Mary, Mother of God, 01.01.2023

Numbers 6:22-27 / Galatians 4:4-7 / Luke 2:16-21

Today we stand at a significant moment in time. 

On this first day of the new year, we welcome a new beginning with well-wishes and celebrations. 

We have said goodbye to 2022 and hello to 2023. 

But we have not closed the door on 2022 just yet, as we will look back at 2022 with remembering and reminiscing. 

Many things have happened in 2022. We have learned to live with Covid, we have gotten used to wearing masks and some even like to wear it, we don't make a fuss anymore with using hand sanitizers. 

On a brighter note, we don't have to book a place to come for Mass, we can sit wherever we want, and we get to see each other more often. So, we should be happier. 

Yes, 2022 was a year of change, and we too have changed. So, is it a change for the better, and are we happier? 

And now we are looking at 2023, and we wonder what will 2023 be like? Will it be better than 2022 or will it be otherwise? 

So, today is a significant moment in time, as we wonder at the future of mystery, while we ponder on the past of history. 

Today as we celebrate the feast of Mary the Mother of God, the gospel speaks of her as treasuring and pondering in her heart all that has happened.

And many things have happened for her, from the angel Gabriel appearing to her at the Annunciation, to the Visitation, and now in joyful wonder at the mystery of the Incarnation, the Word made flesh, the Emmanuel, who is the little tender baby Jesus in her arms. 

For Mary, there is much to ponder, much to wonder and much to treasure. 

For Mary, every moment is a divine moment in the appointed time of God.

As the 2nd reading tells us: At the appointed time, God sent His Son, born of a woman. 

Yes, every moment is a divine moment in the appointed time of God. 

And in this significant moment in time, as we look forward to 2023, we still look back at 2022, and we ponder and we wonder. 

We wonder at the future of mystery, and we ponder at the moments of our history. 

Those moments could be a mixture of good and bad, some were happy, some were sad, some could be better, some we would rather not remember. 

But good or bad, it is hard to say. Maybe this this story can help us to understand.

Once upon a time, there was a king. The king liked one of his servants very much because he was wise and always gave useful advice. Therefore, the king took him along wherever he went.

One day, the king was bitten by a dog. His finger was injured and the wound got worse and worse. He asked the servant if that was a bad sign. The servant said, "Good or bad, hard to say". In the end, the finger of the king was so bad that it had to be cut off. The king asked the servant again if that was a bad sign. Again, the servant gave the same answer, "Good or bad, hard to say". The king became very angry and sent the servant to prison.

One day, the king went hunting in the jungle.. He got excited when he was chasing a deer. Deeper and deeper he went into the jungle. In the end he found himself lost in the jungle. To make things worse, he got captured by natives living inside the jungle.

They wanted to sacrifice him to their god. But when they noticed that the king had one finger missing, they released him immediately as he was not a perfect man anymore and not suitable for sacrifice. The king managed to get back to his palace after all. 

And he finally understood the servant's wise quote, "Good or bad, hard to say". If he hadn't lost one finger, he could have been killed by the natives.

He ordered to release the servant, and apologized to him. But to the king's

amazement, the servant was not angry at him at all. Instead, the servant said, “It wasn't a bad thing that you locked me up.” “Why?” the king asked. The servant replied, “Because if you didn't lock me up, you would have brought me along to the jungle. And since the natives found that you were not suitable, they would have used me for the sacrifice.

So, good or bad, hard to say …

So, with Mary, we ponder on our past moments so that we can see that those moments are moments of blessing in the appointed time of God. 

And as we wonder about the future, let us also remember that all will happen in God's appointed time. 

Whether good or bad, happy or sad, let us remember that Jesus will be with us in all those moments. 

Jesus is our Saviour. His name means “God saves”. 

May the Lord our God bless us and save us. May He let His face shine upon us and be gracious to us and grant us peace. 

And may Mother Mary pray for us.

Seventh Day Within Octave of Christmas, Saturday, 31-12-2022

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

In life, there is always a beginning and an ending, an opening and a closing.

Twelve months ago, we began a new year with wondering and pondering what lies ahead as the year unfolds.

Today as we come to the last day of the year, we close off with recalling and reminiscing about the experiences of the past twelve months.

But in life, every ending leads to a new beginning, and every closing follows on to a new opening.

So tomorrow we begin a new year and we will wonder and ponder about how the year will unfold.

But with God, there is no beginning or ending, no opening or closing.

And His love for us is everlasting and His love took on flesh in Jesus Christ.

May our beginning and ending be with Jesus, and whatever we open or close be in Jesus.

Then, from His fullness, we will receive grace upon grace and blessing upon blessing.

With that, we will journey on with faith and into the future with hope.

