Chinese New Year- Year of Horse

Soon we will be celebrating Chinese New Year 2014. Based on the Chinese  zodiac, each of the years being associated  with an animal and this year we have horse as the symbol. The Chinese zodiac follows a twelve year cycle and the Chinese believe that people born in a particular year take on characteristics of the animal associated with the year. I found an interesting write up by Fr Stephen Chin on the Herald Malaysia that  explained how we Christian think about the horse in this Chinese New Year. 

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By Fr Stephen Chin
In this New Year 2014 we have the horse as the symbol. Last year, it is the year of the snake. Let us take a look at the horse in the Chinese tradition.

The HORSE is reckoned as the 7th of the 12 terrestrial branches. It is written in ancient classica1 script as a pictorial symbol of the actual horse and pronounced as ma. It is now written in a simpler form: ma. The horse is classed under the element of FIRE ( = fuo) and has its place in the SOUTH ( = nam). In the trigrams, the symbol CHIEN ( ) represents the male element ( = yang) and it symbolizes HEAVEN, HORSE, TIRELESS STRENGTH AND SOUTH. Let us see a little of what has been written about the horse.

The Great Chinese materia medica: Pen T’sao which has 24 sections, describes the history and uses of the horse. By the way, to think of it, the horse is considered delicacy even in our own country. I have heard of horsemeat barbecued as fine satay! Believe it or not! And horse meat fetches a very good price, unofficially priced, of course.

A section of the Pen T’sao deals with the horse as food or medicine.

-- A pure, white horse is very good for medicine.
-- The liver is said to be poisonous.
-- The heart, dried and powdered and mixed with wine is good for forgetfulness.
--The warts of the horse above the knees, which are called the “night eyes” for travelling at night, are useful for toothache.
-- The ashes of the skull mingled with water and the head of the skull used for a pillow is a cure for restlessness and hysteria.

What should we Christians think about the horse in this Chinese New Year

First and foremost, all superstitions must be deleted from our minds and hearts, if there are any, concerning the horse. However, every good symbol and positive mark concerning the horse can help us to come nearer to our Creator and Lord. This must be exploited to the fullest for our use towards educating man to great heights of glory, sanctity and happiness.

(1) With masculinity, tirelessness, strength to pursue our goal: The masculinity of the horse should make us realize that we must not be like jelly fish and remain passive but in our constant endeavours, we must have tireless strength to pursue towards our goal in 1ife, that is to fight to the last, to obtain the eternal crown of victory which our Lord God has prepared for us.

(2) Medicinal cure: The horse is used as a medicinal cure for bodily and spiritual sickness. This reminds us that the cure for our soul is in the Great Physician Jesus Christ, our Lord who not only cures but strengthens us through His living Word and Sacraments making us children of our Heavenly Father and his brothers and sisters, giving us even New life, new strength and new vigour.

(3) Liver and nose: Let us never be “liverish” and poisonous in our minds and hearts but let us have the significance of the nose, fire of the horse to be consumed by the fire and love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to love and serve others joyfully.

(4) Heart and wine: Do you remember that the dried and powdered heart of the horse mixed with wine is able to cure forgetfulness? Yes, let us never forget in our hearts to obey God’s commandments. May the wine of gIadness (vinum laetificat cor hominum means wine makes the heart of men joyful and happy), make us joyful in serving the Lord.

(5) “Night eyes” Let us have the “night eyes” of the horse to see in the darkness of our suffering, pain and tribulation, the inner meaning of God’s Holy will for us in all situations in life, to travel perseveringly to the end of our destiny that is heaven.

(6) Restlessness: Let us realize that we are restless and our sickness of restlessness will continue until we rest in the Lord by having faith and confidence in Him.

(7) From the creature to the Creator : Painters throughout the centuries, past and present alike have admired the wonderful creation of God, the horse. Yes. we are able to come to our Creator through admiring and recognising God’s hands in all of them and kneel down to adore Him.

(8) Worship: Ma Wang ( ): We will not invoke or worship the Ma Wang but we will certainly worship and invoke the King of horses and of all creation. God, our Lord and universal king, Jesus Christ.

