New Year Resolution

"What is your new year resolution?" This is the hottest topic among peers throughout this season of time. Yes, 2014 is ending soon, I wish I can earn more money next year. I guess many of us will try to figure out a whole long list of things that needs to be done in 2015. 

So what’s in store for this coming New Year? Good luck or bad luck? As we stand at the threshold of a new year, it is natural that many would attempt to divine their fortune for the following year. We would certainly like to ward off the misfortune that we had experienced in the past year and pray for a real break in fortune for the next. You don’t have to grab an almanac or get the latest Lillian Too’s feng shui book for 2015 in order to get your annual predictions. 

Today’s liturgy and readings provides us with all the projection that is necessary. On the first day of the New Year, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God. But this feast isn’t really about Mary. It’s about Jesus. By celebrating this feast of Mary and affirming that she is Mother of God, we are also affirming that Jesus is God. Mary is not only the mother of Jesus, she is also the mother of God. Jesus is God. The baby that was born on Christmas day, the baby whom some call the Son of Mary, today we acknowledge as the true Son of God.

We may be wondering as to what significance this knowledge brings to us. The answer lies in the second reading. St. Paul writes: “When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons.” That’s it. God’s Son became man so that we can become sons and daughters of God. Our salvation did not only take place on the cross. Our salvation begins with Christmas – when God became man. Today’s feast of Mary, Mother of God, confirms this central faith of Christians everywhere … our Saviour is not just some great human personage or enlightened soul, our Saviour is God. Christmas is the feast where we celebrate and proclaim our faith that this immortal Deity took on the flesh and mortality of a human person in order that all humanity may assume the divinity of his nature. Son of God became man in order that men may become sons of God.

Thus, if we were to wonder whether the following year will be filled with blessings or curses, we already have the answer. This is our greatest blessing – being called children of God. We often pray that God will bless us with good luck, or with riches, or with good results at our exams, or with good children, or a good bonus or win fall, or with success. But we often forget that his greatest blessing isn’t in all these things. God’s greatest blessing isn’t found in good luck or riches or in success. His greatest blessing comes in the form of our adoption as his children. We can call him “Abba Father” and he calls us his sons and daughters. This is our most precious blessing.

Mary understood the meaning of this truth – that our greatest blessing lay not in fortunes, good luck, and perfect conditions but in our new relationship with God. Today, in the gospel we read of how “Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.” What were some of the things she treasured? Instead of having rich and powerful visitors, she was contented with the visit of poor and humble shepherds. The shepherds were not rich or powerful but their presence was far greater than the presence of any king or rich man because the shepherds could recognize the blessing of God in the baby Jesus, while others couldn’t. Any mother could have wished that they could have delivered their baby in a clean hospital or a comfortable house, but Mary was contented with the stable and the animals who shared their home with the holy family. Although rejected by men, the animals welcomed the Son of God.

How was Mary able to recognize these blessings in midst of what appears to be misfortune? Mary provides us with the example of prayerful reflection. Prayerful reflection allows us to walk by faith and not by sight. Prayerful reflection allows our vision to penetrate the darkness of misfortune in order for us to behold the face of God who continues to shine on us in both good times and bad. When we are unable to savour silent prayer, meditation and contemplation, we will find ourselves impoverished. When we recognize God’s greatest gift and blessing in the person of Jesus who made us sons and daughters of God, then we will be contented with whatever we have. If we are sons and daughters of God, then we are also his heirs. What is the inheritance that we will receive? Our inheritance is eternal life, in that which is imperishable and not in the worldly possessions that are perishable. We don’t have to wait till after death to claim it in heaven. This inheritance is already ours – Now! We are children of God, that is a treasure in itself – and we have no need for any other.

So, what’s my two cents worth of prediction for the following year? Would it be a good year or a bad year? Let me tell you without any doubt – it’s going to be a splendid year, a great year, a marvelous year – a year of blessings. A year where we can continue to be assured of our inheritance that has been won for us in Christ.

And so as we rejoice with Mary over the treasure of her son, Jesus, the Son of God, I pray that you will receive God’s every blessing, especially the blessing of being called children of God. Using the words of Moses, let me say to you:
“May the Lord bless you and keep you
May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.”

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

Christmas Vigil Mass

“不要忘记你的根”- Do not forget your own root. The root where we come from, or, perhaps the genealogies were significant ventures in the past because they were ways people stayed connected. In most eras of human history and in different parts of the world, family names and family histories were integral, living factors in people’s lives.

Of all the ways to start a best seller, this isn’t one of them. “A genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham…” followed by a long list of names, most of them unpronounceable… Yawn. It’s likely many would have doze off before reaching the end. It’s no wonder that this passage is one we tend to overlook. Many, including priests who have the benefit of choosing the shorter version, would be inclined to skip verses 1 to 17 and go right to verses 18, which says, “This is how Jesus Christ came to be born.” We just don’t know what to do with it. So why does Matthew begin the Christmas story with a genealogy? 

In scripture, the genealogies were not only devices which sought to compress centuries of human history into a single paragraph but more importantly served to demonstrate God’s faithfulness to his people in every generation, a faithfulness that remain intact in spite of humanity’s sinfulness.

Genealogies meant a great deal to the Jewish people too. Knowing your genealogy was important to a people who cared about maintaining their identity. Genealogies were important to show that they were part of the Chosen race; it was a prerequisite qualification for temple priesthood; and finally, it served to support the cause of royal claimants to the throne of the ancient monarchy of Israel. That’s exactly why the genealogy of Jesus is so important: it proves that he is descended from the unbroken line of Abraham and the David. The genealogy of Jesus serves as a kind of provenance, a certificate of origin. But in the usual ironical twist of the ordinary, we encounter a surprise ending: after detailing this whole illustrious line of ancestors (with a few questionable characters thrown in for good measure), it became clear that the line is broken at the very end. Joseph is indeed a direct descendant of David and Abraham, but Jesus is not of his issue! 

The beginning of the Christmas story in Matthew has several important lessons for our generation too. 

First, the genealogy, by connecting the birth of Jesus to human history, seeks to present this event as a new beginning for creation. It doesn’t take a genius to notice that the word ‘genealogy’ and ‘genesis’ have a common root, which means beginning. Here St Matthew deliberately wants us to begin reading his book with a sense of recalling the past. He wants to take us all the way back to the beginning and see his book, beginning with the birth of Jesus Christ, as a fresh start and a new beginning. Matthew is saying in the first line of his gospel that this world has two beginnings. The first one took place a long time ago in Chapter 1 of Genesis when God created the heavens and the earth, and everything was good. But we know how that story ended. Man has yearned ever since to correct the fatal mistake of his forefathers and undo all the damage that sin has brought to the world. The good news which St Matthew announces on this night is that the birth of Jesus does exactly this. Christ is the new beginning. 

