Acts 4:1-12 / John 21:1-14
The Paschal Triduum of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, leading on to Easter Sunday is an experience for us who went through it.
Whatever that experience may be, it is still an experience of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus.
That experience can have two effects on our lives. One is that our lives undergo a dramatic change. The other is that we will undergo a gradual change, and that is more likely to happen.
Even for the disciples in the gospel passage, the Risen Lord had already appeared to them twice.
Yet, they even went back to doing what they did before - they went fishing.
But it was in doing the ordinary things that they experienced again the Risen Lord.
Even for ourselves, we will continue to experience Risen Lord in the ordinariness of life and gradually we will change.
The change may be slow but the Risen Lord will not give up on us. The disciples in the 1st reading were the same as the disciples in the gospel passage but yet they were different - something had changed.
The experience of the Risen Lord and the new life of the resurrection had slowly but surely seeped into their lives and changed them within.
So it will be with us. When our eyes are slowly opened and when the darkness gives way to the light, we will see the Risen Christ in all things and we too will exclaim: It is the Lord!
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Thursday within Easter Octave, 30-03-16
Acts 3:11-26 / Luke 24:35-48
Nobody likes to look at wounds because the sight of wounds give us a squirmish feeling, especially grievous wounds.
We could also feel the pain of the wounds and the suffering that it caused.
When Jesus showed His disciples His hands and feet, they would have certainly seen one thing.
They would have certainly seen the grievous wounds in His hands and feet, wounds that were caused by the nail, wounds that were the signs of His crucifixion.
But after Jesus showed them His wounds, their fear turned in joy.
Indeed by His wounds and by the sight of His wounds, they were healed of their fear and their anguish of having deserted and abandoned Jesus in His darkest moment.
As we look at the wounds of the Risen Lord, Jesus in turn also wants to look at the wounds of our hearts.
He wants us to show Him our wounds, to tell Him what is troubling and disturbing us, to tell Him our hurts and pains, as well as our anger and resentment.
Because Jesus is the Risen Lord, He is our Saviour and our Healer.
As the 1st reading puts it: It was for you in the first place that God raised up His servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.
Indeed, by the wounds of the Risen Lord, we are healed and saved.
We only need to turn to Jesus for healing and salvation.
Nobody likes to look at wounds because the sight of wounds give us a squirmish feeling, especially grievous wounds.
We could also feel the pain of the wounds and the suffering that it caused.
When Jesus showed His disciples His hands and feet, they would have certainly seen one thing.
They would have certainly seen the grievous wounds in His hands and feet, wounds that were caused by the nail, wounds that were the signs of His crucifixion.
But after Jesus showed them His wounds, their fear turned in joy.
Indeed by His wounds and by the sight of His wounds, they were healed of their fear and their anguish of having deserted and abandoned Jesus in His darkest moment.
As we look at the wounds of the Risen Lord, Jesus in turn also wants to look at the wounds of our hearts.
He wants us to show Him our wounds, to tell Him what is troubling and disturbing us, to tell Him our hurts and pains, as well as our anger and resentment.
Because Jesus is the Risen Lord, He is our Saviour and our Healer.
As the 1st reading puts it: It was for you in the first place that God raised up His servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.
Indeed, by the wounds of the Risen Lord, we are healed and saved.
We only need to turn to Jesus for healing and salvation.
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Wednesday within Easter Octave, 30-03-16
Acts 3:1-10 / Luke 24:13-35
The faculty of sight gives us the ability to see and to look at our surroundings.
That also enables us to recognize things and to store them in our memory.
Yet, even at that level, it sounds very empirical because with the rise of artificial intelligence, even robots can "see" and "look" and "recognize" things and they too have an electronic memory to store all the information.
What makes us different is that our intelligence gets enlightened with divine grace and we see deeper and understand more the mysteries of life.
In the gospel, the two disciples on the way to Emmaus saw Jesus, and yet they saw nothing more than just a stranger.
Similarly in the 1st reading, the man who was begging saw Peter and John, but he could only see nothing more than getting some financial assistance from them.
It was here that Peter made a profound and enlightening statement of fundamental Christian essence - I have neither silver or gold, but I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!
Our enlightenment does not come from silver or gold but in the Risen Christ who lives in us and fills us with the grace of the Resurrection.
May we get up and walk in the light of the Resurrection and bring the light of the Risen Christ to enlighten others.
The faculty of sight gives us the ability to see and to look at our surroundings.
That also enables us to recognize things and to store them in our memory.
Yet, even at that level, it sounds very empirical because with the rise of artificial intelligence, even robots can "see" and "look" and "recognize" things and they too have an electronic memory to store all the information.
What makes us different is that our intelligence gets enlightened with divine grace and we see deeper and understand more the mysteries of life.
