Sunday, April 1 – The Modern Crucifixion

01 Apr – Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

On this day the Church celebrates Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem to accomplish his paschal mystery. Accordingly, the memorial of this even is included in every Mass, with the procession or the solemn entrance before the principal Mass, with the simple entrance before the other Masses. The solemn entrance (but not the procession) may be repeated before one or other Mass that is usually well attended.

- from the Sunday Missal
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Come and Serve

Holy Week is here with a total of five different Masses and readings over the four days (Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday). And as always, I need help. As part of the annual OXYGEN tradition, I would like to invite volunteers to do reflections on these readings.

This year, we will have one volunteer each for each of the reflections for Chrism Mass, The Lord’s Supper, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday morning. We will have two or three volunteers for the reflections on Easter Vigil.

If you are interested to contribute, please email me (catholic.writer@yahoo.com) by Tuesday evening with your choice(s) of reflection. This will be on a first-come-first-serve basis… although as I write this, I see the word ’serve’ take on a whole new meaning. Confirmation will be sent out by Wednesday afternoon.

As for today, I was so not looking forward to typing out the narrative of the Lord’s Passion when suddenly, at about midnight, when I was just about to turn on my computer to do today’s reflection, I received an SMS from Nick Chia asking to do today’s reflection. Why? You will find out below.
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Isaiah 50:4-7

The Lord has given me
a disciple’s tongue.
So that I may know how to reply to the wearied
he provides me with speech.
Each morning he wakes me to hear,
to listen like a disciple.
The Lord has opened my ear.

For my part, I made no resistance,
neither did I turn away.
I offered my back to those who struck me,
my cheeks to those who tore at my beard;
I did not cover my face
against insult and spittle.

The Lord comes to my help,
so that I am untouched by the insults.
So, too, I set my face like flint;
I know I shall not be shamed.
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Luke 22:14-23:56

When the hour came, Jesus took his place at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, ‘I have longed to eat this passover with you before I suffer; because, I tell you, I shall not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God’.

Then, taking a cup, he gave thanks and said, ‘Take this and share it among you, because from now on, I tell you, I shall not drink wine until the kingdom of God comes’.

Then he took some bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which will be given for you; do this as a memorial of me’. He did the same with the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood which will be poured out for you.

‘And yet, here with me on the table is the hand of the man who betrays me. The Son of Man does indeed go to his fate even as it has been decreed, but alas for that man by whom he is betrayed!’ And they began to ask one another which of them it could be who was to do this thing.

A dispute arose also between them about which should be reckoned the greatest, but he said to them, ‘Among pagans it is the kings who lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are given the title Benefactor. This must not happen with you. No; the greatest among you must behave as if he were the youngest, the leader as if he were the one who serves. For who is the greater: the one at table or the one who serves? The one at table, surely? Yet here am I among you as one who serves!

‘You are the men who have stood by me faithfully in my trials; and now I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father conferred one on me: you will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

‘Simon, Simon! Satan, you must know, has got his wish to sift you all like wheat; but I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail, and once you have recovered, you in your turn must strengthen your brothers.’ ‘Lord,’ he answered ‘I would be ready to go to prison with you, and to death.’ Jesus replied, ‘I tell you, Peter, by the time the cock crows today you will have denied three times that you know me’.

He said to them, ‘When I sent you out without purse or haversack or sandals, were you short of anything?’ ‘No’ they said. He said to them, ‘But now if you have a purse, take it; if you have a haversack, do the same; if you have no sword, sell your cloak and buy one, because I tell you these words of scripture have to be fulfilled in me: He let himself be taken for a criminal Yes, what scripture says about me is even now reaching its fulfilment.’ ‘Lord,’ they said ‘there are two swords here now.’ He said to them, ‘That is enough!’

He then left to make his way as usual to the Mount of Olives, with the disciples following. When they reached the place he said to them, ‘Pray not to be put to the test’.

Then he withdrew from them, about a stone’s throw away, and knelt down and prayed. ‘Father,’ he said ‘if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, let your will be done, not mine.’ Then an angel appeared to him, coming from heaven to give him strength. In his anguish he prayed even more earnestly, and his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.

When he rose from prayer he went to the disciples and found them sleeping for sheer grief. ‘Why are you asleep?’ he said to them. ‘Get up and pray not to be put to the test.’

He was still speaking when a number of men appeared, and at the head of them the man called Judas, one of the Twelve, who went up to Jesus to kiss him. Jesus said, ‘Judas, are you betraying the son of Man with a kiss?’ His followers, seeing what was happening, said, ‘Lord, shall we use our swords?’ And one of them struck out at the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. But at this Jesus spoke. ‘Leave off!’ he said ‘That will do!’ And touching the man’s ear he healed him.

Then Jesus spoke to the chief priests and captains of the Temple guard and elders who had come for him. ‘Am I a brigand’ he said ‘that you had to set out with swords and clubs? When I was among you in the Temple day after day you never moved to lay hands on me. But this is your hour; this is the reign of darkness.’

They seized him then and led him away, and they took him to the high priest’s house. Peter followed at a distance. They had lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and Peter sat down among them, and as he was sitting there by the blaze a servant-girl saw him, peered at him, and said, ‘This person was with him too’. But he denied it. ‘Woman,’ he said ‘I do not know him.’ ‘Shortly afterwards someone else saw him and said, ‘You are another of them’. But Peter replied, ‘I am not, my friend’. About an hour later another man insisted, saying, ‘This fellow was certainly with him. Why, he is a Galilean.’ ‘My friend,’ said Peter ‘I do not know what you are talking about.’ At that instant, while he was still speaking, the cock crew, and the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered what the Lord had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will have disowned me three times’. And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Meanwhile the men who guarded Jesus were mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and questioned him. ‘Play the prophet’ they said. ‘Who hit you then?’ And they continued heaping insults on him.

When day broke there was a meeting of the elders of the people, attended by the chief priests and scribes. He was brought before their council, and they said to him, ‘If you are the Christ, tell us’. ‘If I tell you,’ he replied ‘you will not believe me, and if I question you, you will not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the Power of God. Then they all said, ‘So you are the Son of God then?’ He answered, ‘It is you who say I am’. ‘What need of witnesses have we now?’ they said. ‘We have heard it for ourselves from his own lips.’ The whole assembly then rose, and they brought him before Pilate.

They began their accusation by saying, ‘We found this man inciting our people to revolt, opposing payment of the tribute to Caesar, and claiming to be Christ, a king’. Pilate put to him this question, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ ‘It is you who say it’ he replied. Pilate then said to the chief priests and the crowd, ‘I find no case against this man’. But they persisted, ‘He is inflaming the people with his teaching all over Judaea; it has come all the way from Galilee, where he started, down to here’. When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man were a Galilean; and finding that he came under Herod’s jurisdiction he passed him over to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

Herod was delighted to see Jesus; he had heard about him and had been wanting for a long time to set eyes on him; moreover, he was hoping to see some miracle worked by him. So he questioned him at some length; but without getting any reply. Meanwhile the chief priests and the scribes were there, violently pressing their accusations. Then Herod, together with his guards, treated him with contempt and made fun of him; he put a rich cloak on him and sent him back to Pilate. And though Herod and Pilate had been enemies before, they were reconciled that same day.

