5th January 2013, Saturday, Weekday of the Christmas season

1 John 3:11-21 / John 1:43-51

During the course of this week, we heard John the Baptist addressing Jesus by various titles: the One who is to come; the Chosen One of God; the Lamb of God; the Messiah.

In today's gospel, we hear of a profound title of Jesus given by quite an unlikely person.

Nathanael can be said to be blunt and unreserved in expressing his opinions.

In one verse, he makes no effort in hiding his contempt as he says, "Can anything good from out of Nazareth?"

Hardly a couple of verses later, he addressed Jesus as the Son of God, the King of Israel.

Nathanael may have been blunt and biased, but nonetheless Jesus says that he is incapable of deceit and said that He saw him under the fig tree, which was an expression of a man a prayer and open to the ways of God and to His revelation.

Nathanael may have a divine inspiration of the insight of who Jesus is. Yet, Jesus promised that there will be more to come.

Nathanael would see "heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending."

We too may have our own biased opinions and thoughts that are darkened by sin.

But we too must be like Nathanael, who was open to the ways and revelations of God and He will show us who He is.

Let us find our own "fig tree" and there we open ourselves to the truth with sincerity and love.

4th January 2013, Friday, Weekdays of the Christmas season

1 John 3:7-10 / John 1:35-42

Some questions are really difficult to answer. Especially when they are thrown at you at unexpected moment from someone you don't really know.

You might just find your mind going blank or maybe crashing because there may be so many answers to that question.

In the gospel, we heard that after John the Baptist pointed out to his two disciples the Lamb of God, they then followed Him.

Then Jesus turned round, saw them following Him and said, "What do you want?"

We can assume that the two disciples were stumped! What a direct and intrusive question, and besides they themselves do not really know what they want.

Yet their reply "Where do you live?", which may sound awkward, nevertheless said much about what they wanted.

They wanted to know who Jesus is, how He lived, what He was all about. Hence Jesus simply replied, "Come and see."

So if Jesus were to ask us, "What do you want?", would we be able to give a sensible and meaningful reply?

And if we are still wondering what to say, then the 1st reading tells us what we should be looking for.

We should be desiring to live a holy life because God is holy and we want to be His children.

To sin is to be belonged to the devil and become his evil children.

Yet to be holy and to be children of God means this - to love God and to love neighbour. That is what God wants of us and may that be what we truly want too.

3rd January 2013, Thursday, Weekdays of the Christmas season

1 John 2:29 - 3:6 / John 1:29-34

There is a deep relationship between parents and their children.

Besides the genetic connection, children bear a physical resemblance to the parents.

That's why there are such sayings as "a chip off the old block" or "like father, like son".

John the Baptist calls Jesus the Lamb of God. The Lamb of God takes away the sins of the world by being sacrificed for sinners.

Jesus sacrificed Himself for us so that freed from sin, we can be re-formed and re-created into His image and likeness.

Hence the 1st reading says that we must purify ourselves and try to be as pure as Christ. That is because sin is so serious and devastating.

Because to sin means that we do not know Christ and we have broken off the relationship with Him and we have deformed ourselves into the darkness of sin.

But by our baptism, we have become children of God and we have become one with Christ.

In our prayer, let us renounce our sinfulness and profess our faith and our love for God, so that like John the Baptist, we too will be witnesses of the Lamb of God.

2nd January 2013, Wednesday, weekday of the Christmas season

1 John 2:22-28 / John 1:19-28

As we enter into the second day of the new year, and as we look into the days ahead, we might wonder will happen in the days to come.

And as we look back at the past year, many things has happened; some were expected whereas many others were surprises.

So as we look forward to the year ahead, we would have the experience and the wisdom to know that some things would happen as expected but there will be many other surprises as well.

Yet, whatever happens, whether expected or otherwise, we still must know who we are and what is the meaning and purpose of our lives.

And even for John the Baptist, when the appointed time came, he appeared openly as a witness to prepare the way for the Lord.

We can say that things changed for him almost overnight yet he remained focused on what he was called to do.

His mission in life is unique and special, and it was for him to remain focused on who he is and the purpose and meaning of his life.

We too must remain focused on who we are and what is our purpose and meaning in life.

The 1st reading gives us this direction: Keep alive in yourselves what you were taught in the beginning: as long as what you were taught in the beginning is alive in you, you will live in the Son and in the Father.

