Wednesday, February 28 – Repentance

28 Feb

We Are Sinners

A saintly old woman was out for a short stroll one night, before going to bed. It was a beautiful night, clear sky, bright stars, full moon. The old woman was deeply touched as she looked up at the sky. With a deep sense of reverence as the awesomeness of God, and his creation, and her own limited humanity, she fell on her knees, and cried out, “O God of infinite goodness and beauty, please don’t ever let me offend you in the slightest, tiniest way again.” Then she heard a voice saying, “My child, if I granted that request to everyone, how could I ever show my infinite mercy and forgiveness, which i one of the clearest ways I have to let people know and experience my love?”

- If I can forgive another often enough, I will really come to have a real love for that person.

- Forgiveness is the preservative that keeps love from going bad, or from dying.

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
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Jonah 3:1-10

The word of Yahweh was addressed to Jonah a second time. ‘Up!’ he said, ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to it as I shall tell you.’ Jonah set out and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare; to cross it took three days. Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city and then proclaimed, ‘Only forty days more and Nineveh will be overthrown.’ And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes. He then had it proclaimed throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his nobles, as follows: ‘No person or animal, herd or flock, may eat anything; they may not graze, they may not drink any water. All must put on sackcloth and call on God with all their might; and let everyone renounce his evil ways and violent behaviour. Who knows? Perhaps God will change his mind and relent and renounce his burning wrath, so that we shall not perish.’ God saw their efforts to renounce their evil ways. And God relented about the disaster which He had threatened to bring on them, and did not bring it.
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Luke 11:29-32

The crowds got even bigger and he addressed them, ‘This is an evil generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be a sign to this generation. On Judgement Day the Queen of the South will stand up against the people of this generation and be their condemnation, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, look, there is something greater than Solomon here. On Judgement Day the men of Nineveh will appear against this generation and be its condemnation, because when Jonah preached they repented; and look, there is something greater than Jonah here.
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Today we refresh what God said through Jonah, and how the people of Nineveh reacted to his prophecy. They immediately repented. In the Gospel, Jesus was addressing those who had seen Him and His signs yet still did not believe.

The situation in the world today is just like of old. We are in a search for satisfaction — physical, emotional, spiritual, social, psychological, intellectual. We are just like the Queen of the South who was seeking Solomon’s wisdom and like the people of Nineveh who sought salvation. The world is ultimately searching for God, in whom the greatest satisfaction is found. But even we Christians cannot recognise this sometimes, because it is not obvious.

So we ask for more. We ask for things that are visible and tangible, that can further our comfort. We seek signs that will supposedly put us in awe, thinking that that is the way God manifests Himself, since He can do anything.

One lesson that repeatedly slips through our fingers is that God is beyond anything else that we seek elsewhere. Another is that Jesus is very close to us when we are most in need. These we find in the Gospel reading. Everyday, we have several “needs”. What are some of them that we are seeking to fulfil through other means besides Jesus? Are they obstructing us from strengthening our relationship with Him? It might be time to do away with how we used to satisfy these desires in repentance.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Regina Xie)
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Prayer:
Lord, help us to see where we need You everyday and grant us the grace to turn to You first rather than last.

Give thanks to the Lord for: His presence for the needy.

Upcoming Readings:
Thu, 01 Mar – Esther 14:1, 3-5, 12-14; Matthew 7:7-12
Fri, 02 Mar – Ezekiel 18:21-28; Matthew 5:20-26
Sat, 03 Mar – Deuteronomy 26:16-19; Matthew 5:43-48
Sun, 04 Mar – Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 9:28b-36; Second Sunday of Lent
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Disclaimer: The reflections expressed in this e-mail are the writer’s own. They may not necessarily reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church. Nonetheless we should all be able to learn something from it.

Tuesday, February 27 – Making Your Prayers Godfriendly

27 Feb

When You Pray

Three clergy men were discussion different prayer postures. Each was convinced that his way was the best. One man was convinced that kneeling was the correcture posture in prayer. Another was equally convinced that the proper posture was to be seated cross-legged on the floor. Another said that, like Jesus, he always prayed “looking heavenward”.

There was an electrician listening to the discussion. He interrupted them to tell that of all the postures he ever used in prayer, he prayed more sincerely one time than any other – that was when he was hanging upside down by one leg from a telephone pole in a thunderstorm, when his ladder slipped!

- God looks at, and listens to the heart, when we pray…

- The organ God has given me to pray is with my heart. If the heart is not praying, then the tongue is wasting its time, no matter what the body posture is!

– taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
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Isaiah 55:10-11

Thus says the Lord:

As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.
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Matthew 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples: “In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test,
but save us from the evil one.

“Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.”
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I got an interesting email yesterday from someone who does website design. He was telling me about how Google ranks websites on the internet. The higher the ranking, the more search-engine-friendly it is, and the more likely a search engine will display the website as a result when someone searches for a particular term.

Having had my interest sparked by it, I went to read up on how Google ranks its pages. Basically, it sends a search engine bot through the internet to scour through the pages. But it does not see the pages that we normal humans see them. It disregards all the fancy artwork that has been done to make the site look good. It doesn’t see messages placed on images, nor does it care about Flash animation. All it does is to check the coding of the websites. The more visual eye candy a site has, and the more convenient the shortcuts it has, the more messy the coding is, and how messy this coding is, is how the bot is going to rank your website.

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus is saying essentially the same thing to his disciples. He tells them not to make their prayers so eloquent and beautiful to the human ear. What is more important is that they focus on the content of the prayer and get to the point, instead of beating around the bush, and making people admire the long and wonderful prayers. Just get to the point, says Jesus, because God already knows what you need.

The same can be said for homilies by our priests (and for these reflections). It is more important to get to the point, than to tell long but entertaining stories. A preacher is one who preaches the Word of God to the people, not one who entertains the worshippers. If the content is good, then the homily will be good too. If the content is not good, but is filled with lots of meandering stories that are entertaining but has no purpose but to entertain, then the homily will leave worshippers spiritually malnourished.