The horse in the Bible

(1) Pharaoh’s army with his horses and chariots :
Let us turn to the Bible and see .. When I read the Bible, I came across Pharaoh’s chariots and horses ( a powerful army) chasing after God’s people. I cannot help but praise God in drowning Pharaoh’s army, horses and chariots, in the Red Sea while God’s people crossed the Red Sea dry shod, safe and sound. The powerful intervention of God saved His People who called for His help. Has he stopped helping us now? NO far from it.

(2) God’s coming riding on the cloud to help His People :
I too, remember God’s coming riding on the cloud i from heaven speedily to help His people in their great distress and peril. It is said in so many places in the Bible, that God comes riding on the cloud to save the just, the poor and the oppressed against their enemies.

(3) Use God’s creation for good not for evil :
Nations go to battle to grab for more power. People use force against force, just or unjust, depending on the intentions of the people. Horses are used for battle, for wars, for spying, for killing like those gunslingers who are trigger-happy to kill, to murder, to rape, to destroy. Or they are used to save, to bring justice and peace to the people, to bring law and order to the tribe, community or nation. Let us never abuse God’s creation for a bad purpose or for a malicious intent to destroy others or to satisfy our revengeful spirit but rather always to use God’s created things, living or inanimate, for the greater glory of God and for the benefit of mankind. The most beautiful thought that comes to my mind, I think, is this: Jesus riding humbly on an ass (donkey, colt, pony).

(4) Jesus riding humbly on a pony: 
This shows how humble Jesus is – riding on an ass (donkey, colt, pony). What a great and vivid contrast to the rulers and conquerors of the world who wield power and who wish one and all to know, see and feel the power exuding from them: the power to kill or destroy at will, everything that we possess … wield power and who wish one and all to know, see and feel the power exuding from them : the power to kill anyone or destroy at will, everything that we possess …

Yet Jesus, humbly riding on a stupid donkey is the sign of God’s power : God coming down to us riding on the cloud to help us.

Jesus was acclaimed as King of the Jews in his riding up to Jerusalem on a silly ass (donkey). The people made Him their King, who has power over death. (They saw the raising of Lazarus from the dead). Yes remember : Still water runs deep; using the Chinese Chi Kong of inner strength as a lame comparison. Jesus rides quietly with inner strength on a humble donkey up to Jerusalem to receive glory and triumph that are properly His. Yes, this is a wonderful thought that we can cherish all the days of our life.

Conclusion 
Yes, in this Chinese New Year, let us with courage and strength, with warmth, love and passion signified by the nose of the horse (fire) fight as champions and heroes of truth, justice, honesty and love.

Let us be messengers of God by bringing speedily and perseveringly God’s message of salvation to the world. Have courage, for God comes speedily riding on the cloud to help us in our endeavours.

God gives us medicine for our body and soul in His Creation: in the horse and grasses (herbs) of the field which have healing properties. May we thank God for these wonderful gifts of creation.

“Lord, you are so good! Thank you Lord. In this Chinese New Year, please come riding on the clouds to help us in all our needs and may You bless all of us especially our Chinese brothers and sisters during this festive Chinese New Year of the Horse. May the sight of wonderful spring with horses running in the fields, lead us closer to You day by day in this Chinese New Year of the Horse, 2014.

Source: http://www.heraldmalaysia.com/news/The-Year-of-the-Horse-18409-0-1.html

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!

God Compassionate love for all person

Prayer Service: In Loving Memory of our Departed Brother, Brian Lim Beng Choon

For an economic student, the term “opportunity cost” is one of the most familiar term that we use throughout our degree study in university. Consider this as a technical term or not, the meaning of opportunity cost, simply put, it refers to the second best alternative that we have to forgo in effect of choosing the first best alternative. Basically, this is the term used in decision making. For me, this term is also applicable in life, apart from our decision making in an organization. We can either choose God, whom bring life to us and lead us to a happy joy or the devil that brings ultimate destruction that lead us to death. If one were to choose, as the term opportunity cost here suggest by choosing the best alternative, we as a human, we will definitely choose God that send us abundant blessing.

Recall Satan’s promise to Eve when he tempted her to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit: “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5). “That is,” the tempter was saying, “you can decide for yourself what is good and what is evil. You can be your own boss.” This is the sin of pride: the illusion of self-sufficiency, the illusion that a person can be his own source of his fulfillment. This is the root of all sin.

