Reflections on Jesus, the P(b)alm of our Lives (Br Jovita Ho)

When I was in my early teens, whenever it comes to Palm Sunday, I would take home at least eight pieces of blessed palms. Two to be placed at the entrance of my flat, one two by the side of the Sacred Heart picture at the family altar, one above each of the three bedrooms and the last one perched just above the Last Supper picture in the kitchen. It was more of a decorative item rather than superstition although some of my non-Catholic friends commented that it looked almost like some magical talisman that was being placed about in my house.


As I grew older, and with better understanding of the significance and the purpose of the blessed palms, nowadays I take home three palms. One to be placed at the entrance of my flat, another placed at the family altar and the last one, when I was still a student, it would be placed near a holy picture at my study table at home, and subsequently when I was working, it will be placed at a conspicuous place at my workstation next to either a holy picture or a crucifix. Even as a seminarian now, I have in my room a blessed palm placed next to a miniature fiberglass model of the Pieta which belonged to my late paternal grandmother.


The palm is but only a palm in itself, but beyond itself, it points out to another higher reality. It is not just a sign of us welcoming our sovereign King Jesus into our houses, our homes, our rooms, our workplaces. Whenever we see the palm, it is a sign an acknowledgement of Christ’s lordship in our lives. Jesus does not just want to be Lord in the ordered and churched parts of our lives, but Jesus wants to enter and make wholesome the disordered and unchurched part of our lives and claim lordship over it. Regardless of the number of palms we bring into our homes and lives, put that one palm in that personal space in our lives, and whenever we see it, let it serve as a reminder of Christ’s love for us and His lordship in our lives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stay tuned for the next post by Br Peter Anthoney on 1st Apr 2010.

Reflection on God is Love (Br Gregory Chan)

Urban Pantry is a Restaurant in Singapore which has a very unique way of advertising their food. They do not describe their cooking by reference to smell, taste or presentation, sight. Instead, they have a tag-line. It consists of only three words: "Love. Made fresh." Their poster shows a young couple totally engrossed with each other, enjoying a meal. I was fascinated when I first saw it. Now, if I've made all of you hungry, that is not my point!

The Psalms speak of high praise of God, of thanksgiving in His temple, etc. but all these would be absolutely meaningless if we do not speak of God with love, for God IS love. So much did He love us that He sent His only Son to us. And His Son is the one who emptied himself,

"taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of men."

and that is why St. Paul writes,

"That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth."

Phil 2: 6 - 10

So, let us ask ourselves a fundamental question: Does our love for God have a freshness to it? Does it have an aroma, a sweetness all of its own? Does it spring forth ever new, ever fresh, &, if we wish, ever tasty? Does God excite us? Are we passionate about Him?

So let us be filled with love this evening, and as we think of the many ways we love Him, let us together, hunger for the Lord, for He is Love. With these thoughts in mind, let us turn to our prayers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stay tuned for the next post by Br Jovita Ho on 30th Mar 2010.

A short reflection on John 8:21-30 (Br Edward Seah)

Finding ourselves lost or confused in our communications which affects our relationship with one another seems a common experience for many people. Often times it has got to do with misunderstanding which may be due to our attachment to certain views.

In the gospel of John chapter 8 verses 21 to 30, the people misunderstood Jesus’ words about “I am going away… where I am going you cannot come”. The passage seems to show a break down in communication which resulted in Jesus getting impatient with his listeners when he said “Why do I speak to you at all?”. Like the prophets in the Old Testament, Jesus had to point out to the people about their refusal to listen, often times due to their stubbornness. They prefer to live in darkness by attaching themselves to their own perception of what the messiah should be. The basic sin in the Gospel of John is the refusal to believe. The Pharisees especially seemed so trapped in their refusal to believe in Jesus to the point of slavery to their own stubbornness. Jesus asserted that they will be released from their sins only if they listen and believe what he has revealed: that He who is with the Father is sent by the Father to be the light of the world and to save them from sin.

Often times we seem to identify ourselves with many of Jesus’ listeners who did come to believe and distanced ourselves from the attitude of the Pharisees. But perhaps at times we may be like the Pharisees in other ways, such as our tendency to limit our faith to the intellectual level and the failure on our part to trust in the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stay tuned for the next post by Br Gregory Chan 28th Mar 2010.

