Reflection on this Sunday’s Gospel [27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Luke 17:5-10] (Br Samuel Lim)

For those of us who are involved in church ministries – do we do it in the spirit of volunteerism? We commonly hear phrases like “I’m helping out in church,” and even “I do it for free, okay?” True, volunteers do things for free. When I’m a volunteer, I’m implying that I do things out of charity, out of my own effort and goodwill. Consequently, I’m also implying that it is up to me how much I want to give, so no one can dictate or impose. As a volunteer I’m also implying that the other party ‘needs’ my help, therefore I’m ‘helping out.’ Since it seems like the other party is at my mercy, whatever little I give is already a bonus and a privilege for them – therefore they have no right to demand for more. It is no wonder that there seems to be more people coming late for church meetings but most will be punctual for office meetings and job interviews. When church volunteers are being asked about their attendance or punctuality, we are not be surprised when we hear replies like, “I’m willing to come already very good, okay?”

Servanthood vs Volunteerism
In this Sunday’s Gospel [27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Luke 17:5-10], we are invited to move beyond the spirit of volunteerism, and to embrace our calling as servants, with Jesus being our Master.

God’s Will vs My Choice
Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal immediately”? [Lk 17:7]
We can be quite certain that the servant mentioned by Jesus in the parable was ploughing and minding sheep in the field for his master, not for his own benefit. As a volunteer, I may choose what I want to give, how much, and to whom. As a servant, however, I serve according to the will of my Master. A servant obeys the commands of his master, and definitely does not demand things to be done his way. So the servant allows the master to be in control, whereas a volunteer seems to be saying, “I’m in control.”

God-Centered vs Self-Centered
Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards”? [Lk 17:8]
As servants of the Lord, we should always put the interests of our Master before our own – not because he wants to be treated like a king but because his priority is to build together the Kingdom of God on earth.

Commitment vs Convenience
So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.” [17:10]
We who are called to be servants should have a strong sense of duties and responsibilities. True servanthood even acknowledges the fact that the duties tasked by the master are themselves gifts, and that the opportunity to serve is itself a privilege to be grateful for. With these attitudes and dispositions then, the servant does his work out of commitment, while the volunteer may do it out of convenience. St Joseph Calasanz reminds us: “If in serving God you seek your own convenience, you are not serving God but yourself.”

“For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve…” [Mk 10:45]
How about us?

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Alphonsus Dominic on 2nd Oct 2010.

Reflections on the Visit to Boys' Town (Br Joseph Zhang)

“He ain’t heavy, he is my brother.”

Last Tuesday afternoon, the seminary community visited Boys’ Town Singapore. Entering the compound, one of the first things that caught my attention was the statue of a man carrying a little one. I was wondering what this statues was about. It was when I got closer to the statue and I saw the words inscribed on it, “He ain’t heavy, he is my brother.”



Later on we were led to the conference room by one of the Gabrielite Brothers and a staff member. They gave us a brief introduction and showed us a short video clip on the activities of the Boys’ Town. From their introduction and the short video presentation, I got to know that this Catholic charitable institution was first established in 1948 by the Brothers of St. Gabriel to take care of those orphaned during the Japanese occupation.

Over the past sixty two years, Boys’ Town Singapore has grown into an institution dedicated to providing shelter, guidance, education, vocational training and practical living skills to youths. With social development and the rising of new forms of problems facing the youths, Boys’ Town now not only takes care of boys that are orphaned, financially needy but also boys who are troubled, who have behavioral or family-linked problems.

After hearing these, it dawned upon me that even in the present time we still need such charitable institutions; we still need people like the Brothers who dedicate their lives for the service of the underprivileged. However, the sad fact I got from them is that there are not many people in Singapore willing to respond to this vocation.

Boys’ Town forms a part of the National Council of Social Service but it is not funded by the Community Chest. It raises the majority of its fund. It is not easy. When I reflect why the Brothers take such great efforts to do so, I realize that it is because of their love for the underprivileged, because they see the poor and troubled as their brothers.

