Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38 / Matthew 13:47-53
Israel's experience of God while in the wilderness was so dramatic and spectacular as compared to our experience of God in the present times.
They saw the presence of God in smoke and thunder, in cloud and fire, in the radiance on Moses' face, in wonders and miracles.
God was journeying so closely with them that they know when to continue their journey and when to stop by the indication of the cloud that covered the tabernacle.
On the other hand, our experience of the presence of God seemed to be so bland and flat.
There is no smoke and thunder, no cloud and fire, no wonder and miracles. There is also no need to talk about what is radiating from our faces.
Yet, there is no doubt that if more is given, then more is also expected.
Hence if the more the profound signs of God's presence are manifested, then the lesser will there be room for doubts and unbelief.
We are called to walk by faith and hope for the eternal things that we cannot see.
Yet, we also must be like the householder in the gospel who brings out from his storeroom things both new and old.
In other words, we must believe that God had revealed and manifested Himself to His people in the past.
As for the present, we must pray that with faith we will be able to see Jesus in the Sacraments. That is the one thing necessary and that would be enough.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
17th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 31-07-13
Exodus 34:29-35 / Matthew 13:44-46 (2019)
If inanimate objects can talk, we may wonder what they will say. And will we be surprised with what they will say?
What if the chair that we are sitting on tells us that it is actually a good quality chair and that it gives us good posture and sitting comfort?
Will we treat it with special care and value it for what it is and for what it is doing for us?
What if the field and the pearl of the parables in the gospel have something to say to us? What do we think they will say?
The field might say : I am just an ordinary field but someone has buried a treasure in me. The pearl of great value might say: People say I am a precious pearl but actually I am the result of an irritant that got into a clam that encased it with calcium carbonate.
Of course the field and the pearl didn't and couldn't say anything but it takes someone to notice the hidden value in them.
On the other hand, we heard in the 1st reading that Moses' face was radiant with the glory of God.
But it was not just an external radiance; Moses was a friend of God who speaks with Him face to face, and heart to heart. It was from the radiance of the heart that that Moses' face shone with the glory of God.
Our hearts are made for the glory of God. When we are friends of God, like Moses was, then our lives and even our faces will radiate with the glory of God.
We are not inanimate objects that cannot speak. We are human beings made for the glory of God and when we speak, may it be for the glory of God.
If inanimate objects can talk, we may wonder what they will say. And will we be surprised with what they will say?
What if the chair that we are sitting on tells us that it is actually a good quality chair and that it gives us good posture and sitting comfort?
Will we treat it with special care and value it for what it is and for what it is doing for us?
What if the field and the pearl of the parables in the gospel have something to say to us? What do we think they will say?
The field might say : I am just an ordinary field but someone has buried a treasure in me. The pearl of great value might say: People say I am a precious pearl but actually I am the result of an irritant that got into a clam that encased it with calcium carbonate.
Of course the field and the pearl didn't and couldn't say anything but it takes someone to notice the hidden value in them.
On the other hand, we heard in the 1st reading that Moses' face was radiant with the glory of God.
But it was not just an external radiance; Moses was a friend of God who speaks with Him face to face, and heart to heart. It was from the radiance of the heart that that Moses' face shone with the glory of God.
Our hearts are made for the glory of God. When we are friends of God, like Moses was, then our lives and even our faces will radiate with the glory of God.
We are not inanimate objects that cannot speak. We are human beings made for the glory of God and when we speak, may it be for the glory of God.
Monday, July 29, 2013
17th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 30-07-13
Exodus 33:7-11; 34:5-9, 28 / Matthew 13:36-43
In life there are many choices - from the food we eat, to the clothes we wear, to words we use, to what we choose to do.
In our spiritual life, we also have to make a fundamental choice, and that is the choice between good and evil.
And when we do an examination of our lives, then we will see that there are times we chose to do good and there at times we chose to do evil.
So in our lives, there is a good harvest of wheat, but there are also the weeds of sin.