So the next time you are asked to say a prayer in public, don’t beat around the bush. Just say a good prayer by getting straight to the point. And when in doubt, use the Lord’s Prayer, for it is the most perfect prayer for all our needs.

(You can learn how to make your page Googlefriendly here.)
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Prayer:
Dear Lord, teach us to pray. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: The Lord’s Prayer.

Upcoming Readings:
Wed, 28 Feb – Jonah 3:1-10; Luke 11:29-32
Thu, 01 Mar – Esther 14:1, 3-5, 12-14; Matthew 7:7-12
Fri, 02 Mar – Ezekiel 18:21-28; Matthew 5:20-26
Sat, 03 Mar – Deuteronomy 26:16-19; Matthew 5:43-48
Sun, 04 Mar – Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 9:28b-36; Second Sunday of Lent
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Disclaimer: The reflections expressed in this e-mail are the writer’s own. They may not necessarily reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church. Nonetheless we should all be able to learn something from it.

Monday, February 26 – Preparing for the final exam

26 Feb

Preparing For The Journey

The king was a very smart man – sure wasn’t he the king? The fool was a fool, a proper fool. The king used to laugh at the fool who said such foolish things. One day he handed the fool a staff. “Take this staff,” said the king, “and keep it till you find a bigger fool than yourself.”

Years passed. The king was dying. His family, his courtiers, his ministers, his servants, and the fool stood around his bed. The king said, “I have called you to say goodbye to you. I am about to leave you. I go on a long journey. I will return no more to this place.” The food stepped forward. “Your majesty, one question before you go. In the past, whenever you went on a journey to far away corners of your kingdom or to some other country, you always sent heralds, police, and soldiers ahead of you to make preparations for your journey. May I ask what preparations your majesty has made for this long journey you are about to undertake?” “Alas!” replied the king, “I have made no preparations.” “Then,” said the fool, “take this staff, for at last I have found a bigger fool than myself.”

- “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and suffers the loss of his own soul? (Lk 8:36)

- One day a group of people will go to a cemetery, hold a brief service, and return home. All except one – that one will be you!

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
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Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18

The Lord spoke to Moses; he said: “Speak to the whole community of the sons of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.

‘You must not steal nor deal deceitfully or fraudulently with your neighbour. You must not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God. I am the Lord. You must not exploit or rob your neighbour. You must not keep back the labourer’s wage until next morning. You must not curse the dumb, nor put an obstacle in the blind man’s way, but you must fear your God. I am the Lord.

‘You must not be guilty of unjust verdicts. You must neither be partial to the little man nor overawed by the great; you must pass judgement on your neighbour according to justice. You must not slander your own people, and you must not jeopardise your brother in your heart. You must openly tell him, your neighbour, of his offence; this way you will not take a sin upon yourself. You must not exact vengeance, nor must you bear a grudge against the children of your people. You must love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord.’”
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Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.

Then the King will say to those on his right hand, ‘Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.’ Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?’ And the King will answer, ‘I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.’

Next he will say to those on his left hand, ‘Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.’ Then it will be their turn to ask, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help?’ Then he will answer, ‘I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.’ And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the virtuous to eternal life.”
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Despite all the ‘you-must-not’s in the first reading, it is the gospel reading that tells us the questions in our final exam. Some of us think that so long as we stay clear of sin, we will pass the test of life. Bonus points for us if we do some good deeds, but it’s okay if we don’t, so long as we steer clear of sin. We’ve got it upside down. Rather, it is the good deeds that will help us to pass our final exam, and better still if we keep clear of sin.

Jesus has revealed to us the questions in the final exam. Wouldn’t it be foolish of us not to take this time that we have to prepare for the exam then? So that when we meet our maker, we can confidently and honestly answer his questions. At the end of our lives, our Lord is going to ask us: Did you feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned?

A friend of mine who recently started working in one of our parishes, told me that he was introduced to several very important people in the past few days, and he felt very intimidated in their presence. I too have felt this way, when I was attending a meeting with some very high profile people, but I was reassured when someone said this to me, “Don’t feel intimidated by them. Deep down, they are just like you, except that they have more experience.” Since then, I have been able to look at people beyond what they have done and who they are in the eyes of the public, and see that deep down, they are just like me.

I share this today, because I was struck by the words “You must not be… overawed by the great” in the first reading. Quite often in our lives, we put different people on pedestals when we are overawed by the incredible things that they have done. We do them harm when we do this, because when we are overawed by them, we are more willing to overlook their mistakes, mistakes which we would not overlook if we or other ‘ordinary’ people were to commit them.

Among the list of ‘you must not’s in the first reading, one instruction clearly stands out and it says, “You must tell openly tell him, your neighbour, of his offence”. By doing this, you are helping your neighbour to become a better person, if he listens.

The reason why we must not be “overawed by the great” is because in the end, we will all be subjected to the same tests. When we point out the offences of another, we are helping this person to realise that he’s preparing for the wrong questions. We help him on the journey of life, for can we be truly happy in heaven knowing that someone who didn’t pass the test could have passed if we had helped him?
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Prayer:
Dear Lord, help us to become better persons by doing good deeds that show our faith in you. Help us especially to do the good deed of helping other people to become better persons. We make this prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: Opportunities to do good.

Upcoming Readings:
Tue, 27 Feb – Isaiah 55:10-11; Matthew 6:7-15
Wed, 28 Feb – Jonah 3:1-10; Luke 11:29-32
Thu, 01 Mar – Esther 14:1, 3-5, 12-14; Matthew 7:7-12
Fri, 02 Mar – Ezekiel 18:21-28; Matthew 5:20-26
Sat, 03 Mar – Deuteronomy 26:16-19; Matthew 5:43-48
Sun, 04 Mar – Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 9:28b-36; Second Sunday of Lent
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Disclaimer: The reflections expressed in this e-mail are the writer’s own. They may not necessarily reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church. Nonetheless we should all be able to learn something from it.

