Reflection on 'God Ahead - Slow Down' (Br Nicholas Lye)

If I could describe an experience that brought me close to an experience of Christ's resurrection, it would be this:

While I was suffering from a fever AND diarrhoea double-hit combo some weeks ago, I had been eating porridge for 4 days. Not that the porridge was bad - in fact, it was so good, I didn't even know I had been eating it for FOUR days already. But still, when I had my last bowl of porridge delivered to me on the day when I was almost on the brink of recovery, I saw this piece of 'siew mai' in the bowl. At that instant, it was as if heaven's gates flung open! As I'm the kind who likes to save the best for last, I waited patiently till I finished my last scoop of porridge. Then I slowly raised up the piece of 'siew mai' with my spoon, gazed at its soft, yellow flesh for a moment, before finally sinking my teeth into its sweet, juicy flesh.

And for those brief seconds that seemed like eternity, I said to myself, "Now THIS is Heaven!"

One thing I've learnt from my sickness - while cooped up in my seminary room for 4 terrible days save for the love, care and concern from my seminary brothers - is that, in the midst of our busy, jam-packed schedules that we so often get so caught up in, the "interruptions" of sickness or suffering, can actually be part of God's agenda to slow us down in order to sharpen our senses, not just to the heavenly taste of 'siew mai', but more importantly, to the taste of God. When my tired, sickly body caused me to slow down my movements around the room or in performing simple tasks like bathing or brushing my teeth; when having to eat alone made me slow down each spoonful I placed in my mouth such that it heightened my taste buds and I was more conscious of the variety of taste that my hardly noticed taste buds now seem to be able to savour; when my lack of activity during my solitary confinement left me more time to stare at the view of nature outside my room, allowing me to more deeply admire and appreciate its beauty and even smell the fresh air that came with it; all these experiences increased my sense of God's presence and action in my daily life, increased my sense of awe and wonder at His creation and works - something that have not been too apparent to me in the hustle and bustle of my daily routines.

As we come to the end of our liturgical year, as well as our calendar year, let us not wait for the "interruptions" of sickness or suffering in our life, but start right now to slow down and take stock of how we have lived our Christian lives, how we have been conscious of God's presence and action in our lives, how we have been living in His Resurrection!

Only when we learn to slow down our lives, can we learn to heighten our sense of God who has been right before us all our lives, watching over us, working in us, and all around us, non-stop, all throughout the year. It is only up to us whether or not we are conscious enough to savour every taste of that Godly experience, even a deeper experience of His resurrection each day, which He is all ready to give us, once we are ready to sloooow... doooown...

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Reflections and Thoughts (Br Gabriel Wong)

After reading Bro Cornelius’s latest blog entry, I am pretty much inclined to ask myself, “How in the world did I get here?” Hmm, I guess I can gloat about myself. I can list down all the virtues, which I think I have. Maybe, I can even throw in a few good saintly characteristics. No one will know whether I am lying or not. After all, this is my blog entry. I can write what I want. Someday, someone may use this blog entry as reason for canonization?

Nah. Who am I kidding? The amazing fact is that I am pretty much flawed, and yet felt so much loved by God. That is why I am here in the first place. The man in the story, which is shared by Bro Cornelius, tried so hard to validate his entry into heaven by listing out his own merits. However, it is only revealed through the punch line of that story that it is only due to God’s grace. Good sharing there, Bro Cornelius!

This is my last entry for this year. This will be the last time I will ever walk in the passage way of the seminary as an Initiation Year brother. Philosophy Years beckon. As most…No, ALL of my older brothers have said, this will be the last time in which I will enjoy so much free time in the seminary. I guess being at the bottom of the “food chain” can be rather enjoyable this year. I have no major tasks to do within the community. It is really great having older brothers around. They have an amazing knack of making themselves useful.

They affirmed you.

They praised you.

They corrected you.

They cautioned you.

They are there for you.

As the only child and the son of a widow, I always yearn to be in a big family. God is amazing. He gives me brothers and daddies.

A daddy, who is crazy about the Spirit, shares with you so readily on his passion for God.

Another daddy, who is crazy about the teaching of Jesus, prays with you at night and makes himself so readily available for you.

The other daddy, who is crazy about the Word of God, teaches you a sport and never fails to bring goodies to the dining table.

A daddy, who is crazy about knowledge, shares so readily on his own experience to encourage you.

The newest daddy, who is crazy about the creation of God and salvation history, spends long hours to listen to the crabby you.