And till the last day of our life on earth, there will be wheat and weeds in our hearts.
As Jesus talks about the final judgement in today's gospel, let us pray for the ears to listen .
As we listen to God's Word, may we also make a choice for God.
So that in all we do and say, we will want to choose to do the good and right and loving thing.
The 10 Commandments tell us about the way to life. Jesus offers us the choice between life and death.
Let us choose life, and death will be slowly pulled out and burnt away.
In life there are many choices - from the food we eat, to the clothes we wear, to words we use, to what we choose to do.
In our spiritual life, we also have to make a fundamental choice, and that is the choice between good and evil.
And when we do an examination of our lives, then we will see that there are times we chose to do good and there at times we chose to do evil.
So in our lives, there is a good harvest of wheat, but there are also the weeds of sin.
And till the last day of our life on earth, there will be wheat and weeds in our hearts.
As Jesus talks about the final judgement in today's gospel, let us pray for the ears to listen .
As we listen to God's Word, may we also make a choice for God.
So that in all we do and say, we will want to choose to do the good and right and loving thing.
The 10 Commandments tell us about the way to life. Jesus offers us the choice between life and death.
Let us choose life, and death will be slowly pulled out and burnt away.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
St. Martha, Monday, 29-07-13
1 John 4:7-16 / John 11:19-27 or Luke 10:38-42 (2019)
If cooks and chefs are ever in need of a patron saint, they need not look further. And not just cooks and chefs, but also homemakers and those in the hospitality industry.
Because St. Martha would be the first and obvious saint for those in these professions.
Indeed, her name means "The mistress" or "the lady", from the feminine of "master", and in many obvious ways, she lived up to her name.
In the gospel of Luke, she was caught up with all the serving and got distracted and complained.
And Jesus gently chided her that she worry and fret about so many things but only one was needed.
In the gospel of John, Martha was again seen to be complaining and even blaming Jesus for not coming earlier, otherwise her brother Lazarus would not have died.
But it was she who made that profound faith statement : Yes Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who has to come into this world.
St. Martha was of great service to others, yet she was also a woman who put her faith into her service and her life.
So she is not just Martha but St. Martha. May we learn from her to serve with faith, so that in all people and in all things, it is Christ whom we are serving.
If cooks and chefs are ever in need of a patron saint, they need not look further. And not just cooks and chefs, but also homemakers and those in the hospitality industry.
Because St. Martha would be the first and obvious saint for those in these professions.
Indeed, her name means "The mistress" or "the lady", from the feminine of "master", and in many obvious ways, she lived up to her name.
In the gospel of Luke, she was caught up with all the serving and got distracted and complained.
And Jesus gently chided her that she worry and fret about so many things but only one was needed.
In the gospel of John, Martha was again seen to be complaining and even blaming Jesus for not coming earlier, otherwise her brother Lazarus would not have died.
But it was she who made that profound faith statement : Yes Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who has to come into this world.
St. Martha was of great service to others, yet she was also a woman who put her faith into her service and her life.
So she is not just Martha but St. Martha. May we learn from her to serve with faith, so that in all people and in all things, it is Christ whom we are serving.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
17th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 28.07.2013
Genesis 18:20-32/ Colossians 2:12-14/ Luke 11:1-13
It is certainly more convenient to watch a movie at home than at the cinema.
With TV screens that are 40” and more, and with Blue Ray format and with home theatre systems, we may not feel the need to go to the cinemas.
Even with a laptop, we won’t miss much when watching a movie like “Despicable Me 2”.
We don’t need to see those cute yellow minions on a big screen.
They are so cute and small they will fit into any screen size.
And we don’t need great sound effects to listen to their minion language to try to understand it.
Because it may be obvious enough. Especially when one of the minions has alarm lights on its head, and goes around with "Bee Doo…Bee Doo…" (Either it’s a fire engine or an ambulance).
But some movies have to be seen on the big screen – in fact, the bigger the better.
One movie that I can think of is “Pacific Rim”, a science fiction movie in which action movie stars manned giant robots that fight against gigantic alien monsters.
