"Ordinary Actions, Extraordinary Perfection"

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

2008-07-06T10:34:00.000+08:00

Zec 9:9-10
Ps 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14
Rm 8:9, 11-13
Mt 11:25-30

Do you feel weighed down or lifted up by taking on the yoke — the servanthood, the ministry, the loving outreach — of Jesus?

We have so many personal struggles, so many crosses to carry, so many people needing our attention, that of course we feel weighed down and exhausted. Yet in this Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus tells us that his yoke is easy! The burdens that he asks us to carry are not heavy!

How can that be?

When the burdens of life wear us down and tire us out, it's usually because we've taken on more responsibility than God has given to us. Or else it's because we're expending energy trying to get rid of a cross after Jesus has yoked us to it. If the burden leads to burn-out, God lets us get tired, because he's warning us: Slow down! Simplify your life! Make a change! Spend more time in prayer! If it leads to anger and resentment, God's showing us that our selfish desire for an easier life is making our lives actually more difficult.

We have to take care of our own needs before we can be useful to Jesus while yoked to his ministry. The yoke of Christ is burdensome only if we continue to give out more to others than we allow Jesus to give to us. He will give us what we need so that in our partnership with him (the yoke), together we can give to others what they need. Then our anger and resentment disappear and we experience holy pleasure in our tasks, because we're yoked to the goodness and the energy and the strength of Jesus himself.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What are you doing that seems like a good idea but is wearing you out? Was it God's idea for you? At this time? This much of it? What can you do to slow down, simplify, make a change, and feel the strength of Jesus?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Become accountable for the answer to the above personal questions by sharing it with friends in your faith community: What changes ARE you going to make to allow Jesus to refresh and renew you? How do you think this will make a difference?

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Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Everyone has a favorite Bible passage. Today's Gospel is mine. The consoling words of Jesus are familiar: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened…."

I find it hard to say why I like this text so much. Perhaps it's because I've felt burdened at times in my life, or have known others who labor greatly under sorrow and suffering. I've heard these words addressed to myself, and in turn I've shared them with others in homilies at Mass, particularly at funerals.

But in addition to the Lord's encouragement that we come to him with our burdens, he invites us to "take up his yoke" and "learn from him." His meekness and humility show us a way to bear our burdens.

I've often marveled at the paradox in Christ's words: His yoke, his burden was the cross, and yet he calls it "easy and light." How does the heavy burden of the cross and suffering and death become "easy and light"?

Somehow, that transformation must happen in the act of surrender, in the "giving over" of our own daily labors, burdens and crosses to the Lord. Admitting to ourselves that we cannot carry them on our own, allowing Jesus to shoulder them with us; letting go of control—in that simple, childlike surrender, we discover the rest Jesus promises.

Scripture:

•See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he… (Zechariah 9:9)

•The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. (Psalm 145:8)

•If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies… (Romans 8:12)

•Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. (Matthew 11:30)

Reflection:

•What is the promise of Jesus to those who follow his ways unreservedly?

•Does your experience of God correspond with Psalm 145?

•How do you experience the spirit of God that dwells in you?

The most visible joy can only reveal itself to us when we’ve transformed it within. (Rainer Maria Rilke)

God in His nature is most simple and cannot admit of any duplicity. If we then should be conformed to Him, we should try to become by virtue what He is by nature. We should be simple in our affections, intentions, actions, and words; we should do what we find to do without artifice or guile, being on the outside what we are on the inside. (St. Vincent de Paul)

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles (A)

2008-06-29T23:47:00.001+08:00

Acts 12:1-11
Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18
Mt 16:13-19

This Sunday's Gospel reading describes the holy quality of "shepherding" that's required of those who are in Christian leadership. This includes not only our priests, but also lay ministers, parents, teachers, and so forth.

After Peter recognized Jesus as the Messiah, he was called and commissioned to shepherd others into the same realization. Today, every follower of Christ who is in any kind of leadership role still has this responsibility. We are to show those in our care what Jesus is really like. Being in charge of meetings, or directing clubs or choirs or religious education classes, or having positions of authority in parish or diocesan ministries — these are merely vehicles of the mission.

Paul suffered in his shepherd's ministry (as we see in the first reading), like Jesus did and like we do if we're involved enough to really make a difference for the kingdom of God. The good news is that the gates of the netherworld do not prevail against our efforts to help people escape from the destruction of sin. In Christ's Holy Spirit, we have the power and guidance to succeed. Christ goes ahead of us and his Spirit prepares the hearts of those whom we are called to reach.

A Christian leader who does not go into Satan's territory to rescue lost souls and who does nothing to protect his flock from wandering into danger is no follower of Christ, because this was Christ's entire mission.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

List the people who are under your care. Do they always see Jesus in you? Do they learn about Jesus from the way you treat them? What can you do to improve your shepherding this week?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Describe a time when someone shepherded you and brought you closer to Jesus. When you shepherd others, do they always know it's really Jesus who's leading them? When they fail to recognize Jesus in you despite your best efforts to be like him, how do you handle this?

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Visitors to Rome can see St. Peter's Basilica, the center of the Christian world, and the church of St. Paul Outside the Walls. These two great churches, honoring the saints we celebrate today, are immense structures—it is an overwhelming experience to visit them. The vast open spaces, towering pillars and sculptures, distant ceiling—all take visitors outside of themselves.

That's intentional.These churches are meant to lift us beyond ourselves to God—much like the Scriptures we read in today's liturgy. Although the readings relate episodes from the lives of Peter and Paul, the message isn't focused on the persons of these two apostles, but leads us back to God.

Peter's prison story—our first reading—stresses how God’s power freed him to return to the Church community. Paul's testimony in the second reading points likewise to how God stood by him during his ministry and rescued him from harm. The Gospel account relates Peter's confession of Christ as Messiah and Son of God.

We've no way of knowing how these two apostles would react to the great Roman basilicas dedicated to their memory.But my suspicion is that they would want to shift our focus from themselves to the God who gave them the strength to deliver their message. May we also discover the strength to let our lives reflect God's power.

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

2008-06-15T00:00:00.000+08:00

Ex 19:2-6a
Ps 100:1-2, 3, 5
Rm 5:6-11
Mt 9:36--10:8

In this Sunday's Gospel reading, notice how strongly Jesus was moved by the needs of the people. His heart ached for them, because he knew they felt troubled and abandoned. What's surprising, however, is how he responded. Although he likened them to sheep without a shepherd, and elsewhere he describes himself as the Good Shepherd, instead of taking action as that shepherd, he immediately turned to his disciples and called them to do the work!

Today, there are many who suffer troubles and feel abandoned because not enough is being done to help them. So, when we see a parish lacking a pastor, or a ministry lacking a shepherd, or a need lacking a ministry, we do as Jesus tells us to do: We beg the master of the harvest to send forth more laborers. And Jesus taps us on the shoulder and says, "YOU do it."

We ask God to increase the number of priest vocations, because there are too few men entering the seminary. And Jesus says, "Don't just pray, get up and do some of the work! You have a vocation, too!"

The reason why many people feel that God hasn't answered their prayers (and has therefore abandoned them) is because Jesus responds to their needs through us — and too few of us are giving him a free hand to use. We don't have enough lay people assisting the priests we do have. We don't have enough Christians standing up against injustices and other evils, and so of course, to many who suffer, God seems distant and uncaring.

Jesus was one man serving a whole nation, and he accomplished much in only three years because of the apostles who assisted him. The harvest needs collaborators. There are a few things that only a priest-shepherd can do; everything else can be done by his assistants, under his guidance, so that all needs are met. This is how the Church is made whole and holy and effective in evangelization.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What has Jesus asked you to do as an extension of himself? Which of his gifts are you using to help in the work of his kingdom? Which gifts has he given you that you're not using? Why not?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

What would our Church be like if everyone became an extension of Jesus using the gifts and talents that God has given them? How would this change the face of your parish?

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Today's Scripture readings make today a kind of "vocation Sunday." The Gospel certainly fits such a theme. There, Jesus calls his 12 disciples, after he has witnessed the crowds, people who are troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. He gives the Twelve a call to proclaim the Kingdom.

What did these 12 men hear or see in Jesus that made them follow him? If we knew the answer, we'd have a better clue to our own response, perhaps—and be better able to respond to Christ today.

I see clues for motivation in today's first reading. Like other recent selections from the Hebrew Scriptures, it comes from the story of Israel in the desert. Moses has gathered the people at the foot of Mount Sinai, where God wants to offer them a covenant. God is looking for their response. The motivation God offers is: See how I freed you from the Egyptians? Remember what I did at the Red Sea, and how I got you this far, sustaining you on this desert journey?

In other words, take a good look at what God has done. Can we do the same as we're invited to a "vocational response" in today's liturgy? What has God done for you lately? As you attend Mass this weekend, take time to ponder that question—and then make your response to God's call.

Scripture:

•You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagle wings and brought you here to myself. (Exodus 19:4)

•The LORD is good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:5)

•Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)

•At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)

•“Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” (Matthew 10:7,8)

Reflection:

•As Jesus instructs the disciples to be evangelizers in Matthew, are we to take the same message to heart?

•Are the unchurched the “troubled and abandoned” of the 21st century? How can this group be reached? Is the soul reached through the body or the body reached through the soul?

•How can anyone claim to spread the work of God without helping the poor in material and the poor in spirit?

•“Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.” In this instance, may Jesus’ command to be taken both literally and figuratively? Explain this command to evangelization?

This is crucial: we must be converted—and we must continue to be converted! We must let the Holy Spirit change our lives! We must respond to Jesus Christ. And we must be open to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit who will continue to convert us as we follow Christ. If our faith is alive, it will be aroused again and again as we mature as disciples.

The fruits of evangelization are changed lives and a changed world—holiness and justice, spirituality and peace. The validity of our having accepted the Gospel does not only come from what we feel or what we know; it comes also from the way we serve others, especially the poorest, the most marginal, the most hurting, the most defenseless, and the least loved. An evangelization that stays inside ourselves is not an evangelization into the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Americancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

2008-06-08T00:00:00.000+08:00

Hos 6:3-6
Ps 50:1, 8, 12-13, 14-15
Rm 4:18-25
Mt 9:9-13

In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, consider how we are called to be like Jesus and reach out to those whom others have rejected. Who are the marginalized and neglected in your parish? Who are uninvolved because no one invited them? Which people at work ask for your prayers and show an interest in God but don't go to church because they feel outcast? Which ones never get invited into social groupings at parish events because they are too different or too sinful or too this or too that?

These are the Matthews around us. Matthew followed Jesus after he was invited. Would he have joined the group of disciples who encircled Jesus if no one had reached out to him? Probably not, because as a Jew who collected taxes for the enemy, he was despised as lower than the lowest scum.

Often, the people we know who are not showing up at Mass or other parish functions are absent because they feel like they don't belong and no one has invited them. Even if it takes more than a few tries to convince them that they will be welcomed, we should never judge anyone as unworthy of our repeated attempts.

Evangelization is most effective when we walk with others, forming compassionate relationships with them. This doesn't mean that we have to make these people our close and frequent companions, but remember that Matthew ended up as one of the inner twelve who helped lead the growth of the early Church. Your invitations could have unimaginable impacts on a scale that you cannot foresee!

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Did you ever feel like a Matthew? Who's invited you to experience more of Christ's love? Who are the Matthews in your life? What are you doing about them?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

How has God taught you to reach out to those whom others reject? What difference did you make when you went out of your way to befriend someone or to talk about Jesus to someone who didn't fit the mold of normal church life?

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If you're lucky enough to be near a garden, and to walk there early in the morning, you'll understand today's first reading. The prophet Hosea talks about the dawn of the day, and the sun lighting the morning sky. If there's been a spring rain, the garden will be lush and green. The early morning clouds and the dew dampening the garden in the first part of the day quickly vanish.

These down-to-earth images describe both our God's life-giving presence, and our own human response. Where God brings certainty, truth and life, we so often respond with shallow piety, a religious fervor that's just talk, and superficial gestures, rather than a real sacrificial response of love.

Jesus is just as down-to-earth in the Gospel. In a scene that must have stunned those who witnessed it, he confronts Matthew the tax collector. Here was a man rejected by the so-called religious crowd, outcast because his profession was marked by collaboration with the Romans and easy temptation to greed and selfishness.

Jesus offers Matthew a call to loving service. In his call to Matthew, Jesus brings forgiveness and echoes the prophet Hosea's message from God: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."

We hear these words at Sunday Mass—a ritual action which can become superficial for us, if we do not make a loving response to what we've heard.

Scripture:

•…for it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts. (Hosea 6:6)
•…it was also for us, to whom it will be credited, who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over for our transgressions and was raised for our justification. (Romans 4:24,25)
•The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words,‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Matthew 9:11-13)

Reflection:

•Who does Jesus spend time with? Why?
•Who do you spend time with? Why?
•What does God desire?
•Does God or humankind impose conditions on salvation?

This Christ-centered love takes us out of ourselves and brings our newly found sense of independence into relationships that are not based on dependence, as many relationships tend to be, but that are based on Christ as their center. It enables one to work for others with great liberty of spirit because one is no longer seeking one’s own ego centered goals but responding to reality as it is. Divine love is not an attitude to put on like a cloak. It is rather the right way to respond to reality. It is the right relationship to being, including our own being. And that relationship is primarily one of receiving. No one has any degree of divine love except what one has received. An important part of the response to divine love, once it has been received, is to pass it on to our neighbor in a way that is appropriate in the present moment.¹

Nothing is obtained from God except by Love.

9th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

2008-06-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

Dt 11:18, 26-28, 32
Ps 31:2-3, 34, 17, 25
1 Rm 3:21-25, 28
Mt 7:21-27

In next Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus explains how to be a true disciple: DO the will of the Father. ACT upon what you've learned from Jesus. He's constantly speaking to us through the scriptures and the teachings of the Church. We cannot afford to be merely hearers of the Word; our salvation depends on being doers of the Word. If we claim to have faith in Jesus but we do not do what he has taught us to do, then we are merely saying "Lord, Lord" — we are not following our Lord to heaven.

As Jesus points out, if we take action, first by integrating the truths of God's kingdom into our daily lives and then by making a difference in the world, we will be able to withstand any storm, any persecution, and any trial, even when our actions stir up the storm. Why? Because we are living in Christ's death and resurrection, we are living in his power, and we are living in his strength, which overcame the world.

But if we fail to let the teachings of Jesus transform us, when our lives are flooded by troubles, they'll destroy us — they'll destroy our peace, our joy, our awareness that God is loving us, and probably much more. When we try to survive these storms the way our worldly training says we should, things only get worse or — at best — the calming influence of Christ's peace gets delayed.

And if we fail to take the teachings of Jesus into the world around us, the blowing winds of immorality and dysfunction and abuses will destroy others, and we will be contributing to their demise by our inaction. That's not the path to heaven! It's the mortal sin of apathy. This might sound harsh, but in order to be resurrected into heaven after we die, we have to first go to the cross with Jesus. We have to care enough about others to stand up against the evils that we witness.

Storms will rage because of what we do for Christ and with Christ, but we will not collapse. In fact, we will only grow stronger.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What storm are you living through right now? What is changing within you as a result of this storm? Is it leading you to greater holiness?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Describe a past storm in your life and explain how it changed you. How has this enhanced your life? How has it enhanced your ministry to others?

Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

2008-05-31T00:00:00.000+08:00

This is a fairly late feast, going back only to the 13th or 14th century. It was established widely throughout the Church to pray for unity. The present date of celebration was set in 1969 in order to follow the Annunciation of the Lord (March 25) and precede the Birthday of John the Baptist (June 24).

Like most feasts of Mary, it is closely connected with Jesus and his saving work. The more visible actors in the visitation drama (see Luke 1:39-45) are Mary and Elizabeth. However, Jesus and John the Baptist steal the scene in a hidden way. Jesus makes John leap with joy—the joy of messianic salvation. Elizabeth, in turn, is filled with the Holy Spirit and addresses words of praise to Mary—words that echo down through the ages.

It is helpful to recall that we do not have a journalist’s account of this meeting. Rather, Luke, speaking for the Church, gives a prayerful poet’s rendition of the scene. Elizabeth’s praise of Mary as “the mother of my Lord” can be viewed as the earliest Church’s devotion to Mary. As with all authentic devotion to Mary, Elizabeth’s (the Church’s) words first praise God for what God has done to Mary. Only secondly does she praise Mary for trusting God’s words.

Then comes the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). Here Mary herself (like the Church) traces all her greatness to God.

Comment:

One of the invocations in Mary’s litany is “Ark of the Covenant.” Like the Ark of the Covenant of old, Mary brings God’s presence into the lives of other people. As David danced before the Ark, John the Baptist leaps for joy. As the Ark helped to unite the 12 tribes of Israel by being placed in David’s capital, so Mary has the power to unite all Christians in her Son. At times, devotion to Mary may have occasioned some divisiveness, but we can hope that authentic devotion will lead all to Christ and therefore to one another.

Quote:

“Moved by charity, therefore, Mary goes to the house of her kinswoman.... While every word of Elizabeth’s is filled with meaning, her final words would seem to have a fundamental importance: ‘And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her from the Lord’ (Luke 1:45). These words can be linked with the title ‘full of grace’ of the angel’s greeting. Both of these texts reveal an essential Mariological content, namely the truth about Mary, who has become really present in the mystery of Christ precisely because she ‘has believed.’ The fullness of grace announced by the angel means the gift of God himself. Mary’s faith, proclaimed by Elizabeth at the visitation, indicates how the Virgin of Nazareth responded to this gift” (Pope John Paul II, The Mother of the Redeemer, 12).

Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (A)

2008-05-25T00:21:00.000+08:00

Dt 8:2-3, 14b-16a
Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
1 Cor 10:16-17
Jn 6:51-58

This Sunday we celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist and why we believe it is truly and physically the presence of Jesus.

We're reminded in the first reading that God our Father always provides the food and drink that we need for survival in the desert days of life's hardships. What he did for the Israelites, he does for us today in whatever ways we experience hot trials and dry faith. He provides what we need by giving us the True Presence of Christ, who comes to us not only in the Eucharist but also in his Holy Spirit, who lives within us because of our baptisms, to guide us and nourish our spiritual growth.

The Gospel passage tells us that the Eucharistic food and drink are truly Jesus himself, not a mere symbol of his love. Oh-my oh-my, how we need THIS food and drink to survive the serpents and scorpions and the parched and waterless ground of our desert experiences! Jesus literally fills us and quenches our thirsts. As we consume him, he consumes us. As we draw him into us, he draws us into himself. In this unity, we walk through our trials with all that we need for success.

The second reading tells us that the Eucharist increases our unity with Christ and with Christ's body on earth, the church community, through which he provides the various resources that we need. In this unity — when it's activated as it should be — no one lacks anything good because all necessary goods are shared. And ultimately in this unity, as Jesus said in the Gospel, we're assured of eternal life in heaven, where all needs are met perfectly and completely.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What are the "serpents and scorpions" in your life right now? In what ways do you feel parched, thirsty to the point of desperation? During Mass, imagine that you're walking through a desert to receive from Jesus what you need. How does it feel to approach Jesus this way?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

How has the Eucharist helped you through a difficult time? Why did it make a difference? I kiss the Host before placing it in my mouth; what do you do that helps make the presence of Christ in the Eucharist more real for your needs?

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Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.

As a friar, I've had the privilege to go on pilgrimage. Traveling to a holy place with other pilgrims is an experience of getting to know God, self and others.

An important part of pilgrimage, believe it or not, is the food. You may smile, wondering what pilgrimage meals have to do with spirituality. Well, I enjoyed some of my best spiritual experiences around the table with my fellow pilgrims. The meals on pilgrimage in Assisi, Italy, were, of course, wonderful! But my memory of those meals always includes the wonderful people with whom I shared the food. It nourished both body and spirit.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, and our first reading takes us into the desert, as God's people are completing their pilgrimage to the Promised Land. Moses recalls for them how they depended for forty years on the food God provided. They survived as free people, liberated from slavery, thanks to the manna in the desert, and the other food from God.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells the crowds that he himself will be true food and drink for them—a food that will surpass the manna in the desert. Jesus, the living bread, will give them eternal life. It is the ultimate pilgrimage meal, and we share it each Sunday at Eucharist.

Scripture:

•…who guided you through the vast and terrible desert with its seraph serpents and scorpions, its parched and waterless ground; who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock and fed you in the desert with manna, (Deuteronomy 8:15,16)

•…with the best of wheat he fills you. (Psalm 147:14)

•The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16)

•…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. (John 6:53)

•For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. (John 6:55)

Reflection:

•Have you journeyed through the desert of hard times or spiritual despair? Was God with you? Was a community with you?

•Do you journey alone or with a community?

•Is your community limited to those who are living now?

•Will you starve without the Lord’s presence in the Eucharist?

•Is the Eucharist an individual or community celebration?

We tend to think of individual human beings as unconnected until they choose to become connected either because it is useful or because of some natural attraction. But there is an important biblical alternative to this interpretation, in many ways countercultural. We are all children of the same God, with the same earth as our common home. We are inter-related and interdependent. We have no choice about whether we live in relationships. Our only choices are whether we tell the truth about our social existence and whether we live in ways that redeem the relational web that is always and forever the matrix of our becoming.

It (Body of Christ) is a way of being in the world with one another and with Christ because of who God is. The body of Jesus in life, the Body of Christ in the Easter event, the Body of Christ who we are, the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, and the Body of Christ that we become more fully in the resurrection of the body—all these belong together in Body’s (of Christ) total meaning.

Most Holy Trinity (A)

2008-05-18T00:11:00.001+08:00

Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9
Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
2 Cor 13:11-13
Jn 3:16-18

On the first Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate and honor God's character as the Most Holy Trinity.

The first reading shows us the Father, as he parented the baby nation of Israel. We see that he is "a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and faithfulness" — the Perfect Father. If we have difficulty seeing him this way, our spirits need healing. We have to mentally differentiate him from our human dads and other authority figures who've imperfectly modeled God.