The original creation, which is damaged, flawed, and broken, is now being restored and transformed in the person of Jesus Christ. And so for all of us who are longing for a fresh start, and who are longing for everything in this world to be put right, the birth of Jesus is what makes this possible. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The birth of Jesus is a new beginning for all of us, and for the whole world.

Second, the birth of Jesus also proved that God fulfills his promises; in particular, He will go to ridiculous lengths to keep his promise to save us. From the moment of man’s fall, when Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God, God has set into motion this great plan to bring about humanity’s redemption and salvation. We hear this promise reverberating through the centuries as humanity and Israel plodded along. The only one way to redeem man was to provide a substitute, not just any sacrificial animal, but a perfect man, a perfect sacrifice that would take the place of sinful man. And, through Jesus, God gave the whole world a substitute. That’s why Matthew makes it clear by giving us this genealogy that Jesus is the Son of Abraham, the promised sacrifice. But God has also promised his people with a king. Jesus is that king because this messed up world of ours is in need of a ruler who will undertake this cosmic clean up and reclaim the universe for God’s glory. In, Jesus we see the fulfillment of the promise made to David that his descendant will reign forever. 

The fact that God keeps his promises is great news because it means that God will work through ridiculous circumstances to save his people. He will spare no effort to save us, because God always keeps His promises. There comes a point when we are tempted to cut our losses and call it quits. But not God. No matter how unfaithful the Israelites were, no matter how hopeless things seemed, no matter how impossible it was to keep going, God never abandoned them, God kept going. The genealogy becomes an account of God’s sublime faithfulness. Through wars, famines, betrayals, slavery, exile, and turmoil, God is going to make sure that Jesus comes. 

And that brings me to my final point. When you examine some of the names listed in this genealogy, you would certainly come to the conclusion that God will work through ridiculous people to accomplish his will. Thus the genealogy highlights that the birth of Jesus includes us all. Most of us are embarrassed of and do all within our power to sugar-coat the narrative, conceal the skeletons in our closet, the black sheep of the family, the shady characters that sully the pristine purity of our family tree. But here in this genealogy, St Matthew lays it bare and sets out a family line that hides nothing and reveals everything. Listed among the list are illustrious patriarchs that figure prominently in the Old Testament, kings, and persons of power and position. But the list is not re-edited to weed out the questionable characters. 

Included in the list are four women. What is significant here was who these four women were? Why are they mentioned and not others? We have Tamar, the prostitute who tricked her father-in-law into incestuous union to ensure that she could continue the line of her husband; Rahab, another prostitute who was the ‘Matahari’ of her days, betrayed her own people and sheltered the enemy spies; Ruth, the grandmother of David, who was a foreigner, a Moabite, who seduced her employer and married him; and then we have Uriah’s wife, the woman involved in David’s scandalous adulterous affair and cover up and the mother of Solomon. So in this list you have great people, but you also have people with a past. The genealogy leaves a paper trail of men, women, adulterers, prostitutes, heroes, and Gentiles open for public scrutiny. Right from the start, Matthew is telling us that Jesus is immersed in the gritty and seamy side of fallen humanity. No matter who you are, people like you are already part of Jesus’ story. Right from the start, God chooses the most sinful, broken, and unlikely people to be his players and actors in His divine drama of salvation. Man’s wilfulness, sinfulness and brokenness cannot hinder the purposes of God. That’s great news. 

So enduring a torturously long reading of the genealogy wasn’t simply a waste of time. This is no boring prelude to the exciting stuff that’s going to come later. In fact, this is story-telling at its best. Right from the beginning, St Matthew wants us to understand that the birth of Jesus marks a new beginning, it demonstrates the fulfilment of all of God’s promises, and finally announces the good news that Christ’s coming is for all kinds of people, saints and sinners alike. As we continue to keep vigil and await the moment when we remember the birth of that wonderful baby in Bethlehem, let us take in this amazing picture of God’s plan of salvation, a plan that he seeks to fulfil against the odds, a plan that refuses to be waylaid by human failing and weakness. Let us on this night, join this wonderful story. It’s a time for a fresh start; it’s time to start believing that God has not abandoned you because he always keep his promise; and finally it’s time to realise that this story includes you, no matter how unlikely a person you may be. 

The light shines brightest in darkness

Christmass Midnight Mass 

Darkness, when we speak of darkness, it has come to symbolize everything that doesn’t seem right in our lives – our frustrations, our setbacks, our losses, our failures, our pains and hurts. We try to break free of the darkness on our own, but sometimes the prison in which we find ourselves encased in seems too formidable or large for our very best efforts. But the experience of the darkness has also brought about a greater appreciation of its antithesis. In a way, darkness has taught us to appreciate the light. One often fails to appreciate or recognize the light unless one sees the stark contrast when it is juxtaposed against the dark.

On this Christmas night, we see the interplay of light and darkness. The Prophet Isaiah in the first reading prophesied that a people who live in darkness will see a great light. The fulfillment comes in the gospel story of shepherds caring for their flock in the fields on that first Christmas night. These shepherds are away from the hustle and bustle of urban living, away from the light pollution of the cities that dim our vision of the stars. They truly live and work in darkness. But it is not just physical darkness that we are speaking of. The shepherds were often regarded as the scum and refuse of society. They were frequently stereotyped as petty thieves, cheats, and were regarded ritually unclean by their more pious and righteous neighbours. The darkness in their lives encompassed both sin and alienation. They were proverbially ‘the people who lived in darkness.’ It may seem strange and out of place to see that the angels chose to appear before them to bring good news of the birth of a new King. It would not be surprising, however, if we can understand how light stands out brighter in the midst of darkness. The city folks who were often enamoured by other bright attractions and those others who had everything together that very night, would pay little attention to a strange constellation of stars. The artificial lights of their lives had blinded them to seeing the true light. Only those who live in darkness and could recognize their very situation could hope, long and expect to see the light.

Today, Our Saviour has been born to us! He is that light in the darkness! He is the Messiah long promised by God through the prophets! He is the Prince of Peace and the Lord of Lords! In today’s gospel, the angels announce his arrival with these words: “Do not be afraid!” “Do not be afraid” because a child is born for us, “a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

All of these do not make any sense to someone who seem to have it all together. Who looks for a Saviour unless one feels the need to be saved? Who searches for the light unless one is experiencing darkness? Who strives for peace unless they are undergoing turmoil? Who cries out for strength unless one knows fear? We often come to a sorry conclusion that Christmas isn’t Christmas till it happens in your heart – a song that tends to equate our subjective feelings with the essence of Christmas. There is often an erroneous presumption that unless everything is perfect or goes according to plan, then our Christmas will be disaster. If this is really the criteria by which Christmas should be judged, then the first Christmas would be a massive catastrophe – the census came at a wrong time, the delivery room was a sanitary nightmare and the birth could have happened under better times and circumstances. Yet, it in spite of so many things going wrong, it remained nevertheless the first Christmas, the greatest Christmas ever celebrated. A celebration of light in the midst of darkness.