Reflections on Ps 61 (Br Benedict Chng)

During this Chinese New Year holiday, I had the opportunity to watching the Winter Olympic on TV. I am most fascinated by the competitors on the skating ring. They were absolutely magnificent, the couples were able to coordinate well and seem flawless. However there was a pair that was not synchronizing themselves well to the rhythm.

My conclusion was when two people compete to take the lead, nothing feels right, the movement doesn’t flow with the music and everything becomes quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When a person realizes that, and allows the other to take the lead, both bodies movements begin to flow with the rhythm and the music. One partner could give a gentle cue, a nudge to the back or pressing lightly on the hand to indicate a certain direction etc.

I conclude that it takes two to become one then the dance will look gracious. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

I realized that to dance with God, I must be docile, to surrender and to trust Him to take the lead and guide me through each season of my life.

Like the psalmist in Psalm 61 who proudly proclaims his dependency on God : “In God alone is my soul at rest, my help comes from him. He alone is my rock, my stronghold, my fortress : I stand firm”. With this in mind, then my life will be beautiful as I will be in tune with God’s will for me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stay tuned for the next post by Br Edward Seah on 26th Mar 2010.

Gifts on loan to us from God (Br Alphonsus Dominic)

A parishioner recently lost her husband to cancer. It has already been several years but she still finds it difficult to accept his dismiss. She had spent the last thirty-eight years of her life with him but now she is all alone. Although, her children are there supporting her in all ways possible, she still can’t let go of her lost. She says, “The close bond that she had with her husband could never be replaced”.

Reflecting on the love relationship that this couple shared and how she misses her husband, got me to reflect on how we treat our loved ones. Our loved ones are a gift to us from God on loan. They do not belong to us. They are like a new book on loan to us. How do we handle the book in the process of reading and trying to understand its content? Similarly, in the process of life and in interacting with our loved ones, we can choose to relate with them in tender loving care or hurt them by our words and deeds. Most often, we only reflect and realise on the way we have treated our loved ones only when they pass on and return back to God. The question is in what condition do we return them back? Do we return them like a book that is all torn and with dog-eared pages or a nice well kept book back to its owner?

Obviously, no words can totally console one who is grieving, however, one of the consolations that can help in the healing process is to reflect on the relationship one had with the gift of their loved ones. Did I treat God’s gift well at least to the best of my abilities in process of discovering their mystery while they were on loan to me? Have I shown the basic Christian values of appreciation, care, concern, understanding and most of all my love for them? Upon reflecting on these, can there be a possibility of viewing the result of our responsibility in taking care of the gifts endowed upon us as a loan for a purpose.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stay tuned for the next post by Br Benedict Chng on 24th Mar 2010.

No postings from 10-21 Mar 2010.

Thank you for your continued support for our blog.

There will be a short break from our postings. We will be on our mid-term break from 10-14 Mar. Following that, we will be on our annual retreat from 14-21 Mar.


Please pray for us that we will grow and walk closer with Christ in these 8 days of retreat with him, that we will grow in humility and sanctity.

Stay tuned for our next posting on 22nd Mar 2010.

Once again, thank you and God Bless !

The Blogmaster

Reflection on Lk 15:11-32 (Br Samuel Lim)

4th Sunday of Lent
Luke 15:11-32

This Sunday’s Gospel is on the Parable of the Prodigal Son. It is such a common and often-used parable that I found it difficult to reflect on, ironically. I spent about an hour in my room reading and praying the text, trying to reflect on what message I should share in this blog. Nothing came. So I decided to go to the Prayer Room instead, hoping to receive inspiration by going closer to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament ;p Well, after praying and meditating for more than half an hour… still nothing. So I decided to keep it for another day, with a little sense of disappointment, I must admit. I felt that I have wasted my time.