Pilate then summoned the chief priests and the leading men and the people. ‘You brought this man before me’ he said ‘as a political agitator. Now I have gone into the matter myself in your presence and found no case against the man in respect of all the charges you bring against him. Nor has Herod either, since is he has sent him back to us. As you can see, the man has done nothing that deserves death, So I shall have him flogged and then let him go.’ But as one man they howled, ‘Away with him! Give us Barabbas!’ (This man had been thrown into prison for causing a riot in the city and for murder.)

Pilate was anxious to set Jesus free and addressed them again, but they shouted back, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’ And for the third time he spoke to them, ‘Why? What harm has this man done? I have found no case against him that deserves death, so I shall have him punished and then let him go’ But they kept on shouting at the top of their voices, demanding that he should be crucified. And their shouts were growing louder.

Pilate then gave his verdict: their demand was to be granted. He released the man they asked for, who had been imprisoned for rioting and murder, and handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they pleased.

As they were leading him away they seized on a man, Simon from Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and made him shoulder the cross and carry it behind Jesus. Large numbers of people followed him, and of women too, who mourned and lamented for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep rather for yourselves and for your children. For the days will surely come when people will say, “Happy are those who are barren, the wombs that have never borne, the breasts that have never suckled!” Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”; to the hills, “Cover us”. For if men use the green wood like this, what will happen when it is dry?’ Now with him they were also leading out two other criminals to be executed.
When they reached the place called The Skull, they crucified him there and the two criminals also, one on the right, the other on the left. Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing’. Then they cast lots to share out his clothing.

The people stayed there watching him. As for the leaders, they jeered at him. ‘He saved others,’ they said ‘let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.’ The soldiers mocked him too, and when they approached to offer vinegar they said, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself’. Above him there was an inscription: ‘This is the King of the Jews’.

One of the criminals hanging there abused him. ‘Are you not the Christ?’ he said. ‘Save yourself and us as well.’ But the other spoke up and rebuked him. ‘Have you no fear of God at all?’ he said. ‘You got the same sentence as he did, but in our case we deserved it: we are paying for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong. Jesus,’ he said ‘remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ ‘Indeed, I promise you,’ he replied ‘today you will be with me in paradise.’

It was now about the sixth hour and, with the sun eclipsed, a darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. The veil of the Temple was torn right down the middle; and when Jesus had cried out in a loud voice, he said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit’ With these words he breathed his last.

When the centurion saw what had taken place, he gave praise to God and said, ‘This was a great and good man’. And when all the people who had gathered for the spectacle saw what had happened, they went home beating their breasts.

All his friends stood at a distance; so also did the women who had accompanied him from Galilee, and they saw all this happen.

Then a member of the council arrived, an upright and virtuous man named Joseph. He had not consented to what the others had planned and carried out. He came from Arimathea, a Jewish town, and he lived in the hope of seeing the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. He then took it down, wrapped it in a shroud and put him in a tomb which was hewn in stone in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day and the sabbath was imminent.

Meanwhile the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus were following behind. They took note of the tomb and of the position of the body.

Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. And on the sabbath day they rested, as the Law required.
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In today’s technologically advanced world, it seems that everybody owns a piece of technology in their pocket, be it an iPod, handphone or even PDAs. Even the Catholic Church is no exception to this phenomenon. The installation of projectors that show the day’s readings using Microsoft Powerpoint. I am responsible for the projecting the slides in my church for the sunset Mass which happens to be the first mass of the weekend. Thus any errors that occur will happen in my shift.

This year’s Palm Sunday’s Gospel will forever be etched in my mind because of this funny incident that happened during Mass yesterday evening. The person that prepared the slides, who is different from the person projecting the slides, typed the labels for the parts that are supposed to be spoken by the congregation. For those that are unaware, selected parts of the Passion narrative is read by the congregation, with the words of Christ being said by the priest and the narration done by lectors. The congregation reads the parts which have the most meaning such as the cry calling for Christ to be crucified.

Due to a minor typographical error, the congregation ended up reading the narrator’s part and the narrator read the congregation part! You must understand that this meant that the whole congregation ended up reading the Passion narrative out loud for a good part of the passage. I believe that for many in the pews, it must be the first time that they have read a Bible passage aloud!

I do not want to start pushing the blame to others but for once, I could understand how Christ felt when the people shouted “Crucify him, crucify him.” I felt the entire congregation was saying that to me when they realised the mistake in the slides; it was not said verbally but through the glare and stare of the 3,000 pairs of eyes towards me. I could feel they wanted to transfer the sense of shame and humiliation they faced upon realising their mistake on me.

They were looking for a scapegoat.

That moment made me realise how quick people are in wanting to condemn others. There seems to be this ‘it wasn’t me’ attitude that seeks to justify the consequences of one’s actions relative to others. It also made me realise my own flaws and how I actually have been the source of much division and unnecessary judgement.

Yet, did Christ not die on the cross to be our scapegoat? In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah reminds us of Christ’s response.

“For my part, I made no resistance”

I wanted to shout to the entire congregation and said it was not my fault but I held my tongue and in effect, I made no resistance to this harsh glare coming to me.

My dear reader, let us remember to be like Christ, to offer no resistance when people hurt us and say all kinds of bad things against us because doing so will not help the situation. Let us always recite the words of Christ whenever we face such problems:

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nick Chia)
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Prayer: Lord, grant us the humility to bear with all injuries and insults that we encounter and let us always emulate your selfless behaviour even whilst dying on the cross.

Give thanks to the Lord for: The generosity of God’s love.

Upcoming Readings:
Mon, 02 Apr – Isaiah 42:1-7; John 12:1-11
Tue, 03 Apr – Isaiah 49:1-6; John 13:21-33, 36-38
Wed, 04 Apr – Isaiah 50:4-9a; Matthew 26:14-25
Thu, 05 Apr (Chrism Mass) – Isaiah 61:1-3a. 6a, 8b-9; Revelation 1:5-8; Luke 4:16-21
Thu, 05 Apr (The Lord’s Supper) – Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-15
Fri, 06 Apr – Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42; Good Friday
Sat, 07 Apr – Genesis 1:1-2:2 or 1,26-31a; Genesis 22:1-18 or 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18; Exodus 14:15-15:1; Isaiah 54:5-14; Isaiah 55:1-11; Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4; Ezekiel 36::16-17, 18-28; Romans 6:3-11; Luke 24:1-12; Easter Vigil
Sun, 08 Apr (Easter Sunday morning) – Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8; John 20:1-9or Luke 24:1-12
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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.