Sunday, February 25 – Fine Print

25 Feb – First Sunday of Lent

Jesus Is Lord

Today we praise God for the marvellous things he did for our fathers, for his mighty hand and outstretched arm. what he did for them he still does for us, in Jesus the Lord who conquered sin and death.

- the Sunday Missal
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Body or Soul

In a book called Underground Notes, a Yugoslavian political prisoner describes his experiences in prison during a time of great repression in his country. He cites story after story of various prisoners he got to know during that time.

The prisoners were frequently faced with a choice: stick to your beliefs and suffer the consequences, or give in to the oppressor and avoid any physical harm.

He describes graphically how each group fared. Those who chose to remain faithful to their consciences experienced a remarkable strength, and inner power that they never knew they had. They found they were able to face up to and come through intolerable situations. On the other hand, those who chose to save their own “skin”, ended up losing everything. They lost all sense of value of life and living.

- “For whoever wants to save his own life, will lose it; and whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel, will save it.” (Mt 8:35)

- In less dramatic and obvious ways, we are faced with this choice and this decision everyday. By our action we proclaim our belief in Jesus or we don’t.

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
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Deuteronomy 26:4-10

Moses said to the people: “The priest shall take the pannier from your hand and lay it before the altar of the Lord your God. Then, in the sight of the Lord your God, you must make this pronouncement:

‘My father was a wandering Aramaean. He went down into Egypt to find refuge there, few in numbers; but there he became a nation, great, mighty, and strong. The Egyptians ill-treated us, they gave us no peace and inflicted harsh slavery on us. But we called on the Lord, the God of our fathers. The Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, our toil and our oppression; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with mighty hand and outstretched arm, with great terror, and with signs and wonders. He brought us here and gave us this land, a land where milk and honey flow. Here then I bring the first-fruits of the produce of the soil that you, Lord, had given me.’ You must then lay them down before the Lord your God, and bow down in the sight of the Lord your God.”
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Romans 10:8-13

Scripture says: The word, that is the faith we proclaim, is very near to you, it is on your lips and in your heart. If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are saved. When scripture says; those who believe in him will have no cause for shame, it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: all belong to the same Lord who is rich enough, however many ask for his help, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
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Luke 4:1-13

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan was led by the Spirit through the wilderness, being tempted there by the devil for forty days. During that time he ate nothing and at the end he was hungry. Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to turn into a loaf.” But Jesus replied, “Scripture says: Man does not live on bread alone.”

Then leading him to a height, the devil showed him in a moment of time all the kingdoms of the world and said to him, “I will give you all this power and the glory of these kingdoms, for it has been committed to me and I give it to anyone I choose. Worship me, then, and it shall all be yours.” But Jesus answered him, “Scripture says:

You must worship the Lord your God,
and serve him alone.”

Then he led him to Jerusalem and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said to him, “throw yourself down from here, for scripture says:

He will put his angels in charge of you
to guard you,

and again:

They will hold you up on their hands
in case you hurt against a stone.

“But Jesus answered him, “It has been said:

You must not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Having exhausted all these ways of tempting him, the devil left him, to return at the appointed time.
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Yesterday’s comic strip of Non Sequitur was titled “Final landing with a golden parachute”. It depicted an executive landing in the fires of hell looking puzzled while a devil stands over him saying, “Judging from the surprised look on your face, I’m guessing you didn’t read the fine print.”

Today’s readings are about “the fine print”. From the first reading, we know that the Lord makes covenants with his people. In summary, the covenant says: I shall be your God and you shall be my people. But God is not the only one who makes covenants with us. The devil, who wants to be like God, also makes contracts with us.

From today’s gospel reading, we can see that Satan offers us many things that God doesn’t seem to offer. He offers as much food as we want to eat, deviously coming to us when we are most hungry. He offers power, wealth and glory for the span of our lifetime on earth. He offers us fame and influence, and admiration from people. But there is the fine print that is included in each of his contracts which he neglects to mention. If we sign the contract with Satan, we are signing away our soul for all eternity. Satan is more than willing to give us whatever we want in our lifetime, if he can keep our soul for all eternity.

There are three main ways that Satan tempts Jesus (and us), and there are three appropriate responses that we can make this Lent. The first is physical desires that tempt the senses. Recall how Esau gave away his birthright for a bowl of gruel. That’s what Satan tempts us with. A measly bowl of gruel for our inheritance as a child of God.

But Satan does not limit himself to the sense of taste. He goes for all our senses. In our modern world, this is most apparent when we see how many people are tempted by sex, which to some is the ultimate sensual experience. Pornography, masturbation, sexual promiscuity, homosexual acts, and even bestial acts are so common these days, so much so that “what is sin is now not considered sin”, as Father Joachim Chang shares in the book “Called & Chosen”.

In response to this, Catholics are called to fasting and abstinence this Lent. Not just fasting from food, but fasting from other sensual delights as well. In fact, the NFP that is practised (or should be practised) by Catholic couples is a form of abstinence as well, and look at the good that it does to Catholic couples. A German scientific study published on Feb 21 this year reports that the divorce rate among Catholic couples who practise NFP properly is only five percent. Since the rate of divorce among Catholic couples in Singapore is much higher than that, you can draw your own conclusions. By fasting and abstinence, our attention is taken away from that which distracts our senses and directed towards God.

The second way that Satan tempts us is through power and glory. In John’s gospel, we know that Satan is prince of the world. In today’s gospel reading, we see that all the power and glory of all the kingdoms of the world for all time, belong to Satan. The more power, glory, wealth, influence, etc, that we have, the more likely we will be tempted by Satan. Anyone who has ever had a taste of power, glory, wealth, and influence, knows how easy it is to misuse it for one’s own benefit. This is summed up in today’s world by the term “materialism”. Materialism is the reason why the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. Materialism is simply a nicer word for “greed”.