The Holy Family, Friday, 30-12-2022

Ecclesiasticus 3:2-6, 12-14 / Colossians 3:12-21 / Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

By nature, human beings are social beings.  

As social beings, we develop relationships with one another.

The closest and deepest relationships are to be found in the family, because blood is thicker than water.

But as we know, no family is perfect, and as much as we desire for happiness and harmony in our families, we also must be prepared for the family relationships to face trials and troubles.

As much as there are quarrels and squabbles among family members, it must be balanced off with understanding and forgiveness.

We must not let resentment lead us into sin, and if blood is thicker than water, then let it not be bad blood between family members.

The 2nd reading reminds us that we are God’s chosen race, and so we did not choose who are to be our family members. It is God who chose us to be in a particular family.

Mary and Joseph accepted the call to be the family and parents of Jesus.

In the gospel, we heard that they faced trials and troubles but they remained together and kept faith in God and in each other.

May Mary and Joseph pray for us and our families that we will have compassion, kindness and forgiveness for our family members so that Jesus will make His home with us and that in our families, the Good News will be proclaimed.

Fifth Day Within Octave of Christmas, Thursday, 29-12-2022

1 John 2:3-11 / Luke 2:22-39     

We would certainly like to have lights in places that are dark and that have nooks and corners, as well as places that do not have natural lighting.

The lights need not be bright; a soft warm light would be good enough for visibility as well as a sense of security.

Yes, lights need not be too bright or need to be like search-lights or flood-lights.

A soft warm light or even a candle-light is good enough to feel comfortable.

One of the symbols of Christmas is the light.

Jesus comes as the light to shine on the world so that people can find their way to God.

Jesus is the divine light that reveals the truth to us and helps us to walk the way of His commandments with love.

Jesus is also the light that opened the eyes of Simeon to see the salvation which God has prepared for all the nations to see.

In this Christmas season, Jesus shines His light on us, so that we will acknowledge ours sins and turn to Him for forgiveness.

Then we can live joyfully in His light and also be that little soft and warm light to lead others to God.

Holy Innocents, Martyrs, Wednesday, 28-12-2022

1 John 1:5 - 2:2 / Matthew 2:13-18     

One of the most tender signs of love are babies and toddlers.

Not only are they cute and lovable, they are also signs of life and hope that God gives us so that we can believe that there is a future for us and for them.

Indeed, children are God’s gift to us so that we can prepare a future for them.

To harm children, or even to kill them, is really atrocious and unthinkable.

That was what king Herod did to the children who were under the age of two in Bethlehem.

In his madness and obsession to kill the infant king of the Jews, he went to that extent.

What he did not realise was that he was actually preparing a death sentence for himself, as history would record of his eventual tragic end.

The Church honours these babies and infants martyrs because that act of Herod was a direct violent and hostile aggression to innocent and the helpless. 

Let us always protect the unborn, the babies and the children.

They are innocent and helpless against any act of aggression towards them.

More that that, children are God’s gift to us. When we care for them and nurture them with love and faith, they will be God’s blessings to us.

St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, Tuesday, 27-12-2022

1 John 1:1-4 / John 20:2-8  

From traditional sources, St. John was the last surviving Apostle who died a natural death, while the other Apostles were martyred.

The gospel and the letters were accredited to him, or at least his thoughts and reflections are found there.

The main message of St. John in those writings are about the love of God that was made flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.

As a witness to that divine love, his purpose in his writings is to share the joy of that love so that people will come to know the love of God.

But the love of God for humanity and even for us who believe does not come about as an intellectual knowledge.

That love is a mystery and it is a love that keeps revealing itself to us.

In other words, the love of God for us is unconditional and everlasting.

So for us, we experience God’s love in every moment of our lives, and we are to share that love with others like St. John.

May St. John pray for us, that we will always deepen our understanding of God’s love, may we also experience God’s love in every moment of our lives.

May God’s love bring us a deep joy so that as we share that love with others, they too will come to know and experience God’s love for them.

St. Stephen, The First Martyr, Monday, 27-12-2022

Acts 6:8-10,; 7:54-59 / Matthew 10:17-22   

Today, the Church honours St. Stephen, the First Martyr.

To begin with, St. Stephen had not expected to be a martyr.

He was a devout man and he was chosen to be one of the seven deacons to serve in the distribution of food for the widows and the poor of the early Christian community.

He wanted to be faithful to his duties, and at the same time, he also knew that he had to proclaim Christ as he carried out his deacon duties.

And that was where he was filled with grace and power and began to work miracles and great signs among the people.

But that was also where he met resistance, persecution and eventually martyrdom.

St. Stephen reminds us that as a Christian, we too must proclaim Christ in our work, so that our work will also be filled with grace and even with power.

And when we face resistance and even persecution just because we want to proclaim Christ in our work, then let us entrust ourselves to the power of God.

The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.