17th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 01-08-2024

Jeremiah 18:1-6 / Matthew 13:47-53  

Thursday 01-08-2024

In life, there are things that we think we would understand immediately because it is simple and obvious.

But the simple and obvious may have deeper shades of meaning than what we would initially think.

An example would be language. The same words may have different means when said or read in different ways.

The gospel parable may seem clear and simple enough.

We would understand it as the judgement between the good and evil.

Jesus then asked His disciples if they understood  the parable, and they said yes.

Then He said that every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his storeroom things both new and old.

We may wonder what that means in relation to the parable.

It may mean that as much as there is judgement between the good and evil, there can also be a further understanding of the judgement of God.

The 1st reading gives us an image of the potter and the clay.

Whenever the vessel that the potter is making came out wrong, he would start afresh and work with the clay again. 

The potter does not discard the clay, but works on it again.

The gospel parable reminds us that there will be the final judgement.

But meanwhile, God continues to work on us to mold us into His beautiful image.

So, the final judgement is something we already know and that is not new to us.

But God’s love continues to mold us, so as we approach the day of our own judgement, may we come before the Lord our God as beautiful and new images of His love.

17th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 31-07-2024

Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21 / Matthew 13:44-46  

The phrase “give and take” is a phrase that is often heard and used.

A further reflection of that phrase means that there is a giving first before there can be any taking.

But the human inclination is to take first, or what we can get first, before we think of what we want to give.

In the gospel, Jesus used the images of a treasure and a fine pearl to teach about the kingdom of God.

But in order to possess that treasure or fine pearl, one has to give up all he owns.

So, true to that phrase, we have to give or give up something, in order to take or receive something.

In the 1st reading, the prophet Jeremiah laments of his sufferings as a prophet of God.

He had responded to God’s call and given his life to God for the prophetic misson.

Although Jeremiah suffered, God consoled him and in turn gave him the power and the strength to continue his mission.

As we respond to God’s will for us, it will be difficult for us to give up our will to follow God’s will.

But what we give to God cannot be more than what God wants to give to us.

More than any treasure or fine pearls, we will receive the love of God, and that is the greatest treasure and most precious gift.

17th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 30-07-2024

Jeremiah 14:17-22 / Matthew 13:36-43

We like to see the beauty of the world in its splendid colours.

The colours of nature expresses the magnificence of creation.

From the hills and the trees, to the birds and animals, their unique colours blend together in harmony.

But when it comes to life, we somehow may lean towards monochrome, or simply black and white.

We tend to see life and people in simple but contrasting shades of black and white.

We see the world as divided between good and bad, and we look forward to the good being rewarded and the bad being punished.

That seems to be the message of the parable in the gospel.

But between the reward for the good and punishment for the evil, there is vast mixture of faithfulness and sinfulness.

So, as long as the world continues to revolve, there is the beauty of repentance and conversion.

When evil people turn to God in repentance and conversion, life  and the world will be filled with the beauty of the colours of love.

Sts Martha, Mary and Lazarus, Monday, 29-07-2024

1 John 4:7-16 / John 11:19-27 or Luke 10:38-42

Whenever we talk about St. Martha, the image of an active and work-oriented as well as task-oriented person comes to mind.

That may be because of that occasion (Luke 10:38-42)when she invited Jesus to her home and she was caught up with all the serving.

And then she complained to Jesus about getting her sister Mary to help her with the work.

But Jesus told her that she worried and fretted about so many things and yet only one is important, and Mary had chosen the better part.

Martha must have remembered what Jesus said to her, and so despite the sadness and grief over her brother's death, she knew that only Jesus could comfort her.

And true to her personality, she made the move to go out and meet Jesus and to express her faith in Jesus.

But on this occasion, she also made a profound proclamation.

Martha proclaimed Jesus to be Christ, the Son of God.

Only St. Peter had made that similar proclamation.

Hence, St. Martha, despite her active and work-oriented and task-oriented personality, came to slowly recognize who Jesus is.

St. Martha is an example for us of someone who is active and busy but yet took the time to reflect and to discover who Jesus is.

Like St. Martha we may also have very active lives and busy with a lot of things.

