Numbers 6:22-27 / Galatians 4:4-7 / Luke 2:16-21
As we come before the Lord on this first day of the New Year, we have come to do two things.
We have come to offer thanksgiving for the blessings that we have received during the year past.
We also have come to invoke God’s blessings as we begin the New Year.
But before we invoke blessings from the Lord, we must also be thankful for His blessings that we have received.
And here is where we need to ponder and remember how God has blessed us.
It is in pondering and remembering the blessings that we receive from God and that our hearts begin to be filled with thanksgiving.
2019 is still fresh in our memories and it must be. We won’t forget things so quickly.
We have seen birth and death, health and sickness, happiness and sadness. We have had our share of joys and hopes, and also anguish and disappointments.
But over and above all these, in good times and in bad, we must see the hand of God blessing us.
And so we remember, we ponder and we give thanks to the Lord for blessing us with good times and lifting us in bad times.
In the gospel, we see Mary pondering on what she heard about her son Jesus, and she treasured them in her heart. Jesus is her greatest blessing from God.
Jesus is her greatest treasure in her heart and today as we honour Mary with the eminent title of Mother of God, Mary wants to share with us this great treasure of her heart.
Jesus is her greatest joy and blessing, and that blessing enabled her to endure the painful sorrows to come: The escape to Egypt from the persecution of Herod, the loss of Jesus when he was 12 years old, the crucifixion and death of Jesus, and having to bury Jesus.
All these sorrowful moments pierced her heart, like the sword that Simeon prophesied.
But out of her pierced heart flows the greatest gift to us, Jesus, and also her motherly prayers for us.
So we pray for blessings for the days ahead. Like Mary, let us know that we will receive the greatest blessings from God, and that is Jesus.
With Jesus in our hearts, no sorrow will break our hearts, and with Mother Mary praying for us, let joy fill our hearts on this first day of the New Year and may joy be in our hearts all the days of the New Year.
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Monday, December 30, 2019
Seventh Day Within Octave of Christmas, Tuesday, 31-12-19,
1 John 2:18-21 / John 1:1-18
We have come to that day of the year when we will hear this old familiar song being sung or played on the radio - "Auld Lang Syne"
We may know what that phrase "Auld Lang Syne" means.
It literally means "long long ago" or "days gone by" or "old times".
Well it's the last day of the year and 365 days may have gone by, but it may not seem like so long ago or that it was long long ago since we began this year.
The gospel begins with the works : In the beginning ......
Obviously it was not referring to the beginning of the year or even the beginning of time.
In fact it is not even talking about any beginning. It is talking about a mystery that has no beginning or end.
Because the mystery of God is always and forever.
For us it may be the end of the year and we are about to begin a new year.
But God wants us to know that He is with us always and forever.
At every moment of our lives, He blesses us with grace upon grace.
May we also live our lives in the grace of God every moment of our lives.
May our lives be lived in truth so that the light of God shines in us.
We have come to that day of the year when we will hear this old familiar song being sung or played on the radio - "Auld Lang Syne"
We may know what that phrase "Auld Lang Syne" means.
It literally means "long long ago" or "days gone by" or "old times".
Well it's the last day of the year and 365 days may have gone by, but it may not seem like so long ago or that it was long long ago since we began this year.
The gospel begins with the works : In the beginning ......
Obviously it was not referring to the beginning of the year or even the beginning of time.
In fact it is not even talking about any beginning. It is talking about a mystery that has no beginning or end.
Because the mystery of God is always and forever.
For us it may be the end of the year and we are about to begin a new year.
But God wants us to know that He is with us always and forever.
At every moment of our lives, He blesses us with grace upon grace.
May we also live our lives in the grace of God every moment of our lives.
May our lives be lived in truth so that the light of God shines in us.
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Sixth Day Within Octave of Christmas, Monday, 30-12-19
1 John 2:12-17 / Luke 2:36-40
No one would ever say that growing old is fun.
Children might say that they can't wait to grow up but we know better.
Most of us here are not that old. But if we are 84 years old, do we think we will still come for the weekday morning Mass. Or evening Mass for that matter of fact.
Old age brings about a set of challenges and problems.
But the fact is that every age and stage of life brings about a set of challenges and problems.