Saturday, March 31 – The Leadership of Love

31 Mar

Follow me

Some years ago there was a plane crash in an African jungle, and the only survivors were three European businessmen and a young African boy. The boy offered to lead the men out of the jungle to safety, but, scornful of his youth, and trusting their superior “experience”, they chose to find their own way. The boy reached safety, and when a search party went in search of the three men they found their dead bodies in the thickest part of the jungle.

- “Come, follow me” presumes humility on my part to respond.

- It also presumes an honest admission that I am lost, and cannot possibly find my way home by myself.

- Acknowledging my urgent need for a saviour is the basic requirement for salvation.

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
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Ezekiel 37:21-28

The Lord says this: I am going to take the sons of Israel from the nations where they have gone. I shall gather them together from everywhere and bring them home to their own soil. I shall make them into one nation in my own land and on the mountains of Israel, and one king is to be king of them all; they will no longer form two nations, nor be two separate kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and their filthy practices and all their sins. I shall rescue them from all the betrayals they have been guilty of; I shall cleanse them; they shall be my people and I will be their God. My servant David will reign over them, one shepherd for all; they will follow my observances, respect my laws and practise them. They will live in the land that I gave my servant Jacob, the land in which your ancestors lived. They will live in it, they, their children, their children’s children, for ever. David my servant is to be their prince for ever. I shall make a covenant of peace with them, an eternal covenant with them. I shall resettle them and increase them; I shall settle my sanctuary among them for ever. I shall make my home above them; I will be their God, they shall be my people. And the nations will learn that I am the Lord, the sanctifier of Israel, when my sanctuary is with them for ever.
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John 11:45-56

Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what he did believed in him, but some of them went to tell the Pharisees what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and Pharisees called a meeting. ‘Here is this man working all these signs’ they said ‘and what action are we taking? If we let him go on in this way everybody will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy the Holy Place and our nation.’ One of them, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, said, ‘You do not seem to have grasped the situation at all; you fail to see that it is better for one man to die for the people, than for the whole nation to be destroyed’. He did not speak in his own person, it was as high priest that he made this prophecy that Jesus was to die for the nation – and not for the nation only, but to gather together in unity the scattered children of God. From that day they were determined to kill him. So Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews, but left the district for a town called Ephraim, in the country bordering on the desert, and stayed there with his disciples.

The Jewish Passover drew near, and many of the country people who had gone up to Jerusalem to purify themselves looked out for Jesus, saying to one another as they stood about in the Temple, ‘What do you think? Will he come to the festival or not?’
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Caiaphas’ role in the Passion narrative is crucial because he predicts the role that Jesus fulfils for Man’s salvation. It is noteworthy that it is the conspirator of Jesus’ death that tells us something that is so fundamental to all of us.

Jesus came to save everybody.

Nobody is excluded from God’s greatest sacrifice; the dying on the cross for his creatures. Why did God have to do that? He was not obliged to do so and he could have left us on earth with no hope of tasting eternal life. The answer is found in the first reading.

“I will be their God, they shall be my people.”

Although the first reading was in the context of the return of the Jews from their exile, by having Abraham as our father in faith, this verse applies to us too. God says that we are HIS and belong to HIM.

Recently, I was discussing with a close friend the importance of officers and soldiers in any armed forces and one of the points put forth was that “… there are never lousy men, only incompetent officers.” Judging by the strongly negative reaction that is elicited whenever the Singaporean men discuss their time in the SAF, it makes me wonder why this is the case.

Strangely enough, we don’t get such an adverse reaction when we talk about Jesus Christ dying on the Cross. Maybe we take it for granted that He had to die. Did he? Did Christ have to come down to die for us?

He has shown us, through the sacrifice of His own self, what is meant to be a Christian. We must die to our sins and live for others with love.

Let us not be like the Jews, wondering whether Christ will come for the Passover festival but rather marvel at how Christ comes so close to us in the Holy Mass.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nick Chia)
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Prayer: Lord, let us never forget that you have shown us the way to lead; it is the way of love not of power and strength. May we always remember that we are instruments and channels of your love to the world.

Give thanks: For the institution of the Eucharist that allows us to witness to your undying love for us and the priests that bring this sacrament to us.

Upcoming Readings:
Sun, 01 Apr – Luke 19:28-40 (procession); Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 22:14-23:56; Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
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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.

Friday, March 30 – Being Countercultural

30 Mar

I almost helped

A true story: A woman was standing at a traffic intersection waiting for the light to turn green so she could walk across. As she waited, she noticed a young girl of about 17 at the other side, who was also waiting for the green light. What drew her attention to the girl was the fact hat she seemed upset, in fact she was crying. Just then the lights changed. The woman kept her gaze on the young girl as they approached each other in the middle of the road. Everything in her wanted to reach out, touch he, reassure her that she cared, that nothing was beyond redemption, that she wanted to help. She hesitated, she went back from her heart up into her head, and she met and passed the girl without any communication whatever.

For the rest of that day the woman was haunted by the look of pain on the girl’s face; but she was especially haunted by the fact that she did nothing.

- I could easily end up as a “nearly” person. I nearly took the gospels seriously. I nearly lived.

- There is a big difference between living and existing. Everybody dies, but not everybody lives. Some people just settle for existing.

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
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Jeremiah 20:10-13

Jeremiah said:

“I hear so many disparaging me,
“‘Terror from every side!’”
Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’
All those who used to be my friends
watched for my downfall,
‘Perhaps he will be seduced into error.
Then we will master him
and take our revenge’
But the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero;
my opponents will stumble, mastered,
confounded by their failure;
everlasting, unforgettable disgrace will be theirs.
But you, Lord of hosts, you who probe with justice,
who scrutinise the loins and heart,
let me see the vengeance you will take on them,
for I have committed my cause to you.
Sing to the Lord,
praise the Lord,
for he has delivered the soul of the needy
from the hands of evil men.”
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John 10:31-42

The Jews fetched stones to stone him, so Jesus said to them, “I have done many good works for you to see, works from my Father; for which of these are you stoning me?” The Jews answered him, “We are not stoning you for doing a good work but for blasphemy: you are only a man and you claim to be God.” Jesus answered:

“Is it not written in your Law:
I said, you are gods?
So the Law used the word gods
of those to whom the word of God was addressed,
and scripture cannot be rejected.
Yet you say to someone the Father has consecrated and sent into the world,
‘You are blaspheming’,
because he says, ‘I am the Son of God.’
If I am not dong my Father’s work,
there is no need to believe me;
but if I am doing it,
then even if you refuse to believe in me,
at least believe in the work I do;
then you will know for sure
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

They wanted to arrest him then, but he eluded them.

He went back again to the far side of the Jordan to stay in the district where John had once been baptising. Many people who came to him there said, “John gave no signs, but all he said about this man was true”; and many of them believed in him.
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In today’s gospel reading, Jesus makes a reference to Psalm 82:6, where the magistrates are referred to as gods because the function of magistrates is to judge, and judgement was reserved for God.