But let us not forget the one important thing - prayer!

And that is what St. Martha’s sister, St. Mary, reminds us of. She gives us this example of sitting at the Lord’s feet and listening to Him. Prayer is about listening to the Lord.

It is in prayer that we will attain the peace to know that Jesus is truly the Son of God, our Saviour.

When we have that peace, we won’t worry and fret about the unnecessary.

17th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 28.07.2024

1 Kings 4:42-44 / Ephesians 4:1-6 / John 6:1-15

By the expectations of the world, there are at least two things that will capture attention. 

One is this: the bigger the better. In other words, size does matter. 

The other is this: the more the better. 

So, attention will be given to something big, whether it is a car, or a house or a building. 

And when it comes to more, that is measured in terms of numbers. 

Like how much is a business is worth, or how much is a celebrity is worth.

By current expectations, even millions are considered ordinary, because it is those in the billions that will get the attention. 

So, the bigger the better, the more the better. That is the influence and the expectation of the world, that is the measurement and the direction of the world. 

And as Christians in the world, we can also be influenced by such expectations, and even conform to such measurements and directions. 

Today's gospel points out some of these worldly influences. 

But today’s gospel also reveals the mysterious love of God in the simple and humble. 

In the gospel, a large crowd was following Jesus because they were impressed with the signs He gave by curing the sick. 

And the gospel tells us that the large crowd numbered around 5,000. That is quite a crowd. 

And then Jesus asked His disciples if they could buy some food for the crowd to eat. 

One of His disciples, Philip, looked at their finances, and told Jesus that they could hardly buy enough bread to feed the crowd. 

Another of His disciples, Andrew, said that there is a small boy with five barley loaves and two fish. 

But that is obviously not enough for such a large crowd. 

And here is where the mysterious power of God's love is revealed beyond human reckoning. 

Jesus took the five Loaves and the two fish, gave thanks to God, and gave it out to the crowd. 

The crowd ate as much as they wanted, and what was even more surprising was that 12 baskets of leftovers were collected. 

The crowd was so impressed by it, that they wanted to take Jesus by force and to make Him king. 

The crowd wanted to make Jesus king because they saw that He could provide more for them. 

They see Him with worldly expectations, but they did not see the sign. 

They did not see that in the simplicity and humility of that small boy with five loaves and the two fish, God's blessings came in abundance. 

In the simple and humble, God reveals the mysterious power of His love and providence. 

There's this story of Pope Francis when he visited a particular country. As expected, there were detailed preparations, and an impressive altar was constructed for the celebration of the Mass. 

When Pope Francis arrived at the venue, it started to rain heavily, and strong winds blew the rain onto the altar. 

Finally, the rain stopped, and it was possible for Mass to commence. 

But that impressive and elaborate altar and it's surrounding area was drenched and soaking wet. 

The alternative was the Credence table, or the side table, which is used to put all the accessories for the Mass. 

So that simple and humble side table became the altar for the Pope’s Mass. 

That is one of the many instances when the simple and humble became a sign of God's mysterious choice to show His love and providence. 

So, while the world looks at what is more and bigger, let us pay attention to the simple and humble. 

The simple and humble is the sign that God wants us to look at.

Annual Priests Retreat 2024

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The priests of the Archdiocese of Singapore will be having their annual retreat from 22nd July, Monday to 26th July, Friday.

I will also be at this retreat and I am really looking forward to it for a time of silence and prayer.

As such, the next homily post will be for 17th Ordinary Sunday, 28th July 2023.

Requesting prayers for myself and my brother priests that we will be renewed and re-focused so that we will continue to faithfully serve the Lord and His holy people.

Thank you. May God bless you!

Msgr. Stephen Yim

16th Ordinary Sunday, Year B, 21.07.2024

Jeremiah 23:1-6 / Ephesians 2:13-18 / Mark 6:30-34

There is a question about life that we wish we could answer, and yet, we can't. 

And that question is this: If we can live life all over again, would our life be different from what it is now? 

As much as we wish we could answer that question, we can only dwell on it with imagination. 

That is because we cannot go back in time and live life all over again.

But there are times when we do imagine about the “what if”question.