The prophetess Anna whom we heard about in the gospel had her share of challenges and problems in every stage of life.
She had been married, been widowed and now at 84 years old, she was a symbol of mellowness, a person of prayer and an instrument of God.
She was able to recognize the Saviour even though He was just a baby.
As we advance in age, let us mellow our lives into the Spirit of God, let us be persons of prayer and in the midst of life's challenges and problems, let us be instruments of God by showing others the saving love of God.
No one would ever say that growing old is fun.
Children might say that they can't wait to grow up but we know better.
Most of us here are not that old. But if we are 84 years old, do we think we will still come for the weekday morning Mass. Or evening Mass for that matter of fact.
Old age brings about a set of challenges and problems.
But the fact is that every age and stage of life brings about a set of challenges and problems.
The prophetess Anna whom we heard about in the gospel had her share of challenges and problems in every stage of life.
She had been married, been widowed and now at 84 years old, she was a symbol of mellowness, a person of prayer and an instrument of God.
She was able to recognize the Saviour even though He was just a baby.
As we advance in age, let us mellow our lives into the Spirit of God, let us be persons of prayer and in the midst of life's challenges and problems, let us be instruments of God by showing others the saving love of God.
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Holy Family, 28.12.2019
Ecclesiasticus 3:2-6 / Colossians 3:12-21 / Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23
As the year 2019 come to a close in a couple of days’ time, prominent news agencies have already made a review of what are the top news of the year, i.e. the most read and the most watched news.)
Certainly, there are much top news both in the international scene and on the local scene.
There are just so much news flooding the air waves and on our mobile screens every day, and the news come by the hour, and maybe even by the minute.
But if we were to take a moment and ask ourselves, what is the news that had an impact in our lives, we may have to think for a while.
Of course, we may have our own pick of what is the top news of 2019, but how a piece of news has an impact on us depends very much on one thing.
And that is how much we are affected by it and how it unites us closer to one another. In other words, the impact of a piece of news on a group of people, regardless of whether good or bad, depends on its unifying effect.
We the church, may remember certain events of 2019 that united us in solidarity.
We may remember that in April this year, there were two tragedies that happened. One was the raging fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. The other was the Sri Lanka church bombing.
Both events had an impact on us and although there is nothing much that we can do about it, in an emotional sense, it made us feel united as a family in the faith. It was like a family tragedy.
On this feast of the Holy Family, the gospel passage had the spotlight on Joseph.
The gospels have no quotes from him and he seems to be that silent father-figure whose actions spoke louder than words.
But if we were to ask Joseph, what were the events that had an impact on him and changed his life, he would have quite a list to share.
Firstly, after a dream in which he had a vision of an angel telling him what to do, he took Mary home to be his wife.
Then he and Mary had to go to Bethlehem for the census. It was there that Jesus was born and since there was no room, the infant Jesus was laid in a manger.
And then another dream, and he had to take Mary and the Child to flee to Egypt in order to escape from King Herod who wanted to kill the Child.
After Herod’s death, came another dream, and he brought Mary and Jesus back to Israel, but as there was still danger in Judaea, he brought them to Galilee and settled in a town called Nazareth.
Those were not just mere impactful events. Those were crisis moments and life-endangering moments. But those were moments that Joseph remembers. Those were also moments that he showed his true character and also brought the family together.
So today, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. They are called the “Holy Family” and not the “Happy Family”, or the “Lucky Family”, or “Healthy Family”.
They are the Holy Family because in dangerous crisis moments, they stayed together in faith and love and they gave us a model of what a family should be.
The top news of 2019 would probably not have anything about the family. The world-changing events do not seem to have anything to do with our families.
But it is said, and very profoundly so, that if you want to change the world, go back home and love your family (St Mother Teresa).
It is love that can change the world and it has to start with the family.
And usually it is in dangerous crisis moments that family love and unity is built, as the following story will show us.
It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold.
The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together. They had quills, but the quills of each wounded the closest companion.
After a while, they decided to distance themselves, and they began to die, alone and frozen.
So they had to make a choice: Either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the earth. Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds that were caused by their close relationships because the most important part was the heat that came from the others. With that, they were able to survive.
For a family to stay together there are two things that are necessary: pray together and to eat together.