I have some brothers as well, who are crazy about Christ and His Church. Where can you find brothers like this?

Brother, who is so moved by the Spirit and passionate about youth work, endures your nonsense with a smile.

Brother, who has a knack of making you laugh, willingly coaches you at sport and in life.

Brother, who is very logical and generous, takes walks with you to help you to understand about seminary life.

Brother, who is so passionate about reaching out to the flock, selflessly spent long hours to converse with you and listen to you.

Brother, who is very open, is not afraid to share his own past with you to help you to overcome your past hurts.

Brother, who is so talented in design, forgives you easily in matters in which you make mistakes.

Brother, who is gifted in music, readily expresses his care for you as easily as he sings in parts.

Brother, who is so passionate about vocation, is unafraid to correct you when you are wrong.

Brother, who makes jokes to make you feel comfortable, makes an effort to drive you around even when he is tired.

Brother, who is incapable of deceit, takes time off his own personal time to show you around schools to let you understand the importance of a catholic education.

Brother, who is humble, readily uses his own free time to serve the community and freely share his knowledge with you.

Brother, who has a knack for cleaning up huge mess, affirms you readily.

Brother, who is kind in leadership, drives you to clinics if illness strikes.

Brother, who is so caring, transcends his own needs to rest by waking up early to prepare food for you and make herbal tea for the sickly you.

Brother, who is genuine, gives advice to you every step of the way.

Brother, who is gifted in storytelling, shares with you stories to remind you about the love of Christ and makes effort to be there for you in his own quiet fashion.

Lord, I love it here. Thank you so much for the abundant blessings you have given me. Thank you for this beautiful vocation.

I love You.

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Stay tuned for the last post of the year by Br Nicholas Lye on 27th Nov 2010.

Reflections on Ps 14 (Br Cornelius Ching)

No one goes through the Pearly gates
Without St. Peter’s holy nod.
Nobody is allowed access
To the Heavenly Throne of God.

So he was stopped at Heaven’s gate
And told that to atone for sin,
He must name good things he had done
To earn enough points to get in.

He said that he had been married
To his wife for fifty years,
And had been a faithful husband
Through times of strife and sometimes tears.

“That’s worth three points,” St. Peter said,
And entered it into his book.
The man complained, “Only three points?”
And gave St. Peter quite a look.

“Well, I have always paid my tithes,
And always given to the poor.
And when a stranger needed help,
I always had an open door.”

“Well, that’s good for another point.”
St. Peter wrote it as he said,
“And I will add another point
For all the hungry souls you fed.”

The man asked, “How am I doing?”
How many points to enter in?”
St. Peter said, “One hundred points
Are needed to atone for sin.”

The startled man said, under breath,
“Well that would take the Grace of God!”
“Bingo!” St. Peter told the man,
And then gave him the holy nod.

Who is worthy to come face to face with the Lord? Who is worthy to go into heaven into his heavenly presence? Who can qualify? No matter how much we do, we can never earn our way into heaven (but it does not mean we should stop being a good christian).

As we come to the close of the liturgical year and prepare for the coming of the Lord in the season of Advent, let us be reminded that this is the ultimate testament of the love of God in sending his only begotten son to be our Saviour. It is only through his grace that we can be admitted to his tent. It is with the tickets purchased with the precious blood of Christ that we can gain admission through the gates of heaven, can enter our eternal home.

"His grace is sufficient for me!"

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Gabriel Wong on 25th Nov 2010.

Reflections on the Solemnity of Christ the King (Br Terence Kesavan)

As we come to the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year, it is always the celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King. And I would like to share with you an interesting clip I saw that highlights the Kingship of Christ. It is from the movie 300, which is about Leonidas, king of Sparta, who led 300 men to defend his land from an invasion by the Persian army led by their "god-king" Xerxes. In this clip, we see a negotiation between Leonidas and Xerxes.

The video clip can't be embedded, because it is copyrighted. So click on this link to view it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXaTcZWBfC0

There are a few points in the dialogue between the two which struck me, highlighting the contrasting ideas of what kingship was. And I found that I could relate Leonidas' kingship with Christ's kingship of love, self-sacrifice and freedom. In contrast Xerxes kingship can be equated to the devil's kingship of false promises, fear, oppression and pain.

Xerxes / Devil	Leonidas / Christ
- would gladly kill any of his own men for victory	- would die for any one of his men
- has slaves	- has warriors who were free men

What Xerxes does, is like what the devil did to tempt Jesus after his forty days in the desert: a promise of power and fame, if Jesus would only bow before him. And just as Leonidas stood up to Xerxes, Jesus stood up to the devil, because he knew who was the true source of power and good.