Yes, we have been anointed with the truth that is from God, and when we keep living in the truth, we will know who we are and what is the meaning and purpose of our lives.

Then we will be able to look confidently at the days to come, with all its expectations and its surprises.

Mary, Mother of God (01-01-2013)

Numbers 6:22-27 / Gal 4:4-7 / Lk 2:16-21

Most of us have some kind of watch on our wrists. And maybe somewhere at home in some drawer there are a few more watches: dress watch, sports watch, diving watch, automatic watch, analogue watch, digital watch, etc.

Whatever it is, all of us have at least one watch, or some kind of time piece.

It only goes to show how important time is in our modern lives.

Yesterday, if we were celebrating some kind of “count-down”, then we would have seen how the last few seconds of last year ticked away into history and into the new year.

And this morning we are looking at the 365 days ahead, and we are here at Mass asking God for His blessings in this new year as we offer the new year to the Lord.

And today is also the 8th day of the Octave of Christmas, and the Church dedicates this day in honour of Mary under the title of “Mother of God”.

Mary is indeed instrumental in the whole story of salvation, because as we heard in the 2nd reading: When the appointed time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons.

Yes, Mary was there at the appointed time, at the appointed moment, and she was available to carry out the will of God.

So as we welcome the first day of the new year, we also need to be prepared for the appointed time when God will come into our lives and reveal Himself to us.

Well, let’s say on this first day of the New Year, you win a prize!
And these are the details of the prize:

Each morning your bank will deposit $86,400.00 into your private account for your personal use.

However, this prize comes with rules just like any game has certain rules.

The first set of rules would be this:
1.  The money that you do not spend at the end of each day would be taken away from you.
2. You cannot simply transfer the money into some other account.
3. Only you can spend it.
So each morning when you wake up, the bank opens your account with $86,400.00 for that day.

The second set of rules is this:
1. The bank can end the game without warning.  At any time it can say, “It’s over, the game is over!”
2. It will close the account and you will not receive a new one.

So with $86,400 what would you want to do with it?

You would buy anything and everything you wanted, right?

Not only for yourself, but for all the people you love and your
friends as well, right?

Even for people you don’t know you would also want to spend it on them, because you couldn’t possibly spend it all on yourself, right?

You would try to spend every cent, and use it all, right?

Well actually this game is about life! 

Each of us is in possession of such a “magical” bank.  

We just don’t see it.

THE MAGICAL BANK IS TIME!

Each morning upon awakening, we receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life, and when we go to sleep at night, any remaining time is NOT credited to us.

What we haven’t lived up to that day is forever lost.

Yesterday is forever gone.

Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can dissolve your account at any time……. WITHOUT WARNING.

Well, what would you do with your 86,400 seconds?

Aren’t they worth so much more than the same amount in dollars? 

In fact they are worth much more.

So as we begin this new year and as we look at so many days ahead, let us look at one second at a time, one moment at a time.

Together with Mother Mary, let us offer each second and each moment of every day to the Lord so that He will bless it and make it holy, so that every moment of every day, we will be loving and peaceful and joyful.

So as we move on from this moment, may I quote the formula for blessing from the 1st reading.

“May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord let His face shine on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord uncover His face to you and bring you peace.”

31st December 2012, Monday, Seventh day of Octave of Christmas

1 John 2:18-21 / John 1:1-18

This 7th day of the Octave of Christmas also happens to be last day of the calender year of 2012.

The last day of the year ... somehow there is a nostalgic tone to it. Because if we have the time, we would certainly like to look back at the days gone by during this year and do reminiscing.

We would recall the good and the bad, the happy and the sad, and all those in between that made up the days of this year.

Even the 1st reading happened to talk about "these are the last days." Yet it gives a spiritual reflection of what had happened as it talked about the "last days."

It talked about the appearance of the antichrist and that rivals of Christ have come out of their own number.

Yet in spite of the turmoil within and without, the truth has prevailed in the Church and we have knowledge of this truth.

The truth is that the Word of God was made flesh and dwells among us. He is the light that shines for us and gives us life.

He is the light that shines in the dark and it is a light that the darkness could not overpower.

Let us let the light of Christ shine in the bygone days of this year so that we will give thanks for His blessings.

And may we look forward in hope and follow the light of Christ into the days that are to come.