This is what Christmas is all about. Christmas isn’t about the absence of darkness, but being able to see the light in spite of the darkness, a light which the darkness can never consume, a light which will prevail, a light which will show us the way. We, who have walked in darkness, in the darkness of sin, in the darkness of our fears, in the darkness of our failures, loss and disappointments, have now seen a great light. It is Jesus Christ. St. Paul tells us in the second reading: “He sacrificed himself for us in order to set us free from all wickedness and to purify a people so that it could be hive very own and would have no ambition except to do good.” Therefore, “Do not be afraid.” 

If you are afraid of being alone, if you are afraid of growing old alone, “do not be afraid” because you will never be alone, God is with you. If you are afraid of the future, if you are anxious about what is going to happen to you, “do not be afraid” because God has already established his kingdom of peace, and nothing will prevail against it. If you are afraid of making certain difficult decisions, if you are afraid of standing up for the truth, “do not be afraid” because “God’s grace has been revealed, and it has made salvation possible for the whole human race and taught us that what we have to do is to give up everything that does not lead to God … that we must be self-restrained and live good and religious lives here in this present world.”

On that first Christmas Day, the angels announced this news of great joy to the shepherds. Today the angels and the saints and the entire Church announces this same good news to you: “Today a saviour has been born to you, he is Christ the Lord.”

Learn to receive and accept

Fourth Sunday of Advent - Year B

Christmas is just around the corner! Our focus during this season of Advent has visibly changed on this Fourth Sunday of Advent. In the first three Sundays, there seems to be greater focus on the Second Coming of Christ. Today, we shift our focus to the first coming of Christ at the Incarnation, at Christmas - the word made flesh. We begin to see the fulfillment of this prophecy and the unfolding of God's plan of redemption in the events leading up to the Incarnation, the birth of the Messiah King. The new era of salvation begins with the miraculous conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary. 

This child to be born is conceived by the gracious action of the Holy Spirit upon Mary, who finds favor with God. As Eve was the mother of all humanity doomed to sin, now Mary becomes the mother of the new Adam who will father a new humanity by his grace.

In today's Gospel, we are at the scene of The Annunciation. We see Mary believed God's word and gave her "yes" to God's will when the word of God delivered by Angel Gabriel. She knows she is hearing something beyond human capability. It will surely take a miracle which surpasses all that God has done previously. Her question, "how shall this be, since I have no husband" is not prompted by doubt or skepticism, but by wonderment! She is a true hearer of the Word and she immediately responds with faith and trust. Mary's prompt response of "yes" to the divine message is a model of faith for all believers. Mary believed God's promises even when they seemed impossible. She was full of grace because she trusted that what God said was true and would be fulfilled. She was willing and eager to do God's will, even if it seemed difficult or costly. Mary is the mother of God because God becomes incarnate when he takes on flesh in her womb. Jesus, whom the Father sent from heaven, is both true God and true man.

Today, it's time for us to ponder on how often we tend to follow our own will instead of the will of God? Perhaps, some even think that the choice that we make is equivalent to God's will. No doubt that we often hear people saying that "this is what God want me to do!" I guess the decision that we often make serve as our own self-fulfilment more than the will of God for us. In the society that speaks of certainty, we love to in charge of everything and we love to control. I guess there's where the society do not have peace in their lives because they think they can solve all the problems without relying on God's power. 

Today, we have Mary, Our Blessed Mother, the model of faith to guide us to be a good Christian. Being good Christians, first and foremost, means learning to receive and accept from God’s hands whatever he wishes to give us. This was the quality of Mary. She had nothing to give God. She was a young fourteen year old girl. No one takes a child or a teenager seriously. What could she offer God? She was a woman. In Jewish society, women were second class citizens – they were only a little higher than the servants. She had no possession, no talent, no power to offer to God. Yet God chose her as the mother of His Son and He blessed her. She had won God’s favour only by being attentive to God’s will. She had won God’s favour only because she was ready to ‘listen.’ Mary is great because she learnt how to receive and accept from the hands of God whatever He wished to give her.
Today, we may think that we have nothing to give God. That may be true – no gift of ours is worthy. Everything that we have comes from God. What we are capable of giving isn’t that important. The question we must ask ourselves- are we prepared to receive from God’s hands? To be the receiver instead of the giver places us in the power of the giver. We can’t choose the gift. We can only choose to accept or reject whatever is given to us. Sometimes, that can be frightening. But there is nothing to be afraid off. We are called to place our lives in the hands of God. We must allow God to take control of our lives.

Let us unite our voices with the voice of Mary: “I am the handmaid of the Lord” – “We are merely the servants of God”. “Let what you have said be done to me.

"Rejoice, be happy"- Gaudete Sunday

Third Sunday of Advent - Year B 

The church teaches and celebrates the liturgical events/feasts throughout the year as it lives the entire life of Christ. During the course of each year, the Church calls to our attention, what Christianity is all about. By including the 'Christ' - events within a liturgical celebration, the Church helps to make available to us, Christ's saving power through the sacraments. What Jesus once did in Israel, He now does in the mysteries of the Liturgy. 

The year is divided into two major seasons of i) Advent / Christmas; and ii) Lent / Easter/ Pentecost, with Ordinary time occurring between them. The church also has its own liturgical colours used for vestments and hangings within the context of the Christian Liturgy.  There is a distinction between the colour of the vestments worn by the clergy for each liturgical seasons. 

Today you will notice that the priest is wearing a rose/pink vestment when he enter the church in procession. Yes, today is the day which is known as "Gaudete Sunday". The Latin word Gaudate means rejoice. Yes, today is "Rejoice Sunday". We are rejoicing because soon and very soon Christ will come in glory this Christmas.

Well, one may argue by saying "do you expect me to be happy in the midst of sorrow"?Perhaps, sometimes we are confronted with a whole range of bad news, disasters and tragedies. Even if we were to come across some piece of good news, one isn’t really sure whether it’s the truth or just another propaganda churned out by the establishment. The politics in this country is really so bad that I don’t think I would even vote in the next elections. What’s the point? All the candidates would be equally abysmal. There is simply no hope that things are going to get better. The economy is going to the dogs and there is nothing I can do about it. My job is at risk, I’m not sure if I will be retrenched or whether I will be able to find a job after that. I can’t even migrate since I don’t have the money to do so and all these countries where my friends have migrated to have since imposed conditions that are impossible to fulfil. My doctor just diagnosed me with cancer and tells me that I’ve got a few more months to live.

This litany of sorrows and woes is just a simple demonstration to show that it is not difficult to see the negative, the dark and gloomy and to find ourselves stuck in a mire of despair. It is no wonder that so many people in our society are depressed, cynical and suicidal. Joy, on the other hand, is something elusive. We experience fleeting moments of happiness but then the looming darkness, which never really disappears, returns to burst the bubble of our naïve optimism.