The motto of Boys’ Town “He ain’t heavy, he is my brother” reminds me Jesus’ love for us. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). Jesus loved us so much that he did not run away from the arrest, the passion, and the cross. Jesus loved us so much that he did not throw away the cross but carried it for us. He bore the cross for us because he calls us as his friend and as his brothers.



Are you willing to respond to God’s call to reach out and touch the lives of the troubled young people and to be the next one to say, “He ain’t heavy, he is my brother”?

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Samuel Lim on 30th Sep 2010.

Reflactions on Ps 64 (Br David Arulanatham)

In two days time…

In two days time I turn fifty, and I am told that I need to celebrate this occasion. For me it seems like just another day and therefore as usual, as my previous birthdays I am not looking forward to any celebration. It so happens that I am the prayer leader for that day in the seminary. It was indeed a pleasant surprise for me as I went about to do the needful to prepare myself The first line of the first reading for the day is as follows, ‘Perish the day on which I was born and the night that told of a boy conceived.’ (Job 3:3). I had a good laugh and at the same time asked myself if I felt like that when I faced hurts, pain and sufferings.


There were indeed occasions in my life when I felt pushed to the wall and there seemed no way out. It was during these times I felt that my life was in a total wreck and there seemed to be no way out. However, today when I look back, it was during these times that I felt the grace of God working so tremendously in my life, leading me out of those situations and helped me regain my dignity and self-worth.



Today as I reflect my life as I pray the third psalm for the morning of my birthday in two days time I am able to make sense of my journey in finding God and establish a deeper and more intimate relationship with him.

Psalm 64(65), takes me back to the events of the life of the psalmist and the community of his time. The psalm in reality is a prayer during a festal assembly. In the psalm we are able to trace the moments of sacrifice and atonement which leads to a celebration whereby the psalmist and his community also experience being called to a closer union, an intimacy with this awesome God. There is a sense of a peculiar joy, peace and happiness being experienced and these experiences are attributed to God. God is praised for the gift of being chosen and brought into an aura of his presence of love, peace and joy.

To you all flesh will come with its burden of sin.
Too heavy for us, our offences, but you wipe them away.

Blessed is he whom you chose and call to dwell in your court.
We are filled with the blessings of your house, of your holy temple
Psalm 64(65)

Just as St. Paul says, in his second letter to the Corinthians:

‘My power is at its best in weakness. For it is when I am weak that I am strong’ 2 Cor:12:7-10,

let us be reminded today that God is with us, by our side at all times and it is for us to enter into his presence to enjoy the moments of peace, and tranquillity especially at times when we are overburdened. We are a people who are not doomed but are predestined to his heavenly kingdom and therefore, we are not to let go and give up on ourselves when the storms of our life become overwhelming and excruciating, On the contrary, these are the moments we have to be most thankful to God for it is during these time that we find ourselves embracing God our Father and experience his immense love for us.

The ends of the earth stand in awe at the sight of your wonders. The lands of sunrise and sunset you fill with joy. Psalm 64(65)

In two days time the only thing I wish to do is to give thanks to God my Father, Jesus his son and the Holy Spirit from the depths of my heart for I wonder in what a wretched state I would be in if not for his hands that reached out to me and pulled me out of that wretchedness. He gave me back my life, my human dignity and most of all, calling me to serve in his vineyard of love, peace and joy. Glory and praise to you, My Lord and my God! Amen.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Joseph Zhang on 28th Sep 2010.

A Reflection on Time & Ecclesiastes 3:1 – 11 (Br Aloysius Tan)

After being immersed into the life of the seminary for nearly seven years, the concept of time becomes so fixed and routine that life is “moved” by time.... reach chapel before 6a.m for Morning Prayer, meditation, Mass..... the timings are all fixed. Often the clock plays a very important role but sometimes when the alarm clock is not functioning, the world seems upside down.