The second reading shows us the entire Trinity: the grace of Jesus, the love of the Father, and our friendly partnership with the Holy Spirit. In this and because of this, we are to rejoice, mend our ways, and live in peace with one another.

In other words, because Jesus bore our sins as he died on the cross and then conquered death, he provides us with grace so that we can resist sin, and he provides us with the Father's love so that we can love one another no matter what, and he provides us with the Holy Spirit, who fellowships with us and empowers us so that we can continually live as holy Christians.

The Gospel reading shows us the depth of the Father's love. He doesn't condemn us for our sins; he gives us his Son to rescue us from condemnation. Our sins condemn us and sentence us to eternal death, but Jesus saves us from this by taking us to eternal life — IF we want him to!

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Which Person of the Trinity do you know the least? Or feel distant from? Or fear? How have human relationships interfered with feeling God's closeness?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Which Person of the Trinity do you feel you know the best? Why? How is the Trinity the perfect example of a good, loving, healthy relationship?

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Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for Trinity Sunday.

As a friar, it sometimes happens that when I've planned a trip by car that another member of my community asks to ride along. I confess it makes me stop and think: Do I want to spend hours in the car with that person? Traveling with another person means forming a relationship or building on one.

In today's first reading, Moses asks God to "come along in our company," to travel with the Israelites to the Promised Land. Moses admits they are "stiff-necked"—perhaps not the best traveling companions.

But in reality, it's God who's invited Israel on this trip. And God will supply what's needed to get them to their destination. Their relationship with God will be life-giving.

Today on Trinity Sunday, we celebrate a divine relationship—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Three divine persons, one God. Understanding how that relationship works may be more than we can comprehend. But understanding what that relationship means is essential.

Through the Trinity we have strength to live in relationship to one another. As today's second reading says: We're to encourage one another and live in peace—and the God of love and peace will, in effect, "come along in our company." Such a relationship is God's plan for us.

The Gospel tells us that in what is perhaps the New Testament's most famous quote, John 3:16—God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.

Scripture:

•“The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.” (Exodus 34:6)

•Blessed are you who look into the depths. (Daniel 3:55)

•The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. (2 Corinthians 13:13)

•God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Reflection:

•In your life who has always treated you with kindness and faithfulness?

•If you were able to look past the superficiality that is the world and peer into the depth that is your being what would you find residing in that place?

•What is the only way out of the inherent conflict that is the world? How did you find this way?

When I consent to the will and mercy of God as it comes to me in the events of life appealing to my inner self and awakening my faith, I break through the superficial exterior appearances that forms my routine vision of the world and my own self, and I find myself in the presence of hidden majesty. It may appear to me that this majesty and presence is something objective, “outside myself.”…Yet this is a majesty that we do not see with our eyes and it is within ourselves. It is the mission of the Word and Spirit, from the Father, in the depths of my own being. It is a majesty communicated to us, shared with us, so that our whole being is filled with the gift of glory and responds with adoration.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Americancatholic.org Good News Ministries

Pentecost (A)

2008-05-11T17:20:00.001+08:00

Acts 2:1-11
Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13
Jn 20:19-23

"Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth." This is our prayer in the responsorial Psalm for Pentecost. It's the reason the Church can exist and continues to exist. We live in the age of the Holy Spirit. Without the power and presence of the Spirit of Christ, Christianity would have been unable to change the world and sustain itself for 2000 years. Without the Spirit of Christ, we Christians would be unable to do what Christ did.

Pentecost Sunday re-lives the birthday of the Church, and as it does, it also re-lives our spiritual birthdays, i.e., our initiations as members of the Church. It's a community-wide celebration of the impact that our baptisms have had on our lives and it's a reaffirmation of the Sacrament of Confirmation when the bishop confirmed that we truly received the Holy Spirit during our baptism.

Pentecost reminds us that through these sacraments we received God's power and presence so that we can overcome sin, live in holiness, and change the world around us.

How does God "renew the face of the earth"? Through us! First, God the Father gave the Holy Spirit to Jesus so that he could successfully fulfill his calling on earth. Now, the Father has given his Spirit to us, so that we can continue the work of renewal that Jesus began.

If you feel inadequate for any holy task or any righting of a wrong or any victory over sin and unhealthiness, you're correct: You are inadequate. But the Spirit of God who dwells in you is more than adequate. Proceed forward trusting in this partnership!

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Are you making a difference on the earth because of the Holy Spirit living in you and working through you? What is the Holy Spirit doing — or wanting to do — through you? Make a list answering this, beginning with your home life, then your job, then your parish, then your recreational activities, in that order of priority.

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

How did you first discover that the Holy Spirit was making a difference in the lives of others through you? Describe a recent time when God partnered with you. How do feel about the Spirit renewing the world through you? What are your hopes and dreams for this?

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Shortly after Easter one year, a woman in a parish who had been received into the Church at the Easter Vigil shared that how welcomed she felt in the Catholic family. The sense of openness and tolerance she experienced was especially important to her.

It’s a characteristic of Catholicism to see God’s goodness in all of creation, in various human endeavors, and in the cultures and histories of human beings wherever the gospel is preached. While we haven’t always lived up to that ideal, it was happy that the new parishioner experienced something of that spirit.

That universal dimension is also one of the themes of Pentecost. The dramatic story of the descent of the Holy Spirit tells us how the Holy Spirit can break down walls we may put up between peoples, races, cultures. What we see as obstacles, the Spirit can use to create a new unity, a reversal of the Babel story in Genesis, when people let human arrogance lead to disunity, as one human language fractured into many different tongues.

Today, across our world, a myriad of voices, different languages, and many cultural expressions will celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. Let’s join our voices with that Pentecost chorus.

Scripture:

•And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit… (Acts 2:4)

•When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. (Psalm 104:30)

•For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13)

•Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19)

•And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22)

Reflection:

•Describe “filled with the Holy Spirit.”

•Explain “in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.”

•What is John saying when he writes, “he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’”?

The problem of forming Christ in us is not to be solved by our own efforts. It is not a matter of studying the Gospels and then working to put our ideas into practice, although we should try and do that too, but always under the guidance of grace, in complete subjection to the Holy Spirit.

For if we depend on our own ideas, our own judgment and our own efforts to reproduce the life of Christ, we will only act out some pious charade which will ultimately scare everybody we meet because it will be so stiff and artificial and so dead.

It is the Spirit of God that must teach us Who Christ is and form Christ in us and transform us into other Christs.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Americancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Seventh Sunday of Easter (A)

2008-05-04T00:15:00.001+08:00

Acts 1:12-14
Ps 27:1, 4, 7-8 or Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
1 Pt 4:13-16
Jn 17:1-11a

All the readings for this Sunday's Mass can be best enjoyed, understood and summed up by the message we proclaim in the responsorial Psalm. This should be a favorite scripture that we post at our desks or on our mirrors or anywhere we'll see it often, because it has the power to uplift us when we're experiencing the darkest of times and the most hopeless of situations: "I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living!" Oh yeah, alleluia!

Repeatedly, God used it to reaffirm that we can trust in his promises. It was going to be a long, painful time before the good things of the Lord that we were praying for would finally come to pass, and not all if it has come to full fruition yet, but this scripture kept our faith intact.

The Gospel reading shows us that Jesus recognized the good things of his Father in the land of the living. Notice how he appreciated the trust that his followers had placed in him. Isn't it delightful when the people we care about believe us and accept everything that we give to them as we offer them our faith!

And when they don't? That's when we turn to Jesus and give to him the love that they've rejected. We accept his words, as revealed in scripture, understanding that he came from the Father, and thus we gain trust in the Father's plan. Jesus is praying for you. Eventually, you WILL INDEED see the good things of the Lord in the land of living!

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What are the good things of the Lord that you're waiting for? How do you feel about the wait? How strong is your trust in God's perfect timing? What is God asking YOU to do so that you will become more available to his blessings?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

Think of a time when you had to wait on God. What gave you hope? Which one of next Sunday's readings can you most closely identify with?

- Waiting in the Upper Room to receive the Holy Spirit, not knowing what will happen next (first reading).

- Sharing in the sufferings of Christ (second reading).

- Working hard in a job or ministry and trusting the Father for its outcome (Gospel reading).

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How often do we promise to pray for someone we care about? Did you know there’s a special prayer for each of us, prayed by Christ himself?

Today we read from John’s Gospel from what known as the “Last Discourse.” At the Last Supper, Jesus speaks to his disciples about his coming absence. Scripture scholar Raymond Brown tells us that Christ’s words, addressed to his intimate circle of followers, can also be understood as the Risen Jesus speaking from heaven to all those who will follow after him.

Today’s selection, near the end of the Discourse, is a prayer of Jesus, addressed to the Father. It sums up Christ’s work on earth. He’s revealed God to the disciples and they’ve entered into a relationship with God, in and through Jesus. Now, he prays for those who will remain “in the world,” after he has returned to the Father.

We’re the subjects of this prayer as much as the original disciples were. We remain “in the world.” We need support and affirmation to continue living out the word entrusted to us by Christ.

Elsewhere, the Lord assures us that the Spirit is his gift to us, providing the support we need. We pray for that gift as we approach next week’s Feast of Pentecost.

Scripture:

•After Jesus had been taken up to heaven the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. (Acts 1:12)

•Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks. (Psalm 27:8)

•If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. (1 Peter 4:14)

•Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. (John 17:3)

Reflection:

•How do you know Jesus the Son of God and how do you know God?

•What does your heart speak? Where does your glance seek?

•Is there any other way to be blessed by God except to be insulted in the name of Jesus Christ?

•How far can you travel on a Sabbath day’s journey? (Hint: How far do you travel when you receive the Eucharist and where do you arrive?)

The man who communicates loses himself in God like a drop of water in the ocean; it’s impossible to separate them anymore…. In these vast depths of love, there’s enough to lose yourself for eternity.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Amerciancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Sixth Sunday of Easter (A)

2008-04-27T23:54:00.001+08:00

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
Ps 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
1 Pt 3:15-18
Jn 14:15-21

In next Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit is our "Advocate". Some scholars translate the word to "Counselor". In the original Greek language, it means "called alongside". It's closely related to the verb "parakaleo" ("to call" or "summon") from which we get "Paraclete" as a name for the Holy Spirit. In ancient Greek society, it referred to a legal assistant, a courtroom advocate. Jesus is telling us that the Holy Spirit is our legal assistant who speaks up for us when we're accused, judged, or wrongly condemned.

Notice that Jesus refers to our Advocate as the "Spirit of truth". God always knows the truth about us, despite what people think of us and the wrong things they say about us. Remember: It's only his opinion of us that really matters. And his opinion of us is better than we think it is!

We judge ourselves more harshly than we should, and this is why we worry so much about how badly others might judge us. If we honestly examine our consciences, confessing our sins during the Penance Rite at Mass or in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and if we genuinely want to improve, then Jesus says to us what he said to other sinners: "I do not condemn you; go and sin no more."

Don't you sometimes wish that Jesus would come physically to your rescue when you're undergoing trials? He said that he will not leave us orphans — he will always be with us in the Spirit when we need to be defended.

To love him is to desire to keep his commandments, and when we fail, the Spirit of Truth says to the Father: "Look, this precious child really does want to be holy." To us, the Spirit says, "Let me teach you how to grow in holiness and avoid this sin." And to others, the Spirit says: "If you love me, love this precious friend of mine."

Questions for Personal Reflection:

How have you been unjustly accused and unfairly judged? Imagine what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Father about that. And to those who condemned you. What is he saying to you about you?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

Describe a time when God defended you. How did the Advocate manifest his help? Who learned more from it: you or your accusers?

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Have you ever been visited by representatives of a particular religion or Church, going door to door to evangelize? While most of probably have, I suspect the reverse is not true. Rarely do Catholics engage in such face-to-face faith-sharing. I know I’m very shy about approaching a total stranger with a request to consider learning about Jesus.

Today’s Scripture selections continue our Easter instructions for the newly baptized. The first reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, reflects how Christian witness might be received—persecution was a real threat for the Church in Jerusalem. The First Letter of Peter seems to reflect a similar harsh reality. Peter urges Christians to approach others, ready to explain who we are, but to do so with “gentleness and reverence.”

That reminds me of the advice St. Francis of Assisi gave his brothers who were thinking of being missionaries. He told them to “avoid quarrels or disputes and to be subject to every human creature for God’s sake.” Francis was quoting from the First Letter of Peter. The letter goes on to encourage those fearful of persecution to remember that Christ also suffered persecution. In the Gospel, Jesus himself assures us that we will not be alone; the Holy Spirit will be present with us, to support and guide us.

Scripture:

•Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:17)

•Shout joyfully to God, all the earth, sing praise to the glory of his name; proclaim his glorious praise. Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!…” (Psalm 66:2,3)

•Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18b)

•…and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him. But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you. (John 14:16,7)

Reflection:

•Jesus comes to those who love him. How do you love Jesus?

•How is the “Advocate,” the “Spirit of Truth,” alive in you?

•How is it that the world is not capable of receiving the Spirit? Are you in the world or in the spirit?

To come to possess all desire to possess nothing. To arrive at being all desire to be nothing.

The soul that journeys to God but does not shake off its cares and quiet its appetites is like one who drags a cart uphill.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Amerciancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Fifth Sunday of Easter (A)

2008-04-20T00:37:00.001+08:00

Acts 6:1-7
Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
1 Pt 2:4-9
Jn 14:1-12

This Sunday's Gospel reading ends with a very astounding verse: "Whoever believes in me will do the works I do, and greater far than these." What does he mean — how can we do the same — and bigger — supernatural miracles than Jesus did? The answer is found in the context of the entire chapter, as Jesus explains his close relationship with the Father, i.e., what he does for the Father and with the Father. Remember, Jesus was (and still is) both human and divine. We need to look at these verses with this in mind.

The "works I do" means what he did with his humanity FOR the Father. As a human, he did very human works, i.e., the same types of good deeds that you and I readily do in appreciation for the love that God the Father has for us.

As beloved children, we love others as he loves them, we teach what we've learned, we share what we've been given, we listen to those who need someone to understand them, we work hard on the job to our fullest potential, offering a helping hand when we see a need, etc. There's nothing supernatural about it. It's being who we are, human children of a loving Daddy-God.

The "greater" works are what Jesus did in his divinity WITH the Father. They are the miracles that the Father worked through Jesus, because the love of the Father and the love of the Son are one love.

When Jesus took upon himself the punishment for our sins and the Father raised him from the dead, Jesus gave us his divinity so that we can continue his works on earth. Because we've received God's divinity in our baptisms, the Father extends himself through us to the world. With him, we can love the unlovable after they've pushed us past our human limits, we can be instruments of miracles, we can hear God speak to us, and we can share his wisdom and comfort without knowing what to say. We can do everything that God asks of us, despite our inadequacies.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Make a list of your gifts and talents. Then reflect on how each of these are the human works of Jesus for the world today. How has the Father also worked through you supernaturally?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

Name some of the good works being done in your parish or group: How do these reflect the human nature of Jesus? Name some of the ways that your parish or group shows the Father's supernatural nature to the world. How can we become better able to do the "greater works" of the Father?

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Do you ever long with nostalgia for the “good old days”?

I wonder if the early Christians, after the excitement of the first Pentecost had worn off, longed for their own “good old days.” As they found themselves “in for the long haul,” trying to set up structures and institutions for the growing community, did they wish they were back when it was just Jesus and a little band of disciples?

The passage from the Last Supper in John’s Gospel today seems to anticipate that situation. Jesus reassures his troubled followers that he is going to prepare a place for them. When they want to know the “way” to this place, Jesus tells them he is “the way.” The disciples will go on to do Christ’s work—a mission to a wider world. Elsewhere in that Last Supper discourse, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will be present to remind them of all he’s said and done.

The spread of the gospel challenged the fledgling community as the Church grew, and encompassed other languages, cultures and regions. New structures and new ministries would be needed.

The same is true in our day. Facing a new millennium, we need to know the Holy Spirit, Christ’s gift to the Church, is present to teach us what’s needed today, and unite us to Christ, our way, our truth and our life.

Scripture:

•They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them. (Acts 6:6)

•He loves justice and right; of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full. (Psalm 33:5)

•Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4,5)

•”…Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.… Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:10,12)

Reflection:

•How are you a vessel of Jesus, “a living stone?”

•What are the greater works that those who believe in Jesus do?

•How are you a “spiritual house, a holy priesthood?”

The “return” is the end beyond all ends, and the beginning of beginnings. To “return to the Father” is not to “go back” in time, to roll up the scroll of history, or to reverse anything. It is a going forward, a going beyond, for merely to retrace one’s steps would be a vanity on top of vanity, a renewal of the same absurdity in reverse. Our destiny is to go on beyond everything, to leave everything, to press forward to the End and find in the End our Beginning, the ever-new beginning that has no end. To obey Him on the way, in order to reach Him in whom I have begun, who is the key and the end— because he is the beginning.

Fourth Sunday of Easter (A)

2008-04-13T23:07:00.000+08:00

Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
1 Pt 2:20b-25
Jn 10:1-10

Are you at an impasse in your spiritual growth or emotional healing or a difficult relationship? Do you need a breakthrough? Do you feel stuck behind a fence that's keeping you on the outside of peace, joy, satisfaction, or healing? This Sunday's Gospel reading tells us that Jesus is the gate in that fence. He helps us reach the heavenly side of the gate, outside the realm of earthly restrictions — not only when we die and enter eternal life, but also here and now in our earthly life, so that we might always "have life and have it more abundantly."

When our path seems blocked, we can only make progress by letting Jesus shepherd us around and through and over the obstacles. If people shut a door on something that God wants us to do, Jesus is still our open gate and no one can close him out of our lives. He will lead us into a new opportunity for accomplishing the plans of God. If he's given us a frustrated holy desire, a passion for which there seems to be no outlet, instead of complaining or quitting, we must look at Jesus and see him as a gate that opens into a direction or location.

And until we get all the way through this gate, we stick close to him like dumb sheep. There's a journey to take before we can reach the other side of the fence. The thief that comes to steal and slaughter can only reach us when we stray away from Jesus and we take our eyes off of him. Despair and worry are two common thieves, robbing us of peace, joy, satisfaction, and healing. But they're not as powerful as they pretend to be. They do not speak the truth about the destruction we fear. They are merely trying to make us forget that Jesus is our Good Shepherd safely guiding us into a life of abundant victory.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What breakthrough are you hoping for? What's frustrating you and seems hopeless? What's causing you to think that a problem you're facing might lead to disaster and destruction? What will you do this week to follow Jesus more closely so that you can get through this with more peace?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

Share the story of a time when you experienced obstacles and Jesus provided a breakthrough that led to victory.

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Are you ready to continue your “post-graduate” work as a Christian?

On the Sundays of Easter the liturgy offers instruction for the newly baptized. All of us are “enrolled” in that course along with them. Our “curriculum” comes from the First Letter of Peter, the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospels. They all suggest how a community rooted in Christ witnesses in the world, with the Spirit’s help.

Today we’re reminded again of the Jesus we follow. A sermon from Acts on the first Pentecost calls listeners to conversion. The second reading—perhaps drawn from an early baptismal instruction to Christian converts who were Roman slaves—presents Jesus as the Suffering Servant, a theme we heard in Holy Week. The instruction urges the newly baptized to identify with and follow Christ as “shepherd of our souls.”

It’s a metaphor found in John’s Gospel. Imagine a crowded sheepfold, noisy with milling flocks and the conflicting voices of shepherds calling their sheep. It’s a likely place for a thief to slip over the wall and do mischief. But the Good Shepherd enters boldly by the main gate, calls us by name, and we recognize him. With the voice of the Shepherd calling us, we continue our Easter celebration of Baptism.

Scripture:

•…and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, (Acts 2:38,9)

•The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. (Psalm 23)

•When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; (1 Peter 2:23)

•I am the gate for the sheep.…I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. (John 10:7b,9)

Reflection:

•Have you taken comfort in Psalm 23 when you were troubled or sad?

•Have you followed the example of Jesus (1 Peter) in not returning violence through acting with God’s grace?

•How is Jesus the “gate” in your life?

I call upon you to love one another as Jesus has commanded.
I call upon you to renew your efforts to appreciate and respect each others’ cultural diversity.
I call upon you to show special concern for the poor and those who are pushed to the margins of society.
I call upon you to work for a more just society, in which wealth will be more evenly divided and in which it will be possible for all to live a life in keeping with human dignity.
I call upon you, especially the young people, to respond to the Lord’s love and to share his joy with others.
I call upon you who are sick to offer your sufferings for the growth of the kingdom of God.
And I commend all of you to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the perfect example of dedication to the Lord, the Mother of him who says: “This is my commandment: Love one another as I have loved You.” Amen.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Americancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Third Sunday of Easter (A)

2008-04-06T00:05:00.005+08:00

Acts 2:14, 22-33
Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
1 Pt 1:17-21
Lk 24:13-35

The two disciples in next Sunday's Gospel reading did not recognize Jesus until after they heard him explain the scriptures and then broke bread with him. It was a two-part process. First, while listening to him teach about the scriptures, only their hearts recognized him ("Were not our hearts burning within us?"). Their eyes didn't become open to his true identity until Jesus took the bread of a shared meal, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them to eat.

When we celebrate Mass today, we're on a similar journey with Jesus. First, we have the Liturgy of the Word, during which we hear the scriptures and a homily that explains them. This is a time of listening with our hearts.

A well-trained reader will speak the words of scripture with meaning and emphasis so that our hearts can recognize Jesus. A well-trained priest or deacon will teach us about the scriptures so that our hearts on set on fire as if Jesus himself were teaching us. But even if the reader or homilist does a poor job, our hearts can tune in and hear what Jesus is saying to us.

Then we move into the Liturgy of the Eucharist. When the presiding priest consecrates the bread and wine, it is Jesus himself who is actually doing it, using the priest's hands and vocal chords. Jesus is doing for us what he did for those two disciples at Emmaus.

