Daniel 7:15-27 / Luke 21:34-36
For most of us, it does not really matter, but today is the last day of the church liturgical calendar, the last day of the liturgical Year A.
And this evening's liturgy begins with the new cycle of Year B and it starts off with Advent.
But it does not really matter to most of us except that the Sunday Missals for the new cycle must be prepared and ready at the pews.
So day by day, life passes on, and year by year, seasons come and go with such a monotony that our lives may seem to be go on routine and our hearts are not that excited anymore.
Our hearts may not be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of this world, but we may feel tired by the everyday routine and monotony of having to be care-givers or service-providers or just having to give-give-give and not getting much in return.
Or like Daniel in the 1st reading, our hearts may be deeply disturbed by what is happening to our careers, our future, our families, our spouse, our children.
But as we come to the last day of the liturgical year and before we begin a new one, let us with grateful hearts give thanks to God for His blessings and let us also stay awake, praying at all times with hope in the abundant blessings that are to come.
Indeed the end is also the beginning, and as we end off the liturgical Year A with thanksgiving, let us begin the liturgical Year B with praying.
It is a new beginning. It matters because Jesus came to renew all things and to make all things new. Let us then pray for the new heart and a new hope.
Friday, December 1, 2017
Thursday, November 30, 2017
34th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 01-12-17
Daniel 7:2-14 / Luke 21:29-33
For us who live in Singapore, we often say that it is perpetual summer.
Whatever rainy days or rainy seasons we have, there is no need to buy warm or winter clothing.
In Singapore, the attire is summer wear, and we even need air conditioning for our homes and buildings.
So when Jesus said that when trees start to bud, and it means that summer is near, we may not get the reality of that idea although we can imagine it somehow.
But we know what happens when butter is put in the oven. No matter how hard or icy cold the butter may be, in the presence of heat, it melts slowly but surely.
So no matter how hard or icy cold the human heart is because of sin and evil, there is no escaping from the warmth and light of God.
One thing is certain - some hearts melt and then rise to eternal life and joy with God; others melt and sink into everlasting damnation.
Yes, the kingdom of God is near and as things get warmer and hotter, let us decide what we want to be.
We can continue to be wrapped up and be hardened by sin. Or we can start to bud and bloom with God's love.
And if we already know that God is going to triumph in the end, then we need to decide now. Let us pray that we will make the right decisions and we must pray for others to make the right decisions.
For us who live in Singapore, we often say that it is perpetual summer.
Whatever rainy days or rainy seasons we have, there is no need to buy warm or winter clothing.
In Singapore, the attire is summer wear, and we even need air conditioning for our homes and buildings.
So when Jesus said that when trees start to bud, and it means that summer is near, we may not get the reality of that idea although we can imagine it somehow.
But we know what happens when butter is put in the oven. No matter how hard or icy cold the butter may be, in the presence of heat, it melts slowly but surely.
So no matter how hard or icy cold the human heart is because of sin and evil, there is no escaping from the warmth and light of God.
One thing is certain - some hearts melt and then rise to eternal life and joy with God; others melt and sink into everlasting damnation.
Yes, the kingdom of God is near and as things get warmer and hotter, let us decide what we want to be.
We can continue to be wrapped up and be hardened by sin. Or we can start to bud and bloom with God's love.
And if we already know that God is going to triumph in the end, then we need to decide now. Let us pray that we will make the right decisions and we must pray for others to make the right decisions.
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
St. Andrew, Apostle, Thursday, 30-11-17
Romans 10:9-18 / Matthew 4:18-22
In the gospel account, we hear of Jesus calling St. Peter along with his brother St. Andrew.
But there was something else about St. Andrew.
In the gospel according to St. John, St. Andrew was initially a disciple of John the Baptist.
And when John the Baptist pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God, Andrew in turn followed Him.
So we can say that St. Andrew was the first disciple of Jesus.
And it was St. Andrew who brought St. Peter to see Jesus, after telling him that he had found the Messiah.
We can learn much from St. Andrew, especially his attitude as a disciple.