The watch on my wrist seems to be a “must” in life. Perhaps in a good sense, it helps me to cultivate the sense of time and punctuality but in a certain way, I also see my tendency to have “control” over time. For instance, I know that I need to take 5 minutes to walk to the classroom, so, i will “make sure” I leave my room 8 minutes before with just enough time to compose myself before the bell rings for class. Perhaps there is nothing wrong with it but the way time is calculated indeed makes me want to organise my time and in this sense I lose my ability to “waste time” with people and worst still if I lose my willingness to “waste time” with God. There are times when I am tempted to take control over time in my relationship with God too.

During my last 30-day retreat in June, I had the experience of being in “His time”, “wasting” time with Him, I remember during one particular adoration session in the chapel, when I was deep in my prayer and experiencing His presence, I was shock to realised that the adoration last for more than 2 hours but seemed to me that it has been only about one hour.

Today as we are invited to ponder on the Ecclesiastes 3:1 – 11, I guess the writer of the book clearly pointed out to me the necessity of letting God to be the Lord of time. Let Him be the one guiding me and leading me in the process of trying my best and also trying to surrender all to Him. He knows the bigger picture of my life. He knows what is best for me and He knows the burden I can bear. As I thank God for the beautiful passage, I also remind myself that I need to continue to learn to submit myself to Him as His time is eternal and He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. (cf Rev 21:6)

So, friends, let “waste time” with God!

There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven:
A time for giving birth, a time for dying; a time for planting, a time for uprooting what has been planted.
A time for killing, a time for healing; a time for knocking down, a time for building.
A time for tears, a time for laughter; a time for mourning, a time for dancing.
A time for throwing stones away, a time for gathering them; a time for embracing, a time to refrain from embracing.
A time for searching, a time for losing; a time for keeping, a time for discarding.
A time for tearing, a time for sewing; a time for keeping silent, a time for speaking.
A time for loving, a time for hating; a time for war, a time for peace.
What do people gain from the efforts they make?
I contemplate the task that God gives humanity to labour at.
All that he does is apt for its time; but although he has given us an awareness of the passage of time, we can grasp neither the beginning nor the end of what God does. (Ecclesiastes 3:1 – 11)

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br David Arulanatham on 26th Sep 2010.

Reflection on Ps 27 (Br Martin Arlando)

A wealthy businessman was now old and wanted to retire. So he called his three sons and told them, “I am going to give my business to one of you. What I want to find out is that which of you is the best businessman? So I am going to test the three of you. Whoever wins the test gets the whole business.”


So the old man gave each of the sons $1000. With that money each one was supposed to buy something which would fill a big empty room. The boy who filled the room most completely would win.



The 1st young man went out and bought a big leafy tree. He had it cut down and dragged into the room. It filled about half the room.


The 2nd young man went out and bought all the grass which some farmers were cutting off their field. They carried it in and filled most of the room.



The 3rd son was the smartest. He went to a small trade store and bought a candle for $2.00. in the evening, after dark he called his dad over to the large empty room. He then put the little candle down on the floor in the middle of the room and lighted it. after a while or so he turned to his father and said, “Dad can you see any little corner of this room which is not filled by the light of that candle?” That son won the business.



Likewise Jesus Christ alone, the light of the world can shine in our lives to the very tiny spot of our lives and make it radiate for His glory. In all our moments of frustrations and depressions, let Psalm 27 be our personal prayer of abandoning ourselves completely and confidently into the hands of God.

With the psalmist let us with full trust and hope pray “The Lord is my light and my help, whom shall I fear? He keeps me in the shelter of His tent and so my head shall be finally raised above my foes who surround me.”

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Aloysius Tan on 24th Sep 2010.