If we have opened our hearts to Jesus during the first part of Mass, and if we are still paying attention, we see much more than a wafer of bread and a chalice of wine. We see Jesus. We recognize him with our hearts AND our heads. We know beyond all doubt that the resurrected Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Where does Jesus seem to be absent from your life? Did you ever feel like he was missing? How can the Mass help you recognize Jesus and feel his closeness? What else can you do to discover the presence of Jesus where you otherwise have not been able to sense his nearness?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

When did you discover that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist? How do you know that the bread and wine change into the substance of Jesus while retaining their original form (which is called "transubstantiation")? Is it always easy for you to recognize Jesus in the Eucharist?

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In human life, there’s no substitute for daily, lived experience, no matter how much “book learning” you’ve had.

On these Sundays of Easter the Church teaches the newly baptized—and all of us—how to live Christian life day by day. Selections from the First Letter of Peter and the Acts of the Apostles stress our witness to Christ in the real world. The Easter Gospels highlight how the Holy Spirit supports and guides the Church in that task.

Today’s Gospel, perhaps the most powerful of the Resurrection stories, portrays what Christians have experienced in Eucharist since the beginning of the Church. Two disciples full of grief after the death of Jesus, flee Jerusalem to escape the tragic events of Good Friday.

On the road to Emmaus, the risen Lord meets them, explains the Scriptures, and they recognize him in the breaking of the bread.

Our experience, like Christians down through the ages, is identical. In the midst of human life—no matter where we find ourselves—Christians gather to share their common needs and gifts, strengths and weaknesses, fears and joys. We break open the Scriptures so that Jesus may teach us. We break the bread and recognize Christ present. From the Eucharistic table we go out as the Body of Christ, ready to witness.

In the Sundays that follow, our Scriptures will help us understand the consequences of that witness.

Scripture:

•God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured him forth, as you see and hear. (Acts 2:32,33)

•You will show me the path to life, abounding joy in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever. (Psalm 16:11)

•…who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:21)

•Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to
them in the breaking of bread. (Luke 24:35)

Reflection:

•Where do the two disciples experience of Jesus? How do they describe it?

•Where does the Psalmist find Jesus? How is it described?

•Where does Luke find Jesus? What is the experience like?

•Where did Mary of Magdala and the disciples find Jesus? What do they say about it?

•In the first few days after the resurrection, when the disciples are experiencing the resurrected Jesus first time, none know quite how to describe this new presence. Have you ever encountered this newness in experiencing Jesus again for the first time? What was it like? How are you like the disciples in trying to explain the experience?

Many men in the past have been loved with extreme intensity—Socrates by his disciples, Julius Caesar by his legionnaires, Napoleon by his soldiers. But today these men belong irrevocably to the past; not a heart beats at their memory. There is no one who would give their life or even their possessions for them even though their ideals are still being advocated. And when their ideals are opposed, no one ever thinks of cursing Socrates or Julius Caesar or Napoleon, because their personalities no longer have any influence; they are bygones. But not Jesus; Jesus is still loved and still cursed; men still renounce their possessions and even their lives both for love of him and out of hatred for him. No living being is as alive as Jesus.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Americancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Annunciation of the Lord

2008-03-31T21:36:00.001+08:00

The feast of the Annunciation goes back to the fourth or fifth century. Its central focus is the Incarnation: God has become one of us. From all eternity God had decided that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity should become human. Now, as Luke 1:26-38 tells us, the decision is being realized. The God-Man embraces all humanity, indeed all creation, to bring it to God in one great act of love. Because human beings have rejected God, Jesus will accept a life of suffering and an agonizing death: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

Mary has an important role to play in God’s plan. From all eternity God destined her to be the mother of Jesus and closely related to him in the creation and redemption of the world. We could say that God’s decrees of creation and redemption are joined in the decree of Incarnation. As Mary is God’s instrument in the Incarnation, she has a role to play with Jesus in creation and redemption. It is a God-given role. It is God’s grace from beginning to end. Mary becomes the eminent figure she is only by God’s grace. She is the empty space where God could act. Everything she is she owes to the Trinity.

She is the virgin-mother who fulfills Isaiah 7:14 in a way that Isaiah could not have imagined. She is united with her son in carrying out the will of God (Psalm 40:8-9; Hebrews 10:7-9; Luke 1:38).

Together with Jesus, the privileged and graced Mary is the link between heaven and earth. She is the human being who best, after Jesus, exemplifies the possibilities of human existence. She received into her lowliness the infinite love of God. She shows how an ordinary human being can reflect God in the ordinary circumstances of life. She exemplifies what the Church and every member of the Church is meant to become. She is the ultimate product of the creative and redemptive power of God. She manifests what the Incarnation is meant to accomplish for all of us.

Comment:

Sometimes spiritual writers are accused of putting Mary on a pedestal and thereby discouraging ordinary humans from imitating her. Perhaps such an observation is misguided. God did put Mary on a pedestal and has put all human beings on a pedestal. We have scarcely begun to realize the magnificence of divine grace, the wonder of God’s freely given love. The marvel of Mary—even in the midst of her very ordinary life—is God’s shout to us to wake up to the marvelous creatures that we all are by divine design.

Quote:

“Enriched from the first instant of her conception with the splendor of an entirely unique holiness, the virgin of Nazareth is hailed by the heralding angel, by divine command, as ‘full of grace’ (cf. Luke 1:28). To the heavenly messenger she replies: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word’ (Luke 1:38). Thus the daughter of Adam, Mary, consenting to the word of God, became the Mother of Jesus. Committing herself wholeheartedly and impeded by no sin to God’s saving will, she devoted herself totally, as a handmaid of the Lord, to the person and work of her Son, under and with him, serving the mystery of redemption, by the grace of Almighty God” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 56).

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Amerciancatholic.org

Second Sunday of Easter (A) (also Divine Mercy Sunday)

2008-03-30T16:35:00.001+08:00

Acts 2:42-47
Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
1 Pt 1:3-9
Jn 20:19-31

What does it mean to live the Easter experience? We are an Easter people, because we know and celebrate that Jesus has risen from the dead. And yet, we're not always rejoicing and shouting "hallelujah". We don't always feel like celebrating – in Mass nor outside the church where our joy could influence people toward conversion.

We're not quite able find an end to the Good Friday experience of carrying our crosses.

This Sunday's second reading describes what the Easter experience should feel like: We rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy. But how?

An attitude of joy does not come from reaching the end of our cross-like burdens. Rather, it comes from knowing that Christ's death and resurrection is going to give us an inheritance of eternal life in God's abundant love and peace.

Our joy comes from knowing that this gift is "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading," and that Jesus is keeping it ready for us so that when we die, we won't lose the gift – it's being safeguarded by the power of God because by our faith we have accepted the gift in advance.

This joy-from-knowing is the true definition of "hope". Hope isn't wishful thinking. Hope means celebrating what is certainly going to happen BEFORE it happens.

Many Catholics fear that they might lose their salvation, because they don't trust themselves. They fear that maybe they will turn away from Jesus between now and the hour of their deaths. If you worry about this, let me ask you: During times of suffering, do you reject God or run to him?

Even when we get angry at him, we're actually very close to him. We're angry because we believe in him and trust him and he seems to be disappointing us, not because we have no faith in him. And thus our faith is purified by our trials. As an Easter people, we know that our sufferings are temporary and that someday we will enter into eternal joy. This is what we celebrate even while carrying our crosses.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

In what ways has God apparently disappointed you? What's he doing — or not doing — that's upsetting you? How is this increasing your closeness to him, even if it feels like he's silent and distant?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

Give an example of wishful thinking: What have you wished for in prayer? What have you been begging God to do? How is this wish based on hope (joy-from-knowing)? Even if your wish never comes true, what's your reason for a higher hope?

****************************************

“I’ll need to see some proof.” “How can you be certain?” Have you used one of those expressions today?

Influenced by the scientific mindset which greatly affects the way we look at our contemporary world, most of us are quick to call for proof for anything out of the ordinary, or beyond our experience. We don’t want to be “taken in” by extravagant claims or wild speculations.

So today’s Gospel, the story of “Doubting Thomas,” has a modern appeal. Thomas wants proof of the Resurrection. Scripture scholar Father Raymond Brown notes that Thomas’s story comes near the end of a string of stories that link faith to something concrete: the Beloved Disciple sees the burial cloths in the tomb, Mary Magdalene hears Christ’s voice, the disciples see the Risen Lord. So it’s natural for Thomas, in turn, to ask for proof to answer his doubts.

But Father Brown notes that the evangelist and Jesus are looking for a different reaction: What about those who believe without any physical evidence? Clearly, John wants his readers to make that act of faith, for Jesus calls such believers “blessed.”

When we hear this Gospel proclaimed in our local parish this weekend, let’s look around and take heart from our fellow believers. When my faith wavers, I gain strength from the Holy Spirit, at work in the community of faith.

Scripture:

•They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. (Acts 2:42)

•The LORD, my strength and might, came to me as savior. (Psalm 118:14)

•Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you (1 Peter 1:3,4)

•Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy (1 Peter 1:8)

•Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (John 20:21)

Reflection:

•How important is the Eucharist and prayer to your spiritual life?
a) Can take it or leave it.
b) More important when I am troubled or in a crisis.
c) Feel better when I take the time to pray and receive the Eucharist.
d) Can’t survive without daily prayer and more than weekly Eucharist.

•Describe your feeling of joy for prayer and the sacraments.
a) Don’t see a need.
b) Feel good about participating.
c) Daily practice and central to my life.
d) Overwhelming presence that is central to my sense of well-being.

•What does Jesus mean, “As the father has sent me so I send you.”
a) I don’t understand what is expected.
b) I live a Christian life of loving my family and friends.
c) I find ways to help the poor and marginalized.
d) I find ways to build the community of the faithful by participating in the Eucharist and being the Eucharist to others.

The more you pray, the more you want to pray…It’s like a fish that starts by swimming near the surface of the water, then plunges and goes on swimming deeper and deeper. The soul plunges, is swallowed up, loses itself in the delights of the conversation with God.¹

(In the quote above replace the word “pray” with “love”, “act kindly” or “give generously.”)

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Amerciancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Easter Sunday (A)

2008-03-23T00:06:00.001+08:00

Acts 10:34a, 37-43
Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Col 3:1-4 or 1 Cor 5:6b-8
Jn 20:1-9

Are you ready to proclaim the Good News about how Jesus has helped you? Or do you hesitate because don't yet understand how the deaths in your life have been resurrected into new life, how the tragedies and other difficulties have led you into triumphs and great blessings?

This was the mental state of the disciples on the first Easter morning, as depicted in the Gospel of John.

The attitude of Peter in the reading from Acts is quite a contrast! The disciples now know their calling: They were commissioned to testify and to teach that Jesus is the Savior, and they fully embraced this vocation.

To “testify” means to share the truth based on your own experiences. Peter specifically proclaimed that everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins. Of course! Peter knew first-hand what it's like to need and then receive God's forgiveness.

We will not understand how our sufferings lead us to new life until we start talking about it. The first inklings of insight awaken when we discuss it within our close, holy friendships, like Mary of Magdala did when she ran to Peter and John after discovering the empty tomb. They, in turn, told the other disciples. It was while they were together, in community, that Jesus appeared and revealed the full truth to them. Later, with the help of the Holy Spirit, they evangelized the world by sharing their experiences with anyone willing to listen.

Reflect & Discuss:

1. The empty tomb doesn't immediately make sense. What has been confusing to you during your faith journey? What has caused you to feel empty and frightened? Where might Jesus be in this?

2. How have your own experiences of being forgiven enabled you to feel more compassionate toward others? Does that change the way you talk to them about God and church and other spiritual or moral issues?

3. What is the biggest change that Jesus has brought into your life? What were you like before this change? How did God intervene? What were the results? This is your testimony. Practice sharing it by telling the story to your small Christian community.

“There is no tale ever told,” author J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote in an essay on storytelling, that people “would rather find was true.” The Catholic author of the The Lord of the Rings was speaking of the story of Jesus. Today, as we accompany Peter and the Beloved Disciple, making their way to the tomb, we might echo Tolkien’s comment.

Our faith, as St. Paul tells the Corinthians, rests on the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. We base everything on the truth of the story. But establishing that truth is not a matter of science, history or archaeology. Rather, as we seek to grow in faith, we call upon the Holy Spirit, who lives within the Christian community. In the Easter Gospels, we hear the witness of the first followers of Jesus: Jesus was risen; they had experienced him, alive in their midst. Their testimony in the Spirit moves us to a faith-filled “Alleluia.”

It’s true that we live in a skeptical age. And yet in his essay, J.R.R. Tolkien pays tribute to the power of the Christian proclamation. He notes that there is no other story which so many skeptics “have accepted as true on its own merits.”

Our Easter Gospel is a story of living faith, in which we are participants, and to which we are now witnesses. The Spirit of the living Christ has called us to testify to its truth.

Scripture:

•They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God raised on the third day (Acts 10:39b,40a)

•The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. (Psalm 118:22,23)

•For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)

•On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. (John 20:1)

Reflection:

But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary remained sitting there, facing the tomb. (Matthew 27:61) (Palm Sunday Liturgy)

Mary of Magdala, awake before dawn,
not waiting light.
Seeks the tomb,
quiet dark emptiness,
specter stone moved.
Heart quickens,
frees Peter’s grief,
after mourning denial.
Mary’s breath running lost,
tomb of emptied death.
Jesus echoes mind,
“After three days—raised up?”
Peter reprieves sleep again,
enters stone void.
Where is the Lord risen from the dead?

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Americancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Good Friday

2008-03-21T00:07:00.000+08:00

Celebration of the Lord's Passion

Today's Readings:
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Ps 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25
Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1--19:42

http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/032108.shtml

What did Jesus do for you?

When we read today's Gospel story, we can ask ourselves: Has Jesus done enough for me? Do I have any prayer requests that have either gone unanswered or are not being answered satisfactorily? Do I suppose it's because he doesn't care? Have I been hurt and broken-hearted without getting enough healing and hope from him? Has Jesus done too little to make me happy? Do I feel like the reason why I've been treated unfairly is because Jesus likes someone else more than me?

Let's be honest. From time to time, we all fall victim to the mistaken assumption that life doesn't go the way it "should" because of God: He's being mean or uncaring or distant. Maybe we're not always conscious of this, but it's there, under the surface, affecting our behaviors and our level of faith.

The key to getting out of this self-imposed prison is to meditate upon what Jesus did for you on the original Good Friday. Since he was willing to do THAT for you, is he not also willing to do everything else that's good for you?

Everything else is easy for him in comparison to the cross, which he endured for your sake! Take very personally what he went through: For you he suffered abuses. For you he endured ridicule and torture. For you he accepted an excruciating death.

Of course he cares about you! Of course he wants to provide for you and give to you everything that you need, from the smallest blessing to the biggest healing (which is the healing of your soul).

By attending the Good Friday services in church and by listening to the Passion of Christ while looking at the cross, we can remind ourselves — and let Jesus himself remind us — that we really do matter to him, and enormously so!

In fact, he cares about us so much that he refuses to take short cuts and halfway measures or to settle for second best, so that he can fill all our needs, even the ones we're not aware of, and resolve all of our problems by implementing the best possible plan, even if we don't understand it for awhile.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Good News Ministries

Holy Thursday

2008-03-20T00:09:00.000+08:00

Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper

Today's Readings:
Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14
Ps 116:12-13, 15-18
1 Cor 11:23-26
John 13:1-15
http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/032008.shtml

Finding Jesus in dirty feet

Why did Jesus wash the feet of his disciples in tonight's Gospel reading? Not because they were too lazy to handle their own hygiene and as their servant he would make life easy for them! Rather, he gave them (and us) a model to imitate.

We want Jesus to make our lives easier. Isn't that the purpose behind many of our prayers? Well, we get what we ask for, but maybe not the way we're hoping. When we imitate Jesus, it's the way we cope with the difficulties of life that becomes easier.

Have you washed anyone's feet lately? Maybe you haven't literally soaped up a friend's smelly feet as a sign of your unconditional love, but I'm sure you have given of yourself in a foot-washing way.

To wash the feet of others is to love them even when they don't deserve your love.

To wash the feet of others is to do good to them even if they don't return the favor.

To wash the feet of others is to consider their needs as important as your own.

To wash the feet of others is to forgive them even if they don't say, "I'm sorry."

To wash the feet of others is to serve them even when the task is unpleasant.

To wash the feet of others is to let them know you care when they feel downtrodden or burdened.

To wash the feet of others is to be generous with what you have.

To wash the feet of others is to turn the cheek instead of retaliating when you're treated unfairly.

To wash the feet of others is to make adjustments in your plans to serve their needs.

To wash the feet of others is to serve them with humility and not with any hope of reward.

Notice the posture of Jesus. He knelt. Imagine Jesus kneeling in front of you now, lowering himself to the level of your feet and tenderly ministering to your needs. He is in fact doing this, right now, today. And he does it again and again, every day!

He is asking you to go and do likewise: Be the hands of Jesus that wash the feet of the people around you.

By serving others, we gain understanding of what Jesus did for us 2000 years ago — and we become more observant of how he's ministering to us right now. We meet Jesus in the dirty feet that we lower ourselves to clean.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Good News Ministries

Wednesday of Holy Week

2008-03-19T00:11:00.000+08:00

Today's Feast: Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary

http://wordbytes.org/saints/DailyPrayers/Joseph.htm

Today's Readings:
2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16
Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29
Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22
Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24 or Luke 2:41-51

http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/031908.shtml

Trust makes the cross bearable

The Gospel reading for this feast day seems incongruous for Holy Week. But its lesson in trust is very apropos for facing the cross. In Matt. 1:16-24 and Luke 2:41-51, we see Joseph growing in his ability to trust God. How difficult it must have been to believe Mary's story! So, since he didn't trust her version of the story about her pregnancy, God sent him an angel in a dream.

Now, Joseph had to trust that his dream was not a product of his own imagination. Wouldn't it have been more convincing if the angel had appeared to him in person, the way Mary was visited by an angel?

And yet, something about the dream triggered Joseph's faith. He believed what he heard in his sleep. I suspect, though, that a new doubt flooded him as soon as he believed the message of the dream. He might have wondered: "Who am I to raise the Messiah! I can't do this! I'm not worthy of this responsibility and I will make mistakes!"

Maybe the questions lingered only a second, or maybe he had to get down on his knees and meditate to feel God's assurance. Either way, he chose to trust God, which gave him the freedom to feel assured that God would help him take care of Mary and the child.

In today's first reading, David chose to trust that God would protect his throne forever. In our second reading, Paul reminds us that Abraham "hoped against hope" (which is the meaning of trust) that although he and his wife were well past the child-bearing years, he would become the father of a great nation.

And Jesus had to trust that his death upon the cross — and all of its excruciating pain and the tortures before it — would lead to the glory of resurrection and the redemption of the world. When during his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane he begged the Father to protect him from the cross, he too, like Mary and Joseph, was visited by an angel, who comforted him.

What sufferings are you enduring that could benefit from a visit by an angel? You have an angel who wants to comfort you and strengthen your trust. To travel through the cross to resurrection, to move from pain to glory, trust is necessary. Without trusting that God will produce victory from even the worst, most discouraging situations, the pain becomes unbearable, because it all seems so pointless and destructive.

Trust God. Your resurrection glory has already been planned!

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Good News Ministries

Tuesday of Holy Week

2008-03-18T00:12:00.000+08:00

Today's Readings:
Isaiah 49:1-6
Ps 71:1-6, 15, 17
John 13:21-33, 36-38

http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/031808.shtml

Betrayed by a friend

In today's Gospel passage, when Jesus announced that one of his closest disciples would betray him, Peter and the others looked at each other, bewildered and alarmed. Did anyone feel guilty? Did they quickly examine their consciences and remember the times when they had disagreed with Jesus or had wished that he'd do things differently? Probably.

Peter, hoping he wasn't the betrayer, timidly asked John to ask Jesus, "Who is it?"

He did not want to be the betrayer. He really believed, "I will lay down my life for you!" Yet he did betray Jesus, despite all of his good intentions. We are like Peter whenever we back down from sharing our faith because we fear rejection or when we make unethical compromises to avoid conflicts. We love Jesus yet we betray him. And like Peter, we feel horrified about our sin and we gratefully receive his forgiveness.

Judas was different. In yesterday's Gospel reading, we saw Judas react to Mary's loving gift of costly perfume. Was he jealous? The powerful love between Jesus and Mary was obvious. He could have learned from the love they shared, but instead he verbally attacked them. Apparently, Judas did not know that Jesus loved him just as much. With his perception clouded by his neediness, he judged the intimacy between Mary and Jesus as inappropriate. It’s a common psychological bandage for low self-esteem: He tried to shame them into feeling guilty as an attempt to feel better about himself.

People who are starving for love often put others down in order to get what they want. No wonder Judas turned Jesus in when he failed to cooperate with his expectations. He could not understand the unconditional, sacrificial love of Christ. In modern psychological terms, we might say that Judas was a "codependent". His needy, hurting heart failed to recognize the healthy, true love that Jesus tried to give him. No wonder he chose suicide to cure his pain instead of turning to Jesus for forgiveness.

Think of the people in your life who are needy for love. We all have codependent friends who want us to be a god for them, giving them everything they think they need. Instead of developing an intimate, healing relationship with Jesus, they become demanding of us, angry and manipulative. When we turn to Jesus for the fullness of the unconditional love that they cannot give to us, they become jealous. And like Judas, they betray us.

Some betrayals are easy to forgive, because we know the betrayer really does care about us. But when the betrayal comes from an unrelenting Judas, we can still love them, even if only from afar. Jesus never stopped loving anyone.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Good News Ministries

Monday of Holy Week

2008-03-17T00:13:00.000+08:00

Today's Saint: Patrick

http://wordbytes.org/saints/DailyPrayers/Patrick.htm

Today's Readings:
Isaiah 42:1-7
Ps 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14
John 12:1-11

http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/031708.shtml

The gift of true friendship

Imagine the scene depicted in today's Gospel reading. It takes place exactly one week before the crucifixion of Jesus. He knows what's going to happen; he knows his time is short. And how does he spend this day? Fretting and worrying and fearing the pain that he'll soon suffer? Is he depressed perhaps?

