Immaculate Conception of the BVM, Saturday, 08-12-12

Genesis 3:9-15, 20 / Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12 / Luke 1:26-38  (2016)

On  December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX formally proclaimed the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church.

Essentially, the doctrine here is that from the moment when she was conceived in the womb of her mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary was kept free from original sin and was filled with the sanctifying grace normally conferred during baptism.

Although the belief was widely accepted by the Church as early as the 4th century, it was only in 1854 that it was formally proclaimed.

It also seeks to clarify that Mary, at the first instance of her conception, and by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.

And being always freed from original sin, Mary also received the sanctifying grace that would, for us, normally come with baptism after birth.

Mary was filled with this sanctifying grace and that was why the angel Gabriel greeted her, "Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you".

The grace that Mary received was a special privilege from God that kept her free from sin so that she can respond to the call to be the Mother of God.

We too have received sanctifying grace at our baptism so that we can choose to walk in the ways of God and grow in holiness.

The grace that Mary received prepared her to be the Mother of God; the grace that we received at our baptism prepared us to be the holy People of God.

Let us pray with our Blessed Mother that we will always preserve the grace of God in our hearts so that the Son of God will make His home in us.

1st Week of Advent, Friday, 07-12-12

Isaiah 29:17-24 / Matthew 9:27-31

It is quite difficult to imagine what it is like to be poor and powerless and lowly and face rejection and even opposition.

Even children can get the attention of their parents by their cry of distress, and the cry of children can be difficult to ignore.

Yet the cry of the poor and powerless and those rejected and ostracised may be muffled and even silenced. "Silenced by who?" we might ask.

By tyrants and scoffers and those who are disposed to do evil; those who gossip to incriminate others, those who try at the gate to trip the arbitrator and get the upright man's case dismissed for groundless reasons.

But as much as the 1st reading pointed out those who do evil, yet it also proclaimed that the lowly will rejoice in the Lord even more and the poorest exult in the Holy One of Israel.

In the gospel, it seems that the two blind men were shouting after Jesus as they followed Him along the way.

It was only after He reached the house that He asked them if they believed that He could heal them.

Yes, God will listen to the cries of the poor and powerless, those rejected and ostracised and He will look into their needs.

So if we feel poor and powerless, rejected and ostracised, then like the two blind men let us keep calling for the Lord and keep walking in the ways of the Lord.

When the Lord speaks, we will rejoice and exult in the Lord and we will see what the Lord will do for us.

1st Week of Advent, Thursday, 06-12-12

Isaiah 26:1-6 / Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Going for meetings is something that we do, and some of us have to go for more meetings than others.

Yet we may not be that excited in going for meetings, especially when we do it with resignation and even frustration.

Maybe it is because our experience of going for meetings are occasions of a lot of talk but there is not much of action or decision.

In life, we express ourselves not just in words but also in concrete actions.

In the 1st reading, we hear the prophet Isaiah proclaim the Lord is the everlasting Rock and that we must trust in the Lord forever.

But that trust must be expressed in our lives and not remain as concepts and ideas or even as wishes in our minds.

So we trust in the Lord when we choose to tell the truth, because we believe that the truth will set us free.

We trust in the Lord when we choose to do good instead of returning evil for evil because we believe that good will overcome evil.

We trust in the Lord when we forgive  because in forgiving others, we too are healed and forgiven.

When we trust in the Lord our Rock, He will come to meet us in love and in turn we will go forth in love to meet others.

1st Week of Advent, Wednesday, 05-12-12

Isaiah 25:6-10 / Matthew 15:29-37

Geographical locations in the Bible usually have a purpose in that they have something to tell us and also something to reveal to us.

In the gospel, we heard that Jesus went up the hills and the people followed Him.

The hills, the wilderness, the desert - all these places have one thing in common and that is they are usually deserted, and the necessities of life like food and water are hardly available.

And it is in these places that faith and trust in God's providence and love is the only thing that we can hope for.

So it was in the hills that when Jesus brought up the subject of the hungry people, we can't blame the disciples for immediately thinking of their own survival.