In response to the greed that we ourselves find in ourselves, the Church encourages Catholics to practise almsgiving this Lent. This is so that we can share our wealth and power with others. In so doing we become poorer materially and, hopefully, richer spiritually. It also makes us more aware of our less fortunate brothers and sisters. Through almsgiving, our attention is taken away from our greed and desires and directed towards God.

The third way that Satan tempts us is through fame and winning the admiration of others, especially through religion. Many of us fall for this one, because Satan does it so deviously. Hey, he quotes scripture verses too! Satan does this by disguising something that is not from God, as something good. Remember that Satan is an angel too, and can appear as an angel of light.

In the first way, Satan uses our human senses to tempt us. In the second way, Satan encourages us to worship him through what he can provide us with. In the third, and perhaps most dangerous way, Satan distracts us from God by focusing our attention on ourselves. By drawing people towards us instead of towards God, Satan wins as well. He makes us think that we are more important than we believe ourselves to be. He makes us think that we are more important than God even.

Self-glorification is a tool of the devil because it distracts us from God. Instead of building the kingdom of God, often we end up building up our own kingdom instead. The worst is when it takes place in church itself, which many of us know is a place where politicking is at its worst. Put a group of parish ministry heads into a room to decide which ministry should take charge of what at the parish feast day celebration, and you understand how Satan makes his presence in the Church felt.

The Church’s response to this for us Catholics this Lent is to counter self-glorification with prayer. When we pray, we are directing our attention away from ourselves towards God, because we cannot pray to ourselves.
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Prayer:
Dear Lord, we pray that during this Lent, we might be able to employ fasting and abstinence, almsgiving, and prayer to combat the evils of sensual indulgences, greed for power and wealth, and self-glorification. Grant us the grace and the courage to meet the challenges ahead of us, and help us to depend on you for strength and guidance. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: The Church’s wisdom.

Upcoming Readings:
Mon, 26 Feb – Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18; Matthew 25:31-46
Tue, 27 Feb – Isaiah 55:10-11; Matthew 6:7-15
Wed, 28 Feb – Jonah 3:1-10; Luke 11:29-32
Thu, 01 Mar – Esther 14:1, 3-5, 12-14; Matthew 7:7-12
Fri, 02 Mar – Ezekiel 18:21-28; Matthew 5:20-26
Sat, 03 Mar – Deuteronomy 26:16-19; Matthew 5:43-48
Sun, 04 Mar – Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 9:28b-36; Second Sunday of Lent
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Saturday, February 24 – Go!

24 Feb

Living The Gospels

Three people were discussing some recent translations of the Bible. One said, “I like the New American version. It is so much clearer than the older versions, and it is so much easier to read.”

The second said, “I like the Jerusalem Bible. It’s not only clearer, but it’s more poetic, which makes it more suitable for prayer.”

The third said, “I like my mother’s translation best of all. She translated the Bible into actions, which makes it so much easier to apply to daily life.”

- You may be the only gospel some people will ever read; they may never buy the books.

You write a new page of the gospel each day
By the things that you do, and the words that you say.
People read what you write, whether faithful or true.
What is the gospel according to you?

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
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Isaiah 58:9-14

The Lord says this:

If you do away with the yoke,
the clenched fist, the wicked word,
if you give your bread to the hungry,
and relief to the oppressed,
your light will rise in the darkness,
and your shadows become like noon.
The Lord will always guide you,
giving you relief in desert places.
He will give strength to your bones
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water
whose waters never run dry.
You will rebuild the ancient ruins,
build up on the old foundations.
You will be called “Breach-mender”,
“Restorer of ruined houses”.
If you refrain from trampling the sabbath,
and doing business on the holy day,
if you call the sabbath “Delightful”,
and the day sacred to the Lord “Honourable”,
if you honour it by abstaining from travel,
from doing business and from gossip,
then you shall find happiness in the Lord
and I will lead you triumphant over the heights of the land.
I will feed you on the heritage of Jacob your father.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
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Luke 5:27-32

Jesus noticed a tax collector, Levi by name, sitting by the customs house, and said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything he got up and followed him.

In his honour Levi held a great reception in his house, and with them at table was a large gathering of tax collectors and others. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples and said, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus said to them in reply, “It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.”
____________________

One of the biggest scandals that Jesus, as a fellow rabbi, brought to the Pharisees and their scribes, was that Jesus was frequently in the company of sinners. To them, it is like one of our Singapore priests frequently being seen in the vicinity of Geylang. (For our non-Singaporean readers, Geylang is the red-light district of Singapore.)

Just imagine that. If one of our priests is frequently sighted in Geylang, wouldn’t his fellow priests come to talk to him about it? Wouldn’t they ask, “Why do you eat and drink with these sinners?” Would you be scandalized if your parish priest was found to be frequently going to Geylang in the middle of the night? Would you not go up to him and ask, “Why are you here with the sinners?”

The beautiful thing about Christianity is that it is not the people who make the first move towards God, but it is God who first makes the move towards his people. When we talk about our relationship to the poor and the needy, do we expect them to seek help among our St. Vincent De Paul societies or Catholic Welfare Services? Do we expect them to come to us? Or do we make the first move to go to them, to provide them what we can give for their sustenance? Is it not being like Christ to make the first move towards the needy, rather than wait for them to come to us for help?

The needy, the lost, the lonely, the suffering are already feeling estranged from others because of their situation. Do we suppose it is easy for them to humble themselves and come to us to ask for help? Of course it’s not easy, we say. But they need help, so they should cast aside their pride and ask for help. But is it not us who should cast aside our pride and go to them instead, regardless of what people say? Only when we make the first move to reach out to them are we really being Christians. Only then are we imitating Christ, for Jesus said to “Go and preach the good news…” and not “Wait for them to come to you and then preach the good news…”
____________________

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, help us to cast aside our pride to go to those we feel should come to us. Help us to be like you and go to them, be with them, and eat with them. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: A wise person in my life.