After staying with Jesus and coming to know Him, St. Andrew did not keep this experience to himself, but shared it with his brother St.Peter.
So saints are not nicely sculptured statues, or just pretty colourful pictures on the stained-glass of churches.
They are common people who are opened to Jesus when He came into their lives, and after experiencing Him, they also shared Him with others, just like St. Andrew did.
Let us pray that we will continue to experience Jesus daily and like St. Andrew we will go forth to share Him with others.
In the gospel account, we hear of Jesus calling St. Peter along with his brother St. Andrew.
But there was something else about St. Andrew.
In the gospel according to St. John, St. Andrew was initially a disciple of John the Baptist.
And when John the Baptist pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God, Andrew in turn followed Him.
So we can say that St. Andrew was the first disciple of Jesus.
And it was St. Andrew who brought St. Peter to see Jesus, after telling him that he had found the Messiah.
We can learn much from St. Andrew, especially his attitude as a disciple.
After staying with Jesus and coming to know Him, St. Andrew did not keep this experience to himself, but shared it with his brother St.Peter.
So saints are not nicely sculptured statues, or just pretty colourful pictures on the stained-glass of churches.
They are common people who are opened to Jesus when He came into their lives, and after experiencing Him, they also shared Him with others, just like St. Andrew did.
Let us pray that we will continue to experience Jesus daily and like St. Andrew we will go forth to share Him with others.
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
34th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 29-11-17
Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 / Luke 21:12-19
To make a notice or an official statement, we would use the phrase "Put it in black and white".
Obviously it means to put that notice or statement in writing and to have it recorded and filed. That is how it is usually done.
To write it on the wall would be a crude way of doing it. But whether the notice is pasted on the wall or written on the wall, it would mean something important or something serious.
In the 1st reading, we heard of something that is very startling and even frightening. The fingers of a human hand appeared and began to write on the plaster of the palace wall.
Those words "Mene, Mene, Tekel and Parsin" pronounced judgement on king Belshazzar who had used the sacred vessels that were looted from the sanctuary of the Temple in Jerusalem and used it for his profane merry-making.
That act of profanity was probably the last straw of all his abuses of power that literally made God's hand write out a judgement against him.
In the gospel, as Jesus talked about the persecutions that we as His disciples will have to face, He also said: Keep this carefully in mind - you are not to prepare your defence, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict.
It means that in the face of persecution, we must have the faith and the endurance to see God's hand write out the directions for us.
But more importantly, we must know that we are always in His hand, our names are written in His palm, and His Word will not be written on walls but written by our lives.
To make a notice or an official statement, we would use the phrase "Put it in black and white".
Obviously it means to put that notice or statement in writing and to have it recorded and filed. That is how it is usually done.
To write it on the wall would be a crude way of doing it. But whether the notice is pasted on the wall or written on the wall, it would mean something important or something serious.
In the 1st reading, we heard of something that is very startling and even frightening. The fingers of a human hand appeared and began to write on the plaster of the palace wall.
Those words "Mene, Mene, Tekel and Parsin" pronounced judgement on king Belshazzar who had used the sacred vessels that were looted from the sanctuary of the Temple in Jerusalem and used it for his profane merry-making.
That act of profanity was probably the last straw of all his abuses of power that literally made God's hand write out a judgement against him.
In the gospel, as Jesus talked about the persecutions that we as His disciples will have to face, He also said: Keep this carefully in mind - you are not to prepare your defence, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict.
It means that in the face of persecution, we must have the faith and the endurance to see God's hand write out the directions for us.
But more importantly, we must know that we are always in His hand, our names are written in His palm, and His Word will not be written on walls but written by our lives.
Monday, November 27, 2017
34th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 28-11-17
Daniel 2:31-45 / Luke 21:5-11 (2013)
The end of the world may be a figment of imagination for some, a streak of obsession for others, but nonetheless a point of contention for all of us.
Movies that portray the end of the world events will always enjoy a good box-office success.