If you watch that movie on a laptop, then it’s going to be a waste, because you won’t be able to see clearly who’s who when the monsters and the robots clash.
And of course, the sound is much more explosive and pounding when you watch it in a cinema.
Yes, size does matter, and when we watch a movie in the cinema, we will get big picture and big sound.
Yes, we will watch the movie in “big size”.
Yet, a number of us will say that we have not gone to the cinemas to watch a movie for quite some time already.
The reasons are that we are busy, we don’t have the time, the movie tickets are expensive, it is also inconvenient, because at the climax of the movie, we will also feel the urge to go to the toilet (and miss the best part!).
So, we settle for home theatre systems and we are contented with a “down-sized” movie.
Somehow, our movie watching experience may be similar to our prayer experience.
We downsize our prayers when we are praying to God, the Almighty.
In the gospel, Jesus gave a teaching on prayer, and He also pointed out something about our prayer.
Jesus taught us a prayer – the “Our Father”, or the Lord’s Prayer.
He also told us to pray with persistence. In other words, we must be thick-skinned, we must not be ashamed to pray, to ask, to knock on heaven’s door.
We must not be shy or even ashamed to pray for small things, because we must believe that prayer changes things, even small things.
We may remember what Jesus said about small things. He said that if we can be faithful in small things, then we will be faithful in big things.
So, it also means that when we offer small things to God in prayer, then there is nothing too big that God will not answer.
Praying for a parking lot might seem like a small thing.
Once I went with a friend to the hospital to anoint his father who was critically ill.
When we reached the hospital car park it was full and it seemed like it was going to be a long wait for a parking lot.
Then my friend suggested that we pray the prayer for a parking space. He said that it was his father who taught him the prayer and it always worked.
So, I asked him what was that prayer and he said this: Hail Mary, full of grace, help me find a parking space.
I squirmed a bit when I heard that prayer, so I told him that he can say that prayer if he wants.
But he retorted that since I am the priest I should be the one saying the prayer!
Since I didn’t intend to sit in the car and waste time, I sheepishly and quite unwillingly said the prayer – Hail Mary, full of grace, help us find a parking space.
And then, almost immediately, a man came into the carpark, went into a car in front of us and drove out of the lot. And my friend rubbed it in by saying: See, it always works! Especially, when a priest says it.
Yes, we must not be shy. We must not hesitate, we must not be ashamed to offer up all things to God in prayer, yes, all things big and small.
But maybe that is where the crisis is. We may have neglected small things as well as big things and we choose to turn to our own reserves which inevitably will fail us.
Like the minion in the movie wearing the alarm lights and going “Bee Doo… Bee Doo…” our prayer life may be in crisis.
We may think that our prayer is some kind of minion language that God does not bother to reply.
But let us also remember that out of the mouths of children and babes (Psalm 8), out of simple and humble prayers, God will give us strength to foil our enemies and the monster problems that we face in life.
In all things, big or small, we must pray, for prayer changes things.
I want to share with you a poem about prayer and it’s called “The Difference”.
It is certainly more convenient to watch a movie at home than at the cinema.
With TV screens that are 40” and more, and with Blue Ray format and with home theatre systems, we may not feel the need to go to the cinemas.
Even with a laptop, we won’t miss much when watching a movie like “Despicable Me 2”.
We don’t need to see those cute yellow minions on a big screen.
They are so cute and small they will fit into any screen size.
And we don’t need great sound effects to listen to their minion language to try to understand it.
Because it may be obvious enough. Especially when one of the minions has alarm lights on its head, and goes around with "Bee Doo…Bee Doo…" (Either it’s a fire engine or an ambulance).
But some movies have to be seen on the big screen – in fact, the bigger the better.
One movie that I can think of is “Pacific Rim”, a science fiction movie in which action movie stars manned giant robots that fight against gigantic alien monsters.
If you watch that movie on a laptop, then it’s going to be a waste, because you won’t be able to see clearly who’s who when the monsters and the robots clash.
