1st Week of Advent, Saturday, 07-12-13

Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26 / Matthew 9:35 - 10:1, 6-8

We have heard of the saying: Spare the rod and spoil the child.

If we are wondering about the origins of that saying, it could have come from a book in the Bible called Proverbs.

In that book there are many phrases concerning parents disciplining their children:

Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them. (Proverbs 13:24)

Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. (Proverbs 23:13)

But that is just some advice for parents about how to bring up their children. 

It is to remind us that the Lord will also discipline us  but it is for our good - For the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. (Proverbs 3:12)

Yes, the Lord is loving and forgiving, merciful and compassionate. 

But the Lord will also give us "the bread of suffering and the water of distress" just as He gave that to His people in order to wake them up from their sinfulness and unfaithfulness, as the 1st reading puts it.

On the hand, it can also be said that we bring down the sufferings and distress on ourselves because we always reap what we sow.

Whatever the case may be, just as as the prophet Isaiah said that the Lord who is the teacher will hide no longer and they will see their teacher with their own eyes, Jesus our Saviour will come to us in our sufferings and distress.

So let us allow the Lord to discipline us so that we may walk in His ways and follow His paths.

1st Week of Advent, Friday, 06-12-13

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

If a baby is born today and if the parents are still thinking of a Christian name for the baby, then they may want to consider the saint of today.

Today the Church honours St. Nicholas, aka Santa Claus, which comes from the Dutch name Sinterklaas.

And with the festive season coming around, it would be good to be reminded of his influence in this particular season.

St. Nicholas lived in the 4th-century and he was the  Bishop of Myra (Demre, part of modern-day Turkey) in Lycia. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker .

He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for the modern day Santa Claus.

St. Nicholas and all the other saints throughout history are the embodiment of God's promises to His people from age to age.

In the 1st reading, the Lord says this: the lowly will rejoice in the Lord even more and the poorest exult in the Holy One of Israel; for tyrants shall be no more, and scoffers vanish, and all be destroyed who are disposed to do evil.

That promise of God was fulfilled in Jesus when he came to heal the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, gave speech to the dumb and made the lame walk.

In all this, the Good News of God's promises are proclaimed and fulfilled.

So it was in the past and so will it be now. May this season of Advent and the prayers of St. Nicholas remind us of God's promises.

1st Week of Advent, Thursday, 05-12-13

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

When a word appears more than three times in a passage, we would have guessed that it has a particular emphasis on that passage and that it is also pointing to a particular meaning.

And when the same word appears in two different passages, then all the more it calls for attention to the meaning that it wants to point to.

Today's two readings have a particular word in common - rock.

From that word, we will have ideas of it like sturdiness, solidity, immovability, etc.

The 1st reading proclaims that the Lord is the everlasting Rock and to trust the Lord for ever.

Given the qualities associated with a rock, it is not difficult to understand why the imagery of the rock is used to associate with God.

In the gospel, Jesus said that everyone who listens to His words will be like a sensible man who builds his house on rock.

Building a house is more than just a sensible thing to do; if the house is a symbol of protection and security, then it better be built on something solid.

Similarly, building our lives and our faith in God the everlasting Rock will certainly give us the protection and security that we long for.

Trusting in anything else would be like building sand castles.

1st Week of Advent, Wednesday, 04-12-13

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

To build something on a mountain top is certainly not an easy task.

Even with modern machinery and technology, the task of transporting the building materials up to the mountain top is certainly challenging.

But when the task is completed, we can see how magnificently the structure or building stands on the mountain top.

One example is the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. And there are also many amazing and awesome monasteries that are built on mountain tops and on some of the unlikely high places.

Maybe the religious sentiment is that what is to be offered to God must be done on the highest ground possible, as well as to inspire and impress people on this religious aspect.

The two readings also mentioned about mountains and hills. In the gospel Jesus went up the hills and large crowds come to Him bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the dumb and many others.

Jesus not only healed them, but later on He even worked a miracle to feed the crowd.

What Jesus did will remind the people of what the prophet Isaiah said in the 1st reading: On this mountain 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. On this mountain he will remove the mourning veil covering all peoples.

And as we celebrate the Eucharist, let us remember that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross was also done on a mount called Mount Calvary.

On the cross on Mt. Calvary, God destroyed death and wiped away the tears from every cheek. On the cross on Mt. Calvary, salvation was proclaimed.

So the power of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is promised unto us. We don't have to go up to some high mountain to obtain.

Jesus comes to us in the forms of bread and wine to wipe away the tears from our eyes so that we can exalt and rejoice because He has saved us.

St. Francis Xavier, Patron of Missions, Tuesday, 04-12-13

1  Cor 9:16-19, 22-23 / Mark 16:15-20

It is interesting to note that the Major Seminary in Singapore is dedicated to the patronage of St. Francis Xavier.

In the first year of formation in the Seminary, the seminarians had to read about the lives of the saints, and St. Francis Xavier was one for compulsory reading.

Reading about his life and his work is certainly very inspiring , but it must also be said that he is one model that is very difficult to match up to.

His missionary zeal, his perseverance and his persistence in preaching the gospel amidst the political clutter, his courage and determination were all very inspiring.

And it seemed that he spent so much time in the East in places like Goa, Malacca, China and Japan and learning the local languages so that he could preach to the local people that he eventually forgot his own mother tongue (Spanish).

What is amazing was that he took the trouble to learn the local languages and to follow the local customs and culture, and yet he was able to preach the truth of the gospel and bring people to conversion.