Just as I was about to leave the Prayer Room, it suddenly dawned on me that I was exactly like the elder son. I ‘worked’ so hard and put in so much time but I didn’t seem to get my reward. But what I failed to realize was that, for the past one and half hours or so as I was praying and reading the Scripture, I was always in the presence of God. On top of that, I was even present before the Lord in the tabernacle! But instead of enjoying and appreciating God’s presence, which is the essence of our relationship, I was trying to get something out of Him. I was result-oriented and not Person-centred. And that was the attitude of the elder son. Instead of telling his father, “Look, all these years I have slaved for you,” he could have said, “Wow, dad! All these years we have always been together!”

We often forget the essence of relationships, be it with God or with others. We tend to calculate our time and effort spent with them, and we see it as a sacrifice on our part when we don’t get something out of it. We feel that we have wasted our time if there is nothing to gain in return. But the essence of an authentic relationship is love, presence and being – and all these are un-measurable, and most certainly immeasurable.

As we prepare for Mass this weekend, we can be honest with ourselves…
- How is my relationship with God?
- Do I love God because of what He can do for me or do I live Him for who He is? Do I see Him as a person or a function?
- What is my attitude and disposition in prayer? To ask for something? To feel good? Or to enjoy each other’s loving presence?
- How willing am I to waste time with God?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stay tuned for the next post by Br Alphonsus Dominic on 22nd Mar 2010.

Reflections on Detaching from Sin and Attaching to God (Br Joseph Zhang)

Last Sunday I participated in the Way of the Cross conducted for the primary 4, 5, and 6 catechetic students. It was conducted at the parish hall. There were no kneelers. During the Way of the Cross, we needed to stand up and kneel down. Some of the primary students were not used to it. One vomited and another one’s nose began bleeding.


During the first few stations, I also felt the hardness of the floor and the pain on my knees. The more I put my attention on the pain of my knees the more I felt I cannot continue any more. Then I made a shift of mind. I no longer focused on the pain on my knees but on the words of each station and tried to imagine the pain of Jesus. With this shift of mind I no longer felt as much pain as at the beginning. And I finished the way of the Cross.

When I read the canticle of Daniel, I realized that that was what the three young men did when they were in the blazing furnace. They did not focus on the heat of the fire but on God.


Lent is a season that we are called to turn away from our sins. We have to admit that it is very difficult to turn away from them. While it is necessary for us to detach ourselves from sin, let us shift our focus on growing closer to Jesus. This is in accord with St. James’ teaching, “Be God’s true subjects; stand firm against the devil and he will run away from us; come close to God and he will come close to you.” (Jas 4:7) Trusting in God who is our savior, our helper, and our refuge (Ps 117), let us pray for the grace of making the twofold effort of detaching from sin and attaching to God in the season of Lent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stay tuned for the next post by Br Samuel Lim on 09th Mar 2010.

Reflections on Matthew 20:17-28 (Br David Arulanatham)

"Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?”

The question that Jesus posed in yesterday’s Gospel Reading (Matthew 20:17-28) has left quite a challenge to me personally.

As I listen to this question again and again I feel that the question is indeed addressing me in my struggles trying to understand and find myself in the call that I am responding to. ‘Jesus’ who by accepting death on the Cross and by surrendering himself in obedience – not of his will but the will of the father by posing the question to me again, reveals to me the risk of discipleship,. Over time I have grown to understand that when I accept an invitation, I make a commitment and thus accept the risks associated with it, whatever the consequences of that commitment, whatever they may be.

After firmly holding the cups of our lives and lifting them up as signs of hope for others, we have to drink them. Drinking our cups means fully appropriating and interiorizing what each of us has acknowledged as our life, with all its unique sorrows and joys. How do we drink our cups? We drink them as we listen in silence to the truth of our lives, as we speak in trust with friends about ways we want to grow, and as we act in deeds of service. Drinking our cups is following freely and courageously God's call and staying faithfully on the path that is ours. Thus, our life cups become the cups of salvation. When we have emptied them to the bottom, God will fill them with "water" for eternal life.

There will be moments for one to feel despised and misunderstood resulting in feelings like relenting, wanting to give up and these feelings so appropriately describe what Jesus himself faced and affirms that these are the challenges anyone wishing to live the life intended of God for them, cannot avoid but must face. We are called to accept whatever may be asked of us but not fall prey to the lure of perfectionism or hypocrisy which will only undermine us. One need not be perfect, it is sufficient to be good enough. We need however the courage to live at depth.