Some (not all) Protestants believe that salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ alone, and they say that this comes from the Bible, more specifically in the Letter to the Romans. However, in the Letter from James, he writes, “Faith is like that: if good works do not go with it, it is quite dead.” (James 2:17)

The reason I bring this up is that good works show our faith, and this is what Jesus asks the Jews to look at – his works. His works are signs that he has been sent by the Father. Talk is cheap; it is action that counts.

For example, as Catholics, we can talk all we want about the importance of interreligious dialogue, but when we actually go to another religion’s place of worship, we are walking the talk. Just like Pope Benedict did when we prayed in a mosque.

Many of us have a lot to say, but when we are asked to do something, we shy away from it, citing many excuses. One of the most legitimate excuses that we give is that, “We are afraid of what others might say about us.” It’s legitimate because when we do something that is truly a sign of our faith, other people are definitely going to say something bad about us. But that should not be a reason for us not to do it.

If Jesus had not done what he did for fear of what others might say about him, then today we would not be saved from our sins. Pope Benedict himself knew that some people, especially Catholics, were going to be offended when he prayed in a mosque, but still he did it, because he knew that his actions spoke more than anything he could say or write.

“The whole point about being a Christian is to be countercultural,” a certain religious sister said last night. Being countercultural means standing up and against the flow of society. It means facing opposition in what we do when we witness for our faith. Facing opposition in our lives is a sign that we are doing God’s work. If we are not facing opposition at all in our lives, and everything is fine and dandy, then perhaps we are not living our faith as we are called to do so.

Today let us reflect on how God is calling us to be an active witness for our faith. Let us pray for the courage to do what he is asking us to do, despite knowing that others are going to say bad things about us or to put us down.
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Give Thanks to the Lord for: Those who go against the flow of society.

Upcoming Readings:
Sat, 31 Mar – Ezekiel 37:21-28; John 11:45-56
Sun, 01 Apr – Luke 19:28-40 (procession); Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 22:14-23:56; Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
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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.

Thursday, March 29 – F5 or CTRL-R

29 Mar

Until death do us part

Ruth Youngdahl Nelson tells the following story in her book, “A Grandma’s Letters to God”:

There is a huge fortress on a hill overlooking the town of Weinsburg in Germany. One day, far back in feudal times, the fortress was surrounded by the enemy. The commander of the enemy troops agreed to let all women and children leave the fortress. He also agreed to allow each woman take one valuable possession with her.

Imagine the amazement and frustration of the commander when he saw each woman leave the fortress with her husband on her back!

- What God has joined together, let no one put asunder.

- When a couple get married they are but beginning a journey into love. If all goes well, then, hopefully, in about fifty years, they will have come to really love each other.

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

Genesis 17:3-9

Abram bowed to the ground and God said this to him, ‘Here now is my covenant with you: you shall become a father of a multitude of nations. You shall no longer be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I will make you father of a multitude of nations. I will make you most fruitful. I will make you into nations, and your issue shall be kings. I will establish my Covenant between myself and you, and your descendants after you, generation after generation, a Covenant in perpetuity, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land you are living in, the whole land of Canaan, to own in perpetuity, and I will be your God.’

God said to Abraham, ‘You on your part shall maintain my Covenant, yourself and your descendants after you, generation after generation.’
____________________

John 8:51-59

Jesus said to the Jews:

‘I tell you most solemnly,
whoever keeps my word
will never see death.’

The Jews said, ‘Now we know for certain that you are possessed. Abraham is dead, and the prophets are dead, and yet you say, “Whoever keeps my word will never know the taste of death.” Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? The prophets are dead too. Who are you claiming to be?’ Jesus answered:

‘If I were to seek my own glory
that would be no glory at all;
my glory is conferred by the Father,
by the one of whom you say, “He is our God”
although you do not know him.
But I know him,
and if I were to say: I do not know him,
I should be a liar, as your are liars yourselves.
But I do know him, and I faithfully keep his word.
Your father Abraham rejoiced
to think that he would see my Day;
he saw it and was glad.’

The Jews then said, ‘You are not fifty yet, and you have seen Abraham!’ Jesus replied:

‘I tell you most solemnly,
before Abraham ever was,
I Am.’

At this they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself and left the Temple.
___________________

It is currently near that time of year when honours projects in school are approaching their deadline. It can be a period of much stress and worry but it is also one in which many graces can be seen. One of these is how far some mentors go to help those under their charge. There are those who even put aside their own pressing work to help their charges complete theirs. There are those who spend time sitting and talking with their charges to comfort, encourage and motivate them through the trials. All of this stemmed from a commitment they made when they took in their charges.

A promise; a commitment, is the one of the most beautiful things that can bind two people. It expresses trust, sacrifice all for the betterment of the person the promise was made to. The wondrous thing is the joy it can bring as well to the one who made the promise. When it is a mutual exchange that is being made, that commitment takes on a whole new scale. What’s great is that promises take work to keep and the more work is put in, the richer the promise and its results become and the stronger the bond between both parties.

The first reading for today relates the establishment of the Covenant between God and Abraham. This is a bond that ultimately exults the Jewish people into one of the most powerful nations of the Canaan area. Its effects are still bearing fruit in the present day with Abraham being acknowledged as the father of faith of three major religions. On the other side of the deal, through Abraham and his descendants, the glory of the One God was able to spread throughout the world. The promise made between God and Abraham worked because both parties worked to live up to the promise.

In the Gospel passage, we see both Christ and the Jews refer back to Abraham. This was because the Jews misconstrued the words of Christ in the beginning of the passage. Christ never said then that He would not die. He said truthfully that those who followed His teachings would never see death. Neither did He state that this death was a physical one. Rather Christ points out that what He brings is an eternal life which transcends death and that is the kind of life that Abraham experienced and was glad to experience. By giving the examples of Abraham, His relationship with the Father and His own nature, Christ reveals the true meaning of the Covenant of old and here makes an offer to renew it for a new day and age and eventually He did.

That new Covenant that Christ made on the day He offered up His life on the cross is something we prepare ourselves for during this season of Lent. A good way to prepare for it, my sisters and brothers, would be to reflect on the commitments we have made to one another and how we can not only live up to them but bring new meaning to them.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
___________________

Prayer: Lord, may we always treasure that commitment you made when you took us upon Yourself.

Give thanks to the Lord for: People to guide us and people to guide.

Upcoming Readings:
Fri, 30 Mar – Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10:31-42
Sat, 31 Mar – Ezekiel 37:21-28; John 11:45-56
Sun, 01 Apr – Luke 19:28-40 (procession); Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 22:14-23:56; Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
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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.

Wednesday, March 28 – Who Is That?

28 Mar

He was what he thought he was

One day, Mark had a strange find. He came upon an eagle’s egg, and decided to put it into the nest of a farmyard hen. In time, the eaglet hatched with the hen’s brood of chicks, and grew up with them.

