continues to unfold and to reveal to us who believe that Jesus is risen from the dead.
These 11 candidates for baptism will be baptized with water, and after that when we renew our baptismal promises, we too will be sprinkled with holy water.
The outward sign is that we are sprinkled with holy water, but the inward reality and mystery is that the Risen Jesus comes to wash and cleanse our hearts of all sin and defilement so that we too can rise with Jesus to new life and a higher life.
An imagery that can help in understanding this is that we are like ducks in the pond. On the surface everything is calm and graceful.
But under the water, the duck’s feet are paddling furiously to keep it floating and going.
So there is nothing dramatic about being baptized with holy water or being sprinkled with holy water.
It is all smiles, and everything is peaceful and graceful.
But in our hearts, the Risen Jesus is stirring and waking us up from the slumber of sin and shining the light of His Resurrection into our hearts so that we can turn away from sin and rise with Him to the new life.
That is the reality and the mystery of the Resurrection. Let us believe and we will be amazed at what the Risen Jesus can do for us.
Friday, April 19, 2019
Good Friday, 19-04-19
Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 / Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 / John 18:19-42
The Good Friday celebration of the Passion of the Lord is a liturgical service that is quite different from the usual liturgical celebrations.
First, it begins with the scripture readings and with a long gospel passage about the suffering and death of Jesus on the Cross.
Next comes the Solemn Intercessions in which we join our prayers with the prayer of Jesus as He hangs on the cross.
The prayers are for the Church, for the world, for every need and tribulation. It is the Church at prayer in union with Jesus on the Cross.
Following that is the Adoration of the Holy Cross, in which the crucified Jesus is shown and adored. It is a solemn moment as we see our salvation in Jesus crucified on the cross.
We then come forward to venerate the cross as a sign that we accept the salvation that Jesus is offering us, and that we will now want to carry our cross and follow Jesus in His work of salvation.
We then receive Holy Communion so as to unite ourselves with Jesus in His death, and to be raised up with Him to new life.
So the Good Friday service is a solemn and sober service as we acknowledge the crucified Jesus as our Saviour, and that through the Cross we are saved, we are forgiven and healed, and that the power of evil over us is broken.
Indeed, by the Blood of Jesus, we are saved, by His wounds we are healed, by His death, we are given new life.
So let us meditate on the Cross, let us give thanks and let us take up our cross and follow Jesus as His faithful disciples.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Holy Thursday, Year C, 18.04.2019
Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 / 1 Cor 11:23-26 / John 13:1-15
Holy Week began with a tragedy, a fiery tragedy.
A massive fire broke out at the roof of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
It was a devastating fire that burned away the whole roof of the cathedral.
We watched the shocking videos of the tall spire collapsing under the flames, and we can imagine the nightmare of the people who were there watching the tragedy.
It was a terrible tragedy for France and for the Church, and more so with this happening just before Easter.
And as the roof of the cathedral was engulfed in flames, firemen dashed into the Cathedral to save the priceless relics, among which was the most precious and revered Crown of Thorns.
Among the firefighters who rushed into the burning cathedral was Fr. Jean-Marc Fournier, the chaplain of the Paris fire service.
As the firefighters hurriedly remove the precious relics like the Crown of Thorns and the Tunic of St. Louis, Fr Fournier headed straight towards the tabernacle.
He quickly removed the consecrated hosts from the tabernacle and kept them safely aside before continuing the rescue work.
While the media focused on the number of relics that were rescued, not much was mentioned about how Fr. Fournier retrieved the consecrated hosts from the burning Cathedral.
To say the least, the consecrated hosts or Blessed Sacrament is not a relic. It is much more than that. It is the Body of Christ, which Christ has given to us, the Church.
And in this Mass of the Institution of the Holy Eucharist, we are reminded that at the Last Supper, Jesus gave Himself, Body and Blood, to His Apostles and to us for our salvation.
Fr. Fournier saved the Blessed Sacrament from the burning Notre Dame Cathedral. But in truth, it is the Blessed Sacrament who will save him and grant him eternal life.
So it will be for us too, as we humbly and reverently partake of the Blessed Sacrament, the Body of Christ.
So what has the washing of feet, which we heard in the gospel, got to do with the Eucharist? (and later we will also re-enact the washing of feet)
Jesus offers us the Eucharist for our salvation. We who are saved must in turn offer our service for the salvation of others.
Fr Fournier and the firefighters ran into the fire when it is most dangerous to do so.
That is service, be it saving relics or retrieving the Blessed Sacrament. Or it may just be going down on our knees and do something that nobody else wants to do.
Jesus gives us the Eucharist, and to partake of the Eucharist is to do as Jesus did, so that, more than saving relics, we will continue the work of Jesus who came to seek and to save the lost, the least and the last.
Holy Week began with a tragedy, a fiery tragedy.
A massive fire broke out at the roof of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
It was a devastating fire that burned away the whole roof of the cathedral.
We watched the shocking videos of the tall spire collapsing under the flames, and we can imagine the nightmare of the people who were there watching the tragedy.
It was a terrible tragedy for France and for the Church, and more so with this happening just before Easter.
And as the roof of the cathedral was engulfed in flames, firemen dashed into the Cathedral to save the priceless relics, among which was the most precious and revered Crown of Thorns.
Among the firefighters who rushed into the burning cathedral was Fr. Jean-Marc Fournier, the chaplain of the Paris fire service.
As the firefighters hurriedly remove the precious relics like the Crown of Thorns and the Tunic of St. Louis, Fr Fournier headed straight towards the tabernacle.
He quickly removed the consecrated hosts from the tabernacle and kept them safely aside before continuing the rescue work.