For those who can imagine more than others, they can think of things that would happen to the world, things that we couldn't have imagined.
And for most of us, as we try to come to terms with the disasters and tragedies and calamities that come one after another, and at times all together, we might wonder why it is happening and how long more do we have to endure.
And if we are wondering and trying to come to terms with what is happening around us, Jesus states as a matter of fact: And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen, but the end is not so soon.
So it seems that there is more to come and it also seems that it will be for quite a long time more.
As we heard in the 1st reading, mighty kingdoms will come and go. Everything is changing such that not a single stone will be left on another and everything will be destroyed.
Yet even as the winds blow across the shifting sands and time and tide roll on relentlessly, there is one, and only one, constant stability.
In the midst of changes, big or small, God remains as the constant stability on whom we can put our faith and on whom we must put our faith.
If we do not put our faith in God who is our constant stability and who is great in faithfulness, then we will be swarmed with imaginations and obsessions that will only lead us to the abyss of delusions.
Let us stay close to God, the Rock of our faith, and who is the beginning and the end.
The end of the world may be a figment of imagination for some, a streak of obsession for others, but nonetheless a point of contention for all of us.
Movies that portray the end of the world events will always enjoy a good box-office success.
For those who can imagine more than others, they can think of things that would happen to the world, things that we couldn't have imagined.
And for most of us, as we try to come to terms with the disasters and tragedies and calamities that come one after another, and at times all together, we might wonder why it is happening and how long more do we have to endure.
And if we are wondering and trying to come to terms with what is happening around us, Jesus states as a matter of fact: And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen, but the end is not so soon.
So it seems that there is more to come and it also seems that it will be for quite a long time more.
As we heard in the 1st reading, mighty kingdoms will come and go. Everything is changing such that not a single stone will be left on another and everything will be destroyed.
Yet even as the winds blow across the shifting sands and time and tide roll on relentlessly, there is one, and only one, constant stability.
In the midst of changes, big or small, God remains as the constant stability on whom we can put our faith and on whom we must put our faith.
If we do not put our faith in God who is our constant stability and who is great in faithfulness, then we will be swarmed with imaginations and obsessions that will only lead us to the abyss of delusions.
Let us stay close to God, the Rock of our faith, and who is the beginning and the end.
Sunday, November 26, 2017
34th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 27-11-17
Daniel 1:1-6, 8-20 / Luke 21:1-4
Judging a person or something by looks depends on a few factors and most of them are usually logical.
If a person dresses elegantly, we may presume that the person is a neat and tidy person
If something is sleek and well designed, we may presume that much thought and craftsmanship had gone into producing it.
So usually the looks and appearance will shape our judgement and we come to a logical conclusion.
But what if the looks and appearance and our judgement point to a different conclusion?
In the 1st reading, the four young men - Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah - requested for a vegetarian diet so as not to be defiled by the pagan food from the king's table.
But after the trial period, they looked and were in better health than any of the boys who had the food from the royal table.
Certainly it was by the grace of God that this was possible. Otherwise it would be logically difficult to explain that.
In the gospel, Jesus pointed out that it was the poor widow who, with her two coins, had put in more than any of the rich people.
Comparatively it does not seem so. How can two small coins from a poor widow be more than what the rich people put into the treasury.
But God sees things in another way. And by His grace, people and things may not be what they appear to be in our eyes.
We need to ask God for His grace to see more and see beyond before we come to any judgement and conclusion.
Judging a person or something by looks depends on a few factors and most of them are usually logical.
If a person dresses elegantly, we may presume that the person is a neat and tidy person
If something is sleek and well designed, we may presume that much thought and craftsmanship had gone into producing it.
So usually the looks and appearance will shape our judgement and we come to a logical conclusion.
But what if the looks and appearance and our judgement point to a different conclusion?
In the 1st reading, the four young men - Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah - requested for a vegetarian diet so as not to be defiled by the pagan food from the king's table.
But after the trial period, they looked and were in better health than any of the boys who had the food from the royal table.