All his life the eagle did what the farmyard chickens did, thinking he was a chicken. He scratched in the yard for worms, insects, and scraps of food; he clucked, cackled, and would thrash his wings and rise a few feet into the air.

Years passed, and the eagle grew old. One day he saw a magnificent bird far above him in the clear blue sky. He watched it glide majestically among the powerful wind currents, with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings. The old eagle looked up in awe.

“Who’s that?” he asked. “That’s the eagle, the king of the birds,” said his neighbour. “He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth – we’re chickens.” Eventually the old eagle died a chicken. He had lived a chicken and died a chicken, for that’s what he thought he was.

- “Lord, by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free” – but how free are we?

- Jesus died, paid the debt and gave us hi spirit, that we might be raised above and over the quicksands of our own selfishness and despair.

- Despite all Jesus has done, we can settle to remain in bondage, without hope, and with no way out.

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

Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95

Nebuchadnezzar addressed them, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, is it true that you do not serve my gods, and that you refuse to worship the golden statue I have set up? When you hear the sound of horn, pipe, lyre, zither, harp, bagpipe and every other kind of instrument, are you prepared to prostrate yourselves and worship the statue I have made? If you refuse to worship it, you will be thrown forthwith into the burning fiery furnace; then which of the gods could save you from my power?’ Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘Your question needs no answer from us: if our God, the one we serve, is able to save us from the burning fiery furnace and from your power, Your Majesty, he will save us; and even if he does not, then you must know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your god or worship the statue you have set up.’ This infuriated King Nebuchadnezzar; his expression was changed now as he looked at Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. He gave orders for the furnace to be made seven times hotter than usual and commanded certain stalwarts from his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego and throw them into the burning fiery furnace.

King Nebuchadnezzar sprang to his feet in amazement. He said to his advisers, ‘Did we not have these three men thrown bound into the fire?’ They answered the king, ‘Certainly, You Majesty.’ ‘But,’ he went on, ‘I can see four men walking free in the heart of the fire and quite unharmed! And the fourth looks like a child of the gods!’

‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego: he has sent his angel to rescue his servants who, putting their trust in him, defied the order of the king, and preferred to forfeit their bodies rather than serve or worship any god but their God.’
____________________

John 8:31-42

To the Jews who believed in him Jesus said:

If you make my word your home
you will indeed be my disciples;
you will come to know the truth,
and the truth will set you free.

They answered, ‘We are descended from Abraham and we have never been the slaves of anyone; what do you mean, “You will be set free”? Jesus replied:

In all truth I tell you,
Everyone who commits sin is a slave.
Now a slave has no permanent standing in the household,
But a son belongs to it for ever.
So if the Son sets you free,
You will indeed be free.
I know that you are descended from Abraham;
But you want to kill me
Because my word finds no place in you.
What I speak of
Is what I have seen at my Father’s side,
And you too put into action
The lessons you have learnt from your father.

They repeated, ‘Our father is Abraham.’ Jesus said to them:

If you are Abraham’s children,
Do as Abraham did.
As it is, you want to kill me,
a man who has told you the truth
as I have learnt it from God;
that is not what Abraham did.
You are doing your father’s work.

They replied, ‘We were not born illegitimate, the only father we have is God.’ Jesus answered:

If God were your father, you would love me,
Since I have my origin in God and have come from him;
I did not come of my own accord,
but he sent me.
___________________

What Jesus says in the Gospel reading is the key to being like the three people who were persecuted in the first reading. If God is our father, we will love Jesus. His word will find a home in us, we will know the truth, and it will set us free. The first reading is testimony to this.

“You will indeed be my disciples,” Jesus says. We know that the test of whether God’s word has found a home in us is in our time of difficulty. How do we cope? That will depend on our relationship with God. To be Jesus’ disciple is to have Him as our Good Shepherd, friend, lover, healer, King of kings, and even more importantly during Lent, as our Saviour who sacrificed Himself for each and every one of us.

Our relationship with God will determine how we pray, how we recognise Him in our lives, and how we turn to Him in difficulty. That will say whether His word has found a home in us.

How is your relationship with God? Is He your Father, is He love to you? Is there anything that is blocking you from recognising our Father for who He is? We all need healing and forgiveness ever so often. Let us approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation this week with a willingness to remove these obstacles and take heart in what our reconciliation with Christ can bring. He is here to set us free.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Regina Xie)
___________________

Prayer: Lord, draw us closer to You each day. Amen.

Give thanks to the Lord for: His saving grace.

Upcoming Readings:
Thu, 29 Mar – Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59
Fri, 30 Mar – Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10:31-42
Sat, 31 Mar – Ezekiel 37:21-28; John 11:45-56
Sun, 01 Apr – Luke 19:28-40 (procession); Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 22:14-23:56; Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
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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, March 27 – Hell exists

27 Mar

Whose fault?

A man came to work each day with his lunch box under his arm. At lunch time each day, he went through the exact same ritual. He opened the box, unwrapped the sandwiches, took out one sandwich, separated the slices of bread, and exclaimed, “Oh no! Not cheese again!”

This went on every day, until, eventually his workmates could take no more. One man turned to him and said, “Look, dummy, why don’t you ask your wife to put something else in the sandwiches?”

“What wife? I’m not married,” replied the man. “Then who makes the sandwiches?” he was asked. “I do,” was the reply!

- It is a principle in computer studies that the computer can only work with the information I feed into it. Feed it junk, I’ll get back junk!

- It is a sign of personal maturity to take responsibility for my life, and for the way it is.

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

Numbers 21:4-9

The Israelites left Mount Hor by the road to the Sea of Suph, to skirt the land of Edom. On the way the people lost patience. They spoke against God and against Moses, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is neither bread nor water here; we are sick of this unsatisfying food.”

At this God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel. The people came and said to Moses, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede for us with the Lord to save us from these serpents.” Moses interceded for the people, and the Lord answered him, “Make a fiery serpent and put it on a standard. If anyone is bitten and looks at it, he shall live.” So Moses fashioned a bronze serpent which he put on a standard, and if anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked at the bronze serpent and lived.
____________________

John 8:21-30

Jesus said to the Pharisees:

“I am going away; you will look for me
and you will die in your sin.
Where I am going, you cannot come.”

The Jews said to one another, “Will he kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” Jesus went on:

“You are from below;
I am from above.
You are of this world;
I am not of this world.
I have told you already: You will die in your sins.
Yes, if you do not believe that I am He,
you will die in your sins.”

So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus answered:

“What I have told you from the outset.
About you I have much to say
and much to condemn;
but the one who sent me is truthful,
and what I have learnt from him
I declare to the world.”

They failed to understand that he was talking to them about the Father. So Jesus said:

“When you have lifted up the Son of Man,
then you will know that I am He
and that I do nothing of myself:
what the Father has taught me
is what I preach;
he who sent me is with me,
and has not left me to myself,
for I always do what pleases him.”