And of course, the sound is much more explosive and pounding when you watch it in a cinema.
Yes, size does matter, and when we watch a movie in the cinema, we will get big picture and big sound.
Yes, we will watch the movie in “big size”.
Yet, a number of us will say that we have not gone to the cinemas to watch a movie for quite some time already.
The reasons are that we are busy, we don’t have the time, the movie tickets are expensive, it is also inconvenient, because at the climax of the movie, we will also feel the urge to go to the toilet (and miss the best part!).
So, we settle for home theatre systems and we are contented with a “down-sized” movie.
Somehow, our movie watching experience may be similar to our prayer experience.
We downsize our prayers when we are praying to God, the Almighty.
In the gospel, Jesus gave a teaching on prayer, and He also pointed out something about our prayer.
Jesus taught us a prayer – the “Our Father”, or the Lord’s Prayer.
He also told us to pray with persistence. In other words, we must be thick-skinned, we must not be ashamed to pray, to ask, to knock on heaven’s door.
We must not be shy or even ashamed to pray for small things, because we must believe that prayer changes things, even small things.
We may remember what Jesus said about small things. He said that if we can be faithful in small things, then we will be faithful in big things.
So, it also means that when we offer small things to God in prayer, then there is nothing too big that God will not answer.
Praying for a parking lot might seem like a small thing.
Once I went with a friend to the hospital to anoint his father who was critically ill.
When we reached the hospital car park it was full and it seemed like it was going to be a long wait for a parking lot.
Then my friend suggested that we pray the prayer for a parking space. He said that it was his father who taught him the prayer and it always worked.
So, I asked him what was that prayer and he said this: Hail Mary, full of grace, help me find a parking space.
I squirmed a bit when I heard that prayer, so I told him that he can say that prayer if he wants.
But he retorted that since I am the priest I should be the one saying the prayer!
Since I didn’t intend to sit in the car and waste time, I sheepishly and quite unwillingly said the prayer – Hail Mary, full of grace, help us find a parking space.
And then, almost immediately, a man came into the carpark, went into a car in front of us and drove out of the lot. And my friend rubbed it in by saying: See, it always works! Especially, when a priest says it.
Yes, we must not be shy. We must not hesitate, we must not be ashamed to offer up all things to God in prayer, yes, all things big and small.
But maybe that is where the crisis is. We may have neglected small things as well as big things and we choose to turn to our own reserves which inevitably will fail us.
Like the minion in the movie wearing the alarm lights and going “Bee Doo… Bee Doo…” our prayer life may be in crisis.
We may think that our prayer is some kind of minion language that God does not bother to reply.
But let us also remember that out of the mouths of children and babes (Psalm 8), out of simple and humble prayers, God will give us strength to foil our enemies and the monster problems that we face in life.
In all things, big or small, we must pray, for prayer changes things.
I want to share with you a poem about prayer and it’s called “The Difference”.
The Difference
I got up early one morning
And rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I didn't take time to pray.
Problems just tumbled around me,
And heavier came each task;
"Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered.
He answered, "You didn't ask."
I wanted to see joy and beauty-
But the day toiled on, grey and bleak;
I wondered why God didn't show me,
He said, "But you didn't seek."
I tried to come into God's presence,
I used all my keys at the lock;
God gently and lovingly chided:
"My child, you didn't knock."
I woke up early this morning
And paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I had to take time to pray.
Friday, July 26, 2013
16th Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 27-07-13
Exodus 24:3-8 / Matthew 13:24-30 (2021)
The phrase "first blood" has several meanings, but most of which are rooted in the actions that will result in the spilling of blood when the situation turns violent.
So to "draw first blood" is the initial advantage gained by one side in any game, contest or competition.
"First blood" could also mean the time when a man kills another man for the first time in honorable combat.
Or to "draw first blood" could mean when your opponent strikes at you first, without any provocation from you. Thus, the opponent inflicts the first harm, by which he or she causes you to bleed or be harmed.