This is what we need to reflect on today - Is Jesus really our king? We know that he was willing to die for any one of his men, to free them from the hands of the evil one. Have we then experienced his kingship in our lives? Are we marching in his army, under his banner, following his lead? Are we as Leonidas says, free men who stood against a tryant, the evil one?

Let us then today truly acknowledge Christ as our king, bending our knee before him, pledging our allegiance, following his commands, and be his army in establishing God's kingdom here on earth.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Cornelius Ching on 23th Nov 2010.

Reflection on Revelation 7:9-17 (Br Jude David)

One of the features that is unique about the parish that I come from is that although it is a pretty newly renovated church building; the parish priest who renovated the parish had envisioned a fusion of the old and the new. Whilst the church has been refurbished and air-conditioned, there are also life-size statues of Saints at every pillar of the parish just like the church of old. There were mixed reactions to this decision for there were those who were uneasy with the changes that were being made to the building that they had grown up with; and then there were those who did not like the idea of having too many statues around in the church because they felt it was a swing back to the devotionalism of the pre-Vatican II period and then, there were those who were grumbling because they felt that there was some chauvinism because the statues of the saints had been arranged according to gender, with male saints on one side and female saints on the other. Amidst all these criticisms, I was deeply inspired at a mass which was celebrated by a visiting foreign priest who was passing through Singapore. As he entered the sanctuary of the newly-renovated church, one could see from his facial expression that he was deeply moved by the sight of the church and he exclaimed to the congregation, “I feel like I am in heaven!” He continued, “Look around you at these Saints, and how in every difficult period of history, God has raised up Saints for His Church. You are the Saints of these difficult times!”

This profound reflection of that visiting priest has remained with me all these years and even now, when I go back to my home parish during my holidays, I am deeply moved by the thought that I am having a glimpse of heaven. Indeed, the image portrayed by the author of the Book of Revelations in Rev 7:9-17 comes alive for me as I attend mass at my home parish with the statues of all these glorious men and women who have left their mark on the Church and as I stand amongst God’s People whom He is raising up as the Saints of today. Are we not the ones who are standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in the white robes of our baptismal garment and holding the palms of Christ’s victory over sin in our hands? Is not our common cry, “Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”?

It was easy for many to criticise the new statues that surrounded the newly renovated church but it took the eyes of faith to see beyond the criticism and to discover the message that God was communicating to us. Indeed, in every difficult age in the Church’s history, God has raised up some of the brightest “stars of Faith” in the men and women who have borne witness to Christ. Indeed, even today, as we stand amongst our fellow Christians, we may find it easier to highlight all their weaknesses and criticise them for their many shortcomings, but only when we look beyond their inadequacies and seek to discover the presence of God amongst them, can we also start to see the faces of the many bright shining “stars of Faith” that God is raising up even today amidst the difficult times the Church is facing. We can be certain that God is raising up Saints today. Could the person sitting next to you at your next Sunday mass be one of them? Even more, could the person you see in the mirror every morning, be the one God is raising up to be a great hero of Faith for the Church of today? May we constantly wash our robes clean in the blood of the Lamb so that we may stand victorious in the great liturgy of heaven. Let us constantly pray for the grace to respond to this high calling!

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Terence Kesavan on 21th Nov 2010.

Reflection: Do you love your Church? (Br Anthony Liew)

All of us know how important it is to have a church building for worshipping and thanksgiving – a sacred place where we meet our Lord. Unfortunately, many of us take our church building for granted. I suppose it is because not many of us have experienced having our Eucharistic celebration done outside the church building or have never had a chance to participate in the process of planning a new church building. Indeed, there are many procedures we have to follow and it can be complicated at times. The situation becomes worse if it is mixed up with the political elements in the country.

Last year, I was attached to a parish for my regency year. I was blessed to be able to get involved with the parish building committee in the process of planning their very own church building. The parishioners of this parish have not had their own church building for many years. They have had their Eucharistic celebrations in a rented hall during the weekends. In fact, they have been hoping to have their own church building for a long long time – a place where they can pray together and above all, a place to call a home to which they belong where they can feel free to mingle around after Mass as one family of Christ!