As he was saying this, many came to believe in him.
____________________

Hell consists in closing oneself off from the love of God, and sin is the true enemy of the human person, Pope Benedict XVI says. Hell is eternal, he adds, and those who reject Jesus need to know it.

This is what I read in my daily news from two Catholic news agencies. And then as I reflect on today’s readings, I realise that this is true.

When the Hebrew people sinned, fiery serpents were sent to dwell among them. When the people repented and asked for forgiveness, God did not take away the fiery serpents. The serpents were a consequence of their sin. However, God offered them a escape from death. A reflection on today’s first reading reveals to us a parallel to the reality that our faith presents to us.

We have sinned against God, and as a consequence of that sin, we enter into hell. When we repent and ask for forgiveness, God does not take hell away, as it is a consequence of our sin. What he does offer is a way out of that hell, and that is found in Jesus Christ, who takes away our sin. If we reject Jesus, and we close ourselves off from the love of God, then we are already living in hell.

Those who have gone through hell can tell you that hell is real and it does not wait for us to die before it begins. Likewise, we do not have to wait to die before heaven can begin. It can begin here on earth, while we are still alive, and then continue after our mortal body expires. Heaven is opening ourselves completely to the love of God and accepting Jesus and all that he represents.
____________________

Prayer:
Dear Lord, help us to have the strength and courage to reject Satan, and all his empty promises, and all that he tempts us with, and to accept Jesus, and all his promises of love and truth, and all that he represents, which is you, our Father, the One for whom we were created to be with. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: A Pope who dares to tell us the truth about hell.

Upcoming Readings:
Wed, 21 Mar – Isaiah 49:8-15; John 5:17-30
Thu, 22 Mar – Exodus 32:7-14; John 5:31-47
Fri, 23 Mar – Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22; John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30; Memorial for St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, bishop
Sat, 24 Mar – Jeremiah 11:18-20; John 7:40-53
Sun, 25 Mar – Isaiah 43:16-21; Philippians 3:8-14; John 8:1-11; Fifth 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, March 26 – Love Relationships

26 Mar – Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

We celebrate that great day of decision: Mary’s acceptance of the role that God has chosen for her in his plan of redemption.

- the Weekday Missal
__________________

Shut up, and pedal!

There is a poem that likens our relationship with Jesus to two people on a tandem bicycle:

At first, I sat in the front; Christ the rear.
I couldn’t see him, but I knew he was there.
I could feel his help when the road got steep.
Then, one day, Christ changed seats with me.
Suddenly, everything went topsy-turvy.
When I was in control, the ride was predictable – even boring;
But when Jesus took over, it got wild!
I could hardly hold on.
“This is madness,” I cried out,
But Christ just smiled and said, “Pedal!”
And so I learned to shut up and pedal -
And trust my bike companion.
Oh there are still times when I get scared.
But Christ just smiles, touches my hand -
And says, “Pedal!”

- Jesus says, “Follow me, let’s go… stop thinking about it!”

- “He that follows me walks not in darkness, but has the light of life.” (Jn 8:12)

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

Isaiah 7:10-14, 8:10

The Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from the heights above.” “No,” Ahaz answered, “I will not put the Lord to the test.”

Then Isaiah said:

Listen now, House of David:
are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men
without trying the patience of my God, too?
The Lord himself, therefore,
will give you a sign.
It is this: the maiden is with child
and will soon give birth to a son
whom she will call Emmanuel,
a name which means, “God-is-with-us”.
___________________

Hebrews 10:4-10

Bulls’ blood and goats’ blood are useless for taking away sins, and this is what Christ said, on coming into the world:

You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation,
prepared a body for me.
You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin,
then I said,
just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book,
“God, here I am! I am coming to do your will.”

Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.
____________________

Luke 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, “Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you!” She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, “Mary do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?” “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,” the angel answered, “and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.” “I am the handmaid of the Lord,” said Mary, “let what you have said be done to me.” And the angel left her.
____________________

Today we celebrate the Annunciation of the Lord, which is actually a celebration of Jesus’ first disciple – his mother Mary. A disciple is one who follows his master. He is one who chooses his master’s way of life over his own, because he sees in his master’s way of life the path to something greater.

Today we celebrate the decision of Mary to follow God’s will. It is important to note that Mary could have said ‘no’ to the angel. Because we know that she could have said ‘no’, but chose to say ‘yes’ instead, we know that she was really free to make this choice.

In addition, Mary’s ‘yes’ to the angel (and to God) was a complete, total ‘yes’. She didn’t say “Yes, but…”; she simply said “yes” and accepted the whole deal. Of course she didn’t accept it with no questions asked, but the point is that she accepted the whole deal.

Mary was a virgin throughout her life. She had consecrated herself and her virginity to the Lord. Her true spouse is the Holy Spirit, and she was faithful to this spouse throughout her life. We see that God too was faithful, not just to Mary, but to his people, for the angel mentioned that “his reign will have no end”. God is faithful to his people, and calls us to be faithful to him as well, just like his servant Mary was.

There are many kinds of love relationships: between friends, between parents and children, between husbands and wives, between God and us. Whatever love relationship there exists, when we are able to freely choose to enter into it and remain it in, when we choose to give totally of ourselves and receive totally of the other person, and when the commitment is made to be faithful to each other, then the relationship will naturally be fruitful. But when the relationship lacks one of these – free, total, faithful, then the relationship will not be fruitful.

Real love is free, total, faithful, and fruitful. This free, total, faithful relationship between Mary and God resulted in the birth of our Saviour Jesus. God’s free, total, faithful relationship with his people through the person of Jesus, resulted in the salvation of all mankind.

When God calls us to love him, it will always be a free, total, faithful, fruitful relationship that he calls us to, because this is what love is about. If we have made the decision to enter and remain in the relationship freely (could we have said ‘no’ without consequence?), total (are we withholding any part of ourselves or not accepting any part of the deal?), faithful (are we committed to God? God is always faithful), then we can be sure that the relationship will be fruitful.
____________________

Prayer:
Dear Lord, help us to reflect on the love relationships in our lives, especially the ones that are not bearing fruit, and help us to see where we have not been free, total or faithful in them. Help us to renew our commitment to love the people in our relationships in a free, total, faithful and fruitful way. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: Mary’s decision to love her Lord in a free, total, faithful, and fruitful way.

Upcoming Readings:
Tue, 27 Mar – Numbers 21:4-9; John 8:21-30
Wed, 28 Mar – Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95; John 8:31-42
Thu, 29 Mar – Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59
Fri, 30 Mar – Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10:31-42
Sat, 31 Mar – Ezekiel 37:21-28; John 11:45-56
Sun, 01 Apr – Luke 19:28-40 (procession); Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 22:14-23:56; Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
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Sunday, March 25 – Testimony of a Porn Addict

25 Mar – Fifth Sunday of Lent

The Lord Who Has Wiped Out Our Past Sinfulness

The utter completeness of Christ’s forgiveness is almost incredible. When he says to us, “Neither do I condemn you”, the past is dead, snuffed out like wick, forgotten. Laughter and song fill our hearts. It seems like a dream.

