The rest of my life (prayer meeting 21/08/2013)

Few years back, the whole world is experiencing an economic downturn due to the subprime crisis which began in 2008. The crisis happened due to the rise in subprime mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures. The crisis has brought a tremendous impact on our economy that lead us  into a recession,which ultimately brings unemployment to the country. 

In today's Gospel, what can we understand the parable given by Jesus about work and wages, welfare and the unemployed that tell us about the kingdom of God? In the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, we see the extraordinary generosity and compassion of God. There is great tragedy in unemployment, the loss of work, and the inability to earn enough to live and support oneself or one's family. In Jesus' times laborers had to wait each day in the marketplace until someone hired them for a day's job. No work that day usually meant no food on the family table. The laborers who worked all day and received their payment complain that the master pays the late afternoon laborers the same wage. The master, undoubtably, hired them in the late afternoon so they wouldn't go home payless and hungry.

We can see God generosity. God is generous in opening the doors of his kingdom to all who will enter, both those who have labored a life-time for him and those who come at the last hour. While the reward is the same, the motive for one's labor can make all the difference. Some work only for reward. They will only put as much effort in as they think they will get back. Others labor out of love and joy for the opportunity to work and to serve others. The Lord calls his disciples to serve God and neighbor his heavenly kingdom and our earthly community with generosity and joy. Do you perform your work and responsibilities with cheerfulness and diligence for the Lord's sake? And do you give generously to others, especially to those in need of your care and support?

Perhaps, you might have wasted your life in "doing your own thing." Now, we are the follower of Christ through baptism, we have given our life to Jesus, we don't want "to spend what remains of the earthly life on human desires but on the will of God, because we know that the will of God always is the best for us. We don't want to do something that hurt our relationship with God. Already you have devoted enough time to what the pagans enjoy" (1 Pt 4:2-3).

Today, the Lord wants to change your sorrow into joy (see Ps 30:12) by assuring you that He will give you a full-day's pay even if you've only worked for Him a very short time (Mt 20:14). The Lord "will repay you for the years which the locust has eaten" (Jl 2:25), that is, for the wasted years of life. The Lord in His mercy often saves the best for last, as He did at the wedding feast of Cana (Jn 2:10). So "give no thought to what lies behind but push on to what is ahead" (Phil 3:13).

The Lord has died to atone for our past, so forget about it. Let us thank the Lord that we have the privilege of living for Him in the present, at the same time, let us make the following promise: "For the rest of my life, I will serve the Lord alone, in every way, with all my heart." Amen.

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven

The experiences in my faith journey leave me astounded even now, because the whole process of awakening to God's love in my life, has truly been awesome! God's grace and my own admiration of Mary, our Blessed Mother, led me on in my search for a deeper meaning in life. This Thursday we will be celebrating a wonderful feast of Mary's Assumption into heaven. She was a model disciple open to God's grace. The feast celebrates the special place that Mary has in the life of the Church. This place is first of all defined by her being chosen to be the mother of Jesus, his only human parent. This alone gives her a uniqueness which is shared by no other person who has ever lived. By her assumption, we can understand that Mary, because of the dignity of her motherhood and her own personal submission to God's will at every stage of her life, takes precedence over everyone in the sharing of God's glory which is the destiny of all of us who die united with Christ her son.

The pope declared that the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary should be treated as a dogma of the church in 1950. The Pope defined the Assumption of Mary to be the dogma of faith: "We pronounce, declare and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory."  In the Roman Catholic Church, the dogma means an article of faith revealed by God, which the magisterium  of the church presents as necessary to be believed. Now, one may ask what is the significance of the date? What happen prior to 1950? Yes, World War II had just ended lest than 10 years ago. Nevertheless, the whole Europe and many parts of Asia and North Africa were still in ruins. It was only after the war that the people came to know the extent of atrocities committed. Million of people were dead, either victims of fighting or the result of the concentration camps. More were dying due to the lack of amenities, nutrition and shelter. Although the Germans in Europe and the Japanese in Asia were defeated, there was a general feeling of hopelessness.

The questions asked were these: Where was God when all of this happened? Is there to this human life of suffering? Is human life precious and valuable? What must we do in the face of overwhelming evil?
We can find the answer from the dogma of the Assumption. The dogma and the Feast of the Assumption was, above all, a message of HOPE. It is hope especially for those who seem hopeless. It is hope for those who are weak. It is hope for those who seem to be overwhelmed by the power of evil. It is hope for those who are close to defeat and failure. It is hope for those who have suffered much.