The question, "Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" invites us to move from living life on the surface like the visible waves in the sea which rises to great heights but also dies of prematurely and easily. We are called to have a strong founded and deep rooted faith, to live a life of depths like the undercurrents. A faith that is not foam or splash sounds but something that may move against the prevailing tide or run along the shore.

In a nutshell, in accepting our call to respond to our baptismal calling we do not choose the risk we need to face or be challenged but we have to strive to accept and live the consequences of that response, whatever it/they may be. Therefore, this is the risk of discipleship which does not end but keeps recurring again and again till we see God face to face one day.

So then, Let us keep listening to Jesus' question echoing to us as we struggle with our lives but not just gaze at the cup but to start drinking the cup while trusting in the Lord.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stay tuned for the next post by Br Joseph Zhang on 7th Mar 2010.

Reflections on Ps 62 (Br Aloysius Tan)

During my last holiday, I visited Sabah and went white water rafting. Initially, I found it a very scary experience. When I first reached the venue and saw the churning white surface of the rough river, the notion of the 1 hour journey with the full knowledge that I can’t swim was frightening.


Anyhow, after the briefing, I realized that there are things that I could depend on: the safety helmet to protect my head; the life jacket to help me to float should I be tossed into the water;the sitting arrangement that will balance out the raft and the experienced trainer who would accompany us on our rafting experience.


The rafting experience turned out to be a fun-filled excursion, though if it was physically challenging. We were thrown out from the raft at different phases of the journey but we were kept safe by the protective gear we had on and the supportive companionship of the group members in the raft.


Likewise, our faith journey and our response to God’s invitation for various ministries or vocations may be likened to a white water rafting experience: sometimes, it is full of fun and smooth going. But at other times the water is so rough and the currents so strong that we can be drowned. We too have our protector, not external safety equipment but a God who sees us through our life’s challenges. It is as what the psalmist of Psalm 62 echoes: “In God alone is my soul at rest; my help comes from him. He alone is my rock, my stronghold, my fortress: I stand firm.”


Let us draw strength from the word of the psalmist in trusting that God will be our stronghold in whatever situation we are in. All we need to do is to trust in Him, depend on Him and allow Him to be our refuge in all our undertakings. Enjoy the journey!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stay tuned for the next post by Br David Arulanatham on 5th Mar 2010.

Hindrances to Heaven – A reflection on Psalm 42 (Bro Martin Arlando)

St. Francis told bro Leo this story: “Once there was an ascetic who had been struggling for years to see God, but without success. Something always loomed up before him and prevented him. The unfortunate man wept, shouted, implored but all this was in vain. He just could not understand what it was that kept him from seeing God.

One morning, however, he leapt out of bed, overjoyed. He had found it! It was a small richly decorated pitcher which was the sole object he had retained from among all his possessions, so dearly did he love it. Now he seized it and with one blow, smashed it into a thousand pieces. “Then lifting up his eyes, he saw God for the first time.”

When we read Psalm 42 we find a vivid picture of the hind (the female deer) longing for the running streams. She runs, sniffing for the slightest scent of water. Her very life depends on her finding it. The thought is elaborated in the three-fold refrain: “I shall wait for God”. Human beings waiting for God are human beings at their best, thirsty for God, his will, his strength, his peace.

When Jesus hung to its appointed end, said in fulfillment of scripture, “I am thirsty” (John 19:28). Of course he was thirsty. The sun was beating down on his body. The pain was excruciating. Oh, for a drink! But I think there was a deeper meaning to that cry, deeper than physical thirst. He was thirsty for God. He was thirsty to do his will even to the point of death. That had been his motto throughout life. “Here I am…; I have come, O God, to do your will” (Hebrews 10:7)

Likewise during this season of Lent, we are called to return to the Father with all our heart. Let us, like the deer “sniff out” all that hinders us from drawing close to the stream of life and be constantly reminded like Jesus who thirsts to do the will of God.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stay tuned for the next post by Bro Aloysius Tan on 3rd Mar 2010.