After having gone through these challenges in planning the church building, I started to appreciate the significance of having our very own church building for our people of God. Indeed, I am waiting for the completion of this church building. I am sure not just me alone, but all the parishioners of that parish have been praying to God for their very own church building. Despite the many challenges they have had to face, they have never given up this hope of owning a house of God – a house that truly belongs to them. I am sure when the church is completed later, we can be like the Psalmist of Psalm 121 who rejoices together with one another when we enter the house of the Lord. In fact, what touches me the most is the statement given by their pastor to his flock. He said, “it is urgent to build the church - a home that belongs to all of us to worship God. Yet, it is even more urgent to build the church – the people of God in which God dwells in us in order for us to make His presence to the world.”

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Jude David on 19th Nov 2010.

Reflection on Psalm 90 (Br Peter Anthoney)

The psalmist of psalm 89(90) is reminding us of our limitations and shortness of our life, our human existence.

To your eyes a thousand years,
are like yesterday, come and gone,
no more than a watch in the night.

We are reminded that by the divine command, man returns to the dust from which he was taken, as already affirmed in the creation account of Genesis: “You are dust, and to dust you shall return”. In the reminder is also an admonition for us to become aware of where the worldliness of our life is leading us. God our Creator, who shapes the human creature in all his eauty and complexity, is also the One who “turns men back into dust”. And “dust” is also a symbolic expression of our death.

The psalmist, pleads with God, pouring out his weaknesses as human, bound by sin, wiped away by the evil force which has resulted in him falling short for the grace of God. The psalmist continues, pleading God for the knowledge of understanding human life…he says…

Make us know the shortness of our life,
That, we may gain wisdom of heart
Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever?
Show pity to your servants

Therefore, by gaining the wisdom of God we may see the light of hope to direct our life towards this life of hope. It is at this point we become aware that the predestination of each one of us is to a life of holiness, a life predestined to see its fulfilment in the beatific vision of God in all his Glory.

To gain this wisdom of God, we do not only have the assurance from God but his gift of his grace for us to be able to encounter and overcome all forms of trials and tribulations of this world. It is only with this grace of God which is more that sufficient to leads us to discern his will for each of us, live according to his will for us and to grow in holiness.

As such together with the psalmist let us seek the grace of God to be able to embrace the virtue of faithfulness.

Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon us
give success to the work of our hands!
give success to the work of our hands!

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Anthony Liew on 17th Nov 2010.

Reflection on Gifts of Life and Light (Br Jovita Ho)

“In you is the source of life, and in your light we see light.” Psalm 36:9

Change. Sometimes we desire it, and sometimes we do not desire it. Yet sometimes even when we desire change, especially those that affects us externally, we tend to shrug it off or give up changing it, because it is just not worth the effort. Even if we pray for change, nothing may change much today. There is still the likelihood of us falling asleep during our prayers, meditation, lessons or work. There would also still be that wonderfully irritating person whom we rather not encounter as well. Despite all the good intentions on our part to change, nothing seems to change, as a matter of fact; all seems to remain the same.

“In you is the source of life, and in your light we see light.” This particular verse in Psalm 36 is something which I have prayed over many times during Divine Office, and yet if we see its message, it is simply amazing. “In your light we see light” simply means that only when God who is light, gives us light, would then thus enable us to behold all things in light. Imagine if there is no light coming from your natural surroundings, or if there isn't any of idea of light, this article would not be able to be written nor read. “In your light, we see light!”

We may not be able to change the surroundings, the situations or even the brother or sister whom we encounter, but we can encounter all these through the light of our eyes which is given us by God the Father. Let us pray that the Lord of light will cast His light on all that and all whom we encounter, so that we too may be a source of life and light to those who are gifted to us and whom we are gifted to.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Peter Anthoney on 15th Nov 2010.

Reflection on Grandeur, Intimacy and Humility (Br Gregory Chan)

Those of us who read Church History are simply intrigued by the study of the Renaissance, especially about the Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance.

In the very first hour we watched, fascinated at how the Architect Brunelleschi designed and built the Dome of the Cathedral of Florence. Hundreds of years before, the Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, Justininan commissioned another architectural wonder, the Hagia Sophia, which was constructed from a series of domes, with its highest and biggest raised twenty-one feet above the others. These architectural feats show how man wanted to honour God, and wasted no time and effort in constructing magnificent, lofty, edifices where they could worship Him in His house.

Psalm 121 opens joyously:
“I rejoiced when I hear them say:
‘Let us go to God’s house.’”

God’s house was therefore something awesome and grand. However, what we have learnt in the Gospel of John, is that the message is not about a particular location, it is about a relationship, an intimate relationship. Indeed, Psalm 129: 5 - 6 speaks of this intimacy:

“My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
My soul is longing for the Lord
more than watchman for daybreak.”