Against this tide, not just a tide but a tsunami of despair, today’s liturgy shouts out this refrain: “Rejoice! Exult for Joy! Be happy at all times!” Our senses seem to want to shout back: “What’s there to be joyful about?” “Is the Church blind?” “Is God blind to our troubles?” Well, you need to understand that Joy is the central theme throughout the readings this Sunday. Indeed, the Third Sunday of Advent is called “Gaudete Sunday.” “Gaudete” is the Latin word meaning ‘rejoice.’ What joy can there be in the midst of so much pain, suffering, gloom and darkness? It is certainly not the joy that emerges from some false optimism on our part that things are going to get better – too often, we can attest to this, things in fact get worse. Neither is it the joy that comes from creating an illusory world in our minds where pain and suffering is denied. So what is this joy which the readings are speaking of? The answer lies in Christ. It is the joy of knowing that our Lord, the light of the World, is coming. He is coming to dispel the darkness of our lives.

We are called to rejoice, because the Lord is coming – he is coming to save us, to liberate us, and to give us new life. Many of us may be experiencing some form of darkness in our lives. We find ourselves in the midst of problems without any apparent solution. We see ourselves ‘captives’ of our difficult circumstances, there seems to be no way out. Our hearts may be broken because of rejection or we have been hurt by the actions and words of others. We see ourselves poor, hungering and thirsting for friendship, understanding and a sense of belonging. Some of us find ourselves trapped in the darkness of sin.

If we see ourselves in any of these situations, rejoice and be glad, because the today’s readings promise good news. This is the promise of God, as St. Paul tells us in the second reading: “God has called you and he will not fail you.” God is always faithful. God keeps his promise. God will not fail you. This is the good news of the prophet Isaiah in the first reading: The Spirit of the Lord has been given to us – it is good news to the poor, healing to the broken hearted, freedom to the captives, a message of blessing for everyone. The Good news is that which is announced by John the Baptist in the gospel – Jesus has come – he is the Light of the World – and he is waiting to enter into your hearts and into your lives once again.

Thus, Joy surprises us. It shows up in unexpected places. It goes against the tide. We often think that being pessimistic is realistic. It is joy which gives a realistic vision of life. When I speak of joy, here it is not the false optimism that things are going to get better in the near future or that you would find an answer to your predicament. Rather, this joy is one which springs from faith and hope – it is based on our hope and belief that God has not abandoned us even when we do not see him in the midst of our troubles.

St. Paul says, "Rejoice always!" It's not a suggestion, like "cheer up, " or "look on the sunny side." It is, rather, a command, "Rejoice." Not only when things are going well. Not just when I am getting my way - but always. "Rejoice always." St. Paul can command joy because joy requires a conscious choice. Thus, joy is not just the consequence of your surrounding circumstances – when thing are going well for you. Rather, joy is always a deliberate choice. You can choose to be joyful even when things don’t seem to be going according plan.

So, what’s the formula for this joy? Do we need to whistle a tune or sing Bobby Mcferrin’s ‘Don’t worry be happy’? Do we need to escape into an imaginary world so that we can consider all pain and suffering as illusory? St Paul in today’s second reading gives us the answer: to pray without ceasing, to give thanks on all occasions and to avoid sin and evil.

Joy comes to those who pray without ceasing, to those who are committed to pray not only in moments of joy but also in times of sorrow, who are able to pray in the midst of troubles, confusion and the even during the dark night of the soul, where our prayers seem unanswered. Prayer is giving voice to our hope. It is a hope that does not disappoint because it is based on our firm belief that God has not and will not abandon us. Therefore, Christian hope has nothing to do with the false optimism or wishful thinking that our sickness will be healed, the problem will be solved, the obstacle would be removed, and the pain would be relieved. All these things may continue to accompany and harangue us, and yet we believe that they do not mark an end to life and joy. We will be delivered in one way or another. God has promised something far greater than the momentary relief we seek in this present life. God has promised us eternal life. This is our confident expectation.

How do we know that our hope will not be in vain? It is through the virtue of gratitude. Gratitude is remembering how God has delivered us from past evils, how God has intervened in a situation that seemed hopeless, how God has sustained us to endure the greatest of trials and how God remains faithful to his promises. Hope is firmly anchored in the history and narrative of Scriptures. Gratitude brings to mind the memory of God’s faithfulness which pierces the misty veil created by our present difficulties.

Finally, joy comes to those who persevere in their pursuit of holiness, who choose to avoid sin and evil in their daily lives. Mankind constantly searches for the sociological, economic, political or even philosophical reason and cause for suffering. What man often forgets is that suffering has its roots in a theological cause – it is sin and evil that brought suffering into this world. No amount of motivational programming, counseling, socio-economic-political reform will be able to rid this world of suffering unless man is prepared to address the issue of sin and evil.

Rejoice and be glad, the good news is that God has not abandoned us. He is here present among us. There is joy in knowing that God waits for us although we may have forgotten him. God waits for us although we may have stopped waiting for him. He keeps a lantern lit in the window, so that we who are lost would find our way home. This is true joy – knowing that no matter what happens in life, no matter how bad the situation may become, God’s love for us will endure and will triumph at the end. 

Beauty Restored

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception - December 8

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Perhaps, this is one of the Marian dogma that is often mistaken by many, including catholic themselves. Many think that the Feast of Immaculate Conception celebrates the conception of Christ in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The feast occurs only 17 days before the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) should make the error obvious. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin. 

Although the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was only promulgated in the 19^thcentury, our story begins at the very beginning, in fact, in the Book of Genesis, where we hear the story of man’s origins and also the origin of sin. God had created the whole universe for the benefit of man that man may discover his primary vocation, to live his life entirely in the service of God. God placed order in his creation; He imbued it with his own personal qualities of goodness, truth and finally beauty. Thus, by contemplating the beauty of Creation, man may come to recognise the beauty of God. In the early fifth century, St Augustine of Hippo asked "Who made these beautiful changeable things, if not one who is beautiful and unchangeable?" To know God is to know beauty; to know beauty is to know God. Just as God is the source of all truth and goodness, God is also the source of all beauty. Thus, everything that is beautiful reflects God’s artistry. Indeed, God is Beauty itself.  St Hilary of Poitiers, wrote: “Surely the author of all created beauty must himself be the beauty in all beauty.”

But this wonderful story of creation, though perfect in all aspects as far as God was concerned, was damaged though not completely destroyed by the ugliness of sin – man choosing to rewrite the story of creation by removing God, the Creator, from the equation. Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God's command. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the reality of original sin in this manner: “In that sin man preferred himself to God and by that very act scorned him. He chose himself over and against God, against the requirements of his creaturely status and therefore against his own good. Constituted in a state of holiness, man was destined to be fully "divinised" by God in glory. Seduced by the devil, he wanted to "be like God", but "without God, before God, and not in accordance with God" (CCC #398). Ugliness entered the world through sin. It is aptly symbolised by Adam and Eve’s sudden realisation of their own nakedness, now seen as something bad and ugly which required masking. Thus, through the disobedience of our first parents, mankind became infected with the pandemic malaise of original sin. With original sin came the ugliness of every depravity, ignorance, and malice known to man. The beauty of Paradise was lost.