In the first reading, we see the vision of the writer of the book of Apocalypse with the encouraging words to the listeners who remain loyal to God. Here we hear of a woman, clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve starts, associating her with realm of God. She gave birth to a son who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. These words are symbolic, meaning that Jesus gloriously resurrected and He now rules at the right hand of the Heavenly Father. Then again there is the symbol of the great dragon with seven heads and ten horns, signifying the evil and is always eager to destroy the good and perpetuate the evil. The woman symbolized in Mary and there is the promise of salvation in the world and the full authority of Christ. The reading also tell us of her struggle, Her vulnerable position is made worse by the fact that she is in labour. We have also picture of the fearsome of dragon. The dragon towers over the woman. It appears that nothing can withstand the power of the dragon. But God intervenes. God saves the woman and allows her to bring a child into this world- a simple child who will be the real ruler of the universe and not the dragon. At the moment when all appeared to be lost, at the moment of certain defeat, God ensures victory for those who are weak and afflicted.

The Second reading taken from the letter to the Corinthians, Paul tells us that by his glorious resurrection Christ became the first fruit of those who have fallen asleep. Mary is the first to benefit completely by her assumption. Paul again tells us that all the enemies have been destroyed and God has put them under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death and hence it is the victory for the pure and innocent life lived and this is justified is Mary the Immaculate one. When Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, he lost his inheritance to eternal life and death came to human race. Through his Resurrection Christ brought life to the world. Indeed, Christ is the first one to enjoy a glorious resurrection and is the cause of the resurrection of all. It is only through the church and the Sacrament of Baptism that we receive our new creation, our new heart and spirit of the godly seed, as our assurance of eternal life in the Kingdom of God. Mary through her assumption is the first to enjoy the fullness of his saving activity. Adam brought death into the world through his sin and Jesus brought life through his sinless life. Mary is now body and soul with Christ in Heaven.

The Gospel begins with the story of Mary's visit her cousin, Elizabeth, when both were pregnant with divine grace and were expecting their first child. Both the woman are bearing in their wombs children who when grown up will change the course of world events. The entire encounter is filled with urgency and joy. The story contains most of the elements which contribute to the status we give to Mary in our Church. We have Mary who soon after the Annunciation goes to see Elizabeth and John (still in his mother's womb). Already in the womb, Jesus is showing that urge to serve rather than be served. In Mary we see her true nature to serve and she shows her concern towards Elizabeth. As soon as Mary greets Elizabeth, two things happen:

First, at the presence of Jesus and his mother, the child in Elizabeth's womb jumps for joy.

Second, Elizabeth, in turn, recognizes the special position of Mary and her Son: filled with the Holy Spirit, she called Mary the "Mother of my Lord." She is aware of what has taken place in Mary. She also says, "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb."

Elizabeth deeply moved that is it Jesus and his Mother have come to her and says "how is that the mother of my Lord comes to me?" Further she praises Mary for she had unconditionally accepted to submit to God's plan.

Mary's response is the Magnificat, the song of thanksgiving and her own hymn of praise. Mary praises and thanks God for allowing her to be a privileges servant of God. She also sings of how God will defend the cause of the weak and defeat the powers of the world: "He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away."

Today we may be in the midst of a difficult situation, we may be facing a problem that seems so huge. Today, we may be ready to give up in the face of failure. Today, we may feel that our voice cannot be heard because we are a minority living in the country. Today, the darkness and evil of the world may seem so overwhelming that there appears to be no way out. Yet, today, on this Feast of the Assumption, we are reminded that the power of God is much greater than any of these things. Evil and death can crush the body, but it cannot crush the soul. Others may take away our external freedom, the freedom to speak out, freedom to change our religion. However, they cannot take away our inner freedom, the freedom of conscience. Problems may threaten us from every angle, but problems cannot overcome us.

Today, we echo the hope of Mary in affirming the greatness of God- this is the God, who according to St. Paul, will put all his enemies including death under his feet.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI tells us that the Feast of the Assumption is a day of joy because God has won, Love has won, and it has won life. Love has shown that is it stronger than death, that God possesses the true strength and that his strength is goodness and love. Mary was taken up body and soul into heaven: There is  even room in God for the body. Heaven is no longer a very remote sphere unknown to us. We have a Mother in heaven. And the Mother of God, the Mother of the Son of God, is our Mother.

Mary is a sure sign of hope. What the Lord has done for Mary, the mother of the Church, He will do for us, the members of the Church. There is hope, a great and glorious hope. No matter how earth-bound, sin-bound, and death-bound we seem, we can give our lives to Jesus and fly away. We will not only fly like the eagle (see Is 40:31) but also like Mary. In Jesus, "we shall overcome one day." Mary has proven it. Believe! Hope! Fly!