Certainly it was by the grace of God that this was possible. Otherwise it would be logically difficult to explain that.
In the gospel, Jesus pointed out that it was the poor widow who, with her two coins, had put in more than any of the rich people.
Comparatively it does not seem so. How can two small coins from a poor widow be more than what the rich people put into the treasury.
But God sees things in another way. And by His grace, people and things may not be what they appear to be in our eyes.
We need to ask God for His grace to see more and see beyond before we come to any judgement and conclusion.
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Christ the King, Year A, 26.11.2017
Ezk 34:11-12, 15-17/ 1 Cor 15:20-26, 28/ Mt 25:31-46
Whenever it comes to Friday, some ideas will come to our minds.
For most, it is “TGIF” – Thank God it’s Friday. The work week has ended and the weekend is here.
For priests, it’s “ONIF” – “Oh No it’s Friday”. Especially if the Sunday homily is not yet done!
We know what is Good Friday. It’s called Good Friday because Jesus died for our good.
And then last Friday is called “Black Friday”. It may sound like some kind of unlucky day, like “Friday the 13th” which is thought of as unlucky for whatever reasons.
But Black Friday is a day where retailers offer discounts of up to 50% or even higher. So it’s a day of savings for shoppers and a day of sales for retailers.
But why is it called Black Friday? When shops lose money, the losses are written in red. But on Black Friday, they have the opportunity to make so much sales that the shops make a profit and are “in the black”, as in contrast with “in the red”. Hence, the term “Black Friday”, and this is also a day of savings for consumers.
And talking about savings, there is only one Black Friday that offers eternal savings, and that is on Good Friday.
And coincidentally, this year, on Black Friday, the PSLE results were released and there were not many “in the red” as the news reported that 98.4% of the students made it to secondary school.
So Black Friday can be called a happy day for most shoppers, retailers and students.
But life is certainly more than just shopping for savings and passing exams to get into choice schools.
Today’s gospel brings us back to the basics of being human and it is the gospel text chosen for the feast of Christ the King.
More than just about the basics of being human, it is also the basic examination for our eternal destiny.
The question of feeding the hungry, giving drink to the poor, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked and visiting the imprisoned seems so secular and there seems to be no religious aspect to it.
None of the above is specifically religious, but that is where having a religion and being a human is connected.
Having a religion, should and must make us more human, so that we can feel the needs of other human beings and respond to them with a faith that is expressed in love.
Faith and love are needed to recognise the presence of Jesus hidden among the poor and the needy. Where their needs are met, Jesus is acknowledged and served.
When the hungry are fed, the thirsty given a drink, strangers are offered hospitality, the naked are clothed with dignity, the sick are attended to, and prisoners are visited, then Jesus the King is being served with love. And it takes faith to see all that and do all that.
As in the gospel, the king would say: I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.
So there are no random or meaningless acts. We are all connected in one way or another and our lives meet in Christ just like all the spokes of a wheel meet at the hub. We cannot separate ourselves from each other just as the wind cannot be separated from the breeze.
This fact and reality in addressed in today’s gospel, and a rather interesting reflection of this is in a novel “The Five People You Meet In Heaven” by Mitch Albom.
The novel begins on the last day of Eddie's life. He is 83 years old and works as the maintenance manager at Ruby Pier amusement park, the same job his father once held. Eddie is resigned to his position, even though he swore to never follow in his father's footsteps. Most of the people he loved have passed away and the knee injury he sustained during World War II still plagues his every movement. However, Eddie is loved at Ruby Pier. Eddie is proud of Ruby Pier's spotless safety record, but that all changes when a missing car key damages the machinery on a ride and cart begins to fall off the track. Moving as quickly as he can, Eddie tries to save a young girl from being crushed by the falling cart. He remembers grasping her small hand and then - his life is over.
He goes to heaven and the first character he meets is Blue Man, who was part of the Ruby Pier sideshow when Eddie was eight years old. The Blue Man reveals to Eddie that he was responsible for the Blue Man's death. Young Eddie dashed in front of the Blue Man’s car chasing a runaway baseball, and the Blue Man swerved his car and it crashed and killed him.