Upcoming Readings:
Sun, 25 Feb – Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13; First Sunday of Lent
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Friday, February 23 – What is Lent all about?

23 Feb – Memorial for St. Polycarp, bishop and martyr

St. Polycarp (69-155) was an associate of, converted by, and disciple of St. John the Apostle. He was a friend of St. Ignatius of Antioch, and he fought Gnosticism. He was the Bishop of Smyrna (modern Izmir, Turkey), and was a revered Christian leader during the first half of the second century.

The Asia Minor churches recognised Polycarp’s leadership and chose him representative to Pope Anicetus on the question of the date of the Easter celebration. Only one of the many letters written by Polycarp has survived – the one he wrote to the Church of Philippi, Macedonia.

At 86, Polycarp was to be burned alive in a stadium in Smyrna, but the flames did not harm him and he was finally killed by a dagger, and his body burned. The “Acts” of Polycarp’s martyrdom are the earliest preserved reliable account of a Christian martyr’s death. He is considered an Apostolic Father of the Church.

- Patron Saint Index
_________________

Isaiah 58:1-9

Thus says the Lord:

Shout for all you are worth,
raise your voice like a trumpet.
Proclaim their faults to my people, their sins to the House of Jacob.

They seek me day after day,
they long to know my ways,
like a nation that wants to act with integrity
and not ignore the law of its God.

They ask me for laws that are just,
they long for God to draw near:
“Why should we fast if you never see it,
why do penance if you never notice?”

Look, you do business of your fastdays,
you oppress all your workmen;
look, you quarrel and squabble when you fast
and strike the poor man with your fist.

Fasting like yours today
will never make your voice heard on high.
Is that the sort of fast that pleases me,
a truly penitential day for men?

Hanging your head like a reed,
lying down on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call fasting,
a day acceptable to the Lord?

Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me
- it is the Lord who speaks -
to break unjust fetters
and undo the thongs of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,
and break every yoke,
to share your bread with the hungry,
and shelter the homeless poor,

to clothe the man you see to be naked
and not turn from your own kin?
Then will your light shine like the dawn
and your wound be quickly healed over.

Your integrity will go before you
and the glory of the Lord behind you.
Cry, and the Lord will answer;
call, and he will say, “I am here.”
____________________

Matthew 9:14-15

John’s disciples came to Jesus and said, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?” Jesus replied, “Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
____________________

Today is the first Friday of Lent. You might be going to Stations of the Cross this evening, the first of many that you might be going for this Lent. But let me just ask a question: Why are you going to the Stations?

Is it because you like going for it? Is it because you didn’t go for it last year? Is it because you like the routine of standing, kneeling, standing, kneeling? Is it because you like to sing the verses, pray the prayers? Or are you going to encounter the person of Jesus? Are you going to reflect on his sufferings on the Way of the Cross, and meet Jesus face to face there?

This Lent, some of us are going to fast, some will go vegetarian. Some will abstain from meat, or chocolates, or cigarettes, or video games, or TV, or spend less time on the computer. Some will give an additional amount of money to the church offertory. Why are we doing this?

Is it because we need to lose weight, and what better time than Lent to kill two birds with one stone? We can do penance and we can lose weight doing penance. Or maybe it’s because we want to prove to ourselves that we can do it – fast, go vegetarian, go without our favourite substance, etc. Maybe we get a sense of accomplishment, a sense of fulfilment for sticking to our choice of penance.

But so long as we see penance as an end to itself, we will never see the true meaning of Lent. Lent is not about penance, prayer, or almsgiving. It is about conversion. It is about experiencing the person of Jesus anew. Penance, prayer, and almsgiving are a means to this end.

There is no point if we fast because we want to fast. We must fast because we want to encounter Jesus in the hungry. We must give alms because we want to encounter Jesus in the poor. We must pray because we want to encounter Jesus in the humble, and in the holy. If encountering Jesus this Lent is nowhere in our list of priorities this season, then no matter what we do, no matter how well we stick to our fast, no matter how much time we give to charity, no matter how much time we spend in prayer, we will not have grasped anything this season of Lent except a sense of self-fulfilment, and that’s not what Lent is about at all.

Lent is about encountering Jesus anew, and it is about conversion.
____________________

Prayer:
Dear Lord, help us to be more open to how you are showing yourself to us in our lives, especially during this period of Lent. We pray that this Lent might be a time for us to experience you in our lives anew, and that we might be moved by your Holy Spirit to conversion and repentance from sin in our lives. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: The grace to be open to God, and to invite him into our hearts.

Upcoming Readings:
Sat, 24 Feb – Isaiah 58:9b-14; Luke 5:27-32
Sun, 25 Feb – Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13; First Sunday of Lent
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Thursday, February 22 – Mutual Trust and Support

22 Feb – Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle

The Chair of St. Peter the Apostle is a portable chair that is preserved at the Vatican. It is believed to be a chair used by St. Peter, the extant testimony referring to it dating from the second century. The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter at Rome has been celebrated from the early days of the Christian era on Jan 18, in commemoration of the day when St. Peter held his first service in Rome. The feast of the Chair of St. Peter at Antioch, commemorating his foundation of the See of Antioch, has also been long celebrated at Rome, on Feb 22.

At each place a chair (cathedra) was venerated which the Apostle had used while presiding at Mass. One of the chairs is referred to about 600 by an Abbot Johannes who had been commissioned by Pope Gregory the Great to collect in oil from the lamps which burned at the graves of the Roman martyrs. One of these phials, preserved in the cathedral treasury of Monza, Italy, had a label reading, “oleo de sede ubi prius sedit sanctus Petrus” (oils from the chair where St. Peter first sat). The Mass for both feast days is the same; the Collect is as follows:

“Oh, God, who, together with the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven, didst bestow on blessed Peter Thy Apostle the pontificate of binding and loosing, grant that by the aid of his intercession we may be released from the yoke of our sins.”