Why should I go to confession?

"Why should I go to confession? My non-Catholic friends tell me they're forgiven by praying directly to God; Why aren't Catholics? And if I do have to go, how often?" This is a question I have been asked several times over the years by my non-catholic and non-christian friends. Confession is one of the least understood of the sacraments of the Catholic Church. In reconciling us to God, it is a great source of grace, and Catholics are encouraged to take advantage of it often.

To understand why confession is important for Catholics, let us first understand how the church look at this sacrament. Confession is the Sacrament of Penance, one of the seven sacraments recognized by the Catholic Church. Catholics believe that all of the sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ himself. In the case of confession, that institution occurred on Easter Sunday, when Christ first appeared to the apostles after his Resurrection. Breathing on them, he said: "Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sin you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained" (John 20: 22-23). You might be wondering what is the Sacraments mean to the Catholic Church. Sacraments are an outward sign of an inward grace. Since we are talking confession here, the outward sign is the absolution, or forgiveness of sins, that the priest grants to the penitent(the person confessing his/her sins); the inward grace is the reconciliation of the penitent to God.

The purpose of confession is to reconciling man to God. When we sin, we deprive ourselves of God's grace. And by doing so, we make it even easier to sin more. The only way out of this downward cycle is to acknowledge our sins, to repent of them, and to ask God's forgiveness. Then, in the Sacrament of confession, grace can be restored to our souls, and we can once again resist sin.

When we sins, we are not only hurting the relationship with God, it also injured the entire church-----------the body of Christ. I guess the first and biggest misconception we have seems to revolve around the idea that sin is somehow just about "me and God." However, we fail to recognized that humans are communal creatures and everything we do good or bad, reaches out and touches someone. Perhaps, the best analogy is to think of sin as a wild dog that we cut loose in a room full of people. Someone is going to get bitten and we have no control over that once the dog has gotten loose.

The most obvious example of this is in the basis of what we believe: We were all condemned by the sin of Adam and all saved by the obedience of Jesus. Beyond that, on a personal and practical level, let's think of how someone else's sin can change our day and the way we relate the rest of that day. We can look at the example of our lives. Just few years back, the high school where I studied before, we lost a student and his mom to a drunken driver. How tragic and horrible is that? The world was robbed on that day of gifts, talents and love of two beautiful human beings because of one man's sin. The effects of that are obvious.

Now, before we fall into any kind of self-righteous rage, how about our sins? How about gossip? That little tidbit you passed along to your friend about that guy or girl at your workplace? What were the effects of that? Do you ever wonder? Were there any positive ones? We even sometimes go so far as to try to call it something like "venting," so that it sounds healthy instead of sick. What a mess that can make! We've all been victims and we know how impossible gossip is to fight; yet we don't hesitate to pass along the bad news and our speculations about other people. The effects of just that one sin can really cause a world of damage and take people away from each other.

Using that example, we can see how that sin is never "just between God and me." It's between the wounded person, the whole world and me. The easiest response to this is to feel despair, but we've got good news that trumps all the bad. That is where confession comes into picture. God offers us a remedy and a beautiful one at that: The Sacrament of reconciliation. 

We go to reconciliation because we acknowledge that our sin is communal and God's mercy is boundless.He forgives us  for the horror that we inflict on his creation, whether we meant to or not. Not only that, but God offers it freely and with joy. Wow, awesome right?

Another great reason for us to go to the sacrament of reconciliation is because we are, ultimately, physical creatures. We were created with a need to see, to hear and to touch. I can sit here in my room and remind myself that I am forgiven, but when someone else, someone that I trust, someone representing Christ in the Church, tells me "God forgives you freely," there's some real power to that. We are all aware of our own ability to deceive ourselves, but the priest in the confessional has nothing to gain by lying to us about forgiveness. The conviction in his voice alone can, at times, be a big part of the healing.

As a personal testimony, I have to tell you that regular confession has changed my life. I'm learning more and more how deep the sin in my life goes. That sounds depressing or sad, but it's not. Connected to that knowledge is the realization that I am forgiven. More and more, I see that reconciliation is all about maintain my relationship with Jesus and allowing Him to remove everything that blocks me from receiving God's love.

So, with all that in mind, how often should you go? The church law is a little bit generous on this, so we'll have to look at it a couple ways. First of all, we are require to confess any serious sins at least once a year, so there is that. And it is recommended that we also confess our venial sins. But, beyond that, if we want to receive Holy Communion ( The Body and Blood of Christ), we need to make sure that if we have committed any mortal sins, first we need to go for confession.

Enjoy another day in God's presence!  Jesus loves you.