- the Sunday Missal
____________________

Forgiven and Forgotten

How I wish for a wonderful place
Called the Land of Beginning Again,
Where all our mistakes,
Our sins and our aches,
Could be locked in a case
And dumped in a lake
Never to surface again.

- God takes our sins and dumps them into the deepest lake. The problem: God puts a sign on the lake: “No fishing!”

- When God forgives, God suffers from total amnesia!

- God presses the “erase” button, and the sheet comes out blank!

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

Isaiah 43:16-21

Thus says the Lord,
who made a way through the sea,
a path in the great waters;
who puts chariots and horse in the field
and a powerful army,
which lay there never to rise again,
snuffed out, put out like a wick:

No need to recall the past,
no need to think about what was done before.
See, I am doing a new deed,
even now it comes to light; can you not see it?
Yes, I am making a road in the wilderness,
paths in the wilds.

The wild beasts will honour me,
jackals and ostriches,
because I am putting water in the wilderness
(rivers in the wild)
to give my chosen people drink.
The people I have formed for myself
will sing my praises.
____________________

Philippians 3:8-14

I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For him I have accepted the loss of everything, and I look on everything as so much rubbish if only I can have Christ and be given a place in him. I am no longer trying for perfection by my own efforts, the perfection that comes from the Law, but I want only the perfection that comes through faith in Christ, and is from God and based on faith. All I want is to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and to share his sufferings by reproducing the pattern of his death. That is the way I can hope to take my place in the resurrection of the dead. Not that I have become perfect yet: I have not yet won, but I am still running, trying to capture the prize for which Christ Jesus captured me. I can assure you my brothers, I am far from thinking that I have already won. All I can say is that I forget the past and I strain ahead for what is still to come; I am racing for the finish, for the prize to which God calls us upwards to receive in Christ Jesus.
____________________

John 8:1-11

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At daybreak he appeared in the Temple again; and as all the people came to him, he sat down and began to teach them.

The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman along who had been caught committing adultery; and making her stand there in full view of everybody, they said to Jesus, “Master, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery, and Moses has ordered us in the Law to condemn women like this to death by stoning. What have you to say?” They asked him this as a test, looking for something to use against him. But Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger. As they persisted with their question, he looked up and said, “If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then he bent down and wrote on the ground again. When they heard this they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained standing there. He looked up and said, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she replied. “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go away, and don’t sin any more.”
____________________

Someone asked me why did I choose the name “John Tan” when I shared the story of my addiction to pornography. It could be because today’s gospel reading comes from the apostle John.

Since I shared my story publicly for the first time two weeks ago, I’ve come to realise that the problem of pornography is more widespread than I imagined. How many guys have I known without knowing of their addiction? How many women whose marriages have fallen apart because of their husbands’ addiction to pornography?

But the reflection today is not about me. It’s about the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. My story revolves around him because, as St. Paul writes in the second reading, “I am no longer trying for perfection by my own efforts”. Indeed it was only when I realised and accepted that I could not overcome my addiction on my own strength and willpower did I open the door to my Lord Jesus to begin his healing work in me. And even today, I dare not say that I have already won, because I still get tempted, and the 10,000 pornographic images that I’ve seen in my 13-year struggle still appear in my mind, although 10,000 is probably an underestimate.

When I reflect on today’s gospel reading, I imagine myself as the woman caught in adultery. I imagine myself as the man caught viewing pornography on his computer, while masturbating with penis in hand. I imagine being dragged in front of a crowd where Jesus sits teaching and made to stand there in full view of everyone. I imagine Jesus looking at me with compassion in his eyes, and then turning to the people looking judgementally at me and saying, “If there is one of you who has not viewed pornography, let him be the first to throw a stone at him.”

And I imagine everyone going away one by one, because they have all viewed pornography and may still be doing so. And finally, all that are left are Jesus and I, and my Lord Jesus says to me, “John, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” I shake my head slowly, and my Lord says to me, “Neither do I condemn you. Go away, and don’t sin any more.”

Laughter and song fills my heart. It seems like a dream. But because my Lord Jesus believed in me, he gave me the strength to overcome my addiction. And indeed no one has condemned me…

(Today’s OXYGEN by “John Tan”)
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Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, please allow us to experience your unfailing love for us, that we who are trapped in shame in our addiction to pornography, may experience your healing. Help us to realise that we cannot overcome this problem on our own, and that we need your help found in the people around us who love us and would never cast a stone at us. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: Those who love us and support us totally.

Upcoming Readings:
Mon, 26 Mar – Isaiah 7:10-14, 8:10; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38; Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
Tue, 27 Mar – Numbers 21:4-9; John 8:21-30
Wed, 28 Mar – Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95; John 8:31-42
Thu, 29 Mar – Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59
Fri, 30 Mar – Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10:31-42
Sat, 31 Mar – Ezekiel 37:21-28; John 11:45-56
Sun, 01 Apr – Luke 19:28-40 (procession); Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 22:14-23:56; Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
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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.

Saturday, March 24 – Priorities

24 Mar

I met Nick Chia on Thursday, and he’s volunteered to share OXYGEN with us every Saturday. Nick has shared with us before, but for those new to the mailing list, Nick is an SMU undergraduate. We will let him reveal more about himself through his weekly sharings.
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Looking for an escape hatch

There is a story told of W. C. Fields, the comedian. He had reached the top rung of his profession, was wealthy, and very successful. Even to this day, other comedians specialize in mimicking him.

But his lifestyle was often seen to be at variance with gospel living. Towards the end of his life, however, he spent a lot of time reading the Bible. Someone asked him why he did this, and he replied, “I’m looking for any loopholes I can find!”

I have known one or two such people who, when the end approached, left a considerable sum of money to have Masses said for them after they died. Would it be too cynical to refer to this money as some sort of fire insurance – for the next life?

- The road to heaven is heaven, and I am free to choose to travel that road now. It’s not that simple to skip from one road to another. It is a total gift, and presumes a very special attitude of heart in me.

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
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Jeremiah 11:18-20

The Lord revealed it to me; I was warned. O Lord, that was when you opened my eyes to their scheming. I for my part was like a trustful lamb being led to the slaughter-house, not knowing the schemes they were plotting against me, ‘Let us destroy the tree in its strength, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name may be quickly forgotten!’

But you, the Lord of Hosts, who pronounce a just sentence,
who probe the loins and heart,
let me see the vengeance you will take on them,
for I have committed my cause to you.
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John 7:40-52

Several people who had been listening said, ‘Surely he must be the prophet’, and some said, ‘He is the Christ’, but others said, ‘Would the Christ be from Galilee? Does not scripture say that the Christ must be descended from David and come from the town of Bethlehem?’ So the people could not agree about him. Some would have liked to arrest him, but no one actually laid hands on him.

