Mary, Mother of God, 01.01.2024

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

How we begin the day can shape our outlook for the rest of the day. 

Similarly, how we begin the year can also shape our outlook for the rest of the year. 

For us who come for Mass this morning, we want to begin the year with thanksgiving, and invoking the Lord for His blessings. 

So, we would have foregone last evening's countdown, because we subscribe to this saying: Early to bed, early to rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise. 

Yes, we are wise enough to know that we need God's blessings in order to have peace in our minds and love in our hearts. 

On this feast of Mary, the Mother of God, the gospel spoke of Mary is pondering and treasuring all that she had heard. 

As we honour Mary and offer her our devotion, we too ponder and treasure what we have seen, what we have heard, and what we have learned. 

We know that life is fragile, and we need to handle it with care, and with prayer. 

And when we pray the Rosary, Mother Mary prays for us and with us, and God will do wonderful things for us. 

Mary also prays that we will remember what God has revealed to us. 

At the Annunciation, Mary was told that she would conceive and bear a son and she must name Him Jesus. 

Today's Gospel recalls for us that Jesus is our Saviour.

May the name of Jesus be in our minds, on our lips and in our hearts. 

May we always remember the name of Jesus for today and for the rest of the year. 

In the name of Jesus, God will be gracious and He will bless us.

Holy Family, Year B, 31.12.2023

 Ecclesiasticus 3:2-6, 12-14 / Colossians 3:12-21 / Luke 2:22-40

There's one common aspect in all of us, and that is every one of us belong to a family. 

The word “family” evokes many thoughts and sentiments. 

There is the big family, the small family, the extended family, the same family, and then there is the famous quirky “Addams family”. 

As much as a happy family sounds nice and warm, the reality is that there are broken families and dysfunctional families. 

Whatever it may be, the fact is that we belong to a family, regardless of whether we are born or adopted into it. 

And the fact is also that the family shapes us and we also shape the family. 

And the fact is also that there is no perfect family, because in the first place we ourselves are not perfect. 

Nevertheless, the basic family unit is fundamental and essential to society and for the country. 

To put it simply, it can be said that, stable family, stable society; happy family, happy country. 

Today, the Church celebrates family, and we turn to the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph for inspiration and direction. 

Although the term “Holy Family” is not used in the Bible, that term expresses what the family is about. 

Because it was God who created the roots of family life with Adam and Eve. 

And it is through the family, and the members of the family, that God reveals His blessings. 

Mary and Joseph were revelations of God's plan for each other. 

From each other, they came to know what God's will is for them. 

And when they brought the Infant Jesus to the Temple to present and consecrate Him to the Lord, the Holy Family became a blessing for others. 

The upright and devout Simeon was prompted by the Holy Spirit to go to the Temple that day. 

And when he took the Infant Jesus into his arms, he saw God's light of salvation. It was his greatest and final blessing on Earth and he move on to the Eternal Light. 

And for the 84-year-old prophetess Anna, she proclaimed her final prophecy when she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to God's salvation. 

Today's Gospel passage leads us to reflect about the Holy Family and also about our family. 

But more than just reflections, the gospel also tells us about God's revelation through the Holy Family. 

Through the Holy Family, God revealed His blessings for Simeon and Anna. 

Through Simeon, Mary received a revelation of the sword that will pierce her soul. 

And through the gospel message, God is revealing His blessings through the family that we belong to. 

For parents, God blesses them when they do what the Lord requires of them, just as what Mary and Joseph did for Jesus. 

The basic duty of parents is to teach and form the children to love God and to love others. 

The duty of children is to honour their parents as God has commanded. 

As it is said, a senior in the home is a treasure for the family. 

Through this feast of the Holy Family, God has shown us that He reveals His plan through the family. 

And through the family, God grants His abundant blessings. 

May we see our family as a blessing from God. 

May we also see that through our family, God blesses us, and we too are blessing for our family members. 

And may our family be God's blessings for the Church and for the world.

Fifth Day Within the Octave of Christmas, Friday, 29-12-2023

1 John 2:3-11 / Luke 2:22-35    

One of the common casual questions that we ask each other is “How’s life?”

And we would often give a common casual answer “It’s ok”.

But seriously, we may want to reflect a little deeper about how are we getting on in life.

A casual answer will not be sufficient to address such a profound question about life.

In the gospel, Simeon was an upright and devout man, and he looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him.

That says a lot about Simeon, and on that day when Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the Temple, Simeon received a prompting from the Holy Spirit.

He had finally set eyes on the Christ of the Lord, the salvation that God prepared for all the nations to see.

For Simeon, he can say that he lived a life in the light of the Lord, and he is prepared to move on towards that eternal light.

