Hebrews 12:4-7, 11-15 / Mark 6:1-6
It is said that "home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in" (Robert Frost).
In many sense, that is true, that no matter what, when you go home, that is home and no other word resonates that deeply in our hearts.
Yet, there are also a number of homes that are like a "basket of crabs"; there is no need to put a lid on it because the crabs keep pulling one another down.
In the gospel, we heard that Jesus went back to His hometown but there His own people scrutinized Him and in the end, they did not accept Him.
In His own words, Jesus even said that "a prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house".
Which makes us reflect on what is the environment and the spiritual atmosphere in our own homes.
The 1st reading gives us the spiritual foundations and directions of a Christian community, but that can also be applicable in our own homes.
It said: Always be wanting peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one can ever see the Lord. be careful that no one is deprived of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness should begin to grow and make trouble; this can poison a whole community.
Certainly, what is applicable to the community is also likewise for the family and for the home.
Let us pray for peace in our homes and in our families so that we will grow in holiness and radiate the presence of God. May God's love be seen in our homes and may God be always present in our homes.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Monday, January 30, 2017
4th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 31-01-17
Hebrews 12:1-4 / Mark 5:21-43
Running as a form of exercise can be very refreshing and good for our well-being.
But competitive running as in a race can be quite exhausting as we push our bodies and stamina to try to win the race.
In a race, one has to be very focused in trying to catch up with the one in the lead, or if one is in the lead then he must maintain his position.
The 1st reading tells us to keep running steadily in the race that we have started and we should throw off everything that hinders us especially the sin that clings so easily onto us.
In other words, we must keep focus and not lose sight of Jesus who leads us in our faith so that with Him we will share the joy of victory.
But we must also be aware that there are many distractions that will make us lose focus on Jesus and these distractions will also cause us to doubt and to lose faith in Jesus.
In the gospel, there were two persons who looked to Jesus in their distress. They "ran" to Him with a desperate need and hoped that their needs will be granted.
But there were obstacles and challenges and difficulties for them. The woman with the haemorrhage had to disregard public opinion and Jairus, the synagogue official, had to keeping hoping even when he was told that his daughter was dead.
But they kept focused on Jesus and believed in Him and won the race.
May we too keep running and keep our focus on Jesus and trust in Him. He will give us the joy of victory.
Running as a form of exercise can be very refreshing and good for our well-being.
But competitive running as in a race can be quite exhausting as we push our bodies and stamina to try to win the race.
In a race, one has to be very focused in trying to catch up with the one in the lead, or if one is in the lead then he must maintain his position.
The 1st reading tells us to keep running steadily in the race that we have started and we should throw off everything that hinders us especially the sin that clings so easily onto us.
In other words, we must keep focus and not lose sight of Jesus who leads us in our faith so that with Him we will share the joy of victory.
But we must also be aware that there are many distractions that will make us lose focus on Jesus and these distractions will also cause us to doubt and to lose faith in Jesus.
In the gospel, there were two persons who looked to Jesus in their distress. They "ran" to Him with a desperate need and hoped that their needs will be granted.
But there were obstacles and challenges and difficulties for them. The woman with the haemorrhage had to disregard public opinion and Jairus, the synagogue official, had to keeping hoping even when he was told that his daughter was dead.
But they kept focused on Jesus and believed in Him and won the race.
May we too keep running and keep our focus on Jesus and trust in Him. He will give us the joy of victory.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
4th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 30-01-17
Hebrews 11:32-40 / Mark 5:1-20
Modern warfare terminology does not use the term "legion" any more.
But just how many soldiers were there in a legion during the time of the Roman Empire?
It can range anything from 4000 to 6000 soldiers. So a legion at that time is a force to be reckoned with.
So we can imagine how many evil spirits were there in the possessed man in the gospel when he said that his name was legion for there were many of them.
How can it be possible for so many evil spirits to be in one person?
Well, possible or not is certainly not the question. The reality is the presence and the magnitude of the evil in that man.
In our modern day world, can we ever accept the possibility or even the reality of evil that has a strong influence on nations, governments, societies, organizations, corporations right down to families and individuals?