This earthly Paradise was never completely forgotten. But, it had been reduced to a mere dream, a flicker of hope that would sustain man’s search for the good, the true and beautiful. Man would attempt to rediscover it through works of his own creation. But the story of the Tower of Babel is lesson that man is only capable of imitating, and as long as he refused to submit to the authority of God, would continue disfiguring the works of his Creator. Thus his creativity would often be subjected to curse of narcissistic self-fulfilment. However, there were those who remain faithful to the dream. The holy men and women of ancient times were burdened by the raggedness of the sinful world. But they longed for a fresh start, for a new birth, for another Garden of beauty, freshness and promise. They realised that Man was incapable of conceiving such a reality. Only God could answer their longing. Beauty itself had to return to creation in order that the universe may be restored to its original harmony and man returned to his original state of grace. But for Beauty to enter into world disfigured by Sin, a garden preserved from the ravages of sin would have to be found, for Holiness and Sin were absolutely irreconcilable. God planted the new Garden in the womb of St. Ann. God made a new Eve, untouched by the sin of the world, to be the mother of the new Adam.

As much as secular humanism may continue to push and sell optimistic lies to the contrary, Christians recognise that we human beings cannot refresh the world. We cannot make the world clean and promising and new. In spite of our best innovations and inventions, we cannot restore the world to its original beauty. But God can. And this is the powerful message of hope contained in the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, the Solemnity we commemorate in this morning’s celebration.  God can bring good out of evil. God can turn the cross, which was an instrument of inhuman torture, the symbol of mankind’s abject sinfulness —God can turn the cross of agony and death into the tree of life. God can turn the sin of Adam into the Happy Fault proclaimed at every Easter Vigil. God can give the world a new Eve, a new mother. And He did! He made the Blessed Virgin Mary.

By affirming the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, we too are restoring something fundamental that has been lost to modern man – the Truth concerning the sovereignty of God. It is not only Beauty which is restored, but also the True and the Good. By promulgating the dogma in a time when rationalism attacked the foundation of the faith, Blessed Pius IX raised the voice of the Church to defend and to glumly reaffirm the existence of the supernatural order. Against the lie posed by humanism that God does not exist or even if he did, He was indifferent to our struggles and problems, the Church proclaims this Truth – God is Real. He is very very Real and He has not forgotten us. We don’t need an image to appear on a window to tell us of this. We already have the real thing – the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Conception, the New Eve, the Beautiful Icon of the Church.

Coinciding with this feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary would be the unveiling of our sanctuary, with its beauty restored. Against the enemies of beauty who argue that beauty is useless and serves no utilitarian purpose, we must disagree and affirm together with Mary that we need beauty. Let me reiterate - to know God is to know beauty; to know beauty is to know God. Beauty attracts us, provokes adoration, and invites us to adorn ourselves with its lustre. If nothing else, we deeply feel the absence of beauty in a world disfigured by original sin. Without beauty, our faith loses its lustre – it’s very glory, its sacred aura. We must, therefore, recover the beauty of holiness, and re-experience the holiness of beauty or our religion will become nothing more than dry and dusty truth encrusted with overly-demanding morals. We recover the beauty of holiness through our love of our Blessed Mother, the love of God our Father, Jesus her Son, and the Holy Spirit who preserved her from original sin. And we express our love most perfectly when we adorn our lives with the beauty of divine holiness and the light of sacred glory, so that one day we may take our place among the saints in the heavenly Jerusalem. It is there that Beauty, now prefigured in Mary, will be perfectly restored!

Make straight His path, our liberation is coming

I guess none of us love to seat for exam. Exam is an occasion that does not seem favourable to all level of people in the society. During my university days, exam seems to bothering me the most toward the end of each semester. The reason being is because I need to sacrifice all my outdoor activities to make sure I'm fully equipped with those exam answers.

Sitting in front of the book for several hours is something that I do not really enjoyed. Perhaps, sometimes can be quite torturing for me mainly because that is not the subject matter that I love to read. Well, as a student, I guess all of us have a common goal that we desire. The common goal of getting good grade. No matter how tough the preparation might be, our common interest of that is to get good score for each subjects. Better still, 4.0 CGPA! 

In today's first reading, the prophet Isaiah also speaks of preparation. "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths." The monumental feat which is implied by this text may be entirely lost on us unless we have travelled along one of these mountainous winding roads, especially those that cut across treacherous terrain. As we stand in awe of such magnificent engineering, a question often crosses our mind would be this, “How in the heavens did they manage to do this?!” Today, modern technology has vastly simplified the construction of tunnels, bridges and roads with the invention of dynamite, excavators, tractors, tunnel drills and other engineering equipment. Despite all the technological know-how and heavy machineries, any engineer or contractor would still tell you that it is anything but an easy feat. But now try to imagine the same feat accomplished by human hands with only the aid of axes, hammers and stone. 

Understanding the biblical allusion, the historical context, and the phenomenal physical challenge of the project would help us understand and appreciate the call of John the Baptist in today’s gospel.

First, the passage is a quotation, with minor alterations, from the Old Testament. Although, he attributes everything to the prophet Isaiah, St Mark is actually quoting two different biblical references to speak of the ministry of John the Baptist and the content of his message. The first part of the prophecy which refers to the ministry of John the Baptist as the messenger is actually a paraphrase taken from Malachi 3:1 which speaks about the prophet Elijah returning to prepare the way presumably for the Messiah. Later, St Mark would provide a detailed description of the clothing and diet of John the Baptist which is almost identical with that of the prophet Elijah, the Tishbite, mentioned in the First Book of the Kings. With Elijah’s reappearance, the long awaited Messiah would not be too far behind. When that day finally arrives, Israel’s liberation and vindication would be at hand.

But it is the second part of the text when it speaks of the voice and the message announced that draws our attention to the preparation needed to welcome the Lord. Again here, we see another paraphrase of the Old Testament, in this case from Isaiah 40, which we had heard in today’s first reading. Isaiah 40 was written as a message of hope to Israelites and Judeans who were in exile in Babylon, promising them that they will return home to the Promised Land from their long exile, a journey that will take them over the desert sands. Thus at one level, it is message that promises liberation from captivity – good news that the Israelites who have lived as prisoners in exile will now finally experience freedom and be able to return to their beloved homeland. At a second level, it speaks of their foundational experience, liberation from slavery in Egypt and their journey in the desert for forty years under the guidance of the Lord.