While the media focused on the number of relics that were rescued, not much was mentioned about how Fr. Fournier retrieved the consecrated hosts from the burning Cathedral.
To say the least, the consecrated hosts or Blessed Sacrament is not a relic. It is much more than that. It is the Body of Christ, which Christ has given to us, the Church.
And in this Mass of the Institution of the Holy Eucharist, we are reminded that at the Last Supper, Jesus gave Himself, Body and Blood, to His Apostles and to us for our salvation.
Fr. Fournier saved the Blessed Sacrament from the burning Notre Dame Cathedral. But in truth, it is the Blessed Sacrament who will save him and grant him eternal life.
So it will be for us too, as we humbly and reverently partake of the Blessed Sacrament, the Body of Christ.
So what has the washing of feet, which we heard in the gospel, got to do with the Eucharist? (and later we will also re-enact the washing of feet)
Jesus offers us the Eucharist for our salvation. We who are saved must in turn offer our service for the salvation of others.
Fr Fournier and the firefighters ran into the fire when it is most dangerous to do so.
That is service, be it saving relics or retrieving the Blessed Sacrament. Or it may just be going down on our knees and do something that nobody else wants to do.
Jesus gives us the Eucharist, and to partake of the Eucharist is to do as Jesus did, so that, more than saving relics, we will continue the work of Jesus who came to seek and to save the lost, the least and the last.
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Wednesday of Holy Week, 17-04-19
Isaiah 50:4-9 / Matthew 26:14-25
One of the most heart-wrenching statements that Jesus ever spoke was what we just heard in the gospel.
He said: I tell you most solemnly, one of you is about to betray me.
Of course, we know now what the disciples did not know then.
We know it was Judas who betrayed Jesus.
Yet Peter also denied Jesus and the other disciples fled when Jesus was arrested.
It was betrayal in different forms.
Yes, we know now what the disciples did not know then at the Last Supper.
Yet as we gather for the Eucharist, we also do not know what lies ahead for us.
When will our trials come? Will we lose faith and betray Jesus?
The disciples all betrayed Jesus. Can we ever say that we didn't, or that we will not?
Yes, we all have sinned, and no one can ever say that he is better than the rest or that he is a lesser sinner.
But as much as all have sinned, all are also offered the grace of salvation.
In our times of weakness and temptation, let us turn to the Lord and ask for His help.
He will not abandon us, nor will He betray us.
One of the most heart-wrenching statements that Jesus ever spoke was what we just heard in the gospel.
He said: I tell you most solemnly, one of you is about to betray me.
Of course, we know now what the disciples did not know then.
We know it was Judas who betrayed Jesus.
Yet Peter also denied Jesus and the other disciples fled when Jesus was arrested.
It was betrayal in different forms.
Yes, we know now what the disciples did not know then at the Last Supper.
Yet as we gather for the Eucharist, we also do not know what lies ahead for us.
When will our trials come? Will we lose faith and betray Jesus?
The disciples all betrayed Jesus. Can we ever say that we didn't, or that we will not?
Yes, we all have sinned, and no one can ever say that he is better than the rest or that he is a lesser sinner.
But as much as all have sinned, all are also offered the grace of salvation.
In our times of weakness and temptation, let us turn to the Lord and ask for His help.
He will not abandon us, nor will He betray us.
Monday, April 15, 2019
Tuesday of Holy Week, 16-04-19
Isaiah 49:1-6 / John 13:21-33, 36-38
To come together for a meal with others is not just about consuming food or giving opinions about the food that is prepared before us.
Every meal is not just a social event; it is time for bonding and the renewing and deepening of relationships and friendship.
Jesus was gathered with His disciples for a very important meal. It was the Passover meal, a sacred religious meal, which He would later turn it into the Last Supper.
So to hear that at that meal, Jesus was troubled of heart, we can immediately sense that something is not right.
And indeed things are not right at all. One of His disciples will betray Him and another will disown Him.
And the others have varying degrees of betrayal, to say the least.
But in spite of all this, Jesus still says: Now has the Son of Man been glorified.
So even in the hour of darkness, God will still reign supreme and glorified.
As we look around at our world, our surroundings, our lives, we may see quite a bit of mess or chaos.
Yet we must remember that the Lord called us by name in our mother's womb and He has formed us to be His servants, as we heard in the 1st reading.
And He will make us to be light of the nations so that God's salvation may reach the ends of the earth.
At this altar we remember that we are called through baptism. May this Eucharist also strengthen us and empower us to shine through the darkness so that God will be glorified.
To come together for a meal with others is not just about consuming food or giving opinions about the food that is prepared before us.
Every meal is not just a social event; it is time for bonding and the renewing and deepening of relationships and friendship.
Jesus was gathered with His disciples for a very important meal. It was the Passover meal, a sacred religious meal, which He would later turn it into the Last Supper.
So to hear that at that meal, Jesus was troubled of heart, we can immediately sense that something is not right.
And indeed things are not right at all. One of His disciples will betray Him and another will disown Him.
And the others have varying degrees of betrayal, to say the least.
But in spite of all this, Jesus still says: Now has the Son of Man been glorified.
So even in the hour of darkness, God will still reign supreme and glorified.
As we look around at our world, our surroundings, our lives, we may see quite a bit of mess or chaos.
Yet we must remember that the Lord called us by name in our mother's womb and He has formed us to be His servants, as we heard in the 1st reading.
And He will make us to be light of the nations so that God's salvation may reach the ends of the earth.
At this altar we remember that we are called through baptism. May this Eucharist also strengthen us and empower us to shine through the darkness so that God will be glorified.
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