Reflection on 1 John 2:3-4 (Br Nicholas Lye)

A man was on a flight to Rome. Feeling bored, he turned to the passenger beside him and began striking a conversation. He was very impressed by how polite, friendly, and engaging this passenger was. He was even helpful enough to call for the air stewardess when he noticed another passenger looking pale and nauseous. When they arrived at the airport in Rome and reached the arrival gate together, his flight companion was greeted by a lady, “Good morning Father O’ Neil. Welcome to Rome.” Realising that the person he had been conversing with was a priest, he turned to him and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier you were a priest?” The priest then smiled, and politely replied, “If you are unable to tell from seeing, then why should you believe by hearing?”

It is not enough to know God just by hearing about Him. We only start to really know God, by seeing Him, as revealed in His Son Jesus Christ. Only by seeing and following what Jesus did in our lives, can we then start to understand and believe in Him and His love for us.

The scripture verse from 1 John 2:3-4 tells us that:

“We can be sure that we know God only by keeping his commandments. Anyone who says, ‘I know him’, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, refusing to admit the truth.”

‘To know someone’ in the biblical context is not just the result of an intellectual process. Rather, it is the fruit of a personal encounter with the person. For God, only by keeping His commandments, by following Jesus in the way He loved the Father and His neighbour, only then can we encounter God whose love then comes to perfection in us.

As we live each day trying to be open to a personal encounter with God and to keep His commandments, let us pray for ourselves in the words that the psalmist of psalm 138 proclaims:

“O search me, God, and know my heart.
O test me and know my thoughts.
See that I follow not the wrong path
and lead me in the path of life eternal.”

May we, by seeing and following the path of Jesus, know God fully, so that the world may come to know God not merely by our words, but by seeing God reflected in us and in the church today.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Martin Arlando on 22nd Sep 2010.

Reflections on Luke 12:19-20 (Br Gabriel Wong)

There was this moth flying near the living quarters a couple of weeks back. Or was it a butterfly? Well, one ain't an expert on insects. Let's just called it a bug, which may not be the correct terminology. At any rate, it simpilifes matters and typing a three letter word is so much more enjoyable.

The bug was flying in escatasy around the flowers in the day, and then towards the light at night.


Someone found the bug’s carcass the very next morning. The bug was overrun by black ants, who were probably in for quite a feast. Contrary to what some of my brothers will conjure, no one was responsible for the demise of the bug. However, one must admit that there was no love lost.

I will say to my soul;
My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come;
take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time.
But God said to him,
“Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?”

Luke 12:19-20

It had led me to reflect on my attitude towards life. Have I been complacent and taken God for granted? If my soul is demanded from me this very night, will I be proud of it? I will soon join my ancestors before me as a mere print on the sands of time.

But have I loved unselfishly ?

Have I forgiven unconditionally?

It is only when I have the end in mind, I can be more confident in the way I want to live towards it. This brings to mind of Your many love notes to me in living out this unique vocation;

Life is never about how much I have, but how much I am willing to give of it.

And it shall be Yours, Lord.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Nicholas Lye on 20th Sep 2010.

Reflections on Our Lady of Sorrows (Br Cornelius Ching)

No one can boast of visiting St Peter's Basilica without visiting the famous Pieta, the sculpture by Michelangelo. It depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the body of her precious son on her lap, who had just undergone a tremendous amount of suffering and an inhumane death. It is at this moment that the prophesy by Simeon (Lk 2:34-35) seem so real and heart wrenching.


The church celebrates the memorial of Our Lady on Sorrows on 15th Sep, just a day after the feast of the Triumph of the Cross. How fitting!

Our Blessed Mother took all the ridicule and comments about Jesus in her stride. Imagine people commenting and condemming almost every action and intention of someone you love dearly. Still she took everything in her stride, quietly supporting her lovely Jesus every step of the way, never questioning the will of God. The final straw must come when she sees her precious son so cruely treated and crucified right before her very eyes. If I were in her shoes, the experience will not only be like a sword piercing my heart but it will be closer to my heart being torn to shreds in a mechanical blender set on 'high'.

Did she kick up a big fuss, seeking to redress the injustice her son suffered? She would rather spend her time and energy with the people close to the heart of Jesus, knowing they will be feeling lost and dejected as well. She was with them all the way, just as she was with her precious Jesus all the way to the end.