No, he's enjoying a party!

Jesus chose to spend his last peaceful day with his dearest and closest friends. He can relax around them. He knows they're not going to pick a fight with him. If he wants to rest, they will minister to his needs and desires.

What a great example of friendship!

Look at how they dined. It was no simple meal of pita bread and dates, but a banquet! Jesus taught by his own example that we should live in humble simplicity, and yet he also enjoyed a fancy meal with lots of trimmings and gourmet dishes. And he certainly appreciated the luxury of the perfume that his friend Mary lavished on him. He did not say: "Oh, you shouldn't have!" He was very gracious in accepting without question the gifts that his friends gave to him.

This is a wonderful example of genuine friendship. It didn't matter if the gift was expensive or frugal; what mattered was the depth of friendship from which it came. In true friendship, we give service and gifts to each other simply because we love each other. There's no equality to it, no thought of "If you pay the bill at the restaurant this time, next time it's my turn" or "If you invite me to your $100-a-plate wedding reception, then I have to arrive bearing a gift of equal value."

Mary didn't anoint Jesus as payment for all the good he had done for her, but as a gift of her own goodness simply because she loved him. She was accused of being wasteful, the gift too extravagant, but she didn't choose the perfume based on its price tag; she opted to give a gift of extravagant fragrance — she was generous in the enthusiasm of her love.

Is your friendship with Jesus like this? How we treat our friends is how we treat Jesus. Our friendship with Jesus is only as strong as the relationships we have with the people he's provided as friends.

Jesus gives us his love through holy friendships. In the fellowship of true friends, Jesus ministers to us, heals us, teaches us, dies with us and resurrects us. In those friendships, we meet Jesus and kiss his feet and anoint him with the perfume of our adoration.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Good News Ministries

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion (A)

2008-03-16T00:08:00.003+08:00

Is 50:4-7
Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24
Phil 2:6-11
Mt 26:14--27:66 or Mt 27:11-54

The word "passion" has powerful implications. Theologically, we use it to describe the suffering love that Jesus had for each of us when he was beaten, mocked and crucified.

The world counterfeits this word by applying it to strong feelings of romantic, even lustful, attraction.

We also use it to refer to a strong motivation to do something that we enjoy or greatly care about, and this is why we can say that Jesus cared "passionately" about us while enduring The Passion.

The strong love that Jesus exhibited in his ministry and on Good Friday is a lesson on what it means to have "compassion" for others: We walk with them in their sufferings, we "suffer with". It's passionate love in it's holiest form.

Read the scriptures for Passion Sunday with an eye on how much they reveal Jesus' passionate love for you.

See yourself in the passion of the people who enthusiastically welcomed Jesus and in those who rejected and denied him.

Consider how much compassion Jesus must have had for you when he willingly subjected himself to the excruciating pains of his final hours, despite how much you've hurt him.

Reflect & Discuss:

1. Looking at the reading from Isaiah, how have you beaten on Jesus, plucked his beard, and spit on him, even while he was ministering to you?

2. How does your answer to #1 explain why Jesus emptied himself for you, as the reading from Philippians describes?

3. Identify the ways you've emptied yourself for others. In what ways does the Passion of Jesus minister to you in your own sufferings?

Question for the Journey:

For participating in the Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the quiet tomb of Holy Saturday), bring to mind the most painful way you are suffering compassionately with someone else. Connect this to what Jesus did and to his sufferings. How does this help you feel more intimately involved with God's salvation plan? How does it make your life a modern Gospel?

********************************************

Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, with the "Sunday Soundbite" for Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion.

Some years ago, I saw an exhibit of paintings by Monet. Seeing a lifetime of work by that artist, rather than viewing one isolated painting, helped me appreciate the larger context of Monet's artistry.

And this Sunday context is important at Mass as we hear Matthew's account of the passion of Jesus. Matthew wrote for both Jewish and Gentile converts to Christianity, and drew on the Old Testament for his story of Jesus the Suffering Servant. His audience would understand the larger context: Jesus fulfills the promises God made to the chosen people.

Unfortunately, some Christians in later centuries used Matthew's words as a reason to charge all the Jews of Christ's time, or even Jews of later generations, with his death. Matthew's language often doesn't help, for example, when the crowds ask that Jesus' "blood be upon us and our children." This antagonistic tone may reflect a real hostility between Matthew's community (living 40 or 50 years after Christ), and the Jewish community of the time which did not accept Jesus.

Scripture:

•:The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame. (Isaiah 50:7)

•:Indeed, many dogs surround me, a pack of evildoers closes in upon me; They have pierced my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones. (Psalm 22:17,18)

•:Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:7,8)

•:Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.…” (Matthew 26:27,8)

Reflection:

Only a few more days and Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter are here. Take some time before the Triduum begins to consider your Lenten experience. Consider how it started and how it ended and your Lenten journey. You have changed but in what way? It may be subtle but often a subtle difference in prayer, meditation or outlook may be the most profound. Take this small change and consider how to grow with it. Take some time to share in the liturgies on Thursday and Friday. Then take some time on Saturday before the Easter Liturgies are celebrated. Nothing happens on Saturday until the Easter Vigil. The sanctuary is empty. Take this last opportunity to stay in the emptiness of Lent to meditate one last time on your Lenten journey. Give the Lord the empty time to speak to you. Afterwards await the fullness of the resurrection and the Easter season where a different growth occurs.

Prayer:

God has created me to do Him some definite service: He has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission—I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told of it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good. I shall do his work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I but keep His commandments. Therefore I will trust in God.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Americancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Fifth Sunday of Lent (A)

2008-03-09T23:34:00.001+08:00

Ez 37:12-14
Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
Rm 8:8-11
Jn 11:1-45 or Jn 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45

Lent is not about suffering and sacrifice. It's a corridor to new life. Good Friday is not about evil and pain and death. It's the door that Jesus opens to invite us into that new life.

Yes, suffering is part of the Lenten journey (and it can be experienced at any time of the year). Yes, Lent includes the sacrifices of fasting and abstinence, alms-giving and extra time in church. But these are just tools for the trip.

God uses our sufferings (if we let him) to help us grow in compassion, persistence, and ministry. We use our sacrifices to help us learn discipline (which is discipleship) so that we can purify our will and grow stronger in holiness. But the trip is not the destination.

Lent is all about reaching the resurrection: renewed faith, a new life free of old sins, reconciled relationships, and living in the Spirit of God more than ever before.

Which day is more important to your faith: Good Friday or Easter Sunday? That horrid day on Calvary was absolutely necessary for Easter, but we are living in the resurrection! Catholics are an Easter people. This means that nothing bad can ever happen to us that will not be transformed into blessings if Jesus is the Lord of our lives.

He proved himself to be the Resurrection and the Life we need by displaying his power over life and death. Now he wants to prove it again — to you and those who are watching you.

Reflect & Discuss:

1. We can personalize the first reading by understanding that God will open our graves (whatever is dead inside of us) and will place his Spirit of Life within us. How does the Holy Spirit help us discover healing and hope amidst our daily sufferings and dyings?

2. In the scripture from Romans, we are reminded again of the Holy Spirit within us. Since the Spirit is alive in you, what affect does this have on your Lenten preparations for Easter? What is being purified, strengthened, and renewed?

3. In the Gospel, Jesus proves his power over death just before he enters Jerusalem and heads toward Calvary. How does this prove to you that your own sufferings and sacrifices will not lead to permanent disaster?

Question for the Journey:

What needs to be resurrected in your life? What will you do this week to accept the death of what has ended so that you can prepare for the new life that Jesus is preparing for you?

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Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, with the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Fifth Sunday of Lent.

Some years ago in a homily, I told of standing at the bedside of a priest-friend who was dying, and wrestling with one of the questions that naturally arise at such a moment: What really awaits us after death?

One of my parishioners wondered if I doubted the resurrection of the body. I reassured him that I did believe in life after death, but was simply being honest about what I felt as my friend was dying.

Today's Gospel of the raising of Lazarus is the last of the three stories we use to prepare candidates (catechumens) for Baptism at Easter and it's the most dramatic. Jesus calls Lazarus from the tomb, still tightly wrapped in his burial bands. "Untie him," Jesus commands, "and let him go free."

We speak of "being buried" in the waters of Baptism. Scripture scholar Raymond Brown suggests that Lazarus represents the ultimate challenge for those who are baptized in Christ: the encounter with death itself.

As I stood at the bedside of my dying colleague, I saw a look of peace on his face. Though he could not speak, he was testifying that he had faced the test and was ready to meet the Lord.

May each of us hear the voice of Jesus in our final moments of life, inviting us to come forth, and be set free.

Scripture:

•I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; (Ezekiel 37:14a)

•I wait with longing for the LORD, my soul waits for his word. (Psalm 130:5)

•…the One who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit dwelling in you. (Romans 8:11)

•She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” (John 11:27)

Reflection:

•Who do you trust?

•How does the Spirit act in your life?

•Is Jesus the center of your life?

You, Lord, were within me, while I was outside. It was there that I sought you. I rushed headlong upon these things of beauty that you had made. You were with me, but I was not with you. They kept me far from you, those fair things which, if they were not in you, would not exist at all! You called, you cried out, you shattered my deafness: you flashed, you shone, you scattered my blindness: you breathed perfume, and I drew in my breath and I pant for you: I tasted, and I am hungry and thirsty: you touched me an I burned for your peace.

Fourth Sunday of Lent (A)

2008-03-02T03:39:00.003+08:00

1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Eph 5:8-14
Jn 9:1-41 or Jn 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38

Conversion to Christ is a process. The blind man in next today's Gospel reading exemplifies this journey into faith. Notice that at first he did not run to Jesus. Jesus came to him. The man responded by waiting to see what would happen and then by obeying Jesus.

Conversion begins when Jesus seeks us out and we make ourselves available to his touch. He then opens our eyes to the truth, but we don't immediately understand.

When the man's neighbors asked about his cure, he did not yet understand who Jesus was; he thought of him as just a man. Then, under the pressure of listening to the Pharisees argue about who Jesus was, he had to give it more thought. He concluded that Jesus must be a prophet, which for the Jews was a highly esteemed, holy vocation.

Next, as the Pharisees treated him more roughly and raised the possibility of expelling him from the synagogue if he claimed that Jesus was the Christ, he had to wonder if what they feared might be true. Their reasons for hating Jesus became the eye-openers that cured his spiritual blindness.

Finally, Jesus sought him out again, this time to minister to him in response to the mistreatment he had suffered from the Pharisees. In this act of caring, the man could see who Jesus really was. Conversion — the purification of our spiritual vision — takes place in the fire of our sufferings as we recognize the love and concern that God has for us.

Reflect & Discuss:

1. In the first reading, God makes it clear that he sees what we cannot see when we're focused on external evidence. Think of a time when you looked deeper or beyond the obvious. How did that change you?

2. In Ephesians 5, we read that we have become light in the Lord. Name some of the good fruits that come from the ability to see what Jesus is doing in your life.

3. The Gospel reading illustrates that those who think they can see the truth very often are blind, and those who acknowledge their blindness become able to see clearly. Why does this happen? Has it happened to you?

Question for the Journey:

Think of an area of your life where there is confusion from a lack of understanding. Perhaps you're having a hard time seeing the good in someone. Maybe you're worried about the future. What will you do this week that will help you see it from God's perspective?

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Three great stories in the Gospel of John have, for centuries, served as Scriptural instructions for those preparing for Baptism. Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, and this is the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Fourth Sunday of Lent.

Last week we heard the story of the Samaritan woman; next week that of Lazarus. Today, the "man born blind" takes center stage. In Catholic parishes today, candidates for Baptism stand before us, perhaps picturing themselves as the man in the story.

For the early Church, "illumination" was a theme of Baptism. Saint Augustine suggested that the man born blind stood for the whole human race, needing to see the light of Christ. The late Scripture scholar Father Raymond Brown notes that the man undergoes testing or questioning by various individuals after he is "enlightened." His witness develops until he finally encounters Jesus a second time and professes his faith. It's symbolic of how our faith grows through choices we make in life.

Father Brown also notes how those around the man are affected by his initial encounter with Jesus. Some come to faith; others are hardened in their rejection of Jesus. No one remains indifferent, it seems.

How do we witness to Jesus? Can people detect the light of Christ shining in us? If not, perhaps part of our Lenten activity might involve a self-scrutiny, and some steps toward enlightenment.

Scripture:

•“…Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b)

•Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side (Psalm 23:4)

•“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” (Ephesians 5:14b)

•He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” (John 9:36,7)

Reflection:

•Where do you find Jesus? What are you doing this Lent to find Jesus?

•Lent calls for prayer, fasting and giving alms (sacrificing). How does this bring you closer to Jesus?

•Through your Lenten activities have you changed your routine and have you found Jesus in any ways not possible before?

•How does the blind man find Jesus?

For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. (St. Francis of Assisi)

Credits to Americancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Third Sunday of Lent (A)

2008-02-24T00:00:00.004+08:00

Ex 17:3-7
Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
Rm 5:1-2, 5-8
Jn 4:5-42 or Jn 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42

What are you thirsty for? Thirst is what happens when we lack something vital. Water is essential for our physical survival, and our bodies signal us when it's time to drink fluids to stay healthy.

Likewise, water is necessary for our spiritual survival, albeit a different sort of water – the LIVING water, the baptismal water that purifies us for eternal life, the holy water that enables us to have abundant life in Christ now.

The Holy Spirit is the Giver of Life. One of the biblical symbols that represents the presence of God's Spirit is life-giving water. Therefore, we can surmise that Jesus wanted to give the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Samaritan woman. Why? It would still be a while before the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost.

She needed the truth; the Holy Spirit IS Truth, and Jesus wanted to give her whatever she needed to repent and receive salvation and then share this new life with the people around her.

We only get thirsty when we haven't had enough to drink. Spiritual thirst comes in many forms: loneliness, despair, frustration, self-indulgence – any feeling or behavior that's caused by lacking something we need or want.

And why would we lack anything spiritually? Because, like the woman at the well, we are sinners and need to healing from God as he pours his love into us in all sufficiency.

Reflect & Discuss:

1. In the first reading, why did a physical thirst turn into a sin? How does this still happen today?

2. In Romans 5, grace and hope are mentioned as gifts we receive when we have been “justified by faith” (i.e., when we've repented of our sins and sought forgiveness through Jesus). How do grace and hope quench our thirsts? How do they help us resist sin? How is this a result of God's love being poured into our hearts?

3. The woman at the well eagerly received what Jesus said. Even though he confronted her about her sins, she drank it all in and then, without shame, excitedly told others about her encounter with the Messiah. What need was filled by the truth? What does this teach about how we can help others hear the truth?

Question for the Journey:
What sin or unhealthy habit do you need to overcome so that he is free to quench your thirsts? What will you do this week to hand it over to Christ?

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Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, and this is the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Third Sunday of Lent.

For my hometown of Cincinnati, the Ohio River is an ever-present reality: the river brings commerce, recreation, drinking water. It also brings destructive floods.

Water is a powerful sign; that's why it's used in Baptism, symbolizing our entry into the life and death of Jesus.

Our Lenten readings today relate to Baptism. We hear a story from Exodus, where the people complain because they have run out of water. God, through Moses, responds with a life-giving stream of water. From John's Gospel we have the drama of Jesus and the woman at the well. The early Church used this story in its Lenten liturgy.

The woman at the well represents a believer who reluctantly comes to faith. She needs Jesus, his insights into her life, and his promise of "living water," to slowly win her over.

But isn't that the way it is for most of us? We need time to be convinced; we face contradictions and faulty choices in our lives. Nevertheless we thirst for what God offers us. And, in the end, when we've tasted new life in Christ, we just have to tell others about it. Believers become apostles.

Our Lenten journey may find us thirsty for living water. Let's listen closely to the Lord's invitation.

Scripture:

•Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock? (Exodus 17:3b)

•Harden not your hearts (Psalm 95:8a)

•For Christ, while we were still helpless, died at the appointed time for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)

•Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:34)

Reflection:

•Does every person have a spiritual hunger/thirst that needs to be filled? Does everyone have a longing to know God’s love that must be satisfied?

•If thirst for God’s love is not filled, then is it possible to turn to sinful pursuits in an attempt to fill this hunger?

•Is the food that Jesus speaks of, the spiritual food of doing God’s will?

•Is dying on the cross for unbelievers the ultimate spiritual act?

•Is the spiritual search the need to give and receive eternal love?

It is love which must determine man’s actions, love which must give unity to what is divided. Love is the synthesis of contemplation and action, the meeting point between heaven and earth, between God and man. I have known the satisfaction of unrestrained action and the joy of the contemplative life in the desert, and I repeat again St. Augustine’s words: “Love and do as you will.” Do not worry what you ought to do. Worry about loving. Do not interrogate heaven repeatedly and uselessly saying, “What course of action should I pursue?” Concentrate on loving instead.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credites to Americancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Chair of Peter the Apostle

2008-02-22T02:34:00.001+08:00

This feast commemorates Christ’s choosing Peter to sit in his place as the servant-authority of the whole Church (see June 29).

After the “lost weekend” of pain, doubt and self-torment, Peter hears the Good News. Angels at the tomb say to Magdalene, “The Lord has risen! Go, tell his disciples and Peter.” John relates that when he and Peter ran to the tomb, the younger outraced the older, then waited for him. Peter entered, saw the wrappings on the ground, the headpiece rolled up in a place by itself. John saw and believed. But he adds a reminder: “..[T]hey did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead” (John 20:9). They went home. There the slowly exploding, impossible idea became reality. Jesus appeared to them as they waited fearfully behind locked doors. “Peace be with you,” he said (John 20:21b), and they rejoiced.

The Pentecost event completed Peter’s experience of the risen Christ. “...[T]hey were all filled with the holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4a) and began to express themselves in foreign tongues and make bold proclamation as the Spirit prompted them.

Only then can Peter fulfill the task Jesus had given him: “... [O]nce you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32). He at once becomes the spokesman for the Twelve about their experience of the Holy Spirit—before the civil authorities who wished to quash their preaching, before the council of Jerusalem, for the community in the problem of Ananias and Sapphira. He is the first to preach the Good News to the Gentiles. The healing power of Jesus in him is well attested: the raising of Tabitha from the dead, the cure of the crippled beggar. People carry the sick into the streets so that when Peter passed his shadow might fall on them.

Even a saint experiences difficulty in Christian living. When Peter stopped eating with Gentile converts because he did not want to wound the sensibilities of Jewish Christians, Paul says, “...I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.... [T]hey were not on the right road in line with the truth of the gospel...” (Galatians 2:11b, 14a).

At the end of John’s Gospel, Jesus says to Peter, “Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go” (John 21:18). What Jesus said indicated the sort of death by which Peter was to glorify God. On Vatican Hill, in Rome, during the reign of Nero, Peter did glorify his Lord with a martyr’s death, probably in the company of many Christians.

Comment:

Like the committee chair, this chair refers to the occupant, not the furniture. Its first occupant stumbled a bit, denying Jesus three times and hesitating to welcome gentiles into the new Church. Some of its later occupants have also stumbled a bit, sometimes even failed scandalously. As individuals, we may sometimes think a particular pope has let us down. Still, the office endures as a sign of the long tradition we cherish and as a focus for the universal Church.

Quote:

Peter described our Christian calling in the opening of his First Letter, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...” (1 Peter 1:3a).

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Americancatholic.org

Second Sunday of Lent (A)

2008-02-17T00:25:00.002+08:00

Gn 12:1-4a
Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22
2 Tm 1:8b-10
Mt 17:1-9

Atop Mount Tabor, the pure light of Christ was revealed, as seen in next Sunday's Gospel reading. The Father said, "This is my beloved Son; LISTEN TO HIM." The transfiguration is repeated every time we listen to him and allow our faith to be enlightened. However, now it is WE who are transfigured.

During Lent, as we repent of our sinfulness, we let his light consume the darkness within us. Then, the people around us will see Jesus when they look at us. We will shine with him.

By Christ's transfiguration, we are transformed into OUR true identity. What is our true identity? It's our innermost being, which was created in the image of God!

Jesus left his mountaintop experience to enter into his ministry of suffering. When we are transfigured by the light of Christ, we leave our mountaintops to reveal him to the world. Although there is, as the reading from Timothy points out, hardship in sharing the gospel, we are comforted by the fact that after every Calvary there is always an Easter.

First, we have to spend time on the mountain. We need to stay there long enough to pray and receive "the strength that comes from God." Up there, we are prepared, we are encouraged, and we are restored, so that we can deal with the hardships in the valley.

Listen. Can you hear what God's saying about you? It's the same words he spoke about Jesus on Mount Tabor: "This is my beloved child; listen to him/her." Some folks will listen, some will not, but our ability to shine with the love of Jesus is not based on how many will listen to us. We are transfigured because Jesus saved us and has called us to a holy life.

Reflect & Discuss:

1. As you read the passage from Genesis, how does it feel to think that others could "find a blessing in you"? How does Jesus bless others through you?

2. Timothy reminds us of our holiness. Recall a time when you were enlightened by a new understanding of the faith. How did that change your behavior? How did this make you shine like Jesus?

3. In the Gospel story, because the Father was so pleased with his Son, he affirmed him publicly. How do you know when the Father is pleased with you?

Question for the Journey:

Name one area of your life that you would like Jesus to transfigure. What will you do this week to expose it to Jesus' healing light?

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Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, and this is the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Second Sunday of Lent.

One of the most dramatic scenes in Catholic liturgy comes at the Easter Vigil when adults are baptized, come up out of the water, dripping wet, and after leaving to change re-enter the church in their white baptismal robes.

Now, in my parish, the baptismal moment at the Easter Vigil is a lot less dramatic, but I always like to look at the faces of the newly baptized. There's always a special glow seemingly inside as well as out as these new Christians experience the transformation that comes to them.

