Immaculate Conception of the B V Mary, Tuesday, 08-12-2020

Genesis 3:9-15, 20 / Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12 / Luke 1:26-38       

The meaning of the feast of the Immaculate Conception  is that Mary is conceived in the womb of her mother without any stain of sin.

Church doctrine states that, from the first moment of her existence, Mary was preserved by God from the Original Sin and filled with sanctifying grace that would normally come with baptism after birth. 

The Immaculate Conception was proclaimed as a dogma in 1854 by Pope Pius IX. It means that it is to be accepted as an infallible statement of faith.

But more importantly, it means that God is the one who is made the Immaculate Conception of Mary possible. 

It was God who bestowed this unique and special grace on Mary, and the angel Gabriel reiterated this when he greeted Mary with "Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you".

It was also a fulfilment of the promise of salvation that we heard in the 1st reading, when the Lord God said to the serpent, "I will make you enemies of each other, you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring".

God prepared Mary to bear Jesus, the Son of God, who is the Saviour of the world, and who would destroy evil and bring about forgiveness of sins and salvation and to make us children of God.

As children of God, we are united with Jesus our Saviour, and we also acknowledge Mary as our Mother.

We are blessed with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ, as the 2nd reading tells us, so that we like Mary will always do the will of God and carry out God's plan of salvation in our lives.

Let us also turn to Mary and pray: O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.

2nd Week of Advent, Monday, 07-12-2020

Isaiah 35:1-10 / Luke 5:17-26      

In life, it is inevitable that we make mistakes and commit wrong doing.

From the penal perspective, the legal system will prescribe the due punishment for the mistakes and wrong doing, which can be anything from a fine to a jail term.

From the spiritual perspective, there is moral code to adhere to and from that moral code we will know if we have committed any wrong doing, or plainly speaking, we will know if we have sinned.

For us Catholics, when we know we have sinned, we will go for Confession to receive forgiveness and to do penance for our sins.

Yes, God in His mercy and compassion will forgive us our sins and we must atone and make reparation for our sins.

In the Lord's Prayer, there is this phrase: Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespasses against us.

So as much as what the scribes and Pharisees said is true, that God alone can forgive us, Jesus also taught us to pray that we forgive those who have wronged us, just as God our Father forgives us our trespasses.

To err is human, to forgive is divine. Let us remember that we are called to be like God, and to forgive others just as we desire to be forgiven.

2nd Sunday of Advent, Year B, 06.12.20

Isaiah 40:1-6, 9-11 / 2 Peter 3:8-14 / Mark 1:1-8

It is around this time of the year that we hear a particular type of music. It is a type of music that is so peculiar that we hear it only at this time of the year, and yet it is so easily identifiable. 

Obviously, we are talking about Christmas music, which usually can be heard as early as mid-October. 

It can be anything as pop as “Jingle Bells” to as sacred as “O come let us adore Him”. 

Year in and year out, we hear that Christmas music and we are familiar with it and we will sing along with it.

At times it may get a bit overplayed but we still get along with it because it gives us the mood for the season. 

The music is somehow “imprinted” into us.

This year, with all that is happening, the festive mood is rather subdued and toned down. 

The Orchard Road light up was almost like a non-event, and the lights and decorations are less fanciful and less lavish. 

Anyway, the Christmas decorations this year are generally much lesser and maybe even the Christmas music is softer. 

But for us there is a void that needs to be filled. 

Although the Christmas feeling is rather toned down and seems lesser, but maybe lesser can be better for us. 

At least the festive commercialization of Christmas is lesser and the reason for the season gets clearer. 

And maybe because the Christmas music is less and softer, we feel that something is missing. 

And indeed, there is something missing. There are no practices for the Christmas carols because the choirs have gone silent. And there is also no public carolling. 

But we want to hear the Christmas music. At least we hope that the music can lift us up from the gloom. 

We want to hear that music, because it is imprinted in our hearts. Christmas is going to look or sound strange without those Christmas carols. 

Our consolation is to turn to our CD collection and hear those carols. 

It is not just to get into the mood. We are beginning to realize that those Christmas carols give us hope, that the yearly cycle of life and love is renewed. 

There is a voice in those Christmas carols that tells us who God is and who we are to Him. 

In the 1st reading, the prophet Isaiah was the voice of God to the people as he says: Console my people, console them, says your God. Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call to her. 

In the gospel, it was John the Baptist who was the voice of God to the people, a voice that cries out in the wilderness to prepare a way for the Lord and to make His paths straight. 

But for us, where or who is the voice of God? Could it be in those Christmas carols that we hear year in and year out, but never really took notice? 

But now that the Christmas carols are lesser and softer, we long to hear more and to hear it louder. 

The voice of God that is “imprinted” in those Christmas carols is slowly awakening our hearts to listen. 

We want to listen and to be consoled.

Over this period of time, we have learned to live with lesser, we have learned what is necessary, we have learned what is important. 

We want to listen to the message of repentance and make our own paths straight for the Lord who is the Giver of life and love. 

We want to listen and the season of Advent tells us that in order to listen, we have to be silent. Anyway, the word “listen” and the word “silent” have the same letters. 