It is this tremendous faith in the will of God that sees her through. She is the first Christian and the greatest Christian. It is when she experience the resurrection of Jesus that she sees the triumph of the cross of Jesus, a symbol of torture to the world but the symbol of victory to us, Christians. Jesus had conquered all and drawn all men to himself by his passion and death. Mary must be one of the first to understand this.

Let us then be like our Blessed Mother, no questioning the actions and wisdom of God, especially in the bad that happens to us, but be faithful and trusting that He know what he is doing. In due time, all will be revealed to us.

"Dearest Mother, help us grow in faith and trust in the hand of God in our lives.
Help us to know that the Father knows what is best for us.
Help us to take everything in our stride and offer them up,
good and bad, in thanksgiving to God.
Amen."

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Gabriel Wong on 18th Sep 2010.

Reflection on Mt 5:38-42 (Br Terence Kesavan)

if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile

Recently in one of the sharing sessions with the Divine Mercy Church youths, we reflected on this passage from Mt 5:38-42. While the earlier verses talk more about non-retaliation, it was this line in vs 41 which caught my attention. It struck me because it brought to mind something that I was reflecting on recently, obedience.

Obedience is usually seen as compliance, and following instructions from someone placed over you. Especially in the Church, it is used when we are asked to do something that we would rather not do, and so we do it out of obedience.

But this verse made me think about what Jesus was telling the disciples. It seemed that if someone were to "force" us to do something, we should do it, but not only to do it, but to go above and beyond what was expected of us.

I find in myself, the tendency to just do the minimum when it comes to things that I am forced to do, or something that I have to do when I don't want to do it, or am opposed to the idea. So out of obedience, I will do the least that is expected of me and leave it at that.

Contrast this with things that I'm passionate about or believe in the reason behind it, I will put in my effort, and even go out of my way to help someone, to complete and enhance the task given to me.

The passage reminds me that if I were to be compelled to do something not of my interest or something that I disliked, if it was given by an authority God has placed over me, not only should I do it out of "obedience", but that I should put in my best effort and even go that "extra mile". This requires a letting go of my will and ego, putting my trust in the Lord that it is His Spirit guiding my path.

But this is definitely not going to be easy, and I pray for the grace to be able to do what is necessary, not just for those I love, or for things I'm interested in, but for whatever God has installed for me in my life.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Cornelius Ching on 16th Sep 2010.

Reflection on Psalm 64 (Br Jude David)

All human beings have a deep longing in their hearts for freedom. This longing is common to all societies and cultures and one of the easiest ways of recognising this longing is to observe the elaborate celebration of this freedom by most countries in the form of their independence days and the sacrifices made in defending their freedom. Both Singapore and Malaysia both celebrated our National Day and Merdeka Day respectively in the month of August which gave us opportunities to celebrate both these special days marked with prayer and festivity within our seminary community which has seminarians and formators from both sides of the Causeway.

This has given me cause to reflect on how precious this freedom is to all of us and our countries. Indeed, this freedom is not something we should take for granted although it may be increasingly easy to do so for younger generations who may have never experienced foreign governance. Nevertheless, days like National Day and Merdeka Day are moments for us to reflect on our freedom and to give thanks to the Lord for this freedom we have enjoyed and also to reflect about areas in our life where there are still traces of slavery and bondage. The Bible tells us that sin is the greatest slavery and bondage that humanity experiences and the whole mission of Jesus was to set humanity free from the tyranny of sin in our lives.

Indeed, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and so no human person is spared from the experience of the bondage of sin. Even if we did our best to avoid sin, it is inevitable that another person’s sin will inevitably affect us because of the corporate dimension of sin and thus, we can appreciate the Church’s teaching on Original Sin which highlights that we live in a “fallen” world. However, even in the face of the painful realities of the sinful world we live in, we shall not be discourage or allow ourselves to fall into despair for we have been given hope in Christ our Saviour.