Then Eddie meets the second of his "Five People": the commanding officer of his World War II platoon, whom he calls Captain. Eddie recalls being held captive by the enemy in a village, along with the Captain and four others. Then they managed to escape when the village caught fire, but as they were running off, Eddie thought there was a child trapped inside a hut and wanted to save the child. However, a bullet shattered his knee, stopping him in his tracks. Eddie learnt that it was the Captain who shot him in order to prevent him from losing his life in the fire.
Then, Eddie meets Ruby - the third of his "Five People." Ruby reveals that her husband Emile was the founder of Ruby Pier, which he named after his beloved wife. Ruby offers Eddie a new perspective on the circumstances surrounding his father's death. Eddie used to think that his alcoholic and abusive father caught pneumonia after making a drunken decision to jump into the freezing river. However, it turns out that Eddie's father was saving the life of his oldest friend. Eddie's father had many faults, Ruby explains, but he was loyal. She tells Eddie that his father called to his family out the hospital window right before his death. Ruby knows this because she was tending to Emile in the very same room.
Then he met Marguerite, who is the fourth of Eddie's "Five People," and she is there to teach him about eternal love. She shows him that their love was always there, even after she died.
Eddie's fifth and final meeting is with a young girl named Tala. Tala reveals that she was the child Eddie saw in the burning hut as he was escaping, and she died that day. Eddie falls apart upon realizing that he was responsible for this young girl's painful and untimely death, but Tala comforts him.
Tala asks Eddie why he was so unhappy on earth, and Eddie responds that he never did anything meaningful in his life. But Tala tells him that he was meant to be at Ruby Pier to keep all the children safe on the rides. She also reveals that Eddie did save the little girl from the falling cart on the day of his death - he pushed her out of the way.
The novel brings out a point that to understand what happened in our lives and to have it explained and connected together may bring about a peace in our hearts.
But Jesus tells us in the gospel that whatever we do or don’t do, for better or for worse, is done in Him and done to Him.
Those five words “you did it to me” will tell us that we are all connected in one way or another and no act is a random act or a meaningless act.
Those five words “you did it to me” will help us to remember the basics of being human and to live out our faith with love on earth so as to be numbered among the blessed in heaven.
Whenever it comes to Friday, some ideas will come to our minds.
For most, it is “TGIF” – Thank God it’s Friday. The work week has ended and the weekend is here.
For priests, it’s “ONIF” – “Oh No it’s Friday”. Especially if the Sunday homily is not yet done!
We know what is Good Friday. It’s called Good Friday because Jesus died for our good.
And then last Friday is called “Black Friday”. It may sound like some kind of unlucky day, like “Friday the 13th” which is thought of as unlucky for whatever reasons.
But Black Friday is a day where retailers offer discounts of up to 50% or even higher. So it’s a day of savings for shoppers and a day of sales for retailers.
But why is it called Black Friday? When shops lose money, the losses are written in red. But on Black Friday, they have the opportunity to make so much sales that the shops make a profit and are “in the black”, as in contrast with “in the red”. Hence, the term “Black Friday”, and this is also a day of savings for consumers.
And talking about savings, there is only one Black Friday that offers eternal savings, and that is on Good Friday.
And coincidentally, this year, on Black Friday, the PSLE results were released and there were not many “in the red” as the news reported that 98.4% of the students made it to secondary school.
So Black Friday can be called a happy day for most shoppers, retailers and students.
But life is certainly more than just shopping for savings and passing exams to get into choice schools.
Today’s gospel brings us back to the basics of being human and it is the gospel text chosen for the feast of Christ the King.
More than just about the basics of being human, it is also the basic examination for our eternal destiny.
The question of feeding the hungry, giving drink to the poor, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked and visiting the imprisoned seems so secular and there seems to be no religious aspect to it.
None of the above is specifically religious, but that is where having a religion and being a human is connected.