But the text still has another older historical allusion. The idea is taken from the practice of eastern monarchs, who, whenever they entered upon an expedition or took a journey, especially through desert and unchartered territory, sent harbingers before them to prepare all things for their passage, and pioneers to open the passes, to level the ways, and to remove all impediments. This was usually done during times of peace. In times of war, the hazardous or difficult terrain often offered a natural defense or barrier against the enemy. The king or his country would not gain any advantage by remodeling the terrain to facilitate an easier passage. But during times of peace, especially after the king had won a great victory, his victory procession returning to his capital would be supplemented with an exaggerated ceremonial pomp and pageantry. It would be unsightly and unbecoming if the king had himself to maneuver across these natural barriers and obstacles. Thus, the leveling of the hills, the filling of the valleys and the straightening of the paths became symbolic of his victory not only over his enemies but also over the forces of nature. It was a great homecoming.

A well documented example of this monumental engineering feat is that of the funeral procession of Alexander the Great, whose body was transported in a golden pavilion pulled by sixty over mules from Babylon in the East to the distant oasis town of Siwa in Egypt in the West. Historians record that an army of craftsman, labourers and engineers had been sent ahead of the funeral cortege in order to ‘prepare the way’ that was befitting for a man, an emperor who had united the known world from the East to the West.

Having looked at both the scriptural and historical allusions, we still have to consider one last feature, which is the enormous physical challenge of the project. Why did Isaiah and later the gospel writers choose this imagery? It is apparent that these were not minor public works like the periodic repairs and maintenance conducted by our Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR). Rather, it involved reshaping the terrain on a monumental scale. Thus when both the Prophet Isaiah and John the Baptist made this call, it can only be understood as a call to re-landscape our lives. It is a call for radical conversion. This is reinforced by the image of the desert. The desert, in any event, can be a formidable foe. The desert changes anyone who dares to accept its challenge. The Israelites traverse the desert for 40 years after their departure from Egypt before they could arrive in the Promised Land. The 40 years did not only symbolised a whole generation, but a radical transformation of these people from being just slaves, no-people, a people without identity or nationality into God’s own people.

Thus, both the physical challenge of the project of landscaping and the desert imagery emphasises the extent of the change required to welcome the King. Conversion is anything but easy. Rearranging your furniture is much easier than changing persons. It is not enough to make cosmetic changes to our life, for example, stop or reduce your smoking; becoming a bit more patient with the people you live with, coming for Mass on Christmas Day, coming for prayer meeting every week, or making little changes here and there. In order to prepare for the coming of Jesus, our lives must undergo a deep and thorough conversion. It involves dying and being reborn. There is a need for repentance, a turning away from our sins, a rejection of our old way of life especially when that was leading us away from God.

Thus, the readings for us are a call to make preparation through repentance and conversion. We need to sincerely identify the obstacles that impede the coming of the Lord into our lives. Selfishness, sloth, greed, lust, vanity, indifference and sin marks the mountains, the valleys and the crooked ways which form an obstacle to Christ making his way into our hearts and into the world.

Today, these themes of liberation, peace, victory, homecoming and conversion converge in St Mark’s introduction to the gospel, the good news, of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist, the harbinger of the king, the new Elijah, the herald and forerunner of the Anointed one, appears on the scene to call for this radical and monumental work in preparation for the coming King. This time, it would be no ordinary mortal that we are awaiting for. It is no human king who would eventually witness the disintegration of his kingdom, as Alexander posthumously did. This is a king that could only be judged by radically different categories as John the Baptist pointed out – “One that is mightier than I is coming … I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Spirit.” So let us “prepare the way of the Lord, and make straight his paths” because our liberation is coming, he is the Prince of Peace and our Victorious King.

Be Watchful, Be Alert

First Sunday of Advent - Year B

I guess many (not all) might not aware the calendar that we are using called Gregorian Calendar. Gregorian calendar, also known as Western calendar is internationally the most widely used civil calendar. Interestingly, it is named for Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced it in 1582. The introduction of the Gregorian calendar was a refinement to the Julian Calendar.  

Usually, each new year begin with the month of January, but for us Christian, our new year start with the season of advent. Yes, today we begin the season of Advent, a new liturgical year for us, Christian. Advent is a season observed in many churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of Christmas. 

Besides that, Advent celebrates primarily two comings. The first coming of Christ in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago. The incarnation, the Word make flesh, the Word of God taking flesh, seems to be a fulfillment of what the Prophet Isaiah writes in today's first reading -  it is the prophecy of how the Lord "would tear the heavens open and come down." The whole of humanity who had waited for aeons for the coming of its deliverer, its new Joshua who will lead them to the Promised Land, is not disappointed, as the Saviour has indeed come - He is Jesus the Christ. But Advent does not only prepare us for the first coming which we commemorate every year at the Feast of Christmas, but also points us to the future, to Christ's second coming in glory, to judge and deliver the world from sin, evil and death. 

Our Christian faith is eschatological to its core. What do I mean by eschatological? The word 'eschatology' refers to the Last things that we had learnt in our catechism - heaven, hell, death and judgement, the four eschata. But the real focus of eschatology is the last thing, which is not exactly a thing, in the sense of being an event or an object - it is God himself, the Eschaton. God is the source and summit of our lives, he is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega. Eschatology is not purely confined to these vague, deeply profound and theological concepts of the future. Eschatology has everything to do with our present lives. The eschatological vision shapes our christian world-view. It reminds us that our objective and purpose in life does not reside in the past or even in the present, it is posited in the future. The final solution would not be found here in this life - the final solution can only be found in God. It provides us with a new benchmark of evaluating our priorities in life- are our preparations only for this earthly life or are they for eternal life? and finally, this eschatological dimension of our faith points to our basic orientation and disposition in life - how do we respond to Christ's coming? The answer is this - It is through watchfulness. 

But is this the kind of watchfulness which Jesus is speaking of? I guess that these are more distractions rather than authentic watchfulness. We are invited by the readings to watch for the Lord, and especially for his coming. Firstly, this requires patience because as Jesus noted, ‘you never know when the time will come.’ The problem is that our attention span is often too short. We constantly look for distractions or loose interest when results are not immediately forthcoming. In a world that seeks immediate gratification, quick final solutions are the only acceptable options. Patience teaches us to respect God's time and not dictate it. 

Watchfulness calls for fidelity or faithfulness to our duty. Take note that in today’s gospel, the image of the master entrusting the servants with a duty to watch for his coming, reminds all of us that being watchful is not just merely an individual vocation. The servants’ lack of watchfulness may cost the entire household its property or even the life of its members. We are called to be watchful not only for ourselves, but also for our family members, our children, future generations, our neighbours, our BEC members, our non-Christian friends, colleagues and everyone else. If we let down our guard, others apart from us will suffer too.

The third aspect of this watchfulness is expounded by St Paul in the second reading. He exhorts the Corinthians that while waiting for the Lord’s coming, to keep ready and without blame until the last day.’ Staying awake and being watchful means that we need to guard against sin. Sin dulls our senses to the promptings of God. Sin blinds us from recognizing Christ in our lives. Sin distracts us from waiting and watching for the Lord. That is why Advent is also a penitential period for the whole Church. It is a time for us to honestly search our hearts, seek the Lord’s forgiveness, celebrate His mercy and the gift of repentance in order to make ready the way for the Lord’s coming.