Holy Family, Year C, 30.12.2012

Ecclesiasticus 3:3-7, 14-17 or 1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28/
Colossians 3:12-21 or 3:12-17 / Luke 2:41-52

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Family. So, inevitably the focus will be on family life.

And when we look at the family, just what kind of analogy could we use to describe a family?

Maybe I would say that the family is like a fruit cake – mostly sweet and with some nuts; some may have more nuts!

Nonetheless, we still have to admit that family life, although like a fruit cake, can be quite messy.

It’s said that a family is like a social unit that is concerned with some kind of space.

The father is concerned with parking space, the children are concerned with outer space, the mother is concerned with looking for space. 

And when the family has to share the same space,  that is where challenges come in.

Because problems can arise when we feel that our own space is encroached upon or has been trespassed.

And when our space is encroached upon or is trespassed, then communications become fragile and tensed.

We will be quick to speak and to scorch, but we will not be that ready to listen with attention.

Let me quote from a poem entitled “Harsh Words”: 

I ran into a stranger as he passed by, “Oh excuse me, please” was my reply.

He said, “Please excuse me too, I wasn’t watching for you.”

We were very polite, this stranger and I. We went on our way saying good-bye.

But at home, a difference is told, how we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, while cooking the evening meal, my son stood beside me very still.

As I turned, I nearly knocked him down. “Move out of the way!” I said with a frown.

It so ironic, isn’t it, that while dealing with strangers, common courtesy we use.

But with family and loved ones, we seem to abuse.

In today’s gospel, we heard about Mary and Joseph, and the 12 year-old Jesus going to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.

It was an annual event for them but this time round something happened.

After the feast, Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, without his parents knowing.

Needless to say, Mary and Joseph must have panicked during those three days until they found Him in the temple.

The gospel passage simply said that they were overcome when they saw Him, but that said a lot about how Mary and Joseph felt – the anxiety, the stress, the frustration, the anger (?).

And we can certainly feel the seriousness of the tone in what Mary said to Jesus, “My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been looking for you.”

And the reply of Jesus was nowhere near consoling, and as if that was not enough, it was also confusing to say the least.

That would have easily erupted into a parent-child quarrel and harsh words would fly about to cut and scorch.

Yet, no further words were exchanged, maybe because Mary and Joseph did not understand what Jesus meant. 

But Mary stored up all these things in her heart. Joseph might be thinking that it would be easier to build a house for God than to raise the Son of God. 

Yes, whether it is the Son of God or not, it was never easy to be parents and it never will be.

Yes, there is that 5th Commandment – Honour your father and your mother, but we all know that we have broken that commandment time and again.

Yet as much as that 5th Commandment is directed at children, there is also an underlying spiritual aspect to it.

This underlying spiritual aspect is that parents have this God-given authority over their children.

But this authority is not to be used to drive their children to resentment and make them feel frustrated.

Over and above, the duty to care for their children and to provide for their needs, parents have a spiritual authority over their children.

It means that when parents pray for their children, God will surely listen to their prayers.

And it is not just praying for them when they are applying for entry into a particular school or university, and when they are taking their exams.

Parents will have to exercise their spiritual authority over their children when they are ill, when they have gone wayward, when they are in trouble or in danger.

Parents have this power to call upon God’s protection and blessing over their children.

And that is why it is so important that parents understand and exercise this spiritual power.

And it is so essential that parents must pray together in order that this spiritual power be manifested and bear spiritual fruits in their children.

One of the difficult challenges in family life is family quarrels.
Family quarrels are bitter, especially when they are between parents and children.

They can be about any issue, and can spring up unexpectedly and catch us totally unprepared.

Whatever it is, family quarrels are bitter and painful. They are like splits in the skin that won’t heal easily because there’s not enough material to do so.

But again, parents have this spiritual power to call upon God’s blessing so that there can be peace and unity in the family.

Family peace and harmony cannot be taken for granted, and as a matter of fact, family breakup is becoming more rampant.

But again, parents have that spiritual power to keep the family together and sharing the same space.

So even after the Temple episode, Jesus went down with Mary and Joseph to Nazareth and lived under their authority.

There He increased in wisdom, in stature and in favour with God and with others.

As it was for Jesus, so may it be for parents and children in the family.

As Pope John Paul II said: As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.