Finally, in the Canticle in Phil 2: 6 – 8, we encounter Jesus, who, above all the symbols of power, might and majesty, chose to die powerless:

“Though he was in the form of God,
Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.

He emptied himself,
taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of men.

And being found in human form
He humbled himself and became obedient unto death,
Even death on a cross.”


Let us then contrast these three symbols of grandeur, intimacy and humility. Let us therefore pray that we be humble, inviting the people of God to cultivate genuine intimacy with God, so that we may give glory and honour to the Body of Christ. With these thoughts in mind, let us pray.
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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Jovita Ho on 13th Nov 2010.

Reflection on St Charles Borromeo (Br Edward Seah)

When I was reflecting on the life of St Charles Borromeo, somehow I was reminded, to some extent, of St. John Baptist De La Salle, the Founder of the Lasallian Schools.

St. La Salle was born in Rheims in France while St. Borromeo was from Arona, Italy. It seems to me that both life stories may not be as interesting to children as compared to the life of St. Francis of Assisi. But they are certainly very inspiring for the adults.

Both Saints La Salle and Borromeo lost their fathers while they were still young and had to take responsibility in the management of their family affairs which would include looking after their younger siblings. This must have prepared them for heavier responsibilities and commitment as required of them later on. Both had their studies disrupted for a while but were able to continue later on leading to doctoral degrees.

St. La Salle’s maternal family, the Moet, were well known vineyard owners while Borromeo’s maternal family was the powerful Medici from Florence. Both men had uncles who supported their involvement in the Church by providing exposures to some of the church’s offices. Saints La Salle and Borromeo became priests, though the latter eventually became the Archbishop of Milan.

It was significant that both observed or experienced abuses in the church and responded by serving the Lord with all their might. St La Salle accepted his bishop’s ban on celebrating mass publicly and so continued focusing on his ministry of providing education to the young, especially the poor, and with the formation of teachers. St. Borromeo on the other hand believed that abuses in the church arose from clergy ignorance and swung into action by establishing seminaries, colleges and communities for the education of candidates for holy orders. As Archbishop of Milan, he was credited in the re-organising of diocesan administration; calling of provincial and diocesan synods, made regular and systemic pastoral visits; opened a seminary entrusted to the Jesuits and to the Oblates of St Ambrose. He also promoted religious renewal in his archdiocese.

As I reflected on their lives, I realized that both Saints La Salle and Borromeo were single-minded and very mature in their faith. They did not allow the weaknesses and sins of the church to destroy their faith and zeal in working for God. Instead they focused solely on doing God’s will, spreading God’s grace as they toil from place to place. In the end, they made a difference in the lives of many.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Gregory Chan on 11th Nov 2010.

Reflection on Psalm 51 (Br Benedict Chng)

Every Friday morning throughout the year we pray Psalm 51. This psalm was composed at different moments in the history of Israel. It was finally fixed during the exile of the Israelites or immediately after their return from Babylon when the feeling of their own guilt was still strong. They saw their sins against Yahweh had been the cause of all their sufferings, especially their experience in exile. Thus, Israel wants to assume all the infidelities of its own history – particularly David’s sin with Bathsheba – until that caused their exile and the destruction of the holy city would be forgiven.

Let us remember that Jesus also took upon himself all our sins and Himself became sin for us. In Order to destroy in His own body, the sin of man.

As church, we are the body of Christ in this world. Hence in union with the universal church, let us seek pardon and mercy for our sins. In prayer, let us assume as our Lord did in His Passion, the sins of the world, interceding for all men with Jesus before our Father as we pray our Psalm.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Edward Seah on 09th Nov 2010.

Reflection on Psalm 62 (Br Alphonsus Dominic)

"Challenges in our Faith Journey"

About a month ago, I met a parishioner who is a social service counsellor. She shared with me that the recent statistics for the number of people committing suicide or going into depression and being admitted into the Institute of Mental Health had both increased. It was found that majority of the cases falls into two particular categories, either financial difficulties or relationship problems apart from the others.

We all have a fair share of experiences with the difficulties of life but psalm 62 challenges us to look back at these difficulties and dark moments of our lives, when we felt that everything that can go wrong went wrong! How did we handle these situations? Did we bravely endure all the torrents of life or did we fall apart and lose our peace of mind and our faith?

The psalmist reminds and encourages us to completely place our trust in our God, not only with our eternal lives but also with our daily lives. Let us praise and glorify Him for past victories as well as for the victory over our current situation. Deep down in our hearts, let us with perfect trust in our God’s ability to deliver us out of any threats for He is all loving and has a special relationship with us His children.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Benedict Chng on 07th Nov 2010.