That is what the Mass is about – as God’s family, we come to pray together and to partake of Holy Communion so that we can become like the Holy Family.
The Holy Family won’t be featured as the top news of 2019. Nor will the family that prays together and eats together and stays together make any waves in the news.
But it is not the news that changes the world. It is the simple and humble family that will change the world.
And the family can change the world by simply praying together, eating together and staying together.
As the year 2019 come to a close in a couple of days’ time, prominent news agencies have already made a review of what are the top news of the year, i.e. the most read and the most watched news.)
Certainly, there are much top news both in the international scene and on the local scene.
There are just so much news flooding the air waves and on our mobile screens every day, and the news come by the hour, and maybe even by the minute.
But if we were to take a moment and ask ourselves, what is the news that had an impact in our lives, we may have to think for a while.
Of course, we may have our own pick of what is the top news of 2019, but how a piece of news has an impact on us depends very much on one thing.
And that is how much we are affected by it and how it unites us closer to one another. In other words, the impact of a piece of news on a group of people, regardless of whether good or bad, depends on its unifying effect.
We the church, may remember certain events of 2019 that united us in solidarity.
We may remember that in April this year, there were two tragedies that happened. One was the raging fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. The other was the Sri Lanka church bombing.
Both events had an impact on us and although there is nothing much that we can do about it, in an emotional sense, it made us feel united as a family in the faith. It was like a family tragedy.
On this feast of the Holy Family, the gospel passage had the spotlight on Joseph.
The gospels have no quotes from him and he seems to be that silent father-figure whose actions spoke louder than words.
But if we were to ask Joseph, what were the events that had an impact on him and changed his life, he would have quite a list to share.
Firstly, after a dream in which he had a vision of an angel telling him what to do, he took Mary home to be his wife.
Then he and Mary had to go to Bethlehem for the census. It was there that Jesus was born and since there was no room, the infant Jesus was laid in a manger.
And then another dream, and he had to take Mary and the Child to flee to Egypt in order to escape from King Herod who wanted to kill the Child.
After Herod’s death, came another dream, and he brought Mary and Jesus back to Israel, but as there was still danger in Judaea, he brought them to Galilee and settled in a town called Nazareth.
Those were not just mere impactful events. Those were crisis moments and life-endangering moments. But those were moments that Joseph remembers. Those were also moments that he showed his true character and also brought the family together.
So today, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. They are called the “Holy Family” and not the “Happy Family”, or the “Lucky Family”, or “Healthy Family”.
They are the Holy Family because in dangerous crisis moments, they stayed together in faith and love and they gave us a model of what a family should be.
The top news of 2019 would probably not have anything about the family. The world-changing events do not seem to have anything to do with our families.
But it is said, and very profoundly so, that if you want to change the world, go back home and love your family (St Mother Teresa).
It is love that can change the world and it has to start with the family.
And usually it is in dangerous crisis moments that family love and unity is built, as the following story will show us.
It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold.
The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together. They had quills, but the quills of each wounded the closest companion.
After a while, they decided to distance themselves, and they began to die, alone and frozen.
So they had to make a choice: Either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the earth. Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds that were caused by their close relationships because the most important part was the heat that came from the others. With that, they were able to survive.
For a family to stay together there are two things that are necessary: pray together and to eat together.
That is what the Mass is about – as God’s family, we come to pray together and to partake of Holy Communion so that we can become like the Holy Family.
The Holy Family won’t be featured as the top news of 2019. Nor will the family that prays together and eats together and stays together make any waves in the news.
But it is not the news that changes the world. It is the simple and humble family that will change the world.
And the family can change the world by simply praying together, eating together and staying together.
Friday, December 27, 2019
Holy Innocents, Martyrs, Saturday, 28-12-19
1 John 1:5 - 2:2 / Matthew 2:13-18
The Christmas story has its setting in the town of Bethlehem.
Whenever the name of that town is mentioned in the Nativity story or in the Christmas carol "O little town of Bethlehem" we will warm thoughts of the Nativity scene and the characters there adoring the Baby Jesus.
Moreover, Bethlehem means the "house of bread" and the infant Jesus who is the "bread of life" lying in the manger, a feeding trough for animals, gives an overall profound spiritual meaning.
All this is indeed very uplifting. But the reality of rejection and persecution of the infant Jesus sets in almost as quickly when king Herod came into the picture.