- Source: Patron Saint Index
__________________

1 Peter 5:1-4

I have something to tell your elders: I am an elder myself, and a witness to the sufferings of Christ, and with you I have a share in the glory that is to be revealed. Be the shepherds of the flock of God that is entrusted to you: watch over it, not simply as a duty but gladly, because God wants it; not for sordid money, but because you are eager to do it. Never be dictator over any group that is put in your charge, but be an example that the whole flock can follow. When the chief shepherd appears, you will be given the crown of unfading glory.
___________________

Matthew 16:13-19

When Jesus came to the region of Casearea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said, ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said, ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’
___________________

My secondary 2 year began with a promotion from what was considered the bottom class in the Express stream to the 2nd class. This was because I was blessed with an affinity to the subjects I had in the previous year which lead to good results. I had topped the secondary 1 cohort in Science and was slated for an award on founder’s day to be received the next year. Before that day though, I went through the first semester of secondary 2 and the mid-term results weren’t too good. Was it because of complacency or because of a new environment with classmates who were “better”? Probably a combination of both, I cannot say for sure but there was definitely something different.

I think I would have continued to slip down if not for something that happened on founder’s day. After the awards ceremony, my secondary 1 form and science teacher came up to my parents and I and informed us that her peers had doubts over the marking of my exam script (teachers marked their own classes’ scripts). They could not believe someone from the last class could beat everyone else and so demanded a check on the paper themselves. She stood by me though, putting her professionalism on the line, and convinced her peers. That was probably the most significant incident of my secondary school life. It reminded me that as long as there is one person supporting me, it was worth the effort.

It is very remarkable my brothers and sisters that Ash Wednesday falls on the very day after the Chinese New Year holidays. It is equally remarkable that the Thursday after Ash Wednesday is the feast of the Chair of St. Peter. That this is so serves as a poignant sign of the season we are now in and the circumstances of this season. Hot on the heels of a weekend of merry-making, we enter a time of fasting, abstinence, alms-giving and penance. It was heartening to see a full crowd at Mass this evening in my parish, more so because of how eagerly everyone participated in the celebration of the Eucharist.

Indeed, it wouldn’t be easy to make such a big switch in such a short time and to be sure, this is only the beginning of a 40-day stretch. A trying period for many of us no doubt. It begs the question of whether we should really bother going through all that. The answer is ‘yes’ because we have at least one person who trusts us enough and that person if Jesus Christ. This trust has elevated us into a position that allows us to accomplish great things.

I once heard that it is not how long someone is at the top of the mountain that matters, but what s/he does while on top. So then, what do we do as a people of God, being at the top so as to speak, especially during the Lenten season. Our first Pope teaches this very clearly in both of our readings for today. As in the first reading, we honour that trust placed in us by being faithful to our promises and entrusted missions (in Lent, this can be whatever pledge we chose to make) and we return that trust by putting things in His hands. The culmination would be just as Peter demonstrates in the Gospel passage, which is the let this mutual trust and support be seen and made known.

Therefore my sisters and brothers, as we make our Lenten journeys, let us be mindful that we do not make this walk alone but are in need of others’ support and need to support others. This mutual trust and support can go a long way in enriching lives; both our own as well as others’.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
___________________

Prayer:
Dear Lord, help us to count our blessings, appreciate them and embrace the trials that must come with them. Amen.

Give thanks to the Lord for: Accepting our offerings.

Upcoming Readings:
Fri, 23 Feb – Isaiah 58:1-9a; Matthew 9:14-15; Memorial for St. Polycarp, bishop and martyr
Sat, 24 Feb – Isaiah 58:9b-14; Luke 5:27-32
Sun, 25 Feb – Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13; First Sunday of Lent
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Wednesday, February 21 – Day 1

21 Feb – Ash Wednesday

To Really Care

One Sunday a priest began his homily by holding up a huge triangle. Then he said, “My homily this morning is like this triangle. it has three points…

“The first is this: Because we fail to accept, love, and forgive each other as Jesus taught us, people are starving, hurting, and being killed in today’s world.

“The second point is that most people don’t give a damn about this…

“And the third point is that some of you listening to me now could be more concerned that I used the word ‘damn’ than you are about all those people who are suffering and dying.”

- When I die the questions I’ll be asked will be scandalously materialistic; I’ll be asked about bread, water, clothes, etc…

- The six exam questions that will be on my finals (when I die!) are in Matthew’s gospel (chapter 25).

- I cannot pick and choose from the gospel. It is all or nothing.

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
___________________

Joel 2:12-18

‘But now—declares Yahweh—come back to me with all your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning.’ Tear your hearts and not your clothes, and come back to Yahweh your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, and he relents about inflicting disaster. Who knows if he will not come back, relent and leave a blessing behind him, a cereal offering and a libation to be presented to Yahweh your God?

Blow the ram’s horn in Zion! Order a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, call the people together, summon the community, assemble the elders, gather the children, even infants at the breast! Call the bridegroom from his bedroom and the bride from her bower! Let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh, stand weeping between portico and altar, saying, ‘Spare your people, Yahweh! Do not expose your heritage to the contempt, to the sarcasm of the nations! Why give the peoples cause to say, “Where is their God?”’
__________________

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2

So we are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were urging you through us, and in the name of Christ we appeal to you to be reconciled to God. For our sake he made the sinless one a victim for sin, so that in him we might become the uprightness of God.

As his fellow workers, we urge you not to let your acceptance of his grace come to nothing. As he said, ‘At the time of my favour I have answered you; on the day of salvation I have helped you’; well, now is the real time of favour, now the day of salvation is here.
___________________

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Be careful not to parade your uprightness in public to attract attention; otherwise you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win human admiration. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room, shut yourself in, and so pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

‘When you are fasting, do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they go about looking unsightly to let people know they are fasting. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put scent on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.’
___________________

“Come back to me with all your heart.” This is God’s call to us everyday, not only at this start of Lent. Today, however, is timely for such a reminder. To those of us who have been burdened by work and problems around us for a long time, this is a call that is both urgent and touching. Urgent because we need Christ really badly in our struggle between His ways and ours (sometimes figuring out His ways aren’t so straightforward either); touching because despite our struggles, which may indicate that our faith is not as firm as we would like it to be, the Father still welcomes us into His arms.