In the 1st reading, we heard that God sealed with blood the covenant between Him and His people. Moses cast the blood of bulls on the altar (which represented God) and the other half on the people.
That symbolized, in very stark terms, the sealing of the covenant in blood. And it can be said that the people of God drew first blood when they broke the covenant, and God has every right to make a demand for their blood as punishment.
In the gospel, we heard the parable in which a man planted good seed in his field but the enemy came secretly to sow darnel among the wheat and made off.
No doubt the enemy drew first blood. We might think that it refers to the evil one. But when there is sin in our hearts and when we are under the influence of the evil one, then we have become the enemy that drew first blood against God and others.
Let us ask the Lord to help us be aware of the sin in our hearts and to cast it out so that we can bear a good harvest for the Lord and keep His covenant with us.
The phrase "first blood" has several meanings, but most of which are rooted in the actions that will result in the spilling of blood when the situation turns violent.
So to "draw first blood" is the initial advantage gained by one side in any game, contest or competition.
"First blood" could also mean the time when a man kills another man for the first time in honorable combat.
Or to "draw first blood" could mean when your opponent strikes at you first, without any provocation from you. Thus, the opponent inflicts the first harm, by which he or she causes you to bleed or be harmed.
In the 1st reading, we heard that God sealed with blood the covenant between Him and His people. Moses cast the blood of bulls on the altar (which represented God) and the other half on the people.
That symbolized, in very stark terms, the sealing of the covenant in blood. And it can be said that the people of God drew first blood when they broke the covenant, and God has every right to make a demand for their blood as punishment.
In the gospel, we heard the parable in which a man planted good seed in his field but the enemy came secretly to sow darnel among the wheat and made off.
No doubt the enemy drew first blood. We might think that it refers to the evil one. But when there is sin in our hearts and when we are under the influence of the evil one, then we have become the enemy that drew first blood against God and others.
Let us ask the Lord to help us be aware of the sin in our hearts and to cast it out so that we can bear a good harvest for the Lord and keep His covenant with us.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
16th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 26-07-13
Exodus 20:1-17 / Matthew 13:18-23 (2025)
We might have heard of this phrase: Put your money where your mouth is.
It means to support something that you believe in, especially by giving money, or to do something rather than to just talk about it.
Yes, to talk about something is one thing. To talk about it with commitment especially when that commitment is expressed by putting money or something valuable into it is quite another thing.
In the 1st reading, we heard the Lord speaking with all those words. Those are not just words but they are, as it is called, the 10 Commandments.
We usually understand the word "commandments" as laws that we must adhere to and obey, failing which we will be punished.
Yet, when God gave those 10 Commandments, He has put His commitment into His words.
His Word will be made flesh in Jesus and He will dwell among us and show us how to live out God's word.
Jesus came into this world to sow God's Word so that we will have life to the full and bear a harvest for God's kingdom.
Whether our hearts are rocky and thorny or fertile and docile, Jesus continues to sow His Word into our hearts.
May our hearts be open to God's Word so that from the rich harvest of our hearts, our mouths will proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God.
We might have heard of this phrase: Put your money where your mouth is.
It means to support something that you believe in, especially by giving money, or to do something rather than to just talk about it.
Yes, to talk about something is one thing. To talk about it with commitment especially when that commitment is expressed by putting money or something valuable into it is quite another thing.
In the 1st reading, we heard the Lord speaking with all those words. Those are not just words but they are, as it is called, the 10 Commandments.
We usually understand the word "commandments" as laws that we must adhere to and obey, failing which we will be punished.
Yet, when God gave those 10 Commandments, He has put His commitment into His words.
His Word will be made flesh in Jesus and He will dwell among us and show us how to live out God's word.
Jesus came into this world to sow God's Word so that we will have life to the full and bear a harvest for God's kingdom.
Whether our hearts are rocky and thorny or fertile and docile, Jesus continues to sow His Word into our hearts.
May our hearts be open to God's Word so that from the rich harvest of our hearts, our mouths will proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God.
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