Malachi 3:13-20
Lk 11:5-13
Whenever we are faced with overwhelming odds, we may tend to say: if we can't beat them, then might as well join them.
Whether said in jest or in resignation, that statement portrays the powerful reality of the contradictions of life.
Examples of contradictions of life are "the rich gets richer, the poor gets poorer" and "those who do evil gets the benefits, those who do good end up as losers".
That was the lament of the people who try to be good - they say that "it is useless to serve God, what is the good of keeping God's commands."
Because the arrogant seemed to be blessed and the evil-doers prosper.
But the prophet Malachi reminds the people that God sees and He knows and He remembers.
In the end, for those who fear God, the sun of righteousness will shine out with healing in its rays.
Malachi urged his people to persevere. Jesus would urge us to persevere and also to persist.
In the face of the contradictions of life, we need to persevere in our faith and persists in our prayer.
We must continue to believe that God wants to bestow His bountiful blessings upon us.
So in the face of contradictions of life and the seemingly overwhelming evil around us:
-could we believe in the sun, even though it is not shining?
-could we still believe in love, even though we may not feel it?
-could we still believe in God, even when He is silent?
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Our Lady of the Rosary, 07-10-09
Acts 1:12-14 / Luke 1:26-38 (2024)
The story of how the Feast of the Holy Rosary came about is indeed interesting.
Back in 1571, the powerful Ottoman Turks decided to attack Europe from the East.
The stage was set for a decisive naval battle at the Gulf of Lepanto, off the coast of Greece.
A naval victory for the Turks would secure an opening for the Turkish army to overrun Christian Europe.
The pope at that time, Pope Pius V, called for a crusade against the invading Turks.
But at that time, the Church was already weakened by the Protestant Reformation and only a few countries responded.
In fact the Christian fleet was outnumbered 3:1 and was no match for the mighty Turkish armada.
But Pope Pius V also called for a Rosary crusade to help the Christian forces.
On this day, 7th Oct 1571, the two parties fought and the mighty Turkish armada was miraculously defeated.
It was said that the Christian soldiers fought with swords in one hand and rosaries in the other.
And it can also be said that the battle was won, not with arms but with praying hands.
Indeed the simple, humble and powerful prayers of the Rosary can achieve miracles and work wonders.
Because Mary, the mother of Jesus, the mother of God prays with us when we pray the Rosary.
The story of how the Feast of the Holy Rosary came about is indeed interesting.
Back in 1571, the powerful Ottoman Turks decided to attack Europe from the East.
The stage was set for a decisive naval battle at the Gulf of Lepanto, off the coast of Greece.
A naval victory for the Turks would secure an opening for the Turkish army to overrun Christian Europe.
The pope at that time, Pope Pius V, called for a crusade against the invading Turks.
But at that time, the Church was already weakened by the Protestant Reformation and only a few countries responded.
In fact the Christian fleet was outnumbered 3:1 and was no match for the mighty Turkish armada.
But Pope Pius V also called for a Rosary crusade to help the Christian forces.
On this day, 7th Oct 1571, the two parties fought and the mighty Turkish armada was miraculously defeated.
It was said that the Christian soldiers fought with swords in one hand and rosaries in the other.
And it can also be said that the battle was won, not with arms but with praying hands.
Indeed the simple, humble and powerful prayers of the Rosary can achieve miracles and work wonders.
Because Mary, the mother of Jesus, the mother of God prays with us when we pray the Rosary.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
27th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 06-10-09
Jonah 3:1-10
Luke 10:38-42
It's one thing to know that we have a bad habit, or an addiction, but yet it is another thing to kick it out or to change our habits.
One simple example is watching TV.
We can get into the habit of just sitting in front of the TV and let time fly, and slowly it becomes an addiction.
And short of throwing away the TV, we might find it real difficult to kick this bad habit or the addiction of wasting time and watching rubbish.
So what is the key to change, to conversion, to repentance?
Relying simply on will-power might be out of the question, because we know how often will-power has failed us when it comes to an addiction.
But yet the key is also in the will-power.
The will-power must be empowered by the truth; only then can the will-power respond to the call for conversion and repentance.
The people of Nineveh repented because they heard the truth from Jonah, and they responded.
That is also what Jesus is highlighting in today's gospel.
The one thing needed and which is necessary is to listen - to listen to the truth and to be open to it.
Listening to the truth and being open to it is what is needed if we are to respond to God's call to conversion and repentance.
May our hearts be opened to that truth.
Luke 10:38-42
It's one thing to know that we have a bad habit, or an addiction, but yet it is another thing to kick it out or to change our habits.
One simple example is watching TV.
We can get into the habit of just sitting in front of the TV and let time fly, and slowly it becomes an addiction.
And short of throwing away the TV, we might find it real difficult to kick this bad habit or the addiction of wasting time and watching rubbish.