In St. Francis Xavier, we can see the words of today's gospel being fulfilled.

And the words of the gospel, the Good News, will continue to be fulfilled in us as long as we are willing to proclaim the Good News in word and in action.

We must always remember that it is not so much our suitability for the task but rather our availability for the mission.

1st Week of Advent (Year A), Monday, 02-12-13

Isaiah 4:2-6 / Matthew 8:5-11

An average dictionary would have something like over 50,000 entries and with over 70,000 definitions.

That is quite a number of words with quite a number of definitions.

But despite their abundance, words still have a powerful effect on our lives and in our thinking.

A carefully chosen word or phrase can save a situation, whereas a careless choice of words can ruin everything.

So if the pen is mightier than the sword, then the spoken word can be as powerful as the action.

In the gospel, the centurion recognized the authority of Jesus and the power of His Word, the centurion being a man of authority himself.

He believed that what Jesus says is as good as being done already.

As the Church begins the season of Advent, we are called to reflect on what Jesus said and to prepare for how it will be fulfilled.

Jesus came 2000 years ago to bring about healing and forgiveness. He will come again to bring about restoration and salvation.

May we hold on to our faith in His Word as we continue to wait for the fulfillment of His promises.

1st Sunday of Advent, Year A, 1.12.2013

Isaiah 2: 1-5/ Romans 13:11-14/ Matthew 24:37-44

Today is the first day of December. The month of December gives rise to a few pleasant thoughts that might bring a smile to our lips.

December means that Christmas is coming and we can start writing our wish-list, but it will probably just remain as wishes.

One of our wishes may be to go for a holiday overseas.

And that would mean that we take a flight out of Singapore for a holiday break.

Taking a flight out of Singapore for a holiday is convenient, and also we want to get as far away as possible so that our boss can’t reach us or make us go back to work.

But whether for a get-away holiday or for work, taking a plane is no big deal.

And we know what usually happens when we board the plane. 

Before the plane takes off, the flight attendants will go through the safety instructions for us.

And that is one of the most challenging moments for the flight attendant.

As she goes through the instructions and demonstrations, like how to fasten the seat-belt, where to put the hand-carry luggage, how to wear the life-vest, etc., the only passengers who are paying any attention are probably those who are taking a plane for the first time in their life.

The rest will be sending out last-minute messages and emails (especially if you forgot to apply for leave), or flipping through a magazine, or talking away with someone, or just looking out of the window and dreaming away.

After all, nothing has ever happened, and it is unlikely that anything will ever happen … hopefully.

But let’s say, the plane has taken off and cruising along high in the sky, and then suddenly there is jerk, and the lights flicker and some strange noises are heard.

The seat-belt lights come on, and then the flight attendants appear with a serious look on their faces.

And then they start to go through the safely procedures again, telling us to sit straight and buckle-up and telling us where the life-jackets are and where the exits are, etc.

Now, would we be paying any attention, or would we continue to read our magazine, or keep chatting with our neighbor, or continue sleeping, or getting flustered that our in-flight movie is suddenly stopped?

Would we be suspecting anything, or would we think that it is a bad joke and no one is laughing?

In the gospel, Jesus recalled a story for the Old Testament that even children would know about – it was about Noah and the ark.

We know that Noah brought a pair of all the animals into the ark, before it started to rain for 40 days and 40 nights.

Yet Jesus said that when Noah was building the ark, the people suspected nothing.

They saw Noah and the ark as a big joke, and probably they were laughing at it, and they continued eating and drinking, taking wives, taking husbands.

They suspected nothing. Until it started raining, and raining, and raining, for 40 days and 40 nights it rained.

And then the people would have realized the reason for the ark. But it was too late. All because they suspected nothing. They sensed nothing. So in the end no one was left laughing.

So to say that God does not give warning signs is certainly not a fair statement to make.

Even though Jesus said that the Son of Man is coming at an hour we do not expect, it is to get us to be alert and ready always.

God will always give us signs; we only need to sense it and act on it.

The month of December may be a happy month for some, but certainly a busy month for many others.

There are accounts to be closed and the tedious stock-taking at the work place to prepare for next year.

And then at home, it is time to bring out the Christmas decorations and the yearly headache of shopping for presents and preparing for parties.

It seems to be more busy than happy, more stressful than joyful.
So we huff and puff, we push and rush to meet the deadline which is December 25.

It is strange to think that how December 25, which is Christmas Day, has become like some kind of deadline to meet.

But going back to that point in the gospel – do we suspect anything happening? Do we sense anything happening?

Advent is a preparation to celebrate that moment in time when God became man, i.e. the birthday of Jesus.

So all that we are doing is for the birthday celebration of Jesus. And who would not come for his own birthday celebration?

Oh yes, Jesus will come, He promised to come, and the imagery He used is that of like a thief in the night (although that is not a very comfortable imagery).

So Jesus will come in the midst of our preparations, our busyness, in our stress, in our anxiety. And He comes quietly and silently.

But we have to sense His presence. And to help us do that, the Church is offering us this Advent reflection booklet with the theme “Sensing Christ”.

It reminds us that Jesus is present in what we see, hear and touch.

And most of all Jesus is present in the persons around us.

So let us not take anyone for granted, as they are God’s gifts to us.

And let us also not take anything we see, hear or touch for granted, because that is how God is communicating with us.

Yes, Jesus is already present in those persons and things that we take for granted so often.

We only need to open our senses, and we will be able to see, hear and touch His presence.