In our answer to this call during Lent, we follow that yearning in us to be reconciled with our Father. We want to do something. We want to fast, go for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, go for daily Mass, practise charity, sacrifice our favourite things — the list could go on. We say that we are answering the call to focus on Christ. But to go back to God is not merely the doing but also the transformation in our hearts, our whole being turning towards Him.

At the end of these forty days, will we appreciate Christ’s sacrifice more? That will depend on the transformation in our hearts. “Tear your hearts and not your clothes,” Yahweh says. Let us approach God this Lent just as we are, hearts burdened and yearning for Him. The transformation and the action will follow, as long as we seek Him with all our hearts.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Regina Xie)
___________________

Prayer:
Lord, it is difficult to translate faith to action. Touch our hearts so that we turn to You in faith and action. Remind us of Your Word and Your love. Amen.

Give thanks to the Lord for: His grace, compassion, patience, and faithful love.

Upcoming Readings:
Thu, 22 Feb – 1 Peter 5:1-4; Matthew 16:13-19; Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle
Fri, 23 Feb – Isaiah 58:1-9a; Matthew 9:14-15; Memorial for St. Polycarp, bishop and martyr
Sat, 24 Feb – Isaiah 58:9b-14; Luke 5:27-32
Sun, 25 Feb – Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13; First Sunday of Lent
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Tuesday, February 20 – Cling and be clung to

20 Feb

Preaching The Bible

A chaplain on a battlefield came across a young man who was lying in a shell hole, seriously wounded. “Would you like me to read you something from this book, the Bible?” he asked. “I’m so thirsty; I’d rather have a drink of water,” the soldier said. Hurrying away, the chaplain soon brought the water. Then the wounded man said, “Could you put something under my head?”

The chaplain took off his overcoat, rolled it up, and gently placed it under the man’s head for a pillow. “Now,” said the suffering man, “if I just had something over me – I’m cold.”

The chaplain immediately removed his jacket and put it over the wounded man to keep him warm. Then the soldier looked the chaplain straight in the eye and said, “If there’s anything in that book that makes a man do for another all that you have done for me, then please read it, because I’d love to hear it.”

- If my actions don’t speak of gospel values, be sure my words never will.

- What affects people most is often caught rather than taught.

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
_________________

Ecclesiasticus 2:1-11

My son, if you aspire to serve the Lord,
prepare yourself for an ordeal.
Be sincere of heart, be steadfast,
and do not be alarmed when disaster comes.
Cling to him and do not leave him,
so that you may be honoured at the end of your days.
Whatever happens to you, accept it,
and in the uncertainties of your humble state, be patient,
since gold is tested in the fire,
and chosen men in the furnace of humiliation.
Trust him and he will uphold you,
follow a straight path and hope in him.
You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy;
do not turn aside in case you fall.
You who fear the Lord, trust him,
you who will no be baulked of your reward.
You who fear the Lord hope for good things,
for everlasting happiness and mercy.
Look at the generations of old and see:
who ever trusted in the Lord and was put to shame?
Or who ever feared him steadfastly was left forsaken?
Or who ever called out to him, and was ignored?
For the Lord is compassionate and merciful,
he forgives sins, and saves in days of distress.
____________________

Mark 9:30-37

Jesus and his disciples made their way through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know, because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him.

They came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” They said nothing because they had been arguing which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.” He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them, “Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
____________________

I was out with a friend earlier today. She said that toddlers are cute, and that she wants one for herself. We joked that she should kidnap one. “But cannot kidnap strangers, because they will run away,” she said. “Must kidnap those who we already know.” We then proceeded to act out what would happen if she asked a toddler that she knew to follow her. The toddler, would follow her in full trust. This is the kind of trust that Jesus is talking about today.

While kidnapping toddlers isn’t something to be joking around about, neither is our trust in God something to be joked around about. Our trust in God should be like a toddler’s trust, willing to follow God, whom we know, wherever he leads us, trusting full well that he will lead us to some place good… some place that we are loved and provided for.

A toddler who finds himself lost will run to the nearest familiar face that she sees, and clings to that person till she is brought home. This is the kind of clinging that the first reading tells us to have in God.

Sometimes, we are that toddler, who clings to God in times of adversity. At other times, we are the ones who are clung to, when someone sees in us a familiar face, and runs to us for safety and protection. Do we turn them away or do we provide them what they are looking for? Do we welcome them when these others are being persecuted, or do we turn our backs on them in their time of need? What if you were that person? Treat that person how you would like to be treated if you were him.
____________________

Prayer:
Dear Lord, help us to become like little children, clinging to you for every little thing that we need. Help us also to welcome other people who see in us a familiar reflection of your face. Help us to allow them to cling to us, knowing that they are really in search for you, and that we are the closest to you that they can find. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: Those who have let us cling to them in times of our need.

Upcoming Readings:
Wed, 21 Feb – Joel 2:12-18; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18; Ash Wednesday
Thu, 22 Feb – 1 Peter 5:1-4; Matthew 16:13-19; Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle
Fri, 23 Feb – Isaiah 58:1-9a; Matthew 9:14-15; Memorial for St. Polycarp, bishop and martyr
Sat, 24 Feb – Isaiah 58:9b-14; Luke 5:27-32
Sun, 25 Feb – Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13; First Sunday of Lent
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Monday, February 19 – All It Takes…

19 Feb

Seeing God

A man and his young son went on a camping trip to the mountains. They hired an experienced guide, who brought them into the heart of a great forest, and the beauty spots in the mountains that they themselves would never have found.