Only later, I suspect, do they begin to realize all the implications of that change. Perhaps that's why our liturgy gives us today's first reading, the story of the call of Abraham, to leave his homeland and his family, and set out for a promised land. Abraham's response transformed his whole life. He began a long journey perhaps leading him at times to wonder if he was on the right path.

In Baptism we, too, say yes to God, a choice that transforms our lives, setting us on a journey of faith that continues to this day. As we "journey" through this Lent, let’s recall our baptismal commitment and let it reflect in our words and deeds and even in our faces at times.

Scripture:

•“…All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you.” (Genesis 12:3b)

•Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield. (Psalm 33:20)

•…through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (2 Timothy 1:10)

•…Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; (Matthew 17:1,2)

•…they saw no one else but Jesus alone. (Matthew 17:8b)

Reflection:

•Why does Jesus bring the disciples to the mountaintop to see Him transformed?

•What is the disciples’ experience of Jesus before and after the transfiguration?

•How does the transfiguration prefigure the crucifixion of Jesus?

•How do you experience Jesus in the transfiguration?

Christ’s humility, which is love, brought him to descend toward the lowly, not because the lowly had some special value, but to look for the one who was lost in order to help raise himself up. Let us therefore avoid indulging ourselves with dreams of grandeur, but rather enter willingly into humble thoughts. The Holy Spirit brings us to understand all these things, and this can break the chains that bind us. The spirit is freedom, and we are still held captive by many bonds that freeze in us the spontaneity of the gift of love. We ask Our Lord to free us a little more from all forms of slavery, so that the gift of ourselves, the gift of love for God and for others, may, according to Christ and his example, develop in us more freely, more spontaneously, and more generously.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Amerciancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Our Lady of Lourdes

2008-02-11T20:51:00.000+08:00

On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in the apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus. A little more than three years later, on February 11, 1858, a young lady appeared to Bernadette Soubirous. This began a series of visions. During the apparition on March 25, the lady identified herself with the words: “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

Bernadette was a sickly child of poor parents. Their practice of the Catholic faith was scarcely more than lukewarm. Bernadette could pray the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Creed. She also knew the prayer of the Miraculous Medal: “O Mary conceived without sin.”

During interrogations Bernadette gave an account of what she saw. It was “something white in the shape of a girl.” She used the word aquero, a dialect term meaning “this thing.” It was “a pretty young girl with a rosary over her arm.” Her white robe was encircled by a blue girdle. She wore a white veil. There was a yellow rose on each foot. A rosary was in her hand. Bernadette was also impressed by the fact that the lady did not use the informal form of address (tu), but the polite form (vous). The humble virgin appeared to a humble girl and treated her with dignity.

Through that humble girl, Mary revitalized and continues to revitalize the faith of millions of people. People began to flock to Lourdes from other parts of France and from all over the world. In 1862 Church authorities confirmed the authenticity of the apparitions and authorized the cult of Our Lady of Lourdes for the diocese. The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes became worldwide in 1907.

Comment:

Lourdes has become a place of pilgrimage and healing, but even more of faith. Church authorities have recognized over 60 miraculous cures, although there have probably been many more. To people of faith this is not surprising. It is a continuation of Jesus’ healing miracles—now performed at the intercession of his mother. Some would say that the greater miracles are hidden. Many who visit Lourdes return home with renewed faith and a readiness to serve God in their needy brothers and sisters. There still may be people who doubt the apparitions of Lourdes. Perhaps the best that can be said to them are the words that introduce the film Song of Bernadette: “For those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible.”

Quote:

“Lo! Mary is exempt from stain of sin, Proclaims the Pontiff high; And earth applauding celebrates with joy Her triumph, far and high. Unto a lowly timid maid she shows Her form in beauty fair, And the Immaculate Conception truth Her sacred lips declare.” (Unattributed hymn from the Roman Breviary)
We pray, no longer silently but as a great number....
We enlighten each other.
We carry each other along.
We depend on our faith in Jesus... - Pope John Paul II

First Sunday of Lent (A)

2008-02-10T00:00:00.000+08:00

Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7
Ps 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17
Rm 5:12-19 or 5:12, 17-19
Mt 4:1-11

How do you deal with temptation? That's the personal challenge given to us by the Word of God on the first Sunday of Lent. And so we begin our journey with Jesus, traveling to the holiest place we can reach at this point in our lives.

This Lent is like no other Lent. Last year, you had different needs, different areas of growth, different levels of insight and understanding. Much has happened since then, and all of it is a preparation for what the Lord is going to do in your life now.

What victory do you need this year? What needs to be resurrected? To get there, your path will lead through the cross, into the tomb, and out into God's light where his love provides healing and new life.

During Lent – and every time we make sacrifices and connect our sufferings to the Passion of Christ – we follow Jesus to the cross and to resurrection. This requires accepting and embracing our own crosses, for the Calvary Road is the only way to reach the victorious new life that we yearn to experience.

If we want Easter to be more than just a holiday of pretty eggs, chocolate bunnies and big dinners, we have to make Lent more than just 40 days of enduring an annoying, obligatory sacrifice, eating meatless pizza on Fridays, and going to an occasional extra event at church. If we want to experience the power of resurrection, we have to experience the power of mourning and repenting from our sinfulness. In other words, we have to experience the powerlessness of death – the death of our selfishness, the death of our worldliness, the death of our behaviors that are not Christ-like.

Reflect & Discuss:

1. In the story from Genesis, what did Adam and Eve need to die to (let go of, put aside, reject) in order to resist the Original Sin? Why didn't they?

2. In the reading from Romans, we hear about the abundant grace and the gift of justification that Jesus provided to each of us when he died on the cross. How does this grace and justification give us life? In other words, how does God help us to resist sin?

3. Looking at the Gospel passage, what did Jesus have to die to in the desert so that he could say no to temptation?

Question for the Journey:

Name one thing you can do this week to die to self. How does that make it easier to resist sin? For example, think of good deed you can do that's the opposite of what your selfishness wants you to do.

*************************************

Do you recall comedian Flip Wilson's famous phrase: "The devil made me do it!"? That line hits home because human beings often make excuses when we give in to temptation. But in reality, no one "makes" us sin we choose it, just as we freely choose to do good.

Today's Scriptures present Adam and Eve, faced with a choice for good or evil: They choose to reject God and give in to the temptation to "be like God"—in the words of the serpent-tempter.

Another temptation scene comes in the Gospel. This time, Jesus, facing the choice to accomplish his ministry in selfish, power-hungry ways, rejects the temptation and affirms his true identity as God's Son.

Our Christian identity is a choice we affirmed (or which was affirmed for us) at our Baptism. But we must re-affirm that choice again and again in the face of temptation.

It's fitting that the temptation scene in the Gospel is set in the desert. In the Bible, the desert is often a place of testing, of choices. The season of Lent is like a "spiritual desert" where we hope to rediscover our identification with Christ, leading to a renewal of Baptism at Easter. Let our choices this Lent be directed by the example of Jesus in the face of temptation.

Scripture:

•But the serpent said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil.” (Genesis 3:4b,5)

•For if by that one person’s transgression the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one person Jesus Christ overflow for the many. (Romans 5:15)

•Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God…” (Matthew 4:1-3a)

Reflection:

•How are you tempted?

•The seven deadly sins are pride, envy, anger, sloth, avarice (greed), gluttony and lust. Is anyone injured by these “deadly sins?”

•How are these sins different from the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes?

•Do these sins deaden the spirit to receive the gifts of God’s love?

For each person the movement away from the threat of enslavement to the capital sins will involve growth in some basic virtues: humility that recognizes God as the basic healer; patience with one’s own gradual but steady journey towards holiness; and compassion for the weakness of others. Although the complex reality that is sin cannot easily be fit into seven specific categories, the survival of capital sins as a spiritual theme points to the presence of patterns of evil that threaten to dissipate life in any age.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to A mericancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Ash Wednesday

2008-02-06T19:00:00.000+08:00

Today's Readings:

Joel 2:12-18
Ps 51:3-6, 12-14, 17
2 Cor 5:20 -- 6:2
Matt 6:1-6, 16-18
http://www.usccb.org/nab/020608.shtml

How healing will your Lent be this year?

What victory do you need? What needs to be resurrected?

For Easter to be more than just a day of colored eggs, chocolates and big dinners, Lent needs to be more than just 40 days of obligatory sacri-fices like meatless pizza on Fridays. To experi-ence the power of resurrection, we have to experience the power of mourning and repentance. We have to experience the powerlessness of death: the death of our selfishness, the death of our worldliness, the death of our behaviors that are not Christ-like.

In today's first reading, God beckons: "Return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning." Fasting is powerful only if it improves our self-discipline so that we can resist sin and grow in holiness. We're hypocrites, like Jesus describes in the Gospel reading, if fasting produces no inner changes.

What are you doing for Lent that will promote your spiritual growth? Here's a suggestion: Identify one fault — just one — and choose an activity or an abstinence for the duration of Lent that will help you overcome it.

God is beckoning: "Return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning."

Both the reading from Joel and Psalm 51 remind us that God is merciful toward those who recognize their sinfulness and regret it so much that they're truly motivated to change. Dealing with our need to change can feel overwhelming and shameful, but if we keep our eyes on God's mercy, we feel helped, healed, and resurrected.

By identifying and working on just one sinful tendency (especially one that's been difficult to overcome), choosing one selfish behavior or one fear or one flaw or one unloving habit as our Lenten project, we can give it to Jesus, nail it to his cross, and hear him offer it up to God as he cries out, "Father forgive them ....!" It will die with Jesus, and we'll be resurrected to a new life, a new level of holiness with Jesus.

Today as we receive and wear our ashes, let us do it fully awake and aware of our sinfulness, with the goal of overcoming a significant sin by Easter. Why do we keep the black smudges on our foreheads all day? Not to win the approval or acceptance or admiration of others. It's a sign that we know we need to change! But if we have even a tiny bit of a desire to be noticed, we should do as Jesus said: "When you fast, see to it that you ... wash your face" so that no one but God will know what you are doing.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Americancatholic.org

Presentation of the Lord

2008-02-02T15:52:00.001+08:00

At the end of the fourth century, a woman named Etheria made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Her journal, discovered in 1887, gives an unprecedented glimpse of liturgical life there. Among the celebrations she describes is the Epiphany (January 6), the observance of Christ’s birth, and the gala procession in honor of his Presentation in the Temple 40 days later—February 15. (Under the Mosaic Law, a woman was ritually “unclean” for 40 days after childbirth, when she was to present herself to the priests and offer sacrifice—her “purification.” Contact with anyone who had brushed against mystery—birth or death—excluded a person from Jewish worship.)

This feast emphasizes Jesus’ first appearance in the Temple more than Mary’s purification.

The observance spread throughout the Western Church in the fifth and sixth centuries. Because the Church in the West celebrated Jesus’ birth on December 25, the Presentation was moved to February 2, 40 days after Christmas.

At the beginning of the eighth century, Pope Sergius inaugurated a candlelight procession; at the end of the same century the blessing and distribution of candles which continues to this day became part of the celebration, giving the feast its popular name: Candlemas.

Comment:

In Luke’s account, Jesus was welcomed in the temple by two elderly people, Simeon and the widow Anna. They embody Israel in their patient expectation; they acknowledge the infant Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. Early references to the Roman feast dub it the feast of St. Simeon, the old man who burst into a song of joy which the Church still sings at day’s end.

Quote:

“Christ himself says, ‘I am the light of the world.’ And we are the light, we ourselves, if we receive it from him.... But how do we receive it, how do we make it shine? ...[T]he candle tells us: by burning, and being consumed in the burning. A spark of fire, a ray of love, an inevitable immolation are celebrated over that pure, straight candle, as, pouring forth its gift of light, it exhausts itself in silent sacrifice” (Paul VI).

2nd General Meeting 2008

2008-01-31T22:20:00.000+08:00

Our 2nd General Meeting will take place this coming Sunday, 2nd February 2008 at 1300hrs in the parish lounge.

Our newly elected President, Mr. Douglas Lim will chair this meeting.

Brief agenda is as follows:

Mass/Service roster for the month of February
Unveiling of exco committee for the year 2008
Any other business that the President deems fit to bring up.

The presence and punctuality of all servers is greatly appreciated.

Published by Jacob Soo

Welcoming our new Spiritual Director

2008-01-26T22:00:00.000+08:00

The Archbishop has appointed Rev. Father Michal Gitner to the parish of Saint Francis of Assisi with effect from January 17th.

Fr Michal takes over the helm from the late Fr David Thexeira.

We welcome Fr Michal to the hot seat and look forward to working with hin to make the parish a vibrant and lively place; where the Spirit of God shines through each and every one of us.

Published by Jacob Soo

The Baptism of the Lord (A)

2008-01-13T01:52:00.000+08:00

Is 42:1-4, 6-7 or Is 40:1-5, 9-11
Ps 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10
Acts 10:34-38
Mt 3:13-17

This Sunday we celebrate the "initiation rite" that launched Jesus' public ministry. We, too, have experienced this same Baptism: Our first Sacrament of Initiation immersed us into the life of Christ. The other two initiation sacraments — Confirmation and Communion — confirm this holy life and empower us to live it. Thus says the Lord God about you: "Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my Spirit...." (see the reading from Isaiah).

What is this Spirit doing in you that is pleasing to the Father? How is this Spirit serving the kingdom of God through you? Are you giving this Spirit the freedom to continue Christ's ministry in the here and now?

You were baptized into this, but it's the hardships you've endured and the passions you feel that have initiated you into your own particular areas of ministry. This is why children of chronically or terminally ill parents often grow up to become doctors and nurses, why those who escape from and recover from abuses often become ministers of healing for other victims, and why workers who suffer from unjust employers often start their own businesses and create jobs where the staff is treated in the manner of Christ.

Whatever you feel passionate about, you've received this from the Passion of Christ through the Sacrament of Baptism. If you give it attention, it's renewed in the Sacrament of Communion, because the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist reunites you to his ministry. If you take it with you from church, you can change the world, just as Christ did, one day at a time.

And if you feel frustrated because you're not yet doing what you'd like to do, as long as it's something that God wants you to do, you're being prepared, not blocked. You have been chosen by the Father and he is very pleased with you!

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What is the Holy Spirit doing in you that's pleasing to the Father? What will you do to give this Spirit the freedom to continue Christ's ministry in your world — in your home, your workplace, your parish, your community — wherever you live, work and play?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Choose one line from Isaiah's scripture and explain how this describes your life in Christ. Take turns sharing on this until all verses have been covered.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

For most of us, the Christmas season ended a couple of weeks ago. Decorations are packed away, and some of the kids' toys are already broken. We're into a new year, and trying to reconstruct a daily routine.

But liturgically, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord marks the end of the Christmas season and the transition to "Ordinary Time." Matthew's simple account of the baptism today ends with the heavenly voice introducing "my beloved Son." Recalling his coming, which we've celebrated in the Christmas season, we're invited to welcome the Beloved One into our midst once more. As a community, we will pledge ourselves—through each Sunday celebration which follows—to listen and respond to Christ's proclamation of the Good News.

You've probably heard people express the wish that the spirit of Christmas would last all through the year. Christians really are called to take that responsibility seriously. The meaning of Christmas is the central fact of our lives—we must reflect the fact that God has come to dwell with us in Jesus Christ. It can show on our faces, in our words and in what we do. If you haven't made a New Year's resolution, here's a simple one: let all that we say and do manifest that basic truth that God is with us. And, Merry Christmas, one more time!

Scripture:

•I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness. Isaiah (42:6,7)

•The Lord will bless his people with peace. (Psalm 29:11)

•He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. (Acts 10:38)

•After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. (Matthew 3:16)

Reflection:

•How is Isaiah’s prophecy fulfilled in Jesus being baptized by John?

•How does your baptism prepare you to follow Jesus in completing Isaiah’s prophecy?

•What can you do in this New Year to realize the grace and promise of your baptism to bring peace to the oppressed of the world?

What can the world promise? Let it promise what it will; it is making that promise to someone who may die tomorrow. (Augustine of Hippo)

The future enters into us, in order to transform itself in us, long before it happens. (Rainer Marie Rilke)

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to American Catholic.org and Good News Ministries

Epiphany (A)

2008-01-06T00:00:00.000+08:00

Is 60:1-6
Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
Mt 2:1-12

On Epiphany, we celebrate the humble adoration of the Magi for the Christ child. The magi were Gentiles, not Jews, and their determination to meet the Jewish savior of the world says much about what the word "epiphany" means. The magi are good examples of believing in the importance of Jesus even without understanding what it would mean to them personally or to the rest of the world.

They worshiped Jesus as the Messiah before they knew how he would become king or how his kingship would change the world. As schol-ars in search of truth, they studied religious writ-ings from beyond the scope of their own culture. Then, they acted on faith in response to the Spirit of God who activated them, and it changed their lives.

Only the Spirit of God can move someone to have faith, because faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians Chapter 12). The word "epiphany" means discovery, a revelation that changes our lives. Epiphanies are gifts from God, given because we want them.

We can imagine how the magi's epiphany in the presence of the Christ child might have felt. Al-though they did not understand how this baby from a poor, unknown family could become king, they remembered him for the rest of their lives and listened for news from the land of Israel about Jesus. We know that they heard about his crucifixion and learned what his followers were teaching about it, for they became Christians — their relics have been venerated since very early times.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What sign from God, like the star that the magi followed, are you waiting to see? What signs is God already showing you? These are evidence that he is working in your life. What epiphany — new understanding — is Jesus giving you about what God is doing in your life?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Why is it impossible to understand everything about the ways that Jesus is the Messiah for you and for all the world? God has given you faith to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. How do you act on this faith? And how do these actions evangelize non-believers?

*********************************************

If one phenomenon marks our modern world, it's instant communication. The message you're listening to is just one way we interact at the speed of light. Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, and this is the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Feast of the Epiphany.

I sat at a computer to write this short reflection, and then someone took it—via the Internet—to edit and prepare so that it might be heard on our Web site or over the radio waves. If you wish, you could download the very text I originally typed. I still marvel at all the ways we can communicate today.

Today's feast of the Epiphany of the Lord is a feast that celebrates communication. The Gospel we read today portrays Jesus, the Word Made Flesh, revealed to the nations, as the wise men arrive to pay him homage. Whatever the historical facts behind the story, the message of faith is that God is reaching out to us, communicating to us the Word Made Flesh. That's communication that has transformed human history.

God's revelation in Jesus has a power surpassing all our modern technological "miracles," because it speaks to our hearts. Are we listening? Are we open to the Word?

Let's become modern channels of God's communication to the world in this new year, using our gifts—whatever they may be—to pass on the message of the Good News, that Love is born in our midst.

Scripture:

•Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, (Isaiah 60:5)

•For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. (Psalm 72:12)

•…it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the Gentiles are coheirs (Ephesians 3:5-6)

•They were overjoyed at seeing the star, (Matthew 2:10)

•…they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. (Matthew 2:11)
•…they departed for their country by another way. (Matthew 2:12)

Reflection:

•When the Magi came searching for the king, do you think they expected to find Jesus who would change their lives forever? Or, is this exactly what all seekers are hoping to find?

•Is “another way” followed by the Magi defined by physical place?

•What did the Magi seek? What did they find? What did they leave behind? What did they take with them?

•Why is Herod such a sad figure? Is it because he cannot see beyond the false hope of dominance over physical space and time?

•Do those who seek transcend the limits of the world?

It is like one who sees something never seen before, where of he has not even seen the like; although he might understand its nature and have experience of it, he would be unable to give it a name, or say what it is, however much he tried to do so, and this in spite of its being a thing which he had perceived with the senses. How much less, then, could he describe a thing that has not entered through the senses! For the language of God has this characteristic that, since it is very intimate and spiritual in its relations with the soul, it transcends every sense and at once makes all harmony and capacity of the outward and inward senses to cease and be dumb.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to American Catholic.org and Good News Ministries

Most Holy Name of Jesus

2008-01-03T14:41:00.000+08:00

Today's Readings:
1 John 2:29--3:6
Ps 98:1, 3-6
John 1:29-34
http://www.usccb.org/nab/010308.shtml

Behold! The Eucharist is the Lamb of God!

In every Mass, we hear the presiding priest say the words of John the Baptist that are quoted in today's Gospel passage: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." Behold what? A wafer of bread? The priest isn't showing us something that's visible to our eyes. "Behold" means "Look with the vision of faith and see Jesus! He is here! Accept him! Worship him! Receive him!"

To which we reply: "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed."

With this healing, we're freed from our sins thanks to the Penitential Rite at the beginning of Mass if we're truly repentant. With this healing, we receive Jesus in all of his humanity and his divinity. With this healing, we can leave church reformed and renewed into the likeness of Jesus. We become tabernacles of his True Presence.

Is Mass that kind of experience for you? It requires full attention for what's going on in Mass — in all parts of the Mass. Jesus is present in the community song that initiates the Mass. Jesus is present in the Penitential Rite, listening for sincerity and genuine awareness of our sinfulness. Jesus is present in the Liturgy of the Word; the Word read and the Word preached, the Word broken open like bread to nourish our spiritual growth (and when the homily is poor or absent, the Holy Spirit preaches to us privately; straying thoughts are often an action of God). Jesus is also present in all the prayers of Mass.

Like John the Baptist, we can say: "I did not know him." In other words: "I saw only bread and wine, but the Holy Spirit revealed to me the presence of my beloved Savior" or "I was sinful and didn't realize the damage I had done, but the Holy Spirit gently exposed my sins and gave me help in overcoming them" or "I was wounded and did not know how to be healed, but the Holy Spirit led me to the right resources, the right counselor, the right doctor."

Today's first reading says that we are God's children now; however, what we shall be after we die in Christ has not yet been revealed. We won't know it or understand it or experience it until we die, and then "we shall be like him." We're only partially like him now, because we only partially understand him. After death, "we shall see him as he is" fully, and then we will want to be like him fully; in whatever ways we are not like him we will gladly purge from us (which is the process called purgatory).