The police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees who said to them, ‘Why haven’t you brought him?’ The police replied, ‘There has never been anybody who has spoken like him’. ‘So’ the Pharisees answered ‘you have been led astray as well? Have any of the authorities believed in him? Any of the Pharisees? This rabble knows nothing about the Law – they are damned.’ One of them, Nicodemus – the same man who had come to Jesus earlier – said to them, ‘But surely the Law does not allow us to pass judgement on a man without giving him a hearing and discovering what he is about?’ To this they answered, ‘Are you a Galilean too? Go into the matter, and see for yourself: prophets do not come out of Galilee.’
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The prophet Jeremiah in today’s reading tells us of the Lord’s revelation, not him about his dismal future and about his enemies persecuting him. Yet in all that he did, he always trusted in the Lord. This is something remarkable; it takes great faith and courage to trust in the Lord.

When you’re lonely and despondent with nobody to turn to, that is when you realise that you need Him the most. Indeed, God seems to be an end-note in our lives; to be referred to only when we have the luxury of time. In certain ways, we exhibit behaviour like the Pharisees as described in today’s Gospel.

We believe in the authority of science and what our human reason tells us. We follow the laws and teachings of the Church without fully understanding the rationale for these. We apply them in a blanket fashion without understanding the spirit behind it. It is sad to observe that it is those who are supposed to have received the most education and claim to know the most about Church laws tend to be those who challenge the teachings of the Church. Have there been times where we dismissed the corrections pointed out by someone from a lower educational/income status as nonsense and not worthy of listening?

In our obstinate adherence to the selfish desires of our hearts and minds, we stand ready to ridicule others and ignore this trust in the Lord that Jeremiah had. In this time and age, where science and our own moral beliefs are our guiding principles, let us remember the following saying:

“Let God not be your last concern but top priority.”

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nick Chia)
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Prayer:
Dear Lord, you’ve given us the gift of intellect. Let us never forget that we also have the gift of faith. May these two work hand in hand to deepen our relationship with you. Amen

Give thanks to the Lord for: Those who struggle to make sense of this modern world. May they never be alone.

Upcoming Readings:
Sun, 25 Mar – Isaiah 43:16-21; Philippians 3:8-14; John 8:1-11; Fifth 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.

Friday, March 23 – Modern-day Martyrdom

23 Mar – Memorial for St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, bishop

St. Turibius (1538-1606) was born a noble and became a lawyer, and then a professor of law at Salamanca. He was ordained in 1578, and was a judge of the Court of the Inquisition at Granada. He was later appointed Archbishop of Lima, Peru on May 15, 1579. He founded the first seminary in the Western hemisphere, and fought for the rights of the natives against the Spanish masters. He also organized councils and synods in the New World.

Prayer to St. Turibius
Lord, through the apostolic work of St. Turibius and his unwavering love of truth, you helped your Church to grow. May your chosen people continue to grow in faith and holiness. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

- Source: Patron Saint Index
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Wisdom 2:1, 12-22

The godless say to themselves, with their misguided reasoning:

“Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us
and opposes our way of life,
reproaches us for our breaches of the law
and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing.
He claims to have knowledge of God,
and calls himself a son of the Lord.
Before us he stands, a reproof to our way of thinking,
the very sight of him weighs our spirits down;
his way of life is not like other men’s,
the paths he treads are unfamiliar.
In his opinion we are counterfeit;
he holds aloof from our doings as though from filth;
he proclaims the final end of the virtuous as happy
and boasts of having God for his father.
Let us see if what he says is true,
let us observe that kind of end he himself will have.
If the virtuous man is God’s son, God will take his part
and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies.
Let us test him with cruelty and with torture,
and thus explore this gentleness of his
and put his endurance to the proof.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death
since he will be looked after – we have his word for it.”

This is the way they reason, but they are misled,
their malice makes them blind.
They do not know the hidden things of God,
they have no hope that holiness will be rewarded,
they can see no reward for blameless souls.
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John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Jesus stayed in Galilee; he could not stay in Judaea, because the Jews were out to kill him.

As the Jewish feast of Tabernacles drew near, after his brothers had left for the festival, Jesus went up as well, but quite privately, without drawing attention to himself.

Meanwhile some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Isn’t this the man they want to kill? And here he is, speaking freely, and they have nothing to say to him! Can it be true the authorities have made up their minds that he is the Christ? Yet we all know where he comes from, but when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.”

Then, as Jesus taught in the Temple, he cried out:

“Yes, you know me and you know where I came from.
Yet I have not come of myself:
no, there is one who sent me and I really come from him,
and you do not know him,
but I know him
because I have come from him
and it was he who sent me.”

They would have arrested him then, but because his time had not yet come no one laid a hand on him.
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“They can see no reward for blameless souls”. This line from the first reading strikes me a lot.

I’ve just come back from the second “Porn Stars @ CANA” session and one of the things that was shared at the session that resonates within me, together with the readings of Friday, is that as Catholics, we are called to lead holy and blameless lives, even to the disdain of others. This is the calling to “modern-day martyrdom”, as one of the panelists for the evening shared.

“Modern-day martyrdom” consists of living a life that is different from the flow of society. It calls for living a life that stands out from the other people around us, and to even reproach others for living the way they live. The topic of the evening was pornography, and speaking out against it wherever we are, but it applies to other ethical aspects of our lives as well, such as cheating in school, playing politics in the office, using swear words in the army, etc.

Isn’t it strange that in the gospel reading, Jesus would sneak off to Jerusalem without drawing any attention to himself, and then in full view of everyone including the Pharisees, cry out something which would anger the Jews. He knew he was angering the Jews, but what Jesus did was to speak, no, to proclaim the truth to all.

As Christians, we too are called not to be silent, but to proclaim the truth to all that we encounter. Not necessarily at first sight, because we can, like Jesus, sneak into a place where our words will have maximum impact and reach the most number of people. If we are to be silent, it is only for a while and a means to reach a place where we will be able to reach more people. We are called to spread the Good News, not to keep it to ourselves.

We are called to cry it out, even if we know that we are going to anger people by doing so. That’s a risk that we have to take as Christians, by entrusting our future into the hands of the Lord, who preserves us from eternal damnation. That is our reward, which may not be in this lifetime. But of course, those who do not believe in God will see no reward for us, since they also do not believe in the afterlife. But we do, and we know what we need to do.
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Prayer:
Dear Lord, give us the courage to be a modern-day martyrdom and to make a bold statement for you and the values in which you instil in us. Allow us the grace to place our hope in you, that what we do in this lifetime will have far-reaching effects. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: Those who dare to stand up with Jesus against the flow of society.

Upcoming Readings:
Sat, 24 Mar – Jeremiah 11:18-20; John 7:40-53
Sun, 25 Mar – Isaiah 43:16-21; Philippians 3:8-14; John 8:1-11; Fifth 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.