Jesus asked them for what they had, their seven loaves and a few small fish, and with that a wonderful thing happened.

The disciples had to give up the little that they had, but out of this desperate situation they saw for themselves that God cannot be outdone in generosity.

As the prophet Isaiah said the 1st reading, it was on a mountain that the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.

For this to happen in the valleys and plains may be possible, but on the top of a mountain?

For God nothing is impossible, but He would also need us to make it possible, with our generosity.

1st Week of Advent, Tuesday, 04-12-12

Isaiah 11:1-10 / Luke 10:21-24

The olive tree is very hardy tree. It can resist drought and disease and even fire, and it can live to a great age.

Its root system is strong and robust and the peculiarity is that it is capable of regenerating the tree even if the above-ground structure is destroyed.

It is with this peculiarity that the 1st reading used to describe the promise of salvation for Israel - "A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse, a scion thrusts from his roots".

With that will also come about a glorious time of peace and harmony, and also of integrity and faithfulness.

Yet the promise of salvation and the glorious reign of God would require patience and waiting and trusting in God's promises.

Just like an olive tree that may take as long as 15 years to bear fruit, the glorious time of peace and harmony, and integrity and faithfulness may also take that long to come about.

Yet in the meanwhile, the roots of the olive tree are spreading and strengthening itself for its growth ahead.

So even if there seems to be happening above-ground, there is certainly unseen activity happening underground.

So even if we don't see it, we know it is happening. More so with God's grace, which we can't see but yet we believe is working.

Yes, blessed are we to whom the mysteries of God are revealed. And more blessed are we when we believe and wait in hope and patience.

St. Francis Xavier, Patron of Missions, Monday, 03-12-12

1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23 / Mark 16:15-20     (2020)

St. Francis Xavier was a student of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and he was the co-founder of the Society of Jesus and one of the first seven Jesuits who were formed in 1534.

He led an extensive mission into Asia and he was influential in the spreading of the faith especially in India.

He even ventured as far as China but he was only able to reach what is now Hong Kong. In fact, he died there on the 3rd December 1552.

Along the way, he also converted many peoples in India, especially Goa,  and also in Indonesia and Japan. He is said to have converted more people than anyone else has done since St. Paul.

For this reason he is the patron saint of the missions, together with St. Therese of the Child Jesus.

And like St. Paul, St. Francis Xavier also considered preaching the Good News not just as a duty but also as a blessing.

Like what St. Paul said in the 1st reading, he made himself as a slave to everyone so as to win as many for God as he could.

Like St. Paul, St. Francis Xavier also made himself all things to all men in order to save some at any cost.

Like St. Paul, St. Francis Xavier left behind a legacy of missionary work and spirit that formed the blueprint and foundations of the Catholic faith in the countries.

As the Lord Jesus promised, He worked with St. Francis Xavier and confirmed with His word with signs.

We have seen these signs, and may we continue to see these signs so that we in turn will  proclaim the Good News, like St. Francis Xavier did.

1st Sunday of Advent, Year c, 02.12.2012

Jeremiah 33:14-16/ 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2/ Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

About 2 or 3 years ago, there was this movie that was shown in the cinemas, which had many interesting aspects.

First was the title. The title was a number that was made up of just four digits.

The movie posters were also interesting and intriguing.

One showed a monk dressed in saffron robes standing on a mountain top and he was facing what seemed like a humongous tidal wave.

Some of us have watched that movie. Like I said the title was a number with four digits – “2012”.

It was a science fiction disaster movie. But it included references to Mayanism and the 2012 phenomenon.

Along with that, the movie portrayed a series of disastrous events unfolding in the year 2012 (which is this year, and there is also a specified date, 21 Dec 2012).

Well, in that movie, huge tidal waves swept across the whole world and there were also earthquakes everywhere.

In one scene, there were thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square and then an earthquake knocked off the dome of St Peter’s Basilica and it fell on the people.

Say what we may, the special effects in that movie were stunning and impressive.

Well, that movie was shown in the year 2010 and it was about the predictions of the end of the world disasters in 2012, which is this year!