During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, when the bread stops being bread and becomes the Body of Jesus, and the wine becomes his Blood, time disappears and we're united to our Lord who lives in eternity. Through the Eucharist, we experience a taste of heaven. We become like Jesus, and we stay like him after Mass in the ways that we imitate him.

*********************************

In a world of fiercely guarded corporate names and logos, it should be easy to understand this feast. The letters IHS are an abbreviation of Jesous, the Greek name for Jesus.

Although St. Paul might claim credit for promoting devotion to the Holy Name because Paul wrote in Philippians that God the Father gave Christ Jesus “that name that is above every name” (see 2:9), this devotion became popular because of 12th-century Cistercian monks and nuns but especially through the preaching of St. Bernardine of Siena, a 15th-century Franciscan.

Bernardine used devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus as a way of overcoming bitter and often bloody class struggles and family rivalries or vendettas in Italian city-states. The devotion grew, partly because of Franciscan and Dominican preachers. It spread even more widely after the Jesuits began promoting it in the 16th century.

In 1530, Pope Clement V approved an Office of the Holy Name for the Franciscans. In 1721, Pope Innocent XIII extended this feast to the entire Church.

Comment:

Jesus died and rose for the sake of all people. No one can trademark or copyright Jesus' name. Jesus is the Son of God and son of Mary. Everything that exists was created in and through the Son of God (see Colossians 1:15-20). The name of Jesus is debased if any Christian uses it as justification for berating non-Christians. Jesus reminds us that because we are all related to him we are, therefore, all related to one another.

Quote:

“Glorious name, gracious name, name of love and of power! Through you sins are forgiven, through you enemies are vanquished, through you the sick are freed from their illness, through you those suffering in trials are made strong and cheerful. You bring honor to those who believe, you teach those who preach, you give strength to the toiler, you sustain the weary” (St. Bernardine of Siena).

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to American Catholic.org and Good News Ministries

Mary, Mother of God

2008-01-01T22:24:00.000+08:00

Today's Readings:
Num 6:22-27
Ps 67:2-3, 5-6, 8
Gal 4:4-7
Luke 2:16-21
http://www.usccb.org/nab/010108.shtml

Reflecting on our blessings

HAPPY NEW YEAR! On this holy day, which includes an obligation to celebrate Mass because it's as important as Sunday, I pray that you will have a very Jesus-centered year in which you know the joy of his healing love and his emboldening strength that enables you to succeed as his partner in every difficulty.

Use the prayers in Mass to consecrate your new year to the protection and help of his mother Mary and to make this a year of many blessings.

In the first reading, God teaches Moses how to pass blessings onto others. The responsorial Psalm includes a request for God to bless us. Today's second reading describes the greatest blessing we've received: our adoption by God the Father. As his children, we inherit all that belongs to him. He has made available to us eternal life and every blessing under the heavens and in heaven.

Blessings come to us all the time. Every breath and each heartbeat is a blessing of life. But would you like to be amazed by your blessings, like the people in the Gospel passage who heard about what the shepherds had witnessed?

This amazement is an awe that comes from recognizing the presence of Jesus. We are blessed whenever we see, do, hear, or feel something that is Jesus or comes from Jesus or reveals him to us. That means we're even blessed in situations that feel like curses, because he is there, guiding us through it!

We have to keep our eyes on Jesus at all times. Admittedly, this is hard to do, but it's possible with decisive effort and the help of the Holy Spirit. Look past the problems: There is the victorious Jesus! Look past your own emotional reaction to the hardships: There is the peace of Christ! Look past the person who is sinning against you: There is Jesus comforting you!

Be awed by the fact that Jesus is always there and that everything good you do in this world is a good you are doing to Jesus. In hardships, we overcome evil by doing good to Jesus. In this, we become aware of the blessings of God's love and sympathy. And we'll find other blessings, too.

The next time someone fails to be good to you, stop expecting it from them and look for Jesus himself to give you what you need. As you improve at recognizing him, you'll become aware of his blessings even during the heat of the trial.

In every situation, always keep your eyes on Jesus to see his hand reaching toward you, blessing you.

Let us learn from Mary. She observed everything that happened and reflected on it to see what God would do. When Mary looked at the shepherds, did she see scruffy, stinky, unkempt strangers barging in? Of course not. Look at them through her eyes. How many blessings do you see? May your New Year be full of the awareness of your own blessings.

Remember the motto:
Keep your eyes on Jesus!

===================================================================

Mary’s divine motherhood broadens the Christmas spotlight. Mary has an important role to play in the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. She consents to God’s invitation conveyed by the angel (Luke 1:26-38). Elizabeth proclaims: “Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:42-43, emphasis added). Mary’s role as mother of God places her in a unique position in God’s redemptive plan.

Without naming Mary, Paul asserts that “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4). Paul’s further statement that “God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out ‘Abba, Father!’“ helps us realize that Mary is mother to all the brothers and sisters of Jesus.

Some theologians also insist that Mary’s motherhood of Jesus is an important element in God’s creative plan. God’s “first” thought in creating was Jesus. Jesus, the incarnate Word, is the one who could give God perfect love and worship on behalf of all creation. As Jesus was “first” in God’s mind, Mary was “second” insofar as she was chosen from all eternity to be his mother.

The precise title “Mother of God” goes back at least to the third or fourth century. In the Greek form Theotokos (God-bearer), it became the touchstone of the Church’s teaching about the Incarnation. The Council of Ephesus in 431 insisted that the holy Fathers were right in calling the holy virgin Theotokos. At the end of this particular session, crowds of people marched through the street shouting: “Praised be the Theotokos!” The tradition reaches to our own day. In its chapter on Mary’s role in the Church, Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church calls Mary “Mother of God” 12 times.

Comment:

Other themes come together at today’s celebration. It is the Octave of Christmas: Our remembrance of Mary’s divine motherhood injects a further note of Christmas joy. It is a day of prayer for world peace: Mary is the mother of the Prince of Peace. It is the first day of a new year: Mary continues to bring new life to her children—who are also God’s children.

Quote:

“The Blessed Virgin was eternally predestined, in conjunction with the incarnation of the divine Word, to be the Mother of God. By decree of divine Providence, she served on earth as the loving mother of the divine Redeemer, an associate of unique nobility, and the Lord’s humble handmaid. She conceived, brought forth, and nourished Christ” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 61).

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to American Catholic.org and Good News Ministries

Happy New Year 2008

2008-01-01T22:15:00.000+08:00

Wishing all a Happy New Year 2008!

As we ponder on some key events of 2007, we all have much to thank God for, regardless of the pains, disappointments, joys and happiness that we had experienced during the year. Without God, our lives would not only be worse; but also would be empty of its meaning, purpose and joy.

Let us ponder on the truth of this insight and at the same time, humbly ask the Lord to shower us with his blessings and necessary graces in this new year.

May the Holy Spirit guide our lives so that we might be salt of the earth; proclaiming and bringing God's love to the people around us.

Published by Jacob Soo

Feast of the Holy Family (A)

2007-12-30T00:00:00.000+08:00

Sir 3:2-7, 12-14
Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
Col 3:12-21 or Col 3:12-17
Mt 2, 13-15, 19-23

This Sunday we celebrate the Holy Family as well as our own families. All the scriptures at Mass give us instruction on how to be a holy family.

The first reading tells children (young and old) to "honor" and "revere" their parents, to be considerate of them when they get old and feeble and to be kind to them even if they fail to love us well. It does NOT say that children have to obey their parents ALL the time. This scripture never uses the word "obey".

We are to only obey God, and if a parent instructs us to do what God wants us to do (as in the responsorial Psalm), then by obeying Mom or Dad, we're obeying God, but if a parent disobeys God, we are not to follow him or her into sin. We can honor and revere our parents by respecting their personhood even while refusing to cooperate with their sins.

The second reading instructs us to "put on love, the bond of perfection", and to make sure that the peace of Christ controls our hearts. How? Saint Francis de Sales said, "Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset."

Verse 18 is NOT saying that wives should do this by obeying their husbands as if in a child-father relationship. To understand the message here, replace the word "subordinate" or "submit" with "respect". God has put the husband in charge of providing protection for the family (which is why in the Gospel reading it's Joseph, not Mary, who was given the dream) — including spiritual protection (teaching holiness and leading the family to heaven). When a wife respects her husband's personhood (the man God created him to be), she's placing herself (subordinating herself) into his protection, which is also God's protection.

And the husband is commanded to love his wife. Why isn't the wife told to love her husband? Because by nature she's a nurturer and a care-giver. But the man, created to protect, is by nature a warrior. To be holy, the husband must overcome his innate urge to protect himself so that he can make sacrifices for his family, just like Jesus.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Which family relationships need to become holier? What can you do this week to improve these by (choose the ones that fit your situation) honoring your parents, teaching your children, and showing respect and love for your spouse (or ex-spouse) in imitation of Christ?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Husbands (and ex-husbands and widowers), explain how important it is to feel respected. Wives (and ex-wives and widows), share how respect for husbands is effective in nurturing the marital relationship. How does the husband's protective nature imitate Christ? How does his love also imitate Christ? How is this similarly played out in a priest's relationship with his parish?

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Good News Ministries

Christmas Message from the Archbishop

2007-12-25T05:02:00.000+08:00

Greetings all,

His Grace, Archbishop Nicholas Chia has written a special christmas message to all Altar Servers. Below is the transcript of his message.

Dear Altar Servers of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi,

Christmas is a very special feast for all of us and I would like to extend my prayer and blessing to you all on this glorious feast.

When we celebrate Christmas we are reminded of Christ's birth in Bethlehem to be the light of the world to dispel the darkness of sin and evil.

To celebrate Christmas we must invite Christ into our hearts so that we can radiate his light to those around us.

To invite Christ into our hearts we must be filled with love. "Where there is love there is God" as St John says.

As Altar Servers, you show your love by your dedicated services at the altar and contribute towards the meaningful celebration of the liturgy. Apart from your dedicated services at the altar you make Christ present to others by your kindness and friendliness, reaching out especially to the poor and lonely.

I pray that Christmas will truly be CHRISTmas for you all. May Christ dwell in your hearts during this season and all the days of your life.

A BLESSED CHRISTMAS to you all.

God bless

Archbishop Nicholas Chia, D.D., STL

Christmas (A)

2007-12-25T04:59:00.000+08:00

Is 52:7-10
Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6
Heb 1:1-6
Jn 1:1-18 or Jn 1:1-5, 9-14

Merry Christmas! The Lord has come!

"A light will shine on us this day: the Lord is born for us" (from the responsorial Psalm). Let the joy of "THE LORD HAS COME!" shine from you. But how, when troubles make the world seem dark?

It’s only possible when we keep our eyes on Jesus. Don't focus on what destroys your joy, for nothing can destroy the coming of the Lord. The absence of joy is merely a blank area in your view of what God is doing.

Look at the love that Jesus has for you! Jesus was born not only to save you from the darkness of sin; he was born because he loves you – he loves you! Even if you had never sinned, he would have come into the world so that he could love you on your level, human-to-human.

Sometimes, great things come in surprising packages that do not seem to be great at all. The Eucharist – in the form of a little wafer of bread – does not look like it contains the full presence of Jesus with all of his humanity and his divinity. The baby Jesus – a tiny, helpless child – does not look like the conqueror of evil. But he is! And so is Jesus in the Eucharist; he is here for you.

And you! You might not seem to be a great person, but you contain Jesus. You contain greatness beyond imagining! This greatness does not dwell only in you; it comes out from you in the form of love.

We can know for sure that we have Jesus within us because of the love that we give to others. We know for sure that we can be victorious over evil when Christ's love extends outward to others from within us. It is Christ's love in the world – through us – that defeats the darkness of hardships and troubles.

Jesus comes to us, not to be served, but to serve our needs. He even laid down his life for you!

To be a follower of Jesus means we learn to imitate him. Christians are not here to be served by those who treat us poorly. We are here to serve them, and in this goodness evil is defeated. In this goodness, the greatness of Jesus extends outward from us.

Each time we give love to others, whether they deserve it or not, we give them the gift of Jesus. We are like Mary, giving birth to love himself, making every day a Christmas day.

And when the giving gets tiring, we need to return to the Eucharist to be nourished and healed and restored by Jesus himself, for his love is our Christmas gift from God.

Have a Very Blessed Christmas
in the gifts that the Lord
has given!

On this day the Church focuses especially on the newborn Child, God become human, who embodies for us all the hope and peace we seek. We need no other special saint today to lead us to Christ in the manger, although his mother Mary and Joseph, caring for his foster-Son, help round out the scene.

But if we were to select a patron for today, perhaps it might be appropriate for us to imagine an anonymous shepherd, summoned to the birthplace by a wondrous and even disturbing vision in the night, a summons from an angelic choir, promising peace and goodwill. A shepherd willing to seek out something that might just be too unbelievable to chase after, and yet compelling enough to leave behind the flocks in the field and search for a mystery.

On the day of the Lord’s birth, let’s let an unnamed, “un-celebrity” at the edge of the crowd model for us the way to discover Christ in our own hearts—somewhere between skepticism and wonder, between mystery and faith. And, like Mary and the shepherds, let us treasure that discovery in our hearts.

Comment:

The precise dating in this passage sounds like a textbook on creationism. If we focus on the time frame, however, we miss the point. It lays out the story of a love affair: creation, the deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, the rise of Israel under David. It climaxes with the birth of Jesus. From the beginning, some scholars insist, God intended to enter the world as one of us, the beloved people. Praise God!

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Amercan Catholic.org

Padre David Thexeira

2007-12-18T23:51:00.001+08:00

Our Spiritual Director, Padre David Thexeira was laid to rest today at Choa Chu Kang cemetery after being called home to receive his eternal reward.

His sudden departure has shocked and sadden many of us, who appreciated his love, support and company during this tenure at Saint Francis of Assisi parish.

We will always hold dear to our hearts and reminisce,the moments and experiences that we have spent with him.

Padre David, we love you.

Thank you for everything that you have done for us; the love, care and concern that you so generously give to us, your humble Altar Servers.

We will definitely miss you.

Until we meet again in the heavenly kingdom, Rest in peace.

Padre David Thexeira
6.11.1956 - 13.12.2007
Aged 51

Always loved, cherished and remembered in our hearts...

Gethsemaus 07 Conclusion

2007-12-18T23:50:00.000+08:00

Gethsemaus 07 camp has come to a fruitful and successful end after 5 days 5 nights of games and spiritual inputs.

We sincerely hope that the participants have enjoyed themselves during the camp and leaving it having learnt and attained memorable experiences.

The organisers would like to thank everyone for their participation and support in making this camp a successful one especially when we have just lost our Spiritual Director; Father David Thexeira who loved, supported and walked with us during his time with us here in Saint Francis of Assisi.

Thank you and God Bless!

Itinerary for Gethesemaus 07 -- updated

2007-12-16T18:39:00.000+08:00

In view of the passing of our beloved Spiritual Director, Father David Thexeira, there will be some changes to our camp itinerary to accomadate for his funeral preparations.

Any queries can be directed to the organisers.

Thank you.

Day 1 (141207)

- Report at IJ @ 1600hrs; Jeremy and Jacob will be on scene to receive all participants
- Camp briefing/Bag check will be carried at IJ centre.
- Settling down in sleeping quarters at IJ centre.
- Dinner will then be served.
- After dinner, participants will travel via public transport to the funeral wake of Father David Thexeira at Church of the Holy Spirit.
- Travel via public transport back to IJ centre after the performance.
- Wash up and Lights out upon return to IJ Centre.

Day 2 (151207)

- Reville @ 0715hrs and wash up.
- Breakfast will then be served at IJ centre
- Spiritual Activity at IJ centre.
- Lunch will then be served.
- Travel to SFA Church for games.
- Games time at SFA Church.
- Games end and travel back to IJ centre for wash up
- Preparation for Novena and Sunset Mass
- Travel to SFA Church for Novena and Sunset Mass
- Novena and Sunset Mass
- Travel back to IJ centre after Novena and Sunset Mass
- Dinner
- Spiritual Activity II
- Supper
- Wash up and Lights Out

Day 3 (161207)

- Reville @ 0730hrs and preparation for respective masses at SFA Church.
- Lunch at IJ centre at 1200hrs.
- Briefing for Superstars.
- Superstars begins at 1430hrs at various locations islandwide

Day 4 (171207)

- Superstars end at IJ centre @ 1430hrs.
- De-brief for Superstars at IJ centre.
- Wash up at IJ centre .
- Siesta or personal time at IJ centre.
- Dinner at IJ centre.
- Father David's funeral mass rehearsal at Church of the Holy Spirit (1900hrs to 2100hrs)
- Back to IJ centre, supper and wash up
- Lights Out

Day 5 (181207)

- Reville @ 0600hrs, breakfast.
- Pack up and check out of Choice Retreat House
- Travel to SFA Church to prepare for Father David's Funeral mass.
- Travel to Church of Holy Spirit for Father David's funeral mass via chartered bus.
- Serve/attend funeral mass.
- Proceed after mass to Choa Chu Kang cemetery for Father David's burial via chartered bus.
- Travel back to SFA Church via charted bus.
- Games at SFA Church.
- Dinner with parents and priests/ prize presentation at SFA Church.
- Break camp @ 2100hrs.

Padre David has gone home...

2007-12-14T03:08:00.000+08:00

Dear Servers,

Our Spiritual Director Padre David Thexeira was called home to be with the Lord on Thursday, 13th December 2007 at 2340hrs.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let Perpetual Light shine upon him.

May he rest in peace.

Let us pray for Padre David's soul and for comfort and peace to be upon the family.

Thank you and God Bless.

1 more day to Gethsemaus 07

2007-12-13T19:53:00.000+08:00

hohoho! 1 more day to our servers camp; Gethsemaus 07!

See you all @ 1600hrs at Choice Retreat House, 47, Jurong West Street 42.

Brief Itinerary for Gethsemaus 07

2007-12-13T19:32:00.000+08:00

Greetings all, here is the brief itinerary for Gethsemaus 07

Day 1 (141207)

- Report at IJ @ 1600hrs; Jeremy and Jacob will be on scene to receive all participants
- Camp briefing/Bag check will be carried at IJ centre.
- Settling down in sleeping quarters at IJ centre.
- Dinner will then be served.
- After dinner, participants will travel via public transport to Esplanade for a performance; "Pedal & Pipes: The Magic of Christmas".
- Travel via public transport back to IJ centre after the performance.
- Wash up and Lights out upon return to IJ Centre.

Day 2 (151207)

- Reville @ 0715hrs and wash up.
- Breakfast will then be served at IJ centre
- Spiritual Activity at IJ centre.
- Lunch will then be served.
- Travel to SFA Church for games.
- Games time at SFA Church.
- Games end and travel back to IJ centre for wash up
- Preparation for Novena and Sunset Mass
- Travel to SFA Church for Novena and Sunset Mass
- Novena and Sunset Mass
- Travel back to IJ centre after Novena and Sunset Mass
- Dinner
- Spiritual Activity II
- Supper
- Wash up and Lights Out

Day 3 (161207)

- Reville @ 0730hrs and preparation for respective masses at SFA Church.
- Lunch at IJ centre at 1200hrs.
- Briefing for Superstars.
- Superstars begins at 1430hrs at various locations islandwide

Day 4 (171207)

- Superstars end at IJ centre @ 1430hrs.
- De-brief for Superstars at IJ centre.
- Afternoon tea and wash up at IJ centre .
- Siesta or personal time at IJ centre.
- Spiritual Activity III at IJ centre.
- Dinner at IJ centre.
- Spiritual Activity III continues at IJ centre.
- Supper and wash up
- Lights Out

Day 5 (181207)

- Reville @ 0800hrs, breakfast.
- Spiritual Activity IV at IJ centre.
- Lunch.
- Travel to SFA Church for games.
- Games at SFA Church.
- Travel back to IJ centre for wash up.
- Wash up and pack up.
- Camp de-briefing.
- Travel to SFA Church.
- Evening Mass at SFA Church.
- Dinner with parents and priests/ prize presentation at SFA Church.
- Break camp @ 2100hrs.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

2007-12-08T16:38:00.000+08:00

Information about the Feast:

A feast called the Conception of Mary arose in the Eastern Church in the seventh century. It came to the West in the eighth century. In the eleventh century it received its present name, the Immaculate Conception. In the eighteenth century it became a feast of the universal Church.

In 1854 Pius IX gave the infallible statement: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.”

It took a long time for this doctrine to develop. While many Fathers and Doctors of the Church considered Mary the greatest and holiest of the saints, they often had difficulty in seeing Mary as sinless—either at her conception or throughout her life. This is one of the Church teachings that arose more from the piety of the faithful than from the insights of brilliant theologians. Even such champions of Mary as Bernard and Thomas Aquinas could not see theological justification for this teaching.

Two Franciscans, William of Ware and Blessed John Duns Scotus, helped develop the theology. They point out that Mary’s Immaculate Conception enhances Jesus’ redemptive work. Other members of the human race are cleansed from original sin after birth. In Mary, Jesus’ work was so powerful as to prevent original sin at the outset.

Comment:

In Luke 1:28 the angel Gabriel, speaking on God’s behalf, addresses Mary as “full of grace” (or “highly favored”). In that context this phrase means that Mary is receiving all the special divine help necessary for the task ahead. However, the Church grows in understanding with the help of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit led the Church, especially non-theologians, to the insight that Mary had to be the most perfect work of God next to the Incarnation. Or rather, Mary’s intimate association with the Incarnation called for the special involvement of God in Mary’s whole life. The logic of piety helped God’s people to believe that Mary was full of grace and free of sin from the first moment of her existence. Moreover, this great privilege of Mary is the highlight of all that God has done in Jesus. Rightly understood, the incomparable holiness of Mary shows forth the incomparable goodness of God.

Quote:

“[Mary] gave to the world the Life that renews all things, and she was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.