When he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, he was furious and he ordered the massacre of all the male children aged two and below, and he turned Bethlehem into a "house of blood".
His fear of the infant king of the Jews and his insecurity made him shed the blood of the children just like how stale bread is thrown away.
But today the Church remembers those innocent children and proclaimed them as Holy Innocents and acknowledged that they suffered for Jesus and also proclaimed them as martyrs.
Indeed, the kingdom of God belongs to the children and to those who are helpless and defenceless against the violence and hostility of those who are fearful and insecure.
May we also come to the help and defence of children and those who are helpless and defenceless, so that just as the Holy Innocents proclaimed Jesus by their deaths, may we proclaim Jesus with our lives.
The Christmas story has its setting in the town of Bethlehem.
Whenever the name of that town is mentioned in the Nativity story or in the Christmas carol "O little town of Bethlehem" we will warm thoughts of the Nativity scene and the characters there adoring the Baby Jesus.
Moreover, Bethlehem means the "house of bread" and the infant Jesus who is the "bread of life" lying in the manger, a feeding trough for animals, gives an overall profound spiritual meaning.
All this is indeed very uplifting. But the reality of rejection and persecution of the infant Jesus sets in almost as quickly when king Herod came into the picture.
When he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, he was furious and he ordered the massacre of all the male children aged two and below, and he turned Bethlehem into a "house of blood".
His fear of the infant king of the Jews and his insecurity made him shed the blood of the children just like how stale bread is thrown away.
But today the Church remembers those innocent children and proclaimed them as Holy Innocents and acknowledged that they suffered for Jesus and also proclaimed them as martyrs.
Indeed, the kingdom of God belongs to the children and to those who are helpless and defenceless against the violence and hostility of those who are fearful and insecure.
May we also come to the help and defence of children and those who are helpless and defenceless, so that just as the Holy Innocents proclaimed Jesus by their deaths, may we proclaim Jesus with our lives.
Thursday, December 26, 2019
St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, Friday, 27-12-19
1 John 1:1-4 / John 20:2-8
During His ministry on earth, Jesus brought three of His disciples to profound moments of revelation like the raising of the dead girl, the Transfiguration, the agony in the garden of Gethsemane, etc.
Those three are Peter, James and his brother John, whose feastday we are celebrating today.
St. John is often identified as the author of the fourth gospel, as well as the disciple that Jesus loved and most probably the youngest of the apostles.
Also while the other apostles were martyred when they went forth to proclaim the Good News, St. John, according to some accounts, died of old age.
As he came to realize that he was the last of the apostles to be still alive, St. John wrote the gospel and the letters with the primary objective of stating and proclaiming the true identity of Jesus.
In the gospel that he wrote, St. John stated clearly that Jesus is the Divine Word, that He is God, and that He is the Word-made-flesh.
In his letters, St. John reiterated that the Word, which is Jesus, existed since the beginning, and became man.
St. John and the other apostles witnessed this, and more importantly, the Word is life.
St. John wants to proclaim this over and over again, so that those who hear and believe this will be in union with those who had seen Jesus in the flesh.
As we celebrate the Christmas event, we also come into union with the faith of the apostles and the generations of faithful who believe that Jesus is the God-became-man and the Saviour who came to save us and free us from our sins.
May we also hold firm to the faith and proclaim the Good News of salvation and that Jesus is the Saviour who came to seek and save what was lost.
During His ministry on earth, Jesus brought three of His disciples to profound moments of revelation like the raising of the dead girl, the Transfiguration, the agony in the garden of Gethsemane, etc.
Those three are Peter, James and his brother John, whose feastday we are celebrating today.
St. John is often identified as the author of the fourth gospel, as well as the disciple that Jesus loved and most probably the youngest of the apostles.
Also while the other apostles were martyred when they went forth to proclaim the Good News, St. John, according to some accounts, died of old age.
As he came to realize that he was the last of the apostles to be still alive, St. John wrote the gospel and the letters with the primary objective of stating and proclaiming the true identity of Jesus.
In the gospel that he wrote, St. John stated clearly that Jesus is the Divine Word, that He is God, and that He is the Word-made-flesh.
In his letters, St. John reiterated that the Word, which is Jesus, existed since the beginning, and became man.