But by and large, people generally took the movie as a movie. I wonder how many took it seriously.

Even though it had Mayanism and the 2012 phenomenon references, it did not create much waves. 

At least in the spiritual aspect, there were no urgent movements of repentance and conversion.

There were no hordes of people going to the religious institutions and doing penance and asking for forgiveness.

In other words, all the end of the world predictions about 2012 are just another of those many similar predictions that have come and gone, and this will also come and go. 

Meanwhile, it is business as usual and life will go on as normal.

Maybe we have heard too many end-of-the-world predictions and we have become numbed and tired of it.

After all, whether the world ends on the 21 Dec or tomorrow, we will still have bills to pay, and also Christmas decorations to put up and the honey baked ham to order and go to work on Monday.

Yet in today’s gospel, we hear of Jesus talking about the end times.

There will be signs in the sun and the stars; on earth, nations in agony, bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves, men dying of fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.

That is certainly dramatic and disastrous enough to make another end-of-the-world movie, and maybe this time it could be Earth colliding with Mars or whatever.

But as in the previous end-of-the-world predictions, what effects do the words of Jesus have on us?

Year in year out, on the 1st Sunday of Advent, we hear about end-times, and our thoughts will be about year-end.

Our year-end thoughts would be about how much bonus will we be getting, will there be increment in our salary next year, where are the festive offers and sales, when to go Orchard Road to look at the Christmas lights, etc.

So, at the beginning of Advent, repentance and doing penance and seeking forgiveness may be furthest from our minds. Maybe we can leave that for the coming Lent.

The 1st Sunday of Advent may mean that we better bring out our Christmas tree with the decorations and maybe get new ones, so that we can start dreaming of a “white Christmas”.

Well, if we want to dream of a white Christmas, then I would certainly recommend you to watch a movie. 

The title of this movie also has a number in it, and the title is “Eight Below”.

The setting of the movie is in the Antarctica, or where the South Pole is, and so it is as white as it could get, with snow here and there and everywhere.

The movie was inspired by the events of a 1958 ill-fated Japanese expedition to the Antarctica.

In the movie, a guide by the name of Jerry, has his team of 8 dogs which pulled the dog sleds through the snow and they were attached to an Antarctic research base.

Jerry has a very close working relationship with his dogs. He knows each by name and knows their abilities.

On one occasion, Jerry and his team of dogs brought a scientist out into the vast snowlands for research.

Then came news of an approaching snowstorm, but their return to the base camp was delayed due to some accidents and they also got injured.

When they finally reached the base camp, the storm was building and there was only one last plane left for the flight out.

Since the plane could only manage to carry the base camp team, the 8 dogs had to be left behind.

Jerry who was injured was not able to persuade the pilot for the 8 dogs to be evacuated with him.

But he was assured that a rescue team would come back to get the dogs out.

But the storm was worse than expected and it became apparent that no rescue team would be sent until only spring which would be about three to four months later.

Meanwhile, Jerry the guide recovered from his injuries and he tried desperately to get a rescue team to go for the dogs but his efforts were futile.

What haunted him was what he told his dogs when he left them at the base camp: I’ll be back. I promise.

Although all his efforts came to a dead end, he knew he had to get back there because he owed it to his dogs.

Finally, against all odds, and with some sponsorship and help from his friends, he made the trip back.

And after five months, Jerry was reunited with his 8 dogs, but two had died in the bitter storm. 

So, the movie title “Eight Below” actually referred to the eight dogs which were below in the Antarctic waiting for Jerry to rescue them.

If I could make a Christmas movie about the gospel passage than the movie title would be “We Below”. 

Yes, it will be dramatic and stunning with lightning and thunder in the skies and mega tsunamis from the ocean, plus meteorites falling from outer space and earth shaking and cracking.

But we below will stand erect and hold our heads high because He from above will come to rescue us.

If dogs are worth rescuing, then what about us who are worth much more than hundreds of dogs and sparrows and whatever.

Yes, we below will wait for Him from above and we know He will come.

He promised that He will come for us. Let us keep praying at all times and be prepared to meet Him.