Jesus came to heal the sick and to free those possessed by evil.
Let us continue His mission by keeping ourselves free from sin and to heal the brokenness caused by the legions of evil doers in this world.
Modern warfare terminology does not use the term "legion" any more.
But just how many soldiers were there in a legion during the time of the Roman Empire?
It can range anything from 4000 to 6000 soldiers. So a legion at that time is a force to be reckoned with.
So we can imagine how many evil spirits were there in the possessed man in the gospel when he said that his name was legion for there were many of them.
How can it be possible for so many evil spirits to be in one person?
Well, possible or not is certainly not the question. The reality is the presence and the magnitude of the evil in that man.
In our modern day world, can we ever accept the possibility or even the reality of evil that has a strong influence on nations, governments, societies, organizations, corporations right down to families and individuals?
Jesus came to heal the sick and to free those possessed by evil.
Let us continue His mission by keeping ourselves free from sin and to heal the brokenness caused by the legions of evil doers in this world.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
4th Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 29.01.2017
Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13 / 1 Cor 1:26-31 / Matthew 5:1-12
Most of us wake up to the sound of an alarm clock. Maybe on Saturdays and Sundays we can sleep in and tomorrow we can also sleep in since it’s a holiday.
But on weekdays, whether it is to go to work or to school, the alarm clock will be our wake-up call.
And that can be a very challenging time as our ears and our bodies keep protesting to the sound of the alarm clock as it persistently keeps bugging us.
And depending on how we want to start the day, there are many alarm tones that we can choose from.
There are those that sound like the fire alarm, such that even the neighbours at the next block can hear it. That is usually for heavy sleepers who want it loud.
Some choose to be awaken gently and so there is the radio-alarm where we can wake up to soothing music. And then there is a range of alarm tones to choose from.
But the most traditional alarm tone is provided by nature and it comes from the rooster. But the cock-crow is something that we don’t hear in our highly urbanized surroundings.
But the rooster, often generally termed as chicken, is not often noted for its morning call. Rather it is thought of as food: fried chicken, curry chicken, essence of chicken, chicken nuggets, chicken soup, etc.
But in the Chinese zodiac, the rooster takes on a prominence as this year is the Year of the Rooster.
And in the Bible, the rooster makes its one and only appearance, and that was in the trial of Jesus.
When Jesus was being questioned by His persecutors, Peter was nearby as he tried to see what would happen to Jesus. Then some people identified him as being associated with Jesus. At this he began to vehemently deny it, and when he denied knowing Jesus for the third time, the rooster crowed.
At that cock-crow, Jesus turned to look at Peter. And as their eyes met, Peter suddenly realized what he had done and he went away and wept bitterly.
The crowing of the humble rooster was used by God to be a wakeup call for Peter. It was for him an awakening – an awakening of a sleeping heart.
In the face of persecution, the call of the rooster revealed to Peter who he was and who Jesus is.
In the gospel, we heard a teaching from Jesus which is often called the Beatitudes. Beatitudes means blessings.
So what Jesus is saying is that when we are poor in spirit, when we are gentle, when we are merciful, when we hunger and thirst for what is right, when we are persecuted because of Jesus, we are blessed. The gospel used the word “Happy” but it means blessed.
And that word recurs throughout the passage. (9 times)
Another word in the passage that keeps recurring is the word “shall”. That word accompanies the word “Happy” and it reinforces it by making it into a promise.
In other words, when we are gentle, when we are merciful, when we hunger and thirst for what is right, when we are persecuted because of Jesus, then we shall be blessed.
That is the promise that Jesus is making to us, and it is He Himself who will bless us.
And that is a wakeup call for us. When we hear the teaching of the Beatitudes, we wonder about it. Because it goes against our instinct and logic to think that by giving way, by not retaliating, by being humble, by being kind, we will be blessed.
We would be more inclined to go by the ways of the world and to go with the flow by keeping quiet and looking away from injustice and staying out of trouble, by playing safe, by going for what is advantageous and profitable to us.