We should take Advent as seriously as a new mother takes her pregnancy. The Christmas season is not merely a memory, celebration, or blessing, but a new, extremely important encounter with the incarnate Jesus. St. Charles Borromeo taught: "This holy season (Advent) teaches us that Christ's coming was not only for the benefit of His contemporaries; His power has still to be communicated to us".

Therefore, our Advent preparation for Christmas is very important for God's kingdom, the Church, the world, the future, our families, and ourselves. "Our hearts should be as much prepared for this coming of Christ (Christmas) as if He were still to come into this world" (St. Charles Borromeo). Moreover, if we are not prepared for Christ's unique Christmas coming this year, we are not prepared for His coming at the end of the world. 

Consequently, "be constantly on the watch! Stay awake! You do not know when the appointed time will come" (Mk 13:33). "Wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 1:7). Make this the best Advent ever, preparing for Christ's greatest Christmas coming of your life.

He is Christ the King, King of the universe

Solemnity of Christ the King - Year A

The famous science fiction disaster adventure film - '2012', directed and co-written by Roland Emmerich, become the top grossing movie that hit the top 10 of the box office. The movie speaks of an American geologist visits astophysicist in India and learns that neutrinos from a massive solar flare are causing the temperature of the Earth's core to increase rapidly. Therefore, this American geologist bring this information and presents it to the White House Chief staff. Eventually, the U.S President got to know about it and begin a secret project to ensure humanity's survival together with other international leaders. Wow! Sounds frightening right?

The released of the movie make people feel the world is coming to an end, which we always see it as the frightening image of the Day of Judgement - it describes it as a Day of God's wrath, a day when the world will be dissolved into ashes, a day when God sits as judge firmly and strictly investigating everything. Nothing will be hidden from His sigh, no evil will remain unpunished. This frightening image of the Last Day, the Day of Judgement, would obviously not sit well with anyone today.

In fact, the Latin hymn, Dies Irae , which was a characteristic part of the Catholic Requiem Mass before renewal of the liturgy after Vatican II, was removed from the present Catholic funeral liturgy, because some felt that the hymn was saturated with negative spirituality inherited for the Middle Ages. They felt that the song had overemphasized judgement, fear and despair whereas the funeral liturgy should actually focusing on the hope and joy of the resurrection. So, the song got the boot!

We see in today's Gospel reading, the story of how Jesus separates the sheep from the goats. Read on any other occasion, it would not be too hard for someone to conclude that the whole crux of the story is this: all it takes to get to heaven is to offer a cup of water to someone who is thirsty, because you will notice at the end you are offering it to Christ himself. It is certainly a nice interpretation to the story that reminds us of the responsibility of fraternal charity. There is nothing wrong with this reading, but is it adequate?

Do remember that this is a parable of judgement. More importantly, Christ is presented as a cosmic all-powerful king sitting on his throne and as a judge summoning the accused to trial. Perhaps, this setting is entirely lost to most of us because the gravity and seriousness of the Day of Judgement is no longer emphasized in our modern liturgy. In fact, the parable of Jesus presents two images of Christ, both seemingly at opposite ends of a spectrum. One image is that of a God who is transcendent, who is distant from us, who sits as king in judgement of us. The other image is an image of a God who is immanent, who dwells among us, who is in complete solidarity with us, and who identifies with us. In other words, one presents us a God hidden behind the clouds and another, a God who looks just like us. The parable reminds us that both these images of Christ are not mutually exclusive. One does not cancel out the other. 

Often, our preferences for the more gentle image of Jesus betrays a certain erroneous belief on our part. The idea of a remote or formal king doesn't resonate with us. What we want is one whom we can identify with, one who is like us; an approachable, compassionate and gentle king. Unfortunately, it is not a matter of choosing one image over the other. Jesus is that cosmic king seated on his throne of judgement - and there is a chasm which separates us lowly creatures from his august presence. Majesty which deserves worship and adulation is always marked by distance. You admire and worship someone only when you admire them from a distance, not when they are standing next to you and doing the same things as you. At the same time, this is a Jesus who has chosen to cross that chasm, knowing that no man nor woman will be able to make that journey; this is supreme judge who understands that no mortal is able to bear the sentence for which is accused, and who finally chooses to cross the distance from the bench to the gallery to take the place of the accused, the condemned in the dock, and to be punished and executed in his stead. It is one thing to know that someone has died for you. It is another thing entirely to know that a king or a God has chosen to do this. 

It is easier to understand why the world requires a loving and compassionate king, a king who soothes us when we fall, a king who embraces us when we are lonely, a king who kisses our wounds to make the pain go away. Who wouldn't want to have this kind of a king? But I believe Jesus came not merely to act as life’s panadol, a painkiller, for us. Jesus came to show us how God must ultimately be lord and master of our lives, there lies our salvation. 

The world is in need of a king who calls and challenges them to greatness rather than mediocrity. The world is in need of king who gives them a chance to experience the perfection and the holiness of the divine rather than just being satisfied with our human weakness. The world is in need of a king who demands a radical self-giving and loving and not only when it suits us. The world needs a king to inspire us, not a king who looks and behaves just like us. 

Today, in our attempt to make God and the divine more accessible, for example, by transforming the sanctuaries of our churches into empty spaces barren of beauty, in the removal of communion rails, in the singing of music that approximates the kind of music we listen to in our daily mundane existence, there is something about the character of the liturgy that is lost – we loose focus of the object of our liturgy, which is to worship God. In place of this, man is worshipped in his stead. But it is not just liturgy which suffers. Christian life suffers too when we choose to depict Christ merely as an ordinary people like us. There is no challenge to aim for loftier goals. At the end of the day, when Christ becomes ordinary, he will soon be forgotten, since he only acts as a functional implement or tool whenever we need him.

We have reduced Christ to a mere panacea or an intoxicant that serves to make us feel good in our otherwise miserable existence. But, this is Christ, King of the Universe, the one whom we must subject ourselves to. This is Christ, the Judge, who will call us to account for our actions, and who would demand evidence that we had recognised him in his people. This is Christ, our Lord and God, who chooses to come among us,God who becomes man in order that men may become gods. This is Christ who inspires us and reminds that we are made in his image and likeness, a royal priestly people called to give glory to God. Let us not make the mistake of reducing him into nothing more than an image of ourselves.

true wisdom? 智慧？

Thirty Third Ordinary Sunday Year A

Each culture has developed a whole collection of wise sayings and proverbs. We also grew up with lots of advice from our elders. "Don't judge a book by its cover" (人不可以貌相）; "Take care of one's need first before thinking of others", "Don't put all eggs into one basket" etc. 

Being ethically Chinese, I have come to realize how we have often equated wisdom with knowledge and also good business acumen. A man who knows how to save, how to make good investments, who become rich as a result of his own hard work of intelligence, he is regarded by society as a wise man. 