“It is no wonder, then, that the usage prevailed among the holy Fathers whereby they called the mother of God entirely holy and free from all stain of sin, fashioned by the Holy Spirit into a kind of new substance and new creature. Adorned from the first instant of her conception with the splendors of an entirely unique holiness, the Virgin of Nazareth is, on God’s command, greeted by an angel messenger as ‘full of grace’ (cf. Luke 1:28). To the heavenly messenger she replies: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word’ (Luke 1:38)” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 56).

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to American Catholic.org

Advent

2007-12-01T22:44:00.000+08:00

The Church begins a new liturgical year this weekend with the season of Advent. Most of us would probably relate Advent as a countdown to Christmas.

Is Advent merely a ticking timer for us to celebrate Christmas? What is the actual purpose of this season of waiting? Ever wondered what the liturgical year cycle is about?

Read on for more insights......

The Meaning and Purpose of Advent

The season of Advent is one of particular importance. It is a sacred season. As the Holy Spirit says, it is the time of the Lord's favour, the day of salvation, peace and reconciliation. The patriarchs and prophets longed and prayed with all their hearts for this time. That just as the man Simeon at long last saw this time and his joy was boundless.

The Church has always kept this season in a special way. So, we too must continue to celebrate it fittingly, giving praise and thanks to the eternal Father for the mercy he has shown us in this mystery of the coming of his Only-begotten Son.

The Father sent His Son out of His immeasurable love for us sinners. He sent him to free us from the tyrannical power of the devil, to invite us to heaven and lead us into its innermost sanctuary. He was sent to show us truth itself, to teach us how we should live, to share with us the source of all goodness, to enrich us with the treasures of his grace. Finally, he was sent to make us sons of the Father and heirs to eternal life.

The Church calls this mystery to mind each year to stir us to renew constantly our memory of the great love God has shown us. This commemoration teaches us that our Saviour came not only for the benefit of the people of his time. His goodness is still there for us to share in. On our part, through faith and the sacraments we must lay hold on the grace he won for us and live by it in obedience to him.

The Church wants us to understand that there are three distinct accents to the liturgy of the Advent season, which are defined by the three comings of the Lord:

Yesterday, at Bethlehem, when the Son of God was born of the Virgin Mary;

Today, in our world, where He is ready to come to us again at any minute or hour, to make His home spiritually within us in all His grace;

Tomorrow, when He returns in glory.

Like a devoted mother, keenly concerned for our salvation, the Church uses the rites of this season, its hymns, songs and other promptings of the Holy Spirit to teach us a lesson. She shows us how to receive this great gift of God with thankfulness and how to be enriched by its possession. She teaches us that our hearts should be as prepared now for the coming of Christ our Lord as if he were still to come into the world.

In addition, we can find other meanings in Advent. In the structure of Christianity it can be taken as indicating the deepest level. Christianity is the religion of the coming of God, of his breaking through into human history and life - an aspect which makes it stand out from other religions.

Such is the rich meaning of Advent. From this beginning of the liturgical year, we celebrate the whole panorama of the mystery: from the beginning, when God created heaven and earth, until its fulfillment at the end of time, passing through the times of preparation-through the Scriptures-nearer and nearer to the approaching realization of "today in our world."

The Liturgical Year

The liturgical year sets forth "the whole mystery of Christ from the Incarnation and Nativity to the Ascension, to Pentecost and the expectation of the blessed hope of the coming of the Lord."

Typically, "the liturgical year" calls to mind only the Christian calendar of Sundays and feasts that, instead of beginning on January 1 and ending December 31, begins instead from the first Sunday of Advent to the Saturday at the end of the Thirty-Fourth week of Ordinary Time. This deviation from the common secular calendar does not create a real problem. Christmas is the only date one needs to know in order to determine the date of the first of the four Sundays of Advent. However, this first, superficial picture of a simple, annual schedule of Christian celebrations is not enough to fully appreciate the profound reality of the liturgical year and all it values. We must begin, therefore, with a certain understanding of time.

In pagan religions, historical time is sacred only insofar as particular events reproduce the primordial time of the Gods. In the Bible, there is no history that predates the creation by God of the universe and of humankind. History is sacred because in it is unfolded the plan of God that, after the sin of Adam and Eve, comes the sacred history of redemption.
This sacred history is marked by interventions of God:

- He reveals himself;

- He appeals to the responsibility of men and women that they might choose to enter freely into his plan and turn back to him when they have sinned;

- He guides events toward the fulfillment of his plan of redemption.

This history moves toward an end: the full realization of the desire of God for the salvation of each and every person by the coming of the Messiah, the Saviour.

The liturgical year demands that one enter into its mystical, sacramental perspective. This requires a "full, active, and conscious" participation which, in turn, depends on our progress, and that of the whole Church, towards the Day of the Lord and the full realization of the plan of salvation that God accomplishes in time.

The liturgical year develops, therefore, a spirituality of responsibility, of acting to bring about the reign of God, its peace, justice, and joy in a world that is never without meaning, into our own historical time. It opens the pathways of our creative imagination; enlightened and stimulated by the Word of God.

A Happy and Blessed Christmas in advance to all.

Written by Rev. Fr David Thexeira
Published by Jacob Soo

Christ the King (C)

2007-11-25T00:15:00.000+08:00

This Weekend's readings:

2 Sm 5:1-3
Ps 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5
Col 1:12-20
Lk 23:35-43

Food for thought:

It's the least likely place to find a king: beaten, bloody, dying upon the horrific Roman instrument of crucifixion, in the midst of two common criminals. That's the scene selected by the Church to portray Christ our King, today.

One of the criminals hanging next to Jesus on the cross represents us. Jesus is our king and we want to spend eternity with him in his kingdom. As long as we have this attitude, there is no reason to doubt that when we die we will join Jesus in Paradise.

The scene sums up so much of the Gospel of Luke. At the beginning of Luke's account, Jesus is placed in a manger: another unlikely setting for a king. In his infancy stories, Luke wants us to recall Israel's great King David, and then tells us what true kingship is all about.

As the king of heaven, Jesus has the right and the authority to choose who is allowed into his kingdom. And as this Good Friday thief shows us, Jesus says, "Yes, come in, welcome!" to anyone who recognizes his authority.

With these portraits of our King comes an understanding of the reign of God which he proclaims. That heavenly reign is populated by those who seek it in humility; by the poor and those rejected by society, by those who imitate their crucified King in love, forgiveness and reconciliation, even as he hangs on the cross.

Let's look at what the authority of Jesus is like. At the Last Supper, when he washed the feet of his disciples, he made it clear that the heavenly king exerts his authority by serving those who belong to his kingdom.

The next day, he took a crown of thorns instead of a crown of gold and gems, because the glory of his kingship is not represented by earthly treasures but by riches that are given to others, the personal sacrifices that are motivated by love, even for those who don't deserve it.

After his resurrection, although he'd been healed from the destruction of death, his five crucifixion wounds were not healed. To this day, he still bears those wounds as a continual reminder that he does not use his authority for his own benefit, but for ours. Earthly kings wear expensive rings on their hands; our heavenly king wears the marks of sacrifice.

We know that we belong to God's kingdom because of how lovingly we serve others with Christ. When we understand the glory of giving to others, of making personal sacrifices, and of loving those who don't deserve our love, we are in God's kingdom.

When we offer to Jesus our sufferings because we realize that they have value, we wear the five wounds of Jesus in our souls, and we are in God's kingdom.

We live in a world with a lot less royalty than in past centuries. And yet we still can be tempted by our own brand of royalty and a love for the trappings of wealth and power. The voice of our crucified King, inviting us to Paradise along with the repentant thief, cuts through all that is shallow and cannot truly satisfy. Will we hear it today and be united with him in paradise?

Points for Reflection:

Why is a shepherd a good image of King David and of Christ?
How are you like the criminal asking Christ to save you?
How is Christ like an alternative king and different from an earthly ruler in the first century or now?
What would you say to Jesus as he hangs near death, on the cross?

Reflect on a time when you submitted yourself to Christ's authority by obeying a difficult teaching of the Church or by doing something Christ-like that you didn't want to do. Did you feel loved by God? Did you feel served?
What will you do to become more aware of his service to you?
What are you holding onto today that does not belong to his kingdom?
What will you do this week to allow Jesus to be your king in every area of your life?
Name some of the ways that Jesus serves us. Does he do it more often one-on-one with you or through the people of his kingdom?
When you serve others, how is this a recognition of the kingship and authority of Christ?

Words of Wisdom:

“Oh God,” I said and that was all. But what are the prayers of the whole universe more than expressions of that one cry? It is not what God can give us, but God that we want.

~ George MacDonald

The Gospel passage captures the great mystery of how the Son of God, as Saviour of humankind is cruelly mocked and condemned as a criminal. This mystery shows God's infinite mercy and love for us. Ponder on this truth and beg God for the gift of repentance and the grace to renew our love and commitment to him.

~ Rev. Fr Philip Heng , S.J

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to American Catholic.org and Good News Ministries

Reminder !!!

2007-11-24T00:13:00.001+08:00

Gethsemaus 07 information session will be held this coming Sunday.

Details can be found here

Why do we worship on Sunday rather than Saturday?

2007-11-23T12:40:00.000+08:00

Ever wondered why is there sunset mass when church is supposed to be on Sundays?

Read on for more insights...

Question:

Some of my non catholic friends have a serious problem with the Sunday worship schedule. They say the Bible points to a Saturday Sabbath established by God from the very beginning. I’ve looked into it myself and can find no definitive Biblical change from the Saturday “day of worship” to Sunday. Does any of this matter?

Answer:

Your friends are right. In the story of creation, the day of rest is Saturday. At the end of the work week, we take a day of rest, just as the Lord took a day of rest after creating the universe. Resting reminds us that no matter how important are the things that we might be doing, just as God was able to rest, we too need to rest.

So why the change from Saturday to Sunday? The resurrection! That’s why! Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week; Sunday. For Christians, there is no event that is more important, so we gather on the first day of the week to remember this important event; the resurrection.

The Jewish understanding of a day is from sunset to sunset. Because of this, the Church has allowed us to fulfill our obligation of Sunday Mass by attending church on Saturday evening.

The important thing for us to remember is that Sunday is a day of resting in the Lord. Part of this is going to church, but the whole day is dedicated to the Lord, so Sunday needs to be different. It is time that should be spent with the family and resting.

Written by Rev. Father Patrick Keyes, C.Ss.R (adapted from the Dear Padre :Questions Catholics Ask)

Published by Jacob Soo

Pope Benedict XVI Q&A session with the youth in Lorento, Italy

2007-11-22T12:38:00.000+08:00

Greetings all,

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI had a Q&A session with the youth in Lorento , Italy. During the session, the youths posed questions to the Pope with regards to living the faith today.

Below is the transcript of the Q&A session for any interested people to reflect upon.

Source taken from Zenit

_______________________________________

"The Pope Is Close to You, He Shares Your Joys and Your Pain"

Question posed by Piero Tisti and Giovanna Di Mucci:

"Many of us young people in the suburbs do not have a centre, a place or people with whom we can identify. Often we are without a history, a perspective or even a future. It seems that what we really wait for never happens. From this come the experience of solitude and at times, an improper dependence on others. Your Holiness, is there someone or something by means of which we can become important? How is it possible to hope when reality negates every dream of happiness, every project of life?".

Response of the Holy Father:

Thank you for this question and for your very realistic presentation of the situation. It is not always easy to respond concerning the peripheries of this world with great problems and we do not want to live an easy optimism; but on the other hand, we must have the courage to go forward.

I will therefore anticipate the essence of my answer: Yes, there is hope today too; each one of you is important because each is known and desired by God and God has his plan for each one. It is our task to discover and respond to it, so that despite these precarious and marginalized situations, we will be able to put into practice God's plan for us.

However, to go into detail, you have realistically presented to us the situation of a society: in the outskirts it seems hard to move ahead, to change the world for the better. Everything seems concentrated in the great centres of economic and political power, the great bureaucracies dominate, and those in the outskirts truly seem excluded from this life.

Then, one aspect of this situation of marginalization that affects so many people is that the important cells of social life that can also build centres on the fringes are fragmented: the family, which should be the place where generations meet - from great grandfather to grandchild -, should not only be a place where generations meet but also where they learn to live, learn the essential virtues, and this is in danger.

Thus, all the more should we do our utmost to ensure that the family survives, that today too, it is the vital cell, the centre in the periphery.

Therefore, the parish, the living cell of the Church, must also really be a place of inspiration, life and solidarity which helps people build together centres in the periphery. And I must say here, there is often talk about the Church in the suburbs and in the centre, which would be Rome, but in fact in the Church there are no suburbs because where Christ is, the whole centre is there.

Wherever the Eucharist is celebrated, wherever the Tabernacle stands, there is Christ; hence, there is the centre and we must do all we can to ensure that these living centres are effective, present and truly a force that counters this marginalization.

The living Church, the Church of the little communities, the parish Church, the movements, must form as many centres in the outskirts and thus help to overcome the difficulties that the leading politics obviously cannot manage to resolve, and at the same time, we must also think that despite the great focuses of power, contemporary society itself is in need of solidarity, of a sense of lawfulness, of the initiative and creativity of all.

I know that this is easier said than done, but I see here people who are working to increase the number of centres in the peripheries, to increase hope, and thus it seems to me that we should take up the initiative. The Church must be present precisely in the suburbs; Christ must be present, the centre of the world must be present.

We have seen and we see today in the Gospel that for God there are no peripheries. In the vast context of the Roman Empire, the Holy Land was situated on the fringe; Nazareth was on the margins, an unknown town. Yet that very situation was, de facto, to become the centre that changed the world!

And thus, we must form centres of faith, hope, love and solidarity, centres of a sense of justice and lawfulness and of cooperation. Only in this way will modern society be able to survive. It needs this courage, it needs to create centres even if, obviously, hope does not seem to exist. We must counter this desperation, we must collaborate with great solidarity in doing our best to increase hope, so that men and women may collaborate and live.

The world -- we see it -- must be changed, but it is precisely the mission of young people to change it! We cannot change it with our own strength alone but in communion of faith and in journeying on together. In communion with Mary, with all the Saints, in communion with Christ, we can do something essential, and I encourage you and invite you to trust in Christ, to trust in God.

Being in the great company of the Saints and moving forward with them can change the world, creating centres in the outskirts, so that the company of Saints may truly become visible and thus the hope of all may become realistic, and every one may say: "I am important in the totality of history. The Lord will help us". Thank you.

Question posed by Sara Simonetta :

"I believe in the God who has touched my heart, but I have many insecurities, questions and fears that I carry within. It is not easy to speak about God with my friends; many of them see the Church as a reality that judges youth, that opposes their desire for happiness and love. Faced with this refusal, I feel all of my solitude as human and I want to feel near God. Your Holiness, in this silence, where is God?".

Response of the Holy Father:

Yes, even though we are believers, we all know God's silence. In the Psalm we have just recited, there is this almost despairing cry: "Make haste to answer me, O Lord... Do not hide your face!", and a little while ago a book of the spiritual experiences of Mother Teresa was published and what we already all knew was a little more clearly shown: with all her charity and the power of her faith, Mother Teresa suffered from God's silence.

On the one hand, we must also bear God's silence in order to understand our brothers who do not know God.

On the other, with the Psalm we can always cry to God once again: "Answer us, show your face!".

And without a doubt, in our life, if our hearts are open, we can find the important moments when God's presence really becomes tangible even for us.

I now remember a little story that John Paul II told at the Spiritual Exercises he preached in the Vatican when he was not yet Pope. He recounted that after the war he was visited by a Russian official who was a scientist and who said to him as a scientist: "I am certain that God does not exist. Yet, if I am in the mountains, surrounded by his majestic beauty, by his grandeur, I am equally sure that the Creator does exist and that God exists".

The beauty of creation is one of the sources where we can truly touch God's beauty, we can see that the Creator exists and is good, which is true as Sacred Scripture says in the Creation Narrative, that is, that God conceived of this world and made it with his heart, his will and his reason, and he found it good.

We too must be good in order to have an open heart and to perceive God's true presence.

Then, hearing the Word of God in the solemn liturgical celebrations, in celebrations of faith, in the great music of faith, we feel this presence. I remember at this moment another little story which a Bishop on his ad limina visit told me a little while ago.

There was a very intelligent woman who was not a Christian. She began to listen to the great music of Bach, Handel and Mozart. She was fascinated and said one day: "I must find the source of this beauty", and the woman converted to Christianity, to the Catholic faith, because she had discovered that this beauty has a source, and the source is the presence of Christ in hearts, it is the revelation of Christ in this world.

Hence, great feasts of faith, of liturgical celebration, but also personal dialogue with Christ: he does not always respond, but there are times when he really responds. Then there is the friendship, the company of faith.

Now, gathered here in Loreto, we see that faith unites, friendship creates a company of travelling companions. And we sense that all this does not derive from nothing but truly has a source, that the silent God is also a God who speaks, that he reveals himself and above all, that we ourselves can be witnesses of his presence, and from our faith a light truly shines also for others.

Thus, I would say on the one hand, we must accept that God is silent in this world, but we must not be deaf to his words or blind to his appearance on so many occasions. We see the Lord's presence, especially in creation, in the beautiful liturgy, in friendship within the Church, and full of his presence, we can also give light to others.

Thus, I come to the second part, or rather, the first part of your question: it is difficult to speak to friends today about God and perhaps even more difficult to talk about the Church, because they see in God only the limit of our freedom, a God of commandments, of prohibitions, and the Church as an institution that limits our freedom, that imposes prohibitions upon us.

Nonetheless, we must try to make the living Church visible to them, not this idea of a centre of power in the Church with these labels, but the community of companions where, in spite of all life's problems that exist for everyone, is born our joy of living.

Here, a third memory springs to mind. I was in Brazil, in Fazenda da Esperança, this great community where drug addicts are treated and rediscover hope, the joy of living in this world; and they witnessed what the actual discovery that God exists meant for their recovery from despair.

They thus understood that their life has meaning and they rediscovered the joy of being in this world, the joy of facing the problems of human life.

Therefore, in every human heart, despite all the problems that exist, is a thirst for God, and when God disappears, the sun that gives light and joy also disappears.

This thirst for the infinite that is in our hearts is also demonstrated even in the reality of drugs: the human being wants to extend the quality of life, to have more than life, to have the infinite, but drugs are a lie, they are a fraud, because they do not extend life but destroy it.

The great thirst that speaks to us of God and sets us on the path that leads to him is true, but we must help one another. Christ came to create a network of communion in the world, where all together we might carry one another, and thus help one another together to find the ways that lead to life and to understand that the Commandments of God are not limits to our freedom but the paths that guide us to the other, toward the fullness of life.

Let us pray to the Lord to help us understand his presence, to be full of his Revelation, his joy, to help one another to go forward in the company of faith and with Christ to increasingly find the true Face of God, and hence, true life.

Published by Jacob Soo

Masturbation

2007-11-21T16:05:00.000+08:00

Hello all,

With our Gethsemaus 07 camp drawing near, one of the topics which will be discussed is that of sexuality.

In the context of sexuality, the topic of masturbation will definitely be discussed at some point. This subject would definitely be intriguing for the youths as many of them would most probably be at adolescent stage now whereby the human sexuality senses are awaken.

We might have read or heard the many medical or psychological explanations with regards to masturbation. What then, is the Church teachings in this area? Is it viewed as a mortal sin or venial sin? Could it prevent us from getting into heaven?

Read on for a brief insight into this subject...

What the Church teaches about masturbation

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, an act of masturbation in itself is serious matter for sin.

The teaching authority of the Church in the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church says masturbation is an “intrinsically and gravely disordered action.”

The Catechism states, “‘The deliberate use of the sexual faculty for whatever reason outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose.’ For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of ‘the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved’” (#2352).

Whatever the motive, solitary sex in itself contradicts the meaning of human sexuality, which is meant by God to be shared between a man and a woman in marriage.

Using one’s sexual powers outside of intercourse within marriage is disordered. It is self-love rather than love for a spouse and the fruit of married love.

Is masturbation then is viewed as a mortal or venial sin?

For a sin to be mortal, it requires two other elements. They are sufficient freedom (willfulness and consent) and knowledge or awareness. It is not always easy to judge how much freedom and consent—or awareness—are present in an act.

What it means basically is for it to be mortal sin, it would have to be done deliberately, knowing that it is not what God wishes for us and without any regard for that.

In order to judge the morality of a human act, certain conditions have to be considered.

How much sense of sin does this sinner have? Has anger or passion of another sort blotted out reason or swept the person away? How much obsession or compulsion has been present in an act of masturbation, how much ability to resist?

The Church recognizes, for example, that in the practice of masturbation, psychological factors including adolescent immaturity, lack of psychological balance, and even ingrained habit can influence a person’s behavior, and this could lessen or even eliminate moral responsibility.

Sometimes, even a confessor (i.e. a priest) will have much difficulty evaluating those things. Sometimes the individual himself or herself will be asking whether he or she fully intended such an act, acted with full freedom.

A condition that many persons claim for their innocence regarding masturbation is habit, and it certainly known that difficult habits are to break. It must keep in mind; however, that habit does not completely destroy the voluntary nature of our acts.

As Christians who are going to be held accountable for our actions, one must strive to unite ourselves to the Lord and, therefore, do all one can to curb or eliminate all habits that detach us from Him. As with any sin, he or she needs to struggle and attempt to resist the temptation. Hence, a person may not simply proceed to self-stimulate, saying it is compulsive or a habit that is hard to break.

Hence, if a person is masturbating and knows fully that it is wrong, and does it willingly without doing anything to resist, then he or she is guilty of grave sin.

Could it prevent us from getting into heaven?

Theologians and psychologists may differ about how compulsive an action may have been. In such cases a person should confess the act and circumstances to a confessor (i.e. a priest) and put them in God’s hands and to God’s mercy.

After listening to all of the circumstances and conditions surrounding an individual’s actions, the confessor will make a judgment and give the proper guidance.