But the Beatitudes keep calling us to us that when we follow the Way of Jesus, we will be blessed and rise from what the world can give us to what Jesus want to give us.
There’s a story of a chicken farmer who found an eagle’s egg. He put it with his chickens and soon the egg hatched.
The baby eagle grew up with all the other chickens and learned to imitate the chickens. He would scratch the ground for worms. He grew up thinking he was a chicken.
Since the chickens could only fly for a short distance, the eagle also learnt to fly a short distance.
He thought that was what he was supposed to do. So that was all that he thought he could do. As a consequence, that was all he was able to do.
One day the eagle saw a bird flying high above him. He was very impressed. “Who is that?” he asked the chickens around him.
“That’s the eagle, the king of the birds,” the chickens told him. “He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth, we are just chickens.”
So the eagle lived and died as a chicken, for that’s what he thought he was. Or maybe he ended up as fried chicken or curry chicken.
So as the Lunar New Year begins with the Year of the Rooster, let us also hear the awakening call from Jesus.
We are not called to be of this world, to be like mere chickens that scratch the ground for worms.
But we are called to lift up our minds and hearts and lives to God so that we can stretch our wings of blessings and soar high with God’s love.
Yes, that is what God is calling us to and that is what He wants of us.
St. Peter heard it and he became who God wanted him to be.
May we too hear God’s call and become who God wants us to be.
May the New Year bring about God’s blessings so that we will stretch out our wings and proclaim God’s wonderful love for us.
May we firmly believe in the promise of Jesus in the Beatitudes and receive blessings upon blessings.
Most of us wake up to the sound of an alarm clock. Maybe on Saturdays and Sundays we can sleep in and tomorrow we can also sleep in since it’s a holiday.
But on weekdays, whether it is to go to work or to school, the alarm clock will be our wake-up call.
And that can be a very challenging time as our ears and our bodies keep protesting to the sound of the alarm clock as it persistently keeps bugging us.
And depending on how we want to start the day, there are many alarm tones that we can choose from.
There are those that sound like the fire alarm, such that even the neighbours at the next block can hear it. That is usually for heavy sleepers who want it loud.
Some choose to be awaken gently and so there is the radio-alarm where we can wake up to soothing music. And then there is a range of alarm tones to choose from.
But the most traditional alarm tone is provided by nature and it comes from the rooster. But the cock-crow is something that we don’t hear in our highly urbanized surroundings.
But the rooster, often generally termed as chicken, is not often noted for its morning call. Rather it is thought of as food: fried chicken, curry chicken, essence of chicken, chicken nuggets, chicken soup, etc.
But in the Chinese zodiac, the rooster takes on a prominence as this year is the Year of the Rooster.
And in the Bible, the rooster makes its one and only appearance, and that was in the trial of Jesus.
When Jesus was being questioned by His persecutors, Peter was nearby as he tried to see what would happen to Jesus. Then some people identified him as being associated with Jesus. At this he began to vehemently deny it, and when he denied knowing Jesus for the third time, the rooster crowed.
At that cock-crow, Jesus turned to look at Peter. And as their eyes met, Peter suddenly realized what he had done and he went away and wept bitterly.
The crowing of the humble rooster was used by God to be a wakeup call for Peter. It was for him an awakening – an awakening of a sleeping heart.
In the face of persecution, the call of the rooster revealed to Peter who he was and who Jesus is.
In the gospel, we heard a teaching from Jesus which is often called the Beatitudes. Beatitudes means blessings.
So what Jesus is saying is that when we are poor in spirit, when we are gentle, when we are merciful, when we hunger and thirst for what is right, when we are persecuted because of Jesus, we are blessed. The gospel used the word “Happy” but it means blessed.
And that word recurs throughout the passage. (9 times)
Another word in the passage that keeps recurring is the word “shall”. That word accompanies the word “Happy” and it reinforces it by making it into a promise.
In other words, when we are gentle, when we are merciful, when we hunger and thirst for what is right, when we are persecuted because of Jesus, then we shall be blessed.
That is the promise that Jesus is making to us, and it is He Himself who will bless us.