Reflections on Life beyond life (Br Samuel Lim)

Yesterday marks the end of what I call the "Triduum of the Dead." On Sunday night, the secular world partied with the dead among the living – it was Halloween. On Monday, the Church celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints – where we rejoice with our brothers and sisters who are already in heaven. And on Tuesday, yesterday, the Church commemorated all the faithful departed who are still undergoing purification – commonly known as All Souls’ Day. Of course, my reflection here concerns only the last two days.

It is interesting to note that the Church places these two celebrations side by side. What we celebrated on All Saints’ Day is actually the future of those souls whom we remembered on All Souls’ Day, since we believe that the souls of those undergoing purification in purgatory will eventually end up as saints in heaven. Here’s the official teaching of the Church: “All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” [CCC 1030]

So why do we pray for the faithful departed? To ensure their entry into heaven? No, because as mentioned, their salvation is already assured. To ‘shorten’ their stay in purgatory? Possibly, but who are we to determine their readiness to enter heaven? And who are we to bargain with God on their length of stay in purgatory? Anyway, strictly speaking, none of us sinners can claim that we qualify for entry into the perfect and spotless Kingdom, as the Psalmist says: “If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt; Lord, who would survive?” [Ps 130:3] The fact that anyone is allowed a period of purification in purgatory is purely due to the grace and mercy of God. So who is to complain?

Therefore, when we pray for the souls who have gone before us, we're just like the spectators of a race cheering for the runners and reminding them that their final destination is just around e corner. We’re here to remind them of the abundant love of God for them and His eagerness to welcome them into His Kingdom.

While we're busy cheering for them, let us not forget that we too are running our own race – our journey on earth. And the beauty is that, just as we cheer for the souls in purgatory, the saints in heaven are cheering for us at the same time. These saints are the “many witnesses in a great cloud all around us,” as mentioned in the Letter to the Hebrews. Indeed, they are the witnesses of true faith and examples of faithfulness in the Lord. And just as we, in our prayers, urge the faithful departed to let go of all their earthly attachments in order to embrace God completely, these saints too are encouraging us to be free of all sins and everything that prevents us from running this race of earthly life.

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“With so many witnesses in a great cloud all around us, we too, then, should throw off everything that weighs us down and the sin that clings so closely, and with perseverance keep running in the race which lies ahead of us.”
[Heb 12:1]

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This is the beauty and the dynamics of the Communion of Saints where all of us “who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church” [CCC 962] continue to encourage, love and pray for one another. How privileged we are to be part of this living Church of Christ!

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Alphonsus Dominic on 05th Nov 2010.

A reflection on the Solemnity of All Saints Day (Br Joseph Zhang)

Longing – Enduring – Celebrating

It is becoming quite frequent and common that we come across TV programs and news featuring awards or medals giving. In the newspapers we often read about awards for the best singer, the best director, the best actor and actress. There are also the gold, silver, and bronze medals for the athletes. All the contestants have the same longing and the same goal that is to be the winner, to be the best.



In order to be the winner, they go through all kinds of difficult trainings and skill practices. Motivated by their goal to win, they are able to endure all the hard labours.

When they finally reap the harvest of their hard labours and become the winners, they rejoice and celebrate; they sing the songs of victory and joy.

Today we celebrate the solemnity of All Saints Day. These saints, when they were on earth, they longed only for one goal that was to win the crown of glory from God, to be united with God.

Similar to the earthly contestants who endure all kinds of hard trainings to win the corporate awards and medals, these saints endure all kinds of difficulties, trials, and persecutions to achieve their final goal. The trials become endurable for them because of their dream to win the spiritual award from God.



These saints, whose feast we celebrate today, have run their spiritual race and have won the spiritual contest. They are crowned with glory by God and are now living in the presence of God. They are singing songs of praise to God.



The three elements of longing, enduring, and celebrating in winning the spiritual award is well reflected in psalm 62, the canticle of Daniel, and psalm 149. Psalm 62 expresses the psalmist’s longing for God, the Canticle shows us that the three young men could endure the heat of the furnace because their eyes were fixed upon God in heaven, and the psalmist of psalm 149 sings a new song to the Lord.

Let us rejoice for the saints, let us rejoice with the saints. Let us emulate the saints by directing our whole lives and activities completely towards God.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Samuel Lim on 03rd Nov 2010.