Psalm 64 says, “to you all flesh shall come with its burden of sin. Too heavy for us, our offences, but you wipe them away.” Indeed, what else can we do but to go to God with our burden of sin trusting that He alone can lead us into the true freedom of being liberated from sin which is the root of all other experiences of slavery. Psalm 64 goes on to share with us that our true freedom can only be experienced in God’s presence for He is our only guarantor of freedom – “Blessed is he whom you choose and call to dwell in your courts. We are filled with the blessings of your house, if your holy temple.”

Even as we give thanks and celebrate the freedom we have been blessed in our respective countries, let us remember that it is but a foretaste of the true freedom our hearts long for when sin shall no longer have any stronghold in our lives. This is only possible through the grace of the Living God who calls us to experience this freedom by entering into His courts where we shall be filled with the blessings of His house, His holy Temple. Let us continue to pray for the coming of His Kingdom amongst us. Amen!

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Terence Kesavan on 14th Sep 2010.

Reflections on Home? (Br Anthoney Liew)

Home? Every family should have one. Yet, it can be a big word for those who do not have one! It can be a precious thing that many are longing for. In fact, I have different impressions of “Home” after I had this encounter! It all began like this…

“I want to go home! Can you please, please ask them for me, ‘I want to go home’”? This was the first statement a patient uttered to me when I was doing my pastoral work at the General Hospital in Penang. He looked so skinny and was without a leg. After having a conversation with him, I got to know that he had been there for more than two weeks. Yet, no one came to visit him. He felt so lonely and helpless. In fact, I could almost feel what he felt. I knew that there was nothing else I could do except to lift him up to God in my prayers. A week later, I went to see him again. He uttered the same statement to me again, “I want to go home!”. I tried to comfort him by befriending him and buying him some food he wished to eat. After talking for a while, we said bye to each other.

A week later I looked forward to see him again. To my surprise, I saw no one in his bed. Then I learnt from the nurses that he had passed away. He fell down and died when he tried to run away from the hospital. At the bottom of my heart, I knew that he tried to go home as it was what he was longing for. I had a bigger shock when I got to know that his body was still in the hospital as the nurses could not get his family to come and take the body for burial. He was totally abandoned by his family. I felt so sad and helpless. In my helplessness, I continued to lift him up to God in prayers. Having reflected on the psalm 41 which brought me back to this experience, I realized that his situation was like the psalmist of this psalm who longs to go home and be with his family. Now, I thank God for He has indeed brought him home. He was no longer alone as I believe that he is at home now with the family members who would not abandon him anymore.

Tomorrow commemorates the 9th year of 911 tragedy. As we commemorate this event, let us continue to pray to our Heavenly Father that He will continue to grant us peace – Peace that the world cannot give (Jn14:27). We also lift up to God all those who passed away on this day. May our Lord Jesus Christ bring them “Home” – the place where He has prepared for them (cf. Jn14:2) where they are granted eternal rest.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Jude David on 12th Sep 2010.

Reflections on competition (Br Peter Anthoney)

competitor… compete… competing… competed…

or to become complete!

“Life is nothing but a competition to be a criminal rather
than to be a victim” a philosopher

“Competition brings out about the best in products but resulting in the worst of the people.” a businessman

In our daily real life situations where we all live, competition seems to have overtaken the various aspects of our living. Adults seem to compete for jobs. Students compete for grades and placement at higher levels of education. In the business world people are in the ‘rat race’ competing for dollars. In another sense people seem to be competing for attention, affection, and love. Our recreation has turned out to be a competition to win. In our lives, we seem to fall into this trap of competition now and then. Indeed, it’s nearly impossible to ignore some form of competition in our daily living. We seem to belong to a group of sinful, confused, anguished people constantly tempted by the powers of lust and greed and always entangled in rivalry and competition.

Are we ready or are we prepared to face and overcome these growing levels of competition in today’s society? Have we ever pondered where this competition is leading us to?