What if I were born into a rich family? What would my life be like now? 

What if I were more intelligent and had better qualifications? What would my profession be like now? 

What if I did not respond to God's call to the priesthood? What would I be doing in life now? 

The “what if” question brings us into the imaginary world of imaginary possibilities. 

However, it may also lead us to regret about some choices and decisions that we have made in life. 

But, snapping out of our imagination, and coming back to the reality of our situation, we ask ourselves this question. 

And the question is, what do I feel about life? Am I happy? Am I contented? What is it that I am looking for in life? 

In the gospel, when the apostles rejoined Jesus, they told Him about all they had done and taught. 

Jesus had sent them out to preach repentance, cast out demons and to cure sick. 

With the authority and power of God, they accomplished amazing signs and wonders. 

They were very much sought after by the peoples, so much so that they had no time even to eat. 

It was then that Jesus told them that they are going away to a lonely place by themselves to rest for a while. 

Besides the need for physical rest, there is something else that needs to rest. 

They need to have a spiritual rest, to rest their minds and hearts. 

They need to put to rest their excitement, their ambitions and their imaginations. 

They need to rest so that they can clear away all the distraction and people's attention, and focus on God’s mission. 

We too have our share of distractions, we look for people's attention, and we have our imagination about what we want in life. 

We too need to have a rest, so as to clear our minds and hearts. 

We too need a time to be alone with Jesus, as He shows us the meaning and the mission of our lives. 

There's this story of “The Giving Tree” (by Shel Silverstein). It is a simple story, but it tells us a lot about life as well as about ourselves.

Once there was a tree. And she loved a little boy. And every day the boy would come and he would gather her leaves, and make them into crowns and play king of the forest. 

He would climb up her trunk and swing from her branches, and when he was tired, he would sleep in her shade. And the boy loved the tree very much. And the tree was happy. 

But time went by, and the boy grew older. And the tree was often alone. Then one day the boy came to the tree and the tree said: "Come, Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be happy. 

"I am too big to climb and play," said the boy. "I want to buy thing and have fun. I want some money. Can you give me some money?" 

"I'm sorry," said the tree, "but I have no money. I have only leaves and apples. Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in city. Then you will have money and you'll be happy." 

And so the boy climbed up the tree and gathered her apples and carried them away. And the tree was happy... 

But the boy stayed away for a long time and the tree was sad. And then one day the boy came back and the tree shook with joy, and she said: "Come Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be happy”. 

"I am too busy to climb trees," said the boy. "I want a house to keep me warm," he said. "I want a wife and I want children, and so I need a house. Can you give me a house?" 

"I have no house," said the tree. “The forest is my house," said the tree, "but you may cut off my branches and build a house. Then you will be happy." 

And so, the boy cut off her branches and carried them away to build a house. And the tree was happy. 

But the boy stayed away for a long time and the tree was sad. And when he came back, the tree was so happy she could hardly speak. 

"Come, Boy, " she whispered, "Come and play."   

"I am too old and sad to play,” said the boy. "I want a boat that will take me away from here. Can you give me a boat?" 

"Cut down my trunk and make a boat," said the tree. "Then you can sail away and be happy." And so the boy cut down her trunk and made a boat and sailed away. 

And the tree was happy … but not really. 

And after a long time, the boy came back again. "I am sorry, Boy, " said the tree, "but I have nothing left to give you — my apples are gone."

"My teeth are too weak for apples, " said the boy. 

"My branches are gone," said the tree. "You cannot swing on them."

"I am too old to swing on branches," said the boy. 

"My trunk is gone," said the tree. "You cannot climb."

"I am too tired to climb," said the boy. 

"I am sorry," sighed the tree. "I wish that I could give you something. . . but I have nothing left. I am just an old stump. I am sorry..." 

"I don't need very much now," said the boy, "just a quiet place to sit and rest. I am very tired." 

"Well" said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could. "Well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting. Come, Boy, sit down... and rest." And the tree was happy...

And the same can be said of the Boy; he would be happy just to sit and rest.

And that is also what Jesus is telling us today.

Let us come to Him and rest in prayer.

That is really what we need in life to be happy.