Having a religion, should and must make us more human, so that we can feel the needs of other human beings and respond to them with a faith that is expressed in love.
Faith and love are needed to recognise the presence of Jesus hidden among the poor and the needy. Where their needs are met, Jesus is acknowledged and served.
When the hungry are fed, the thirsty given a drink, strangers are offered hospitality, the naked are clothed with dignity, the sick are attended to, and prisoners are visited, then Jesus the King is being served with love. And it takes faith to see all that and do all that.
As in the gospel, the king would say: I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.
So there are no random or meaningless acts. We are all connected in one way or another and our lives meet in Christ just like all the spokes of a wheel meet at the hub. We cannot separate ourselves from each other just as the wind cannot be separated from the breeze.
This fact and reality in addressed in today’s gospel, and a rather interesting reflection of this is in a novel “The Five People You Meet In Heaven” by Mitch Albom.
The novel begins on the last day of Eddie's life. He is 83 years old and works as the maintenance manager at Ruby Pier amusement park, the same job his father once held. Eddie is resigned to his position, even though he swore to never follow in his father's footsteps. Most of the people he loved have passed away and the knee injury he sustained during World War II still plagues his every movement. However, Eddie is loved at Ruby Pier. Eddie is proud of Ruby Pier's spotless safety record, but that all changes when a missing car key damages the machinery on a ride and cart begins to fall off the track. Moving as quickly as he can, Eddie tries to save a young girl from being crushed by the falling cart. He remembers grasping her small hand and then - his life is over.
He goes to heaven and the first character he meets is Blue Man, who was part of the Ruby Pier sideshow when Eddie was eight years old. The Blue Man reveals to Eddie that he was responsible for the Blue Man's death. Young Eddie dashed in front of the Blue Man’s car chasing a runaway baseball, and the Blue Man swerved his car and it crashed and killed him.
Then Eddie meets the second of his "Five People": the commanding officer of his World War II platoon, whom he calls Captain. Eddie recalls being held captive by the enemy in a village, along with the Captain and four others. Then they managed to escape when the village caught fire, but as they were running off, Eddie thought there was a child trapped inside a hut and wanted to save the child. However, a bullet shattered his knee, stopping him in his tracks. Eddie learnt that it was the Captain who shot him in order to prevent him from losing his life in the fire.
Then, Eddie meets Ruby - the third of his "Five People." Ruby reveals that her husband Emile was the founder of Ruby Pier, which he named after his beloved wife. Ruby offers Eddie a new perspective on the circumstances surrounding his father's death. Eddie used to think that his alcoholic and abusive father caught pneumonia after making a drunken decision to jump into the freezing river. However, it turns out that Eddie's father was saving the life of his oldest friend. Eddie's father had many faults, Ruby explains, but he was loyal. She tells Eddie that his father called to his family out the hospital window right before his death. Ruby knows this because she was tending to Emile in the very same room.
Then he met Marguerite, who is the fourth of Eddie's "Five People," and she is there to teach him about eternal love. She shows him that their love was always there, even after she died.
Eddie's fifth and final meeting is with a young girl named Tala. Tala reveals that she was the child Eddie saw in the burning hut as he was escaping, and she died that day. Eddie falls apart upon realizing that he was responsible for this young girl's painful and untimely death, but Tala comforts him.
Tala asks Eddie why he was so unhappy on earth, and Eddie responds that he never did anything meaningful in his life. But Tala tells him that he was meant to be at Ruby Pier to keep all the children safe on the rides. She also reveals that Eddie did save the little girl from the falling cart on the day of his death - he pushed her out of the way.
The novel brings out a point that to understand what happened in our lives and to have it explained and connected together may bring about a peace in our hearts.
But Jesus tells us in the gospel that whatever we do or don’t do, for better or for worse, is done in Him and done to Him.
Those five words “you did it to me” will tell us that we are all connected in one way or another and no act is a random act or a meaningless act.
Those five words “you did it to me” will help us to remember the basics of being human and to live out our faith with love on earth so as to be numbered among the blessed in heaven.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)