As I was reflecting upon our lifestyles, I became aware that without our knowledge we are simply being drawn under this influence of power and competition. Where are we heading…what is our goal?

Psalm 125 seem to direct us to look into our lives from the perspectives of how our God has created us to be;

The heathens themselves said: ‘What marvels the Lord worked for them!’
What marvels the Lord worked for us, Indeed we were glad.

Psalm 125 : 3

It is only when we reflect at the marvels the Lord has worked for us we will become satisfied with who and what we are. It is in the finding of our true self the self intended of God for us; the self that ‘little less than a God, crowned him with glory and beauty’ (Psalm 8 : 5) that we become self satisfied and begin to give Glory to God from wherever and whomsoever we are. We will then marvel at the identity we receive from God our Father and will stop yielding to the influences of the world, the competitive world.

Psalm 126 taking the theme, ‘success depends on the Lord’s blessing’ reflects that we have to allow God into our every layer of our lives for us to rejoice and live in contentment in all situations of our life.


If the Lord does not build the house,
in vain do its builders labour;
If the Lord does not watch over the city,
in vain does the watchman keep vigil.
In vain is your earlier raising, your going later to rest,
You who toil for bread you eat;
when he pours gifts on his beloved while they slumber,

Psalm 126 :1-2

Influences of the vices of the world will not be able to takeover our lives and lead us to sin rather we will belong to the human race designed by God with a predestination for eternal life in heaven.

Let us give thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share
in the inheritance of the Saints in light.

Col 1:12

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Anthony Liew on 10th Sep 2010.

Reflections on Jesus: The Real Joy-Giver (Br Jovita Ho)

Somewhere deep within us, we would like to arrive at our destinations earlier and faster. Be it the completion of our studies, the realization of a project, the start of our holidays or even perhaps the longing of union with God. This preference for a quick arrival at our destinations is possibly indicative our some of our fears. Fear of partaking in exams, the hassle of research and the reluctance to live through life’s passions. Shortcuts just look more enticing than a circuitous life.


Yet when we go through Scriptures, especially in the Old Testament, there seems to be particular cycle in the accounts told. This cycle speaks of a journey, a journey of an afflicted people of God to that of being joyfully liberated and thereafter thanksgiving for the liberation.

When we attempt to run away from the pains of our lives, it is not because we cannot bear the pain but simply because shortcuts in the forms of pleasure just look too enticing. We would rather find pleasure than pain and this is humanly understandable. Yet the Lord is inviting us to look beyond the pleasures of this world, and to look for the things that really matter. And what is this that really matters? It is our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Pleasures are short-lived and what is truly lasting for us, as it was for the liberated people of God in the Old Testament is not the pleasure of seeing the downfall of their enemies but the joy of knowing a God loves, cares and provides for them.


Let us then turn not to short-lived pleasures and live our lives in a shortcut manner, let us also not lived out our days in a stoic manner but with hope in our Living God and to entrust ourselves totally to Jesus who is the real joy-giver of our lives.


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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Peter Anthoney on 8th Sep 2010.

Reflections on Freedom- Ps 26 & 35 (Br Gregory Chan)

What is Freedom? According to French philosopher, JP Sartre (1905 - 1980), "Freedom is the stuff of my being. The other is my enemy." (The Exit) If that is the view we hold, then, brothers & fathers, there is no need to live in community, no need for brotherhood, for man is nothing else than what he makes of himself (The Critique of Reason). We can all go home right now, for so vast, so limitless is my freedom on the existential horizon that the very existence of my brother impinges on my freedom, and hence, he is my enemy. If I regard my brother as my "other", then there is no hope for community life, for we shall dwell, forever in resentment, hatred and enmity.

Just as Psalm 35 speaks of the Lord as light, Psalm 26 speaks of contrast, of contrast between the Lord, and the "other" (evil doers, enemies & foes - Psalm 26). However, the Scripture Reading exhorts us to put into practice "the perfect law of freedom" (Jas 1: 22). This freedom is different from what JP Sartre had in mind. It is a freedom which lays down, which gives up, which gives in, and not one which excludes, rejects or alienates. It is a freedom which freely chooses to include, to accept and to embrace. It is a freedom which makes for communitarian living, not just possible, but real and authentic.