The old guide was forever pointing out beauty and wonders that the mere passer-by would never notice. The young son was fascinated by the ability of the guide to see so much in the surroundings.

One day the young lad was so impressed that he exclaimed, “I’ll bet you can see God out here.” The old guide smiled and replied, “Son, as life goes on it’s getting hard for me to see anything but God out here.”

- Happy are the pure of heart they shall see God (Mt 5:8).

- God is always ready to reveal himself to those who want to see him.

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
________________

Ecclesiasticus 1:1-10

All wisdom is from the Lord,
and it is his own for ever.
The sand of the sea and the raindrops,
and the days of eternity, who can assess them?
The height of the sky and the breadth of the earth,
and the depth of the abyss, who can probe them?
Before all other things wisdom was created,
shrewd understanding is everlasting.
For whom has the root of wisdom ever been uncovered?
Her resourceful ways, who knows them?
One only is wise, terrible indeed,
seated on his throne, the Lord.
He himself has created her, looked on her and assessed her,
and poured her out on all his works
to be with all mankind as his gift,
and he conveyed her to those who love him.
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Mark 9:14-29

When Jesus, with Peter, James and John came down from the mountain and rejoined the disciples they saw a large crowd round them and some scribes arguing with them. The moment they saw him the whole crowd were struck with amazement and ran to greet him. “What are you arguing about with them?” he asked. A man answered him from the crowd, “Master, I have brought my son to you; there is a spirit of dumbness in him, and when it takes hold of him it throws him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and goes rigid. And I asked your disciples to cast it out and they were unable to.” “You faithless generation,” he said to them in reply. “How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” They brought the boy to him, and as soon as the spirit saw Jesus it threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell to the ground and lay writhing there, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” “From childhood,” he replied, “and it has often thrown him into the fire and into the water, in order to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.” “If you can?” retorted Jesus. “Everything is possible for anyone who has faith.” Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do have faith. Help the little faith I have!” And when Jesus saw how many people were pressing round him, he rebuked the unclean spirit. “Dear and dumb spirit,” he said, “I command you: come out of him and never enter him again.” Then throwing the boy into violent convulsions it came out shouting, and the boy lay there so like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him up, and he was able to stand. When he had gone indoors his disciples asked him privately, “Why were we unable to cast it out?” “This is the kind,” he answered, “that can only be driven out by prayer.”
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Very recently, someone was talking to me about praying the rosary. We can’t figure out how is it that there are so many people who pray the rosary and are so devoted to it. We have been trying to pray the rosary regularly, but we always give up after a few days or weeks. For us, we prefer to read and engage in discussions about our faith. That is how we grow in the faith.

Neither way is the only way to grow more deeply in the faith. In both ways, we can find God, for he is present in many schools of thought, many religions, and many forms of devotions. He is present in many forms of wisdom, so to speak, and they all point towards God. His face is seen in liturgy, in devotions, in bible studies, in theological and cell groups.

God is present in art. He is present in music, in literature, in science. He is present in astronomy, in biology, in chemistry, in mathematics. He is there in dentistry, in medicine, in engineering. He is hiding in history, in sociology, even in politics. He is waiting to be found in law, in business. He is ever present in nature, in architecture, and in populations.

All forms of study, all forms of acquiring knowledge, points towards the Creator. All forms of activity lead to God, provided that we are aware that we are searching for God in these activities.

Sometimes we study and formulate theories because we are looking for reasons to justify our beliefs. Take Charles Darwin for instance. He was a racist and an atheist. He searched for means to justify his own beliefs and came up with the theory of evolution, which he later extended to human nature.

His theory of evolution for animals was sound science, but when he turned it to human nature to support his own beliefs, his theories turned from science to ideologies. It led away from God because it was grounded in atheism. If, like a true scientist, he had continued down the path with an open mind, he would surely have been led to discovering God in nature and in science. But he had already closed his mind to the possibility of the existence of God. No wonder then his ideologies led to a dead end. In fact, other people who study his theories of evolution today are also led to a dead end whenever they approach it without an open mind.

An open mind is necessary for any form of study, any form of devotion, any form of prayer. For example, some of us see prayer as a way of telling God what we need, like how the father approached Jesus today – he told Jesus what he needed. All it takes for us is to have a little faith, to see that this is not what prayer is about. Prayer is about healing our spiritual souls, and about encountering God.

That is why Jesus asked the man to have a little faith. That little faith was all that was needed for the man to realise that what was needed was not a casting out of demons, but about encountering God, who was fully present in Jesus.

When we pray, are we open to God showing himself to us? Or are we praying with a closed mind and wondering why God doesn’t show himself to us?

Approach all things in life, be it prayer, work, studies, families, friends, fun, entertainment, worship, etc, – with an open mind and an open heart, for God is present in all these things and can reveal himself to us. When we read the news, watch TV, catch a movie, read our books, study, do our work, chat with friends, have dinner with family, etc, we can suddenly have an inspiration and go, “I never thought of it that way!” That’s a moment of encountering God. That’s a moment when God is revealing himself to us. All it takes is a little faith.
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Prayer:
Dear Lord, help us to recognise how you are revealing yourself to us today. Help us to pray with the little faith that we have, and call out to you saying, “Help the little faith that I have!” Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: Faith the size of a mustard seed.

Upcoming Readings:
Tue, 20 Feb – Sirach 2:1-11; Mark 9:30-37
Wed, 21 Feb – Joel 2:12-18; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18; Ash Wednesday
Thu, 22 Feb – 1 Peter 5:1-4; Matthew 16:13-19; Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle
Fri, 23 Feb – Isaiah 58:1-9a; Matthew 9:14-15; Memorial for St. Polycarp, bishop and martyr
Sat, 24 Feb – Isaiah 58:9b-14; Luke 5:27-32
Sun, 25 Feb – Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13; First Sunday of Lent
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Disclaimer: The reflections expressed in this e-mail are the writer’s own. They may not necessarily reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church. Nonetheless we should all be able to learn something from it.