We are living in this secular world, the world that blur our vision of God. Religion might not be the first priority in life as a young adult like me, what concerns me the most, perhaps, getting a good job with a good salary, good wife—beautiful, nice body & etc may be at the top of the list. However, we fail to recognize the relationship that we should have in life, that is the life with God, our creator. We fail to recognize that He can provide everything that we need in life. He is our creator, He create us out of His abundant love and blessings, of course, He also know that what we need in our life.

One may ask how can we deepen our relationship with God? The answer is simple: PRAYER. Prayer is the best way that we can communicate with God. We can leave all our sorrow to God, I guess this is the best way to deal with our inner feelings that make us feel so depress in life.

Today, as we pray for our brother who had passed away last week, it is also re-awakening for each one of us the importance of relationship. The importance of reaching out the love, the abundant blessing that we received from the lord, to the people out there. What is the greatest commandment of the Lord? I guess most of you would know the greatest command is “Love your God with all your heart and with all your being, with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbour as yourself” (Lk10: 27-28).

In today's gospel on the Gospel reading of the Prodigal son, The Parable of the Prodigal Son is probably the best-known and most-loved of all of Jesus’ parables. It has been called “the pearl and crown of all the parables of Scripture.” It has even received the title Evangelium in Evangelio, “the Gospel within the Gospel.” Together let’s savor some of its richness. The younger of two sons asked for his share of his father’s property (Lk. 15:11–12). We know from Deuteronomy 21:17 that under Jewish law, the younger brother’s share would be half of what the elder brother would receive. This request by the younger son expresses a desire that has plagued us human beings from the beginning. I mean the desire for independence from God, the desire to be in charge of one’s own life.

That’s how it is with us and God. By His creation, God gives us a free will. When we begin to think we want to be free from God’s service and find our liberty somewhere else, God lets us make that vain attempt. Eventually we learn that in turning from God’s will we inevitably become slaves of our own selfish desires. Our God-given free will gives us our grandeur, but our misuse of that free will gives us our misery. Immediately, it seems, the younger son went into “a far country” and spent all he had. For us, says St. Augustine, “the far country” is forgetfulness of God. In the slavery of his own desires, the younger son used up all his resources in a vain attempt to find happiness.
A famine arose in that country, and the younger son was broke and hungry (Lk. 15:14) That prodigal son’s suffering in that far country is itself a parable of the suffering which sin always brings.
And then the man “came to himself”—opened his eyes to the truth about himself (Lk. 15:17).When we come to our true selves, the selves God created us to be, we have to come to God through His Son. As the Second Vatican Council reminds us, “Christ the Lord, . . . in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and of his love, fully reveals man to himself and brings to light his most high calling” (Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, no. 22). Having come to his senses, the prodigal son decided to return to his father (Lk. 15:18). Why would he dare go back home? Probably because he knew he had once been a member of that family, and perhaps still was. When you and I turn away from our sin and back to God, we know we shall not be rejected. At our baptism we were adopted as sons and daughters of God, and nothing—not even our worst sins—can cancel that adoption.

Notice that the father welcomed back the prodigal son even before the son made his confession. Imagine the son’s surprise. And imagine his immediate awareness of how totally undeserving he was of such mercy! In our return to the Father, the more we receive his love, the more grievously do we look on our sins. Repentance is a continuing process: As we grow in understanding God’s forgiving love, we mourn that we have sinned against that love. When the saints urge us to bemoan our sins, they’re not talking about remorse—”why did I do such a thing?” No, indeed! Bemoaning our sins means sorrowing because of the suffering our sins inflicted on our Lord Jesus on the Cross. The more we know and love our Lord Jesus, the more we despise our sins.

The Church proclaims this parable to us, not to entertain us, but to hold up a mirror to us. Let us now reflect, in the prodigal son, can we see an image of ourselves? Who of us has not turned away from the Father? Who of us has not put great distance between ourselves and the Father, by our sins? Or take the scornful, self-righteous, unforgiving elder brother. Who of us has not harshly judged persons who grievously distort their own lives? Who of us has not withheld forgiveness—or at least been reluctant to grant it—to those who need our forgiveness?