In the gospel, the two disciples on the way to Emmaus saw Jesus, and yet they saw nothing more than just a stranger.
Similarly in the 1st reading, the man who was begging saw Peter and John, but he could only see nothing more than getting some financial assistance from them.
It was here that Peter made a profound and enlightening statement of fundamental Christian essence - I have neither silver or gold, but I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!
Our enlightenment does not come from silver or gold but in the Risen Christ who lives in us and fills us with the grace of the Resurrection.
May we get up and walk in the light of the Resurrection and bring the light of the Risen Christ to enlighten others.
Monday, March 28, 2016
Tuesday within Easter Octave, 29-03-16
Acts 2:36-41 / John 20:11-18
Three thousand is certainly not a small number. Whether the unit is in things, or money or people, it is a number that calls for attention.
If there are three thousand people coming to this church for Mass today, we would be stunned and overwhelmed.
If there were three thousand people coming to this church asking to be baptised, we may have to call the bishop over to see what is the matter.
Yet as we heard in the 1st reading, on the day of Pentecost, and after Peter spoke to the Jew, three thousand of them asked for baptism.
What seemed to be like a miracle is actually very personal. It is found in that phrase: Hearing this (what Peter said), they were cut to the heart.
Something happened in the hearts of the three thousand people that made them desire for baptism.
What happened to each of those three thousand was similar to what happened to Mary of Magdala in the gospel.
When Jesus called her name, she knew Him then. Not really a miracle, but certainly something very personal. Something happened to her heart.
And off she went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that He had said these things to her.
Maybe nothing spectacular or miraculous is going to happen to us today, or for that matter, for all our life.
Yet, something personal is always happening to our hearts. The Risen Christ is calling us by name. May our hearts be moved like those three thousand people in the 1st reading.
Three thousand is certainly not a small number. Whether the unit is in things, or money or people, it is a number that calls for attention.
If there are three thousand people coming to this church for Mass today, we would be stunned and overwhelmed.
If there were three thousand people coming to this church asking to be baptised, we may have to call the bishop over to see what is the matter.
Yet as we heard in the 1st reading, on the day of Pentecost, and after Peter spoke to the Jew, three thousand of them asked for baptism.
What seemed to be like a miracle is actually very personal. It is found in that phrase: Hearing this (what Peter said), they were cut to the heart.
Something happened in the hearts of the three thousand people that made them desire for baptism.
What happened to each of those three thousand was similar to what happened to Mary of Magdala in the gospel.
When Jesus called her name, she knew Him then. Not really a miracle, but certainly something very personal. Something happened to her heart.
And off she went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that He had said these things to her.
Maybe nothing spectacular or miraculous is going to happen to us today, or for that matter, for all our life.
Yet, something personal is always happening to our hearts. The Risen Christ is calling us by name. May our hearts be moved like those three thousand people in the 1st reading.
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Monday within Easter Octave, 28-03-16
Acts 2:14, 22-33 / Matthew 28:8-15
As it is, the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead is a matter of faith.
For us who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible.
What we have as proof are scriptural accounts of people who experienced the Risen Christ.
Yet, there were also the soldiers who knew what had happened, and they went off into the city to tell the chief priests and the elders.
Then after some discussion, the soldiers were given a considerable sum of money and instructed to tell a lie that the disciples came in the night and stole the body of Jesus.
The soldiers took the money and carried out the instructions. In other words they were "bought" and they sold themselves to a lie.
But it is not only soldiers who can be bought. Anyone can be bought as long as the price is right. And it need not be just with the bait of money.
Christians who profess the Resurrection of Jesus can also be bought.
They can sell themselves to pleasure, desires, sex and alcohol. They can also sell themselves away to hatred, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony.
Jesus rose from the dead to conquer sin and death and to give us a new life.
As we celebrate the Resurrection, let us ask for the grace to resist from being bought by temptation and being sold off to sin.
Let us witness to the Resurrection of Christ with a pure and holy life.
For us who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible.
What we have as proof are scriptural accounts of people who experienced the Risen Christ.
Yet, there were also the soldiers who knew what had happened, and they went off into the city to tell the chief priests and the elders.
Then after some discussion, the soldiers were given a considerable sum of money and instructed to tell a lie that the disciples came in the night and stole the body of Jesus.
The soldiers took the money and carried out the instructions. In other words they were "bought" and they sold themselves to a lie.
But it is not only soldiers who can be bought. Anyone can be bought as long as the price is right. And it need not be just with the bait of money.
Christians who profess the Resurrection of Jesus can also be bought.
They can sell themselves to pleasure, desires, sex and alcohol. They can also sell themselves away to hatred, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony.
Jesus rose from the dead to conquer sin and death and to give us a new life.
As we celebrate the Resurrection, let us ask for the grace to resist from being bought by temptation and being sold off to sin.