And that is a wakeup call for us. When we hear the teaching of the Beatitudes, we wonder about it. Because it goes against our instinct and logic to think that by giving way, by not retaliating, by being humble, by being kind, we will be blessed.
We would be more inclined to go by the ways of the world and to go with the flow by keeping quiet and looking away from injustice and staying out of trouble, by playing safe, by going for what is advantageous and profitable to us.
But the Beatitudes keep calling us to us that when we follow the Way of Jesus, we will be blessed and rise from what the world can give us to what Jesus want to give us.
There’s a story of a chicken farmer who found an eagle’s egg. He put it with his chickens and soon the egg hatched.
The baby eagle grew up with all the other chickens and learned to imitate the chickens. He would scratch the ground for worms. He grew up thinking he was a chicken.
Since the chickens could only fly for a short distance, the eagle also learnt to fly a short distance.
He thought that was what he was supposed to do. So that was all that he thought he could do. As a consequence, that was all he was able to do.
One day the eagle saw a bird flying high above him. He was very impressed. “Who is that?” he asked the chickens around him.
“That’s the eagle, the king of the birds,” the chickens told him. “He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth, we are just chickens.”
So the eagle lived and died as a chicken, for that’s what he thought he was. Or maybe he ended up as fried chicken or curry chicken.
So as the Lunar New Year begins with the Year of the Rooster, let us also hear the awakening call from Jesus.
We are not called to be of this world, to be like mere chickens that scratch the ground for worms.
But we are called to lift up our minds and hearts and lives to God so that we can stretch our wings of blessings and soar high with God’s love.
Yes, that is what God is calling us to and that is what He wants of us.
St. Peter heard it and he became who God wanted him to be.
May we too hear God’s call and become who God wants us to be.
May the New Year bring about God’s blessings so that we will stretch out our wings and proclaim God’s wonderful love for us.
May we firmly believe in the promise of Jesus in the Beatitudes and receive blessings upon blessings.
Friday, January 27, 2017
Chinese New Year 2017, 28.01.2017
Numbers 6:22-27 / James 4:13-15 / Matthew 6:31-34
As we know, St. Peter was a fisherman. So the symbols that would be associated with him would probably be fishes, or a fishing net, or a fishing boat.
But as we know, St. Peter is often depicted holding two big keys in his hand, the keys of the Kingdom that Jesus gave him.
Another symbol that is often forgotten and occasionally associated with him is the rooster.
In some paintings and images, there is a rooster present nearby, and if we know the scriptures, then we will know why.
When Peter denied knowing Jesus for the third time, there was a cock-crow. And then Jesus turned to look at him.
At that moment, Peter knew clearly what he had done, and he went away and wept bitterly.
It was his darkest moment, a moment he will never forget.
It was a moment of reckoning, but it was also a moment of awakening where his life will change.
So the lowly rooster, which usually ends up as fried chicken or curry chicken, was the instrument of revelation for St. Peter.
Or specifically, the call of the rooster was for St. Peter the awakening call from Jesus.
Today marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year. In the Chinese zodiac, it is the Year of the Rooster.
Among other things, the rooster is known for its morning wakeup call, although in our urbanized Singapore, we hardly hear that call.
Somehow it is in the instinct of the rooster to sense the break of dawn and gives the call that a new day is approaching.
Yes, a new day is beginning, a new life is awakening, a new experience of God’s love and blessings is beginning.
So it was for St. Peter, so it is for us as we gather to offer God worship and praise and thanksgiving for the New Year, and to pray for God’s blessings for the days to come.
And in the days to come, let us pray that we will listen to the call of God and to know what He wants of us.
There’s a story of a chicken farmer who found an eagle’s egg. He put it with his chickens and soon the egg hatched.
The baby eagle grew up with all the other chickens and learned to imitate the chickens. He would scratch the ground for worms. He grew up thinking he was a chicken.
Since the chickens could only fly for a short distance, the eagle also learnt to fly a short distance.
He thought that was what he was supposed to do. So that was all that he thought he could do. As a consequence, that was all he was able to do.