So, let us give thanks for the gift of community, a community which we have freely chosen to live in love and harmony, never asking whether you are my "other" but whether you are my brother.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Jovita Ho on 6th Sep 2010.

Reflection On Teacher’s Day (Br Edward Seah)

I think it is just a little unthinkable for me to let the first week of September past without remembering people who have taken up teaching as their vocation.

When I was in Secondary Four, I received my education in an average neighbourhood- government school. If the rankings were done then, it would probably not make it to the top 50 to 100 in the ranking of schools. We had a broad range of teachers of different personalities and performances. Some were caring while others just passed by our lives without making any difference to us. But thank God only a few, and very few, tore our self-esteem into pieces. As I tried to recall a model-teacher of my secondary four days, a Mr. Sim came to my mind straight away. I do not know his full name or his religion. He was a literature teacher and his teaching style was simple. No high tech power-point or You-tube presentations. Not even chalk-talk. He practically read straight from his book peppered with some humour and his own little comments and anecdotes. He must be in his late 50s or early 60s by then and in the 1970s to be in one’s 50s was almost like ancient especially with his pants raised up high above the navel. Today, some parents as well as administrators may wonder if such teachers can still relate with the teenagers. In Mr. Sim’s case, as well as in many others, he was like Jesus the miracle worker!

In my class of Ah Lians and Ah Bengs [we were like rejects of a mother school which was overcrowded and so the Arts stream students were sacrificed to form a new school being built some 4 to 5 kms away] few actually got through their exams. The miracle was that many of my Lian-Bengs classmates failed in many subjects but passed Mr. Sim’s and this touched me to the core of my being right to this very day. It taught me a great lesson: that a teacher can make a great difference in the lives of the young. But Mr. Sim did not do the hard selling or created a storm in class. He was just being his natural self. I saw him as a man dedicated to his vocation as a teacher. He never raised his voice yet commanded respect from us the teenagers. He was firm but not cruel. He was a gentleman with great compassion and perfect joy.

In a way, Mr Sim reminded me of Jesus in today’s Gospel reading [Lk 5:1-11]. He taught us how to catch fish without saying too much or giving heaps of instructions. He set an example for us by being present to us in a kind and compassionate way which moved us, though academically weak as we were, to look at our lives with a sense of hope and so motivated us to enjoy the lessons. We always looked forward to Mr Sim’s lesson because we knew there was no need to be afraid of him. He took us from where we were and raised us up!

Today, thank God, there are still many kind, dedicated and approachable teachers like Mr Sim. Among those I have encountered include teachers like Thomas Koh, Timothy Goh, Br Nicholas Seet, Lucas Lak, Soh Piah Tat, Shakthi Sivasubramaniam, Br Kelvin Tan, Jamilah Yacob and Dominic Ang. They have been touching the lives of the young entrusted to them and continue to dedicate their lives for the good of the young especially the less privileged through education.

Being a teacher today is certainly more challenging and stressful than ever before. Few dare to complain because it is also their rice bowl. The difficulties teachers face today come from different directions. Apart from the stress of facilitating learning in the young, they are at times harassed by some very unreasonable parents. Then of course it is not uncommon to hear that teachers are often overloaded with new programmes over and above the existing ones.

As I remember Teachers’ Day, I pray that the Lord will help all our teachers to persevere in their teaching vocation. That the grace of our Lord Jesus will touch their hearts daily so that they will be aware that they do not work alone for all the good that they are trying to do and all the good values that they try to impart are done with the grace and help of the Spirit of the Living God.
To all the teachers out there, especially those working with weak students, Happy Teachers’ Day! And may the grace and abundant blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ remain with you always!

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Gregory Chan on 4th Sep 2010.