So what is the key to change, to conversion, to repentance?
Relying simply on will-power might be out of the question, because we know how often will-power has failed us when it comes to an addiction.
But yet the key is also in the will-power.
The will-power must be empowered by the truth; only then can the will-power respond to the call for conversion and repentance.
The people of Nineveh repented because they heard the truth from Jonah, and they responded.
That is also what Jesus is highlighting in today's gospel.
The one thing needed and which is necessary is to listen - to listen to the truth and to be open to it.
Listening to the truth and being open to it is what is needed if we are to respond to God's call to conversion and repentance.
May our hearts be opened to that truth.
Monday, October 5, 2009
27th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 05-10-09
Jonah 1:1 - 2:1, 11
Luke 10 : 25-37
The late Cardinal John Henry Newman struggled to understand the mystery of his own life, as well as the meaning and purpose of life.
As he prayed, he came to this conclusion : God has created him to do some definite service. God has committed some work to him which He has not committed to another. Hence he has a particular mission in life.
Cardinal Newman was an Anglican cleric, but after researching and studying Scriptures and Church doctrines, he felt that he had to return to the roots of the Church.
Subsequently, he became a Catholic and devoted his life and intellectual talents to teaching and explaining the Catholic faith.
That was what he felt was his mission and meaning of his life.
As we reflect on today's readings, we also see two characters who had to struggle with their mission and finding the meaning of their lives.
The prophet Jonah tried to avoid his mission but God's call was just too strong to evade.
In the gospel, Jesus portrayed the Samaritan as someone who faced the basic human mission of helping another human being who was in need, and that called for the putting aside of the discrimination and the animosity.
So God has a mission for us, for each one of us.
Certainly each of us has a particular calling to a particular service to God.
But let us also not forget our basic human mission, and that is to be a neighbour of love to those in need.
Luke 10 : 25-37
The late Cardinal John Henry Newman struggled to understand the mystery of his own life, as well as the meaning and purpose of life.
As he prayed, he came to this conclusion : God has created him to do some definite service. God has committed some work to him which He has not committed to another. Hence he has a particular mission in life.
Cardinal Newman was an Anglican cleric, but after researching and studying Scriptures and Church doctrines, he felt that he had to return to the roots of the Church.
Subsequently, he became a Catholic and devoted his life and intellectual talents to teaching and explaining the Catholic faith.
That was what he felt was his mission and meaning of his life.
As we reflect on today's readings, we also see two characters who had to struggle with their mission and finding the meaning of their lives.
The prophet Jonah tried to avoid his mission but God's call was just too strong to evade.
In the gospel, Jesus portrayed the Samaritan as someone who faced the basic human mission of helping another human being who was in need, and that called for the putting aside of the discrimination and the animosity.
So God has a mission for us, for each one of us.
Certainly each of us has a particular calling to a particular service to God.
But let us also not forget our basic human mission, and that is to be a neighbour of love to those in need.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
26tth Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 03-10-09
Bar 4:5-12, 27-29
Lk 10:17-24
Whenever it comes to the subject of infant baptism, the couples from a mixed marriage, meaning a Catholic married to a non-Catholic, would be more likely to say that it is better to leave it later, i.e. when the child comes of age and can make decisions.
But on the rationale of the formation of life, meaning to say, we give our children the best to help them grow in the best way possible, I would also add that people in general, seldom, if not never, forget their childhood experiences, especially their religious experiences.
Because all of us have this gift or faculty of retrospection, i.e. the ability to recall, remember and reflect.
Somehow as children, we tend to believe and experience God more easily, maybe because children are not that cynical and skeptical.
Well, along the way, some may outgrow, and even discard their belief in God.
Yet, whenever they hit a crisis or a major setback, they will, inevitably, turn back to the faith of their youth and to the God they know when they were kids.
Even in the 1st reading, the people were told that they had strayed away from God, so now they just have to turn back and search for God.
But searching and finding for God is not all that difficult.
Because God reveals Himself to children and to the child-like.
So it is our duty to tell children about God and teach them to pray.
In turn, the children will show us who God is.
Lk 10:17-24
Whenever it comes to the subject of infant baptism, the couples from a mixed marriage, meaning a Catholic married to a non-Catholic, would be more likely to say that it is better to leave it later, i.e. when the child comes of age and can make decisions.
But on the rationale of the formation of life, meaning to say, we give our children the best to help them grow in the best way possible, I would also add that people in general, seldom, if not never, forget their childhood experiences, especially their religious experiences.
Because all of us have this gift or faculty of retrospection, i.e. the ability to recall, remember and reflect.
Somehow as children, we tend to believe and experience God more easily, maybe because children are not that cynical and skeptical.
Well, along the way, some may outgrow, and even discard their belief in God.
Yet, whenever they hit a crisis or a major setback, they will, inevitably, turn back to the faith of their youth and to the God they know when they were kids.