One day the eagle saw a bird flying high above him. He was very impressed. “Who is that?” he asked the chickens around him.
“That’s the eagle, the king of the birds,” the chickens told him. “He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth, we are just chickens.”
So the eagle lived and died as a chicken, for that’s what he thought he was. Or maybe ended up as fried chicken or curry chicken.
So as the Lunar New Year begins with the Year of the Rooster, let us also hear the awakening call.
We are not called to be of this world, to be like mere chickens that scratch the ground for worms.
But we are called to lift up our minds and hearts and lives to God so that we can stretch our wings of blessings and soar high with God’s love.
Yes, that is what God is calling us to and that is what He wants of us.
St. Peter heard it and he became who God wanted him to be.
May we too hear God’s call and become who God wants us to be.
May the New Year bring about God’s blessings so that we will stretch out our wings and proclaim God’s wonderful love for us.
As we know, St. Peter was a fisherman. So the symbols that would be associated with him would probably be fishes, or a fishing net, or a fishing boat.
But as we know, St. Peter is often depicted holding two big keys in his hand, the keys of the Kingdom that Jesus gave him.
Another symbol that is often forgotten and occasionally associated with him is the rooster.
In some paintings and images, there is a rooster present nearby, and if we know the scriptures, then we will know why.
When Peter denied knowing Jesus for the third time, there was a cock-crow. And then Jesus turned to look at him.
At that moment, Peter knew clearly what he had done, and he went away and wept bitterly.
It was his darkest moment, a moment he will never forget.
It was a moment of reckoning, but it was also a moment of awakening where his life will change.
So the lowly rooster, which usually ends up as fried chicken or curry chicken, was the instrument of revelation for St. Peter.
Or specifically, the call of the rooster was for St. Peter the awakening call from Jesus.
Today marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year. In the Chinese zodiac, it is the Year of the Rooster.
Among other things, the rooster is known for its morning wakeup call, although in our urbanized Singapore, we hardly hear that call.
Somehow it is in the instinct of the rooster to sense the break of dawn and gives the call that a new day is approaching.
Yes, a new day is beginning, a new life is awakening, a new experience of God’s love and blessings is beginning.
So it was for St. Peter, so it is for us as we gather to offer God worship and praise and thanksgiving for the New Year, and to pray for God’s blessings for the days to come.
And in the days to come, let us pray that we will listen to the call of God and to know what He wants of us.
There’s a story of a chicken farmer who found an eagle’s egg. He put it with his chickens and soon the egg hatched.
The baby eagle grew up with all the other chickens and learned to imitate the chickens. He would scratch the ground for worms. He grew up thinking he was a chicken.
Since the chickens could only fly for a short distance, the eagle also learnt to fly a short distance.
He thought that was what he was supposed to do. So that was all that he thought he could do. As a consequence, that was all he was able to do.
One day the eagle saw a bird flying high above him. He was very impressed. “Who is that?” he asked the chickens around him.
“That’s the eagle, the king of the birds,” the chickens told him. “He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth, we are just chickens.”
So the eagle lived and died as a chicken, for that’s what he thought he was. Or maybe ended up as fried chicken or curry chicken.
So as the Lunar New Year begins with the Year of the Rooster, let us also hear the awakening call.
We are not called to be of this world, to be like mere chickens that scratch the ground for worms.
But we are called to lift up our minds and hearts and lives to God so that we can stretch our wings of blessings and soar high with God’s love.
Yes, that is what God is calling us to and that is what He wants of us.
St. Peter heard it and he became who God wanted him to be.
May we too hear God’s call and become who God wants us to be.
May the New Year bring about God’s blessings so that we will stretch out our wings and proclaim God’s wonderful love for us.
Thursday, January 26, 2017
3rd Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 27-01-17
Hebrews 10:32-39 / Mark 4:26-34
Life is always changing, and yet the changes in life always fill us with a certain anxiety.
Because when there are changes, the future becomes uncertain and unpredictable.
It is not that we want to predict the future, but a certain stability is shaken.