In these and countless other ways, you and I too often wander off into far country and squander or grossly misuse God’s good gifts. That’s what sin is.
God grant that every time we go away from God, we will accept His grace to come to ourselves. Come to our senses, and turn back to the Father. His Son has made it perfectly clear that the Father is always waiting for us, always watching for us, infinitely eager to welcome us back home.

Most beautiful communication in the world

In this 21st century, we are busy chasing after wealth, career, different material things in our life. No doubt, we are material being. Material might be the greatest satisfaction for us, as a human being. But, do we ever consider our spiritual needs? You might look as big as a giant, but deep in your soul might be staving, which you can't see. Now, I wonder how many of you leave some space per day for prayer? Even a minute will do! To be frank, sometimes I fail to do that as well. Nevertheless, prayer is still important as part of my daily routine. Just like food, we need food to provide us energy to carry out our daily routine. Prayer and meditation to God, our creator is also our spiritual needs, which most of us might be longing to seek and find him. A beautiful statement mentioned by St. Augustine : ' You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.'' We call this longing for God--Religion. We can understand religion generally to mean a relationship to what is divine. A religious person acknowledges something divine as the power that created him and the world, on which he is dependent and to which he is ordered. He wants to please and honor the Divinity by his way of life. It is natural for man to seek God. All of our striving for truth and happiness is ultimately a search for the one who supports us absolutely, satisfies us absolutely, and employs us absolutely in his service. A person is not completely himself until he has found God. They [men] should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us, for "In him we live and move and have our being." (Acts17: 27-28a)

So, what is the most important things that we one can satisfied our spiritual needs? The answer is just simple: Prayer! The church teach us that prayer is turning the heart toward God. When a person prays, he enters into a living relationship with God. Well, sometimes we have to acknowledge our human weaknesses. When we pray, we might feel that we are talking to ourselves. The reason behind it is simple : because we do not acknowledge God is there with us. Often, we think that we are speaking in the air, because we cannot see God. We do not know who are we talking to! Often, we prefer two ways communication instead of one way communication. We want immediate answer, we prefer immediate respond. I guess, this might be the reason of our human weaknesses that cause us not to pray, and find that prayer is bored! Consider this statement by Soren Kierkegaard saying " Praying does not mean listening to yourself speak; praying means calming down and being still and waiting until you hear God." What a beautiful statement, right? any clue or hints that you get from this statement?

Prayer is the great gate leading into faith. Someone who prays no longer lives on his own, for himself, and by his own strength. He knows there is a God to whom he can talk. People who pray entrust themselves more and more to God. Even now they seek union with the one whom they will encounter one day face to face. Therefore, the effort to pray daily is part of Christian life and prayer is a gift one obtains through prayer.

In this busy world, we tend to forget about God, we run away from him and hide. Whether or not we avoid thinking about God or sometimes we might deny him, he is always there for us. He seeks us before we seek him; he yearns for us, he calls us. You speak with your conscience and suddenly notice that you are speaking with God. You feel lonely, have no one to talk with, and then sense that God is always available to talk. You are in danger and experience that a cry for help is answered by God. Praying is as human breathing, eating and loving. Praying purifies. Praying makes it possible to resist temptations. Praying strengthen us in our weakness. Praying remove fear, increase energy, and gives a second wind. Praying makes one happy. 

At this point of time, you might be asking when should a person pray? From the earliest times, Christians have prayed at least in the morning, at meals, and in the evening. Someone who does not pray regularly will soon not pray at all.  Anyone who loves another person and all day long never gives that person a sign of his love does not really love him. So it is with God, too. Anyone who truly seeks him will keep sending him signals of his longing for his company and friendship. Now, we should get up in the morning and give the day to God, asking for his blessing and to be there in all your meetings and needs. Thank him, especially at mealtimes. At the end of the day, place everything into his hands, ask him for forgiveness, and pray for peace for yourself and others. A great day full of signs of life that reach God. 

To learn from Mary how to pray means to join her in prayer : Let it be done unto me according to your word". (LK 1:38).

Prayer is ultimately self-giving in response to God's love. If we say YES as Mary did, God has the opportunity to lead His life in our life. 

So, start your day with prayer today. Let God lead us in our life because prayer is the most beautiful communication with God.