Sometimes, professional help will have to be sought. But caution will have to be exercised with this because some professionals will actually encourage masturbation, and this would be wrong.

God knows that we will sometimes fail, but He does expect us to do our best to live according to His ways. He knows when we have done all we can to resist sin. If we have done that and have acknowledged and confessed our sin, then we can rest in the knowledge that we have done our best, and that He will forgive us.

Cleared for publication by Rev Fr. David Thexeira
Published by Jacob Soo

Feast of the Presentation of Mary

2007-11-21T15:52:00.000+08:00

Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in. Here are some reflections for any interested people to meditate upon.

Today's Readings:

2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31
Ps 17:1, 5-6, 8b, 15
Luke 19:11-28
http://www.usccb.org/nab/112107.shtml

History of the Feast:

Mary’s presentation was celebrated in Jerusalem in the sixth century. A church was built there in honor of this mystery. The Eastern Church was more interested in the feast, but it does appear in the West in the 11th century. Although the feast at times disappeared from the calendar, in the 16th century it became a feast of the universal Church.

As with Mary’s birth, we read of Mary’s presentation in the temple only in apocryphal literature. In what is recognized as an unhistorical account, the Protoevangelium of James tells us that Anna and Joachim offered Mary to God in the Temple when she was three years old. This was to carry out a promise made to God when Anna was still childless.

Though it cannot be proven historically, Mary’s presentation has an important theological purpose. It continues the impact of the feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the birth of Mary. It emphasizes that the holiness conferred on Mary from the beginning of her life on earth continued through her early childhood and beyond.

Comment:

It is sometimes difficult for modern Westerners to appreciate a feast like this. The Eastern Church, however, was quite open to this feast and even somewhat insistent about celebrating it. Even though the feast has no basis in history, it stresses an important truth about Mary: From the beginning of her life, she was dedicated to God. She herself became a greater temple than any made by hands. God came to dwell in her in a marvelous manner and sanctified her for her unique role in God's saving work. At the same time, the magnificence of Mary redounds upon her children. They, too, are temples of God and sanctified in order that they might enjoy and share in God's saving work.

Quote:

"Hail, holy throne of God, divine sanctuary, house of glory, jewel most fair, chosen treasure house, and mercy seat for the whole world, heaven showing forth the glory of God. Purest Virgin, worthy of all praise, sanctuary dedicated to God and raised above all human condition, virgin soil, unplowed field, flourishing vine, fountain pouring out waters, virgin bearing a child, mother without knowing man, hidden treasure of innocence, ornament of sanctity, by your most acceptable prayers, strong with the authority of motherhood, to our Lord and God, Creator of all, your Son who was born of you without a father, steer the ship of the Church and bring it to a quiet harbor" (adapted from a homily by St. Germanus on the Presentation of the Mother of God).

Food for Thought:

Use it or lose it

Ancient and sacred Christian tradition recalls that the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary dedicated her to the service of God when she was three years old. In the temple, she joined other girls in prayer, reading the scriptures, and assisting the temple priests. Because Mary's holiness was very evident and her desire to serve so pure, the priest in charge of her believed that God had great plans for her.

God has great plans for all of us — yes, even you! Since Jesus ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to earth, God ministers to the world through us, first in our homes, then extending his love into our parishes and work-places and play-places. Today's Gospel reading reminds us how very important it is to use, to the best of our ability for the benefit of his kingdom, every gift that God has given to us, every talent he created us to have, every bit of time we've got and every breath that we breathe, our financial resources, and every unique facet of our personalities. It should all be offered for the glory of God. What we don't use for God's purposes, we eventually lose — maybe in the near future, but definitely when we die.

Ministry is nothing more and nothing less than putting to good use whatever we have gained from experiences, training, hardships, and blessings of the Lord. That means we're doing ministry when we benefit others in any way. We should never separate the activities of daily life from ministry. Even scrubbing your kitchen floor, when offered to God as a gift for those who will walk on that floor, is a ministry. Oh, except when it's an excuse to avoid a more important mission. When we do "good" while hiding other talents that could be used for a greater good, we're no better than the wicked servant who stored the gold coin in a handkerchief.

Our talents and abilities come from God, because we're made in his image. When we place ourselves at the service of others to help Christ in his work and ministry today, he shares with us his talents and his abilities, even the supernatural ones when necessary.

God has invested in you. Now it's your turn. Invest what he's given to you, not with mediocrity but with full effort in a spirit of success. Watch how he multiplies the investment into great profit, great goodness, and even great healing.

Where you've failed in the past to invest what God's given to you, look again at Jesus and see the hand that will gladly share from his abundance. He will give you another opportunity to use your gifts. And for the good you've already been doing, God is saying: "Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this small matter; I am going to do even more good through you."

Words of Wisdom:

"Let not your heart be disturbed.
Do not fear that sickness nor any other sickness or anguish
Am I not here, Who is your Mother?"

~ Our Lady to Juan Diego at Guadalupe

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to American Catholic.org and Good News Ministries

Talk on Advent and Christmas

2007-11-20T23:04:00.001+08:00

Greetings everyone!

The parish has invited Father Ignatius Huan from the St. Francis Xavier Seminary to give 2 talks centered on the topic of Advent and Christmas.

Details are as follows:

Day / Date

Friday, 23/11/2007 and 30/11/2007

Time

2000hrs to 2200hrs

Venue

Church of St. Francis of Assisi

Cost

Free of charge!

The talks are open for all to attend. It is hoped that everyone will make an effort to come and attend the talks.

Let us do something beneficial for our faith this coming holiday season. How many of us actually know the purpose and meaning of Advent?

Christmas in the world today has become too commercialised. The treasures and festive lights of the secular world are not eternal and will fade one day.

May God the Almighty, open our senses to appreciate the true treasures and hold the light of Christ in our hearts; a light that will never be extinguished.

_____________________________________________

"As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down." ~ Luke 6:21

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." ~ Matthew 6:19-21

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." ~ John 8:12

Published by Jacob Soo

Gethsemaus 07 -- Information Session

2007-11-20T01:05:00.000+08:00

Greetings all!

There will be an information session for the parents/adult participants of the participants of Gethsemaus 07 camp.

The details are as follows:

Day/Date

Sunday, 25th November 2007

Time

1200hrs to 1330hrs

Location

Church of Saint Francis of Assisi

Saint Peter's Room @ level 4 of the Parish Community Building (the building where the canteen is located).

Who needs to attend

Parents whose participating child's age is below 21 years. (Regardless Altar Server or Non-Server)

Adult Participants (Participants aged 21 years and above will fall into this category)

Adult participants will not require any parental presence for the session.

During the session, the camp organisers will be releasing details of our camp (i.e. confirmed dates/times, venue, itinerary details and etc). Time will also be allocated for parents/adult participants to clarify any doubts that might exist.

It is important that parents/adult participants attend this session as the administration for the camp (i.e. signing of consent forms, deposit payments and etc) will be done during this session.

Should any parents/adult participant be unable to attend the information session, please drop us an email or contact Jeremy Lee @ 9792 3067 to arrange for a camp prospectus to be delivered.

Published by Jacob Soo

New Blog Feature

2007-11-19T22:01:00.000+08:00

Greetings all,

The administrators have added a new feature in this blog.

Under the section "Coming up on our calendar", viewers will be able to see the Ministry's Calendar of Events. Clicking on the events will bring up a calendar which will show more details.

We hope this feature will be useful to our fellow servers and their parents in keeping updated with our activities.

Published by Jacob Soo

November 2007 Special Masses / Services Roster

2007-11-19T21:59:00.000+08:00

The Special Masses / Services Roster for the month of November will be not be published online as the events in the roster have since lapsed.

November 2007 St. Joseph's Home Roster

2007-11-19T21:50:00.000+08:00

This roster is effective from Monday, 5/11/2007 to Sunday, 02/12/2007.

St. Joseph's Home Morning Mass

Duty Server is to be ready with the necessary serving items by 0830hrs in the lounge.

Backup Server is to be physically on standby in the lounge at 0830hrs.

Duty Server should inform the Backup Server if he knows in advance that he is unable to fulfill this roster duty for that particular slot.

Any changes made to this roster must be authorized by the Mass Leader and the Vice-President kept informed.

Mass Leader is Stefan Jude

1st Sunday (11/11/2007): Kenneth Koh (Main), Gabriel Lim (Backup)

2nd Sunday (18/11/2007): Glenn De Cruz (Main), Terrence Giam (Backup)

3rd Sunday (25/11/2007): Douglas Lim (Main), Stanley Joseph (Backup)

4th Sunday (02/12/2007): Jacob Soo (Main), Stefan Jude (Backup)

Any clarifications can be directed to the Vice-President.

Published by Jacob Soo (Vice-President)

November 2007 Weekday Mass Roster

2007-11-19T21:39:00.000+08:00

This roster is effective from Monday, 5/11/2007 to Sunday, 02/12/2007.

Weekday Evening Mass

Duty Server is to be ready with the necessary serving items by 1820hrs in the lounge.

Duty Server should arrange for a replacement Server in an event whereby he is unable to fulfill his roster duty for that particular day.

The Mass Leader for weekday mass is any Duty Server for that particular day.

Any changes made to this roster must be authorized by the Vice-President.

Mass Leader is the duty server of the day:

Monday: Andrew Tan

Tuesday: Andrew Tan

Wednesday: Glenn De Cruz, Carl Anthony

Thursday: Stanley Joseph, Divian Jeremy

Friday: Colin Bolton

Any clarifications can be directed to the Vice-President.

Published by Jacob Soo (Vice-President)

November 2007 Weekend Masses and Novena Roster

2007-11-19T17:01:00.000+08:00

This roster is effective from Monday, 5/11/2007 to Sunday, 02/12/2007.

Saturday Sunset Mass (1830hrs):

Gabriel Lim	Gerard E.	Majellan E.	Michael Angelo
Glenn De Cruz (ML)	Carl Anthony (AML)

Sunday Masses:

0730hrs:

Carl Anthony	Glenn De Cruz	Kenneth Koh	Shaun Tan
Simon Chye	Andrew Tan (ML)	Colin Bolton (AML)

0900hrs:

Gabriel Lim	Douglas Lim	Kenneath Tan	Terrence Giam
Terence Tay	Stefan Jude (ML)	Stanley Joseph (AML)

1030hrs:

Cass Ng	Clement Bey	Divian Jeremy	Jethro Gee
Michael Angelo	Patrick Paul	Vincent Leslie	Jeremy Lee (ML)
Jacob Soo (AML)

Saturday Novena Service (1745hrs):

1^st Week (10/11/2007 | 17/11/2007)

1830hrs	0730hrs	0900hrs	1030hrs
Glenn De Cruz	Andrew Tan	Gabriel Lim	Patrick Paul

2^nd Week ( 24/11/2007 | 01/12/2007)

1830hrs	0730hrs	0900hrs	1030hrs
Gerard E.	Colin Bolton	Stanley Joseph	Jethro Gee

Legend:

ML (Mass Leader)

AML (Assistant Mass Leader)

Any clarifications can be directed to the Vice-President.

Published by Jacob Soo (Vice-President)

Reflections

2007-11-18T01:11:00.000+08:00

Some wise words said by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to the youth during his visit to Brazil. Hopefully anyone who reads this will take some time and reflect upon it; especially the youth!

“My appeal to you today, young people . . . is this: do not waste
your youth. Do not seek to escape from it. Live it intensely. . . .
You, young people, are not just the future of the Church and of
humanity, as if we could somehow run away from the present. . . .
The Church needs you, as young people, to manifest to the world
the face of Jesus Christ, visible in the Christian community.
Without this young face, the Church would appear disfigured.”

~ Pope Benedict XVI to Youth in Brazil

Announcement

2007-11-15T23:47:00.000+08:00

Due to misuse of the tag board feature in this blog, the administrators have decided that it is in everyone's best interest that this feature be no longer available.

The administrators condemn the action of misuse that has occurred in the tag board.

Hence, the tag board in this blog will cease its operations with immediate effect.

The administrators would like to urge all users to exercise prudence and wisdom while using the Internet. Let us not just call ourselves Christians only in name but show it in our thoughts, words and deeds.

May the Holy Spirit through the generosity of God the Almighty, guide all users and enable us to be his useful instruments in making his Gospel known.

_____________________________________________

"Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies." ~ Psalm 34:13

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." ~ 1 John 3:18

"But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." ~ Matthew 12:36-37

Gethsemaus 07 - Details Update

2007-11-13T21:15:00.000+08:00

Greetings all!

Please note that there is an update on our camp details. The camp timing has been removed until further notice. This is due to some changes in our camp itinerary.

We will require some time to confirm our new itinerary before we can release the new official timings of our camp.

Until then, the timing for our camp is officially "to be confirmed".

Here's the link to see the updated camp details (click here)

Published by Jacob Soo

Dedication of St. John Lateran (Dedication of Lateran Basilica)

2007-11-09T16:49:00.000+08:00

Today is the Feast of the Dedication of Lateran Basilica in Rome. Here are some reflections for any interested people to meditate upon.

Readings of the Day:

Ezek 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17
John 2:13-22
http://www.usccb.org/nab/110907.shtml

History of the Feast:

Most Catholics think of St. Peter’s as the pope’s main church, but they are wrong. St. John Lateran is the pope’s church, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome where the Bishop of Rome presides.

The first basilica on the site was built in the fourth century when Constantine donated land he had received from the wealthy Lateran family. That structure and its successors suffered fire, earthquake and the ravages of war, but the Lateran remained the church where popes were consecrated until the popes returned from Avignon in the 14th century to find the church and the adjoining palace in ruins.

Pope Innocent X commissioned the present structure in 1646. One of Rome’s most imposing churches, the Lateran’s towering facade is crowned with 15 colossal statues of Christ, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and 12 doctors of the Church. Beneath its high altar rest the remains of the small wooden table on which tradition holds St. Peter himself celebrated Mass.

Comment:

Unlike the commemorations of other Roman churches (St. Mary Major, Sts. Peter and Paul), this anniversary is a feast. The dedication of a church is a feast for all its parishioners. St. John Lateran is, in a sense, the parish church of all Catholics, for it is the pope's parish, the cathedral church of the Bishop of Rome. This church is the spiritual home of the people who are the Church.

Quote:

"What was done here, as these walls were rising, is reproduced when we bring together those who believe in Christ. For, by believing they are hewn out, as it were, from mountains and forests, like stones and timber; but by catechizing, baptism and instruction they are, as it were, shaped, squared and planed by the hands of the workers and artisans. Nevertheless, they do not make a house for the Lord until they are fitted together through love" (St. Augustine, Sermon 36).

Food for Thought:

The heart of the temple

You are God's building, says today's second reading, because Jesus Christ is your foundation. However, when we build our daily life upon this foundation without the bricks and tools that are from God, our faith cracks, weakens, and even collapses.

You are God's temple, because the Holy Spirit dwells in you. In the Old Testament days, the temple was made of stone and mortar, and people visited it on pilgrimages. God's Spirit dwelled in the heart of this structure, a room called the holy of holies into which no human could enter except the high priest once a year on the Day of Atonement when a blood offering was made for the sins of the people.

Jesus became the High Priest and transformed the Day of Atonement into Good Friday (he speaks of this in today's Gospel reading) and because the Holy Spirit dwelled perfectly and completely in the human temple of his body, we who are now the Body of Christ on earth are also temples of the Holy Spirit. But the door to the holy of holies within our hearts is not always open. When we close our hearts to others, we deny them the opportunity to experience the Holy Spirit working through us.

In the first reading, we see that much good comes from God's temple. Since we are temples of the Holy Spirit, goodness flows out into the world from God through us. Water in Ezekiel's vision represents the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life. Look at what happens when the Holy Spirit flows outward from our hearts: Instead tasting like salty water that kills those who try to drink it, we do good deeds that bring nourishment and life to others.

To be life-giving, we must first nourish our own hearts by soaking up the refreshing waters of the Holy Spirit. Desiring to be holy and wanting to do good is not enough. It's easy to fall back into the old reactions and limitations of our sinful human nature. We're weak and we quickly succumb to the temptations of worldly, unholy ways of dealing with stress and difficulties and relationships. Holiness requires great effort — more effort than we can muster by ourselves

We soak up the life of the Spirit whenever we purify our hearts by receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, and by repenting of our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and then by additionally taking time to pray and to listen for his quiet voice within. God's Spirit refreshes us when we read and reflect on scripture, discuss our problems with faith-filled companions, or take action in the ministry of Christ.

As human temples built on Christ, we rely upon and give to others what the Holy Spirit gives to us. By imitating Jesus in ministering to the people around us, we build our lives with bricks and mortar that will last forever.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to American Catholic.org and Good News Ministries

Gethsemaus 07 - Details

2007-11-08T02:46:00.000+08:00

We are still in the process of ironing out our camp details.

Nevertheless, the draft details of our camp is as follows:

Day/Date

Friday, 14th December till Tuesday, 18th December 2007 (Yes, including the weekend.)

Time

To be confirmed *(correct as of 13th November 2007 due to some schedule changes)

Location

Engaged Encounter House @ I.J. Centre, 42 Jurong West Street 42

Cost

Free of charge! The parish will bear the cost of this camp. However, external participants (participants who do not belong to our parish ministry) will need to pay a deposit of S$10.00 upon registration. This will be refunded upon attendance at the camp.

Published by Jacob Soo

Gethsemaus 07 - Organising Committee

2007-11-08T02:41:00.000+08:00

Gethsemaus 07 is organised by the Ministry of the Altar: Altar Servers of the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, Singapore.

The organising committee is as follows:

Spiritual Director : Reverend Fr. David Thexeira

Main Organiser: Jeremy Lee

Co-organisers: Jacob Soo, Clement Bey, Kenneth Koh

Assisting Facilitators: Michael Angelo, Terence Tay, Aloysius, Andrew, Eugene, Dineth

Published by Jacob Soo

Gethsemaus 07 - What to expect

2007-11-08T02:25:00.001+08:00

Participants will be able to expect the following from the camp:

FUN

Hey, we are a bunch of young people, full of energy and life! Surely we are not so mean to invite you over for a 4-days and 4-nights camp only to pray all the time right?

In this camp, participants will experience fun and relaxation through the exciting games that have been lined up. The highlight? Superstars!

This game has been around even before Mediacorp started their own brand of the same name! Superstars is an interactive game that tests the physical and mental strength of each participant as they travel to various parts of Singapore for various challenges that will be posed. Definitely not for the fainted hearted!

SPIRITUALITY

Time will also be set aside during the camp to focus on the spiritual development of the participants. The spiritual activities will draw on the camp's theme, and focuses on these main areas:

Sexuality
Influence of, and interaction with, the media today
Befriending the greatest gift given - The Eucharist
Prayer

These will be presented in the form of workshops, talks reflections and activities.

Published by Jacob Soo

Gethsemaus 07 - Introduction

2007-11-08T01:48:00.000+08:00

The altar servers had a short retreat last year. Since then, duties and engagements in the parish have rendered us unable to hold any official activities for the boys during the school holidays.

After much consideration by the leaders of the Ministry, it was decided that an activity should be organised for the servers during the December 2007 holidays. And the result was "Gethsemaus 07".

How "Gethsemaus" came about...

Gethsemaus is a combination of two events that can be found in sacred scriptures: the event of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane (see Matthew 26), and the event of the disciples on the journey to Emmaus (see Luke 24).

In these two events, the characters went through fear, discouragement and immense difficulties in continuing with their respective journeys.

In the garden, Jesus was sorrowful and troubled. In these final hours, he knew what was going to happen to him. He was going to suffer greatly and die. It would not be wrong to say that back then, Jesus was filled with a certain amount of fear!

Let us look at his disciples. Jesus urged them to pray, but each time he came back to check on them, they were fast asleep!

On the road the Emmaus, the two journeying disciples were feeling downcast for the Jesus whom they loved dearly, had been taken away from them and put to death. Overnight, they seemed to have lost their pillar of guidance, the Rabbi who taught them many precious lessons of the Kingdom of God. They then encountered a man who was also on the same journey who did not seem to have heard about the death of their beloved teacher.

Never did the two disciples know in their wildest dreams that they had actually encountered Jesus, who opened their hearts once again. They only saw him when Jesus took the bread and broke it.

From these two events, we can see that the people back then were already experiencing issues about the faith in their lives. The frailties that imprison them and bog them down; the blindness to reject God's invitation of prayer to avert and overcome temptations; the lack of faith in God, in trusting in his ways.

Two thousand years later, these problems still exist. The beauties and pleasures of this secular world invite us to turn a blind eye to God. This blindness separates us from God, and hence we sin. We lose track of how to live our lives fully and how to pursue the one true happiness; the water from the fountain of life that will never make us thirst again. We learn to seek and trust in false pleasures. In times of difficulty, we blame God first rather than turning to Him for comfort and strength.

Why is there an "07"?

The digits "07" imply that despite God sending his son many many years ago, sin still exists today, in the year 2007.

Finally...

After consultation with the priests, it was decided that this camp would also be open to the many young boys and men of the parish. It is an invitation for them come journey with the altar servers, deepen their faith and know that service in the Church is not restricted to adults only. Young people have a big role to play, and DO have their place in the Church!

Published by Jacob Soo

Coming up...

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Information on our servers camp, Gethsemaus 07 will be put up shortly. So stay tuned for more details!

Published by Jacob Soo

Welcome!

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A warm welcome to all visitors!

This blog space is specially created for the altar servers from the catholic parish of Saint Francis of Assisi, Singapore.

In this space, visitors will be able to find out more about us; a sneak peek into what we do and all things serving. For our own servers, you will find information on monthly roster details, and notices, among other postings. From time to time, issues about the faith and current happenings around the world will also be put up for reading and reflection.

May the guidance of the Holy Spirit, through the infinite goodness of God, inspire proper usage of the Internet technology that has been given to all of us.

Published by Jacob Soo

p.s. An e- mail link for feedback and comments will be provided soon!