Even in the 1st reading, the people were told that they had strayed away from God, so now they just have to turn back and search for God.
But searching and finding for God is not all that difficult.
Because God reveals Himself to children and to the child-like.
So it is our duty to tell children about God and teach them to pray.
In turn, the children will show us who God is.
Friday, October 2, 2009
2nd October - Gurardian Angels, Friday
Ex 23:20-23 / Mt 18:1-5, 10 (2024)
Among the many religious items that I have is this medal of a guardian angel with wings spread wide and with hands reaching downward.
Well, I do pray to my guardian angel, whether as a devotional prayer, or whenever I am driving.
Because in one section of the Creed, we profess the existence of not only the seen but also the unseen, or what we call the spiritual world.
Yet somehow, whenever we talk about the spiritual world, what may come to mind may be ghosts and haunted places.
Today as the Church celebrates the feast of guardian angels, we also acknowledge the existence of the spiritual world.
But it is a spiritual world of angels whom God has sent to protect and guard and guide us.
What God has assured His people Israel in the 1st reading, i.e. the protection of an angel, He also assures the Church and each of us.
This is also what Jesus is affirming in the gospel.
So let us pray daily to our guardian angels whom God has sent from above.
If you know this traditional prayer to the guardian angel, then let us pray together :
Angel of God my guardian dear
To whom His love, entrust me here,
Ever this day be at my side,
To light and guard, to rule and guide.
Amen.
Among the many religious items that I have is this medal of a guardian angel with wings spread wide and with hands reaching downward.
Well, I do pray to my guardian angel, whether as a devotional prayer, or whenever I am driving.
Because in one section of the Creed, we profess the existence of not only the seen but also the unseen, or what we call the spiritual world.
Yet somehow, whenever we talk about the spiritual world, what may come to mind may be ghosts and haunted places.
Today as the Church celebrates the feast of guardian angels, we also acknowledge the existence of the spiritual world.
But it is a spiritual world of angels whom God has sent to protect and guard and guide us.
What God has assured His people Israel in the 1st reading, i.e. the protection of an angel, He also assures the Church and each of us.
This is also what Jesus is affirming in the gospel.
So let us pray daily to our guardian angels whom God has sent from above.
If you know this traditional prayer to the guardian angel, then let us pray together :
Angel of God my guardian dear
To whom His love, entrust me here,
Ever this day be at my side,
To light and guard, to rule and guide.
Amen.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
26th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 01-10-09
Neh 8:1-41,5-6, 7b-12
Lk 10:1-12
The cutting edge of our faith is this teaching of Jesus - Love your enemies.
That teaching alone encompasses forgiveness and compassion.
I call it the cutting edge of our faith because precisely that teaching cuts and opens up our convictions in the teaching of Jesus.
If "Love your enemies" is the cutting edge, then the forward thrust of our faith is this teaching of Jesus in today's gospel - I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
I call it the forward thrust because Christianity by nature is not passive ; it is active ; it is missionary.
And it moves out, not into friendly territory, but into hostile lands, into places where Christianity is not welcomed.
It is precisely in the forward thrust of being sent like lambs among wolves that we have to use to use the cutting edge of loving our enemies and returning good for evil.
So Christianity is not a joy ride in a theme part, in that it looks dangerous, but actually it is quite safe.
No, Christianity is about blood, sweat and tears, and the stories of the martyrs, saints and missionaries tell us that.
Yet, despite the fear of the wolves and the repulsion of loving our enemies, we are assured of this.
The joy of the Lord is our stronghold, the joy of the Lord is our strength.
The Lord will go with us to face the wolves, and with His love, they will change from ravenous wolves into meek lambs.
Lk 10:1-12
The cutting edge of our faith is this teaching of Jesus - Love your enemies.
That teaching alone encompasses forgiveness and compassion.
I call it the cutting edge of our faith because precisely that teaching cuts and opens up our convictions in the teaching of Jesus.
If "Love your enemies" is the cutting edge, then the forward thrust of our faith is this teaching of Jesus in today's gospel - I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
I call it the forward thrust because Christianity by nature is not passive ; it is active ; it is missionary.
And it moves out, not into friendly territory, but into hostile lands, into places where Christianity is not welcomed.
It is precisely in the forward thrust of being sent like lambs among wolves that we have to use to use the cutting edge of loving our enemies and returning good for evil.
So Christianity is not a joy ride in a theme part, in that it looks dangerous, but actually it is quite safe.
No, Christianity is about blood, sweat and tears, and the stories of the martyrs, saints and missionaries tell us that.
Yet, despite the fear of the wolves and the repulsion of loving our enemies, we are assured of this.
The joy of the Lord is our stronghold, the joy of the Lord is our strength.
The Lord will go with us to face the wolves, and with His love, they will change from ravenous wolves into meek lambs.
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