Let us witness to the Resurrection of Christ with a pure and holy life.
Easter Sunday, Year C, 27.03.2016
Acts 10:34, 37-43 / Col 3:1-4 / John 20:1-9
Most of us who were at this church last Easter are here again this Easter.
We may have noticed some things being moved and some things were changed.
Well, things being moved and things being changed are a sign that there is life, there is growth, that it is not stagnating or lifeless.
So can we remember what were the changes or additions to this church since last Easter?
One of the first additions (actually it is a restoration) is the statue of Our Lady at the left side altar.
She was brought down from the loft, cleaned up and touched up after last Easter but she didn’t take her place yet at the side altar because we had to find back St. Joseph.
When we finally found him, and it was by God’s grace we did, we had Mother Mary and St. Joseph back to their original places at the side altars.
So almost all was restored. Except for one more thing – the baptism font.
It seems that the baptism font used to be at somewhere near the Confessional. There were no accounts of why it was removed. But it seems that it was a rather small and inconspicuous baptism font, more like just a holy water font. And there was no proper baptism font after that.
But today, may I introduce to you an item that is our latest addition to our parish.
On your right, weighing 800kg, is our parish’s new baptism font.
It came in on Thursday, just before the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, and it has been sitting there quietly, observing the Lord’s Supper, the Good Friday services and the Easter Vigil rituals.
And soon, it will fulfill its role as the Elects of our parish come forward for baptism.
But for an 800kg stone item (marble actually), it would actually take quite a lot of manpower to move it.
To move a stone item twice that weight (1600kg) would be certainly more difficult.
That was roughly the weight of the stone that covered the tomb of Jesus. Rolling the stone over the tomb is difficult enough. Rolling the stone away to open the tomb would be more difficult because of the weight of the stone and also because there is a deep groove for the stone to sit on to seal the tomb. Certainly it was not an easy task to roll away the stone.
The gospel accounts about the Resurrection of Jesus, all mentioned about the stone being rolled away from the tomb of Jesus.
Whatever human possibilities there can be, e.g. the disciples rolled away the stone and took away the body of Jesus and faked His Resurrection, and whatever theories there can be to debunk the Resurrection, we can be certain of one thing.
It is by faith that we believe that the stone was rolled away by the power of the Risen Jesus.
It is by faith that the Elects will come forward to be baptized by Jesus and to share in the power of His Resurrection.
It is by faith that we will renew our baptismal promises and with the power of the Resurrected Christ we will move the stones of our lives.
It is said that faith will move mountains. But in order to move mountains it must begin with the first stone.
And to create mountains, it must also begin with the first stone.
The baptism font is the newest addition to our parish and it may not be the last.
But more importantly are the newest additions of the members of our community – those that are baptized.
And Jesus has given us the task to build His Church and our community.
And by the power of His Resurrection, we will move the stones of our hearts, the stones formed by sin.
Yes, we will move those stones and put those stones into the hands of Jesus, and He will turn those stones into living stones to build the Church of Christ.
The stone that closed the tomb could not stop the Resurrection of Christ. Sin and evil could not stop the Resurrection of Christ. What is impossible for man is not impossible for God.
May we have faith in the Resurrection of Jesus, and as we renew our baptism promises later, let us also believe in the power of the Risen Christ.
It was by the power of His Resurrection that the stone of the tomb was rolled away and the tomb turned into the womb that gave birth to new members of the His Body the Church, and that will also give new life to all of us.
Most of us who were at this church last Easter are here again this Easter.
We may have noticed some things being moved and some things were changed.
Well, things being moved and things being changed are a sign that there is life, there is growth, that it is not stagnating or lifeless.
So can we remember what were the changes or additions to this church since last Easter?
One of the first additions (actually it is a restoration) is the statue of Our Lady at the left side altar.
She was brought down from the loft, cleaned up and touched up after last Easter but she didn’t take her place yet at the side altar because we had to find back St. Joseph.
When we finally found him, and it was by God’s grace we did, we had Mother Mary and St. Joseph back to their original places at the side altars.
So almost all was restored. Except for one more thing – the baptism font.
It seems that the baptism font used to be at somewhere near the Confessional. There were no accounts of why it was removed. But it seems that it was a rather small and inconspicuous baptism font, more like just a holy water font. And there was no proper baptism font after that.
But today, may I introduce to you an item that is our latest addition to our parish.
On your right, weighing 800kg, is our parish’s new baptism font.
It came in on Thursday, just before the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, and it has been sitting there quietly, observing the Lord’s Supper, the Good Friday services and the Easter Vigil rituals.
And soon, it will fulfill its role as the Elects of our parish come forward for baptism.