St. John and the other apostles witnessed this, and more importantly, the Word is life.
St. John wants to proclaim this over and over again, so that those who hear and believe this will be in union with those who had seen Jesus in the flesh.
As we celebrate the Christmas event, we also come into union with the faith of the apostles and the generations of faithful who believe that Jesus is the God-became-man and the Saviour who came to save us and free us from our sins.
May we also hold firm to the faith and proclaim the Good News of salvation and that Jesus is the Saviour who came to seek and save what was lost.
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
St. Stephen, Protomartyr, Thursday, 26-12-19
Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59 / Matthew 10:17-22
We are still very much in a festive mood with Christmas carols like "Silent Night" and "Joy to the world" still ringing in our heads and maybe we are still bloated from all the feasting.
Today is also known as Boxing day, and it came from a custom when Christmas presents packed into boxes were given out on this day. But maybe it has become a day to open our Christmas presents because we might have been too busy yesterday.
Well, today the Church opens up the liturgy with, of all things, the gruesome and shocking martyrdom of St. Stephen.
Somehow the tenderness of Christmas is shattered by the violent execution of St. Stephen.
Why didn't the Church move this feast to anytime, maybe in Lent, so that we can still have that Christmassy feeling and just talk about angels and shepherds and baby Jesus?
Well, the martyrdom St. Stephen has a deep connection with the birth of Christ.
Somehow Christmas have been embellished and glossed over with so much sentimentality that we forget that Jesus was born into a hard, cold and violent world.
The Son of God had to born in stable, of all places, and laid in a manger. Not long after He was born, King Herod was looking for Him to kill Him.
That was only the beginning of the violence and the persecution that Jesus was going to face, and it would eventually lead to His execution of the cross.
Yet when we reflect on the joy of Christmas and the martyrdom of St. Stephen, we see the connection between divine tenderness and human violence.
Christ came to heal our human violence with His divine tenderness, expressed in mercy and forgiveness, as witnessed to by St. Stephen.
Let us also believe that the ugliness of human violence can only be changed with the divine tenderness of forgiveness and love.
The young man by the name of Saul in the 1st reading, who approved of the killing, would later be touched by divine tenderness, then changed his name to Paul and went forth to proclaim the tender love of God and His forgiveness.
So in the face of human anger and violence, let us stand firm on divine love and tenderness.
It is only through God's mercy and forgiveness that hardened hearts will be turned into loving hearts.
We are still very much in a festive mood with Christmas carols like "Silent Night" and "Joy to the world" still ringing in our heads and maybe we are still bloated from all the feasting.
Today is also known as Boxing day, and it came from a custom when Christmas presents packed into boxes were given out on this day. But maybe it has become a day to open our Christmas presents because we might have been too busy yesterday.
Well, today the Church opens up the liturgy with, of all things, the gruesome and shocking martyrdom of St. Stephen.
Somehow the tenderness of Christmas is shattered by the violent execution of St. Stephen.
Why didn't the Church move this feast to anytime, maybe in Lent, so that we can still have that Christmassy feeling and just talk about angels and shepherds and baby Jesus?
Well, the martyrdom St. Stephen has a deep connection with the birth of Christ.
Somehow Christmas have been embellished and glossed over with so much sentimentality that we forget that Jesus was born into a hard, cold and violent world.
The Son of God had to born in stable, of all places, and laid in a manger. Not long after He was born, King Herod was looking for Him to kill Him.
That was only the beginning of the violence and the persecution that Jesus was going to face, and it would eventually lead to His execution of the cross.
Yet when we reflect on the joy of Christmas and the martyrdom of St. Stephen, we see the connection between divine tenderness and human violence.
Christ came to heal our human violence with His divine tenderness, expressed in mercy and forgiveness, as witnessed to by St. Stephen.
Let us also believe that the ugliness of human violence can only be changed with the divine tenderness of forgiveness and love.
The young man by the name of Saul in the 1st reading, who approved of the killing, would later be touched by divine tenderness, then changed his name to Paul and went forth to proclaim the tender love of God and His forgiveness.
So in the face of human anger and violence, let us stand firm on divine love and tenderness.
It is only through God's mercy and forgiveness that hardened hearts will be turned into loving hearts.
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