Whatever the changes might be, one thing is certain, and that is there will be growth.
The gospel parables of today talk about growth - the seed sprouting and growing, the mustard seed growing into a big shrub.
How these changes occur, we are not that certain, yet in the end, the results are obvious - there is growth.
The 1st reading also talks about changes. But those changes were rather distressful and even painful.
People who embraced the faith and became Christians were exposed to insults and violence and stripped of belongings.
But just as the seed was sprouting and growing and growing into a beautiful tree, then we must also believe that situations can change and change for the better along with time.
As the 1st reading puts it, "Only a little while now, a very little while, the one that is coming will have come; he will not delay. The righteous man will live by faith."
Let us face the changes in life with faith, and let us persevere in our faith and await the blessings of the Lord.
Life is always changing, and yet the changes in life always fill us with a certain anxiety.
Because when there are changes, the future becomes uncertain and unpredictable.
It is not that we want to predict the future, but a certain stability is shaken.
Whatever the changes might be, one thing is certain, and that is there will be growth.
The gospel parables of today talk about growth - the seed sprouting and growing, the mustard seed growing into a big shrub.
How these changes occur, we are not that certain, yet in the end, the results are obvious - there is growth.
The 1st reading also talks about changes. But those changes were rather distressful and even painful.
People who embraced the faith and became Christians were exposed to insults and violence and stripped of belongings.
But just as the seed was sprouting and growing and growing into a beautiful tree, then we must also believe that situations can change and change for the better along with time.
As the 1st reading puts it, "Only a little while now, a very little while, the one that is coming will have come; he will not delay. The righteous man will live by faith."
Let us face the changes in life with faith, and let us persevere in our faith and await the blessings of the Lord.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Sts. Timothy and Titus, Thursday, 26-01-17
2 Tim 1:1-4 / Luke 10:1-9
When Cardinal Karol Józef Wojtyła was elected Pope in 1978, he took on the name John Paul II.
He also had something peculiar in the design on his coat of arms.
Besides the usual emblem of the cross, there is the unmistakable blue-coloured letter M on the lower half of the shield.
In doing so, Pope John Paul II made a public demonstration of his devotion to Mary and of his constant need for her intercession.
Indeed the faith of Mary and of her intercession, as well as that of other women in the Bible, had been a pillar of strength in the Church.
In today's 1st reading, we hear of St. Paul affirming the faith of two women - Lois who was Timothy's grandmother, and Eunice who was Timothy's mother.
It was these two women who sowed the seeds of faith in Timothy.
In the current situation of the shortage of vocations to the priesthood and the religious life, the role of women in the family and in the Church is highlighted.
If ever someone answers the call of God to serve as a priest or a religious, we can be quite certain that the answer to God's call was most likely influenced by the mother.
It is the faith of the mother that nourished and strengthened the faith of her child in answering God's call.
May mothers find their inspirations and their role model in Mary, who is Mother of the Church, and may their prayers strengthen the faith of the Church.
When Cardinal Karol Józef Wojtyła was elected Pope in 1978, he took on the name John Paul II.
He also had something peculiar in the design on his coat of arms.
Besides the usual emblem of the cross, there is the unmistakable blue-coloured letter M on the lower half of the shield.
In doing so, Pope John Paul II made a public demonstration of his devotion to Mary and of his constant need for her intercession.
Indeed the faith of Mary and of her intercession, as well as that of other women in the Bible, had been a pillar of strength in the Church.
In today's 1st reading, we hear of St. Paul affirming the faith of two women - Lois who was Timothy's grandmother, and Eunice who was Timothy's mother.
It was these two women who sowed the seeds of faith in Timothy.
In the current situation of the shortage of vocations to the priesthood and the religious life, the role of women in the family and in the Church is highlighted.
If ever someone answers the call of God to serve as a priest or a religious, we can be quite certain that the answer to God's call was most likely influenced by the mother.
It is the faith of the mother that nourished and strengthened the faith of her child in answering God's call.
May mothers find their inspirations and their role model in Mary, who is Mother of the Church, and may their prayers strengthen the faith of the Church.
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