But for an 800kg stone item (marble actually), it would actually take quite a lot of manpower to move it.
 |
| The baptism font is the spiritual womb of the Church |
To move a stone item twice that weight (1600kg) would be certainly more difficult.
That was roughly the weight of the stone that covered the tomb of Jesus. Rolling the stone over the tomb is difficult enough. Rolling the stone away to open the tomb would be more difficult because of the weight of the stone and also because there is a deep groove for the stone to sit on to seal the tomb. Certainly it was not an easy task to roll away the stone.
The gospel accounts about the Resurrection of Jesus, all mentioned about the stone being rolled away from the tomb of Jesus.
Whatever human possibilities there can be, e.g. the disciples rolled away the stone and took away the body of Jesus and faked His Resurrection, and whatever theories there can be to debunk the Resurrection, we can be certain of one thing.
It is by faith that we believe that the stone was rolled away by the power of the Risen Jesus.
It is by faith that the Elects will come forward to be baptized by Jesus and to share in the power of His Resurrection.
It is by faith that we will renew our baptismal promises and with the power of the Resurrected Christ we will move the stones of our lives.
It is said that faith will move mountains. But in order to move mountains it must begin with the first stone.
And to create mountains, it must also begin with the first stone.
The baptism font is the newest addition to our parish and it may not be the last.
But more importantly are the newest additions of the members of our community – those that are baptized.
And Jesus has given us the task to build His Church and our community.
And by the power of His Resurrection, we will move the stones of our hearts, the stones formed by sin.
Yes, we will move those stones and put those stones into the hands of Jesus, and He will turn those stones into living stones to build the Church of Christ.
The stone that closed the tomb could not stop the Resurrection of Christ. Sin and evil could not stop the Resurrection of Christ. What is impossible for man is not impossible for God.
May we have faith in the Resurrection of Jesus, and as we renew our baptism promises later, let us also believe in the power of the Risen Christ.
It was by the power of His Resurrection that the stone of the tomb was rolled away and the tomb turned into the womb that gave birth to new members of the His Body the Church, and that will also give new life to all of us.
Friday, March 25, 2016
Good Friday, 25-03-16
The most disgusting act of cruelty a human being can do it to torture another human being.
Whether it is a physical torture, or an emotional torture or a psychological torture, it is a disgusting act.
Simply because all human beings are equal and no one is greater than another, and no one has the right to torture another.
Worst of all is when the torture is carried out with death as the final end. That is absolutely evil.
We have just heard how Jesus was scourged, tortured, nailed to the cross and then left to die on it.
It is not only a horrible evil act, but it is absolutely horrible when we understand the reality of the situation.
The reality is that, man is putting God to death.
God could have stopped it at any moment but yet God allowed Himself to be mercilessly tortured to death in the hands of man.
The effect of evil is to blind mankind from knowing what a horrible and disgusting act he is doing to God.
The effect of evil is to blind man from seeing that every act of evil done to another human being is done to God.
Because each human being is created in the image of God.
God is in each person. Every evil act done to a person is done to God.
And for every evil act committed by a person, the devil has taken control of that person and blinded him to the existence of God.
Yet for every evil that is committed, God responds with mercy and compassion.
On the cross, Jesus forgave His enemies when He said: Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.
As we pray the Solemn Intercessions later, let us be aware that we are in union with Jesus in His prayer on the cross.
Let us ask God to forgive us for the evil that we have done to other people and to cleanse us with the precious blood of Jesus.
As we come up later to venerate the cross, let us ask Jesus to protect us from all evil with the power of His cross
Whether it is a physical torture, or an emotional torture or a psychological torture, it is a disgusting act.
Simply because all human beings are equal and no one is greater than another, and no one has the right to torture another.
Worst of all is when the torture is carried out with death as the final end. That is absolutely evil.
We have just heard how Jesus was scourged, tortured, nailed to the cross and then left to die on it.
It is not only a horrible evil act, but it is absolutely horrible when we understand the reality of the situation.
The reality is that, man is putting God to death.
God could have stopped it at any moment but yet God allowed Himself to be mercilessly tortured to death in the hands of man.
The effect of evil is to blind mankind from knowing what a horrible and disgusting act he is doing to God.
The effect of evil is to blind man from seeing that every act of evil done to another human being is done to God.
Because each human being is created in the image of God.
God is in each person. Every evil act done to a person is done to God.
And for every evil act committed by a person, the devil has taken control of that person and blinded him to the existence of God.
Yet for every evil that is committed, God responds with mercy and compassion.
On the cross, Jesus forgave His enemies when He said: Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.
As we pray the Solemn Intercessions later, let us be aware that we are in union with Jesus in His prayer on the cross.
Let us ask God to forgive us for the evil that we have done to other people and to cleanse us with the precious blood of Jesus.
As we come up later to venerate the cross, let us ask Jesus to protect us from all evil with the power of His cross
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