All these wise sayings have their place in our lives. However, holdings onto some of them may cause us to loose sight of the most important wisdom of all. The wisdom that tells us that all comes from God and will return to God. It is the wisdom that reminds us that the most important things in life are not just having friends, having lots of children, having lots of money, prosperity and luck. The most important thing in our faith in God who promised eternal life for us, and this is for eternity. To understand this is true wisdom. 

I remembered during my university days, lectures often remind us of this : University is a platform to prepare you for the outside world. Hence, word hard and be prepared! I guess this may be also one of the contributing factor that creates fierce competition among students. In today's world, society often judged based on your qualification, result and skill as a determination of getting a secure job-  as if these are the pass or gateway to paradise. A person's wisdom or perhaps the word which commonly known as intelligence often based on how great is your achievement in the past. But we fail to see that all these investment on earth are just temporary, and it will end at death.

Undeniably, many people are good at making investment- buying the right shares, making the right business assessment. However, many people are really bad at making spiritual investments. We work so hard in life in order to make life easier for ourselves and for our future generations and we end up at death with nothing. We are prepared for any eventuality in life - education, business, family life, but we are not prepared for eternal life.

Now my dear friends, I have a question for you.  Are you prepared to meet the lord at any time? It could be today, tomorrow, this week, next month or next year. Have you made the right investments? Have you invested for eternal life? Or have you put all your investments in looking for worldly pleasure, riches, ambition, fame, and power. You may have all these things - power, riches and fame - but they will serve you no good at your death.

When people tell us to be wise, and not be foolish, let us heed their call. But let us also understand what is true wisdom. True wisdom is investing for eternal life, not this life, not in riches, not in possessions. No! True wisdom is being always prepared to meet the Lord who may call us home at any time. So now, are you ready? Are you prepared?

This week's reading give us and insight on what it means to be ready. Being ready is not merely making sure that we have made our confession before our death. Being ready is not just merely avoiding wrong doing as much as possible. Being ready doesn't mean just waiting for death to happen. These are insufficient.

Being ready means that we must be constantly at our mission, fulfilling the vocation that God has given us. Each of us is entrusted with certain talents. Each of us have been given certain responsibilities - we have responsibilities as a parent or as a children or as a worker or as a member of the community or as Catholic etc. These talents are gifts from God and come with a responsibility. We are to use them for the mission which has been entrusted to us.

Many people go through their life without living out their full potential. Many people are satisfied with only doing the "bare minimum." Their philosophy is "why do more when you can do less!" God did not create us to live only a fraction of our lives. If we only live 10% of what we are capable of living, then the other 90%  is wasted.

Being ready means giving our all for the glory of God. We may not be able to do everything. We may not be able to do all things well. We may not even able to achieve within our  lifetime all our goals. Nevertheless, whatever we do, if we do it to the best of our ability and for the glory of God, is enough.

In today's first reading uses the symbol of a wise wife or perfect wife as the model of a disciple. A wise wife knows that "charm is deceitful and beauty empty" what is important is that she is able to fulfill her role and responsibility as a dutiful wife - bringing "advantage and not hurt to her husband all the days of her life." She is always busy at work and has no time for idleness, gossip of unfruitful activity. The wise wife is thus a model for all of us. We are made for the glory of God and not bring hurt to him or to others. We are created with gifts and talents  in order for us to realize our mission and vocation in this life.

Similarly, the Gospel tells us the story of the three servants who receive different amount of talents from their master. The amount that they received is not important. Sometimes we may feel that others have more than we have. We feel that this is unfair. We may never know the reasons for this. But we know that the one receives, the more is expected of that person. Those who have been given more greater responsibility to use those talents and gift for the good of others and for the glory of God. If we just complain that we do not have enough, if we do not do anything with the little that we have, then even what we have will be taken away.

Make the best of your life. You may be rich or you may be poor, you may be beautiful or you may look ordinary, make the best of your life. Use whatever talents or gifts the Lord has given you for his greater glory. Don't hesitate any longer because as St. Paul tells us in the second reading "the Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night", so stay wide awake and sober. 

Sign of Unity

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

Today the church celebrates the feast of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome.I guess many of us might not even aware of this feast. This leads to a reluctance to celebrate the dedication of a building stems from a fact which we rarely dare to admit. There are just too many "Protestants"in the Catholic Church so much so that this feast does not really make any sense. The Lateran Basilica was built by the Emperor Constantine on the Lateran Hill in Rome. 

Today's feast became a universal celebration in honor of the basilica called "the mother and head of all churches of Rome and the world" (omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput). The purpose of us celebrating the feast as a sign of love for union with the See of Peter. In fact, this basilica was the first to be built after Emperor Constantine's edict, in 313, granted Christians freedom to practice their religion. Initially, the observance of this feast was confined to the city of Rome, then beginning in 1565, it was extended to all the Churches of the Roman rite. The honoring of this sacred edifice was a way of expressing love and veneration for the Roman Church, which, as St. Ignatius of Antioch says, "presides in charity" over the whole Catholic Communion. 

On this solemnity, the Word of God recalls an essential truth: the temple of stones is a symbol of the living Church, the Christian community, which in their letters the Apostles Peter and Paul already understood as a "spiritual edifice," built by God with "living stones," namely, Christians themselves, upon the one foundation of Jesus Christ, who is called the "cornerstone". Jesus began the church with 12 apostles and by the power of the Holy Spirit, these apostles and other disciples of Christ formed other small Christian communities. These communities were united with the Lord and the other Christian communities through the bishops of their regions.  

The beauty and harmony of the churches, destined to give praise to God, also draw us who are limited and sinful to convert to form a "cosmos," a well-ordered structure, in intimate communion with Jesus. 

In today's Gospel reading, we see Jesus' dramatic cleansing of the temple was seen by his disciple as a prophetic sign of God's action. The temple was understood as the dwelling place of God among his people. When God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt, he brought them through the sea, and finally to Mount Sinai where he made a covenant with them and gave them a new way of life embodied in the Ten Commandments. 

God gave Moses instruction of worship and for making the Tabernacle, or tent of meeting, which was later replaced by the temple. The New Testament tells us that these serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary. Jesus' cleansing of the temple is also a prophetic sign of what he wants to do with each of us. He ever seeks to cleanse us a sin and make us living temples of his Holy Spirit.  

Through Jesus' death and resurrection, He not only reconciles us with God, but he fills us with his Holy Spirit and makes us temples of the living God. God's word enlightens our minds and purifies our hearts that we may offer God fitting worship and enjoy his presence both now and forever. 

As what Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI reminds us during his Angelus address, today's feast celebrates a mystery that is always relevant: God’s desire to build a spiritual temple in the world, a community that worships him in spirit and truth (cf. John 4:23-24). But this observance also reminds us of the importance of the material buildings in which the community gathers to celebrate the praises of God. Every community therefore has the duty to take special care of its own sacred buildings, which are a precious religious and historical patrimony. For this we call upon the intercession of Mary Most Holy, that she help us to become, like her, the “house of God,” living temple of his love.