Oh yes, listening to Christmas carols will bring us some consolation. But it also calls for reflection. 

And there’s one peculiar thing about music and more so about Christmas music. 

The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between the notes. The great composer Mozart said that, and he certainly knows what he is talking about. 

So, as we listen to those Christmas carols, let us also be silent. 

May it bring us consolation from God, and may the paths of our hearts be straightened for Jesus to come and dwell in us.

1st Week of Advent, Saturday, 05-12-2020

Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26 / Matthew 9:35 - 10:1, 6-8     

To believe in God is certainly a comfort and a consolation.

To know that God loves us and cares for us and will protect us from dangers is certainly very comforting.

To know that God is merciful and compassionate and that He will forgive us our sins is indeed very consoling.

But we must also accept the lessons that God wants to teach us if we had gone wrong or gone astray.

In the 1st reading, the prophet Isaiah knew that as much as God will forgive, yet God will also teach His people how to walk faithfully in His ways.

The prophet says in the 1st reading: God will be gracious to you when He hears your cry, when He hears, He will answer. When the Lord has given you the bread of suffering and the water of distress, He who is your teacher will hide no longer.

In the gospel, we see the effects of sin on the people - diseases and sicknesses, harassment and dejection, as well as poverty and injustice.

Jesus came to proclaim the Good News of the kingdom by curing all kinds of diseases and sickness, and to teach the truth of life and love.

Let us walk in the ways of the Lord and follow Jesus in the path of salvation. 

And if we experience sufferings and hardships, let us believe that God is teaching us something and it will always be for our good.

That is comforting and consoling enough for us to keep our faith in God.

1st Week of Advent, Friday, 04-12-2020

Isaiah 29:17-24 / Matthew 9:27-31    

The new liturgical year (Year B) begins with the season of Advent, and we are already coming to the end of the first week of Advent.

The purpose of the season of Advent is to prepare us to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and also to prepare us for His second coming in glory.

In order to have a meaningful Advent preparation, prayer, meditation, reflection and silence is necessary.

But the underlying purpose of Advent is to contemplate the mystery of the Incarnation, and to understand what it means by God becoming man in the person of Jesus Christ.

For God to take on human nature with all its weaknesses is illogical to say the least, and on the extreme end, it is really absurd.

Why would the divine be lowered to a human state and to experience pain, suffering and hardship.

But God so loved the world that He sent His only Son Jesus Christ into the world and He became like us in all things, except sin, so that He can save us and help us to understand the great love of God for us.

Do we really believe that? Just as in the gospel, Jesus asked the two blind men, "Do you believe I can do this?", Jesus is also asking us if we can believe how great God's love is for us.

The mystery of the Incarnation is a deep mystery. Let us, in the time of Advent, set aside time for prayer, meditation and silence to enter into this mystery and be loved by God.

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First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament (with English subtitles)
4 Dec, 8.30pm Singapore time (GMT +8)
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St. Francis Xavier, Patron of Missions and Missionaries, Thursday, 03-12-2020

1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23 / Mark 16:15-20

St. Francis Xavier was a student of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and he was the co-founder of the Society of Jesus and one of the first seven Jesuits who were formed in 1534.

He led an extensive mission into Asia and he was influential in the spreading of the faith especially in India.

He even ventured as far as China but he was only able to reach what is now Hong Kong. In fact, he died there on the 3rd December 1552.

Along the way, he also converted many people in India, especially Goa,  and also in Indonesia and Japan. He is said to have converted more people than anyone else has done since St. Paul.

For this reason he is the patron saint of the missions, together with St. Therese of the Child Jesus.

And like St. Paul, St. Francis Xavier also considered preaching the Good News not just as a duty but also as a blessing.

Like what St. Paul said in the 1st reading, he made himself as a slave to everyone so as to win as many for God as he could.

Like St. Paul, St. Francis Xavier also made himself all things to all men in order to save some at any cost.

Like St. Paul, St. Francis Xavier left behind a legacy of missionary work and spirit that formed the blueprint and foundations of the Catholic faith in the countries.

As the Lord Jesus promised, He worked with St. Francis Xavier and confirmed with His word with signs.

We have seen these signs, and may we continue to see these signs so that we in turn will  proclaim the Good News, like St. Francis Xavier did.

1st Week of Advent, Wednesday, 02-11-2020

Isaiah 25:6-11 / Matthew 15:29-37       

We know that great things have humble beginnings. 

For example, great oak trees grow from small acorns. Big cities are built stone by stone.

As we begin a new liturgical year with the season of Advent, we are brought back to the humble beginnings of our salvation.

God's plan of salvation began in Jesus coming to the world as a little helpless baby.

And even in the ministry of Jesus, He used simple and humble things like bread to show the signs of the kingdom of God and God's care and love for His people.

All these simple and humble signs point to the heavenly banquet that is being prepared for those who accept the saving love of God.

So the season of Advent is a time to look at the simple and humble signs like the Nativity scene, the candles on the Advent wreath and the Christmas tree.

When we understand what all these signs point to, then we will know that God's saving love is found in the simple and humble people who do the simple and humble things.

Let us go back to the humble beginnings of our faith and may we grow to be signs of God's saving love for the world.