As much as we think that there is much darkness in the world, yet the light of Christ shines for us and the darkness cannot overcome that light.

May the light of Christ strengthen us to live upright and devout lives.

And that by loving God and our neighbours, may we reflect the light of God’s salvation for the world.

Holy Innocents, Martyrs, Thursday, 28-12-2023

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

Almost anyone can be bought at a price.

It means to say that almost anyone can be “bribed” into giving up his values and principles.

As long as the price and the gains are attractive, one will succumb to the temptation of the bribe.

But when there is fear and insecurity, one can also give up one’s values and principles in order to have control and security.

King Herod, despite his power and might, feared the infant king of the Jews.

His phobia became so immense and intense that he even ordered the killing of the infants at Bethlehem.

The lives of those infants count for nothing in order to appease his fears and phobia.

We have our fears and phobia, and we have also faced temptations to give up our values and principles.

When we succumb to our fears and temptations, others will be adversely affected and we won’t gain anything too.

Let us pray to the Lord our God for protection and guidance that we will not succumb to fear or temptation.

St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, Wednesday, 27-12-2023

1 John 1:1-4 / John 20:2-8     

There are four gospels in the New Testament.

The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are called the “synoptic” gospels because many portions are similar in content.

But the gospel of John is rather distinct in style and in composition.

The three synoptic gospels have the gradual revelation of the identity of Jesus.

The gospel of John states the identity of Jesus clearly from the first line, that Jesus is God.

In today’s feast of St. John, the Apostle and Evangelist, we thank God that through St. John, we received the revelation of Jesus in the gospel accredited to him.

As we ponder and meditate on the gospel of St. John, may God reveal more of who Jesus is to us.

May the gospel of St. John also reveal deeper God’s love for us.

May we come to see that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh and came to dwell among us.

May we in turn be God’s Word made flesh in our lives and may we lead others to believe in Jesus Christ as the Saviour.

St. Stephen, The First Martyr, Tuesday, 26-12-2023

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

Yesterday, we celebrated the feast of Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour.

In this deep mystery of the Incarnation, we believe that God came to the world and became one like us.

God became man, so that man can become like God.

God chose to become like man, but it is for man to choose whether he wants to be like God.

As for St. Stephen, he believed in Jesus as his Lord and Saviour, and he went about proclaiming the Good News of salvation.

St. Stephen chose to follow Jesus, but he may not have thought of being martyred for doing so.

But the events and circumstances led him to that point when he had to declare his faith in the face of opposition and hostility.

From then on, there was no turning back as St. Stephen went on to witness to Jesus by lying down his life, and thus, he became the first martyr for Jesus.

When we believe in the mystery of the Incarnation, that God so loved us that He even became like one of us, then we too must witness to our belief.

We may not know how or where or when we will witness to Jesus.

But when the comes, let us like St. Stephen, witness to Jesus faithfully and courageously.

As Jesus said in the gospel, the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Christmas 2023, 25.12.2023

Today in this Mass, we are gathered to celebrate the joyful feast of Christmas. 

We celebrate the birth of Jesus our Saviour. 

We go back in time, to that appointed time, to Bethlehem, and to witness this astonishing and wonderful mystery of the Incarnation. 

The Almighty and all-powerful God came into this world, and took on the human form of a tender and helpless baby. 

Jesus is certainly not just another ordinary human being. 

Jesus is with God from the beginning, He is the Word of God made flesh. Jesus Christ is God. 

And yet as we look at that tender helpless baby lying in the manger, we must ponder and keep pondering. 

Is this a reality, that divinity took on humanity? 

We ponder on this great mystery. And if we were to ask why, then we enter deeper into the mystery of God's love for us. 

Yes, that is God's great love for us, that Jesus came into the world, that He came for us, that He came for you and me. 

Jesus is the Divine Light, and He shines His light on us so that we can see the darkness of our brokenness, our woundedness and our sinfulness. 

Jesus is also the Divine Life, and He wants to raise us up to a life of happiness, kindness and forgiveness. 

Deep in our hearts, we long for that light, we yearn for that life. 

That is why Jesus came. He came for you and me to fulfil that longing and yearning. 

Yes, today we go back in time to Bethlehem, to look at this Baby, the infant King of kings and the Lord of lords. 

But Jesus also comes to us as our Healer and Saviour, with His warm light and tender love. 

So, let us celebrate the birth of Jesus by offering ourselves as gifts. 

Jesus wants us to be gifts to others, gifts of happiness, kindness and forgiveness. 

That is the wonderful mystery of Christmas.

That is also why Jesus came us; that is why He came for you and me.