St Francis Xavier Major Seminary

We are moving...

2011-05-31T08:00:00.000+08:00

Dear friends,

We thank you for your support for our blog.

It has been a wonderful opportunity for us to share with you our thoughts and reflections.

However, we shall be moving over to another blogsite and you are invited to now read our reflections at http://kampungpunggol.blogspot.com/

May the Lord continue to touch and inspire you in many ways and bless you each day of your life!

With love and prayer,

The Blogmaster

Reflection: Butterfly Wings (Br Nicholas Lye)

2011-05-05T21:20:00.001+08:00

During one of my morning Holy Hour with the Lord, I was presented with an image of myself curled up in the huge, comforting hands of God. He cupped me so tenderly in His hands as if to protect me from danger, and keep me safe from harm, allowing me to seek refuge in His loving hands, and be unconcerned with the storms of the world outside, at least even if for just that time of adoration with Him.

Then the image progressed where I saw myself turning into a cocoon, all wrapped up in silk, still cupped in my Father's hands. As I struggled to free myself from the silky threads, it reminded me of the unwanted struggles I faced in life, along with the frustrations, resentment, and anger that brewed within me when I felt as if I was trapped and unable to free myself from the undesired circumstances that bound me together. What I never realised till I saw this image, was that all this time while I was struggling, I was still cupped in the safe hands of God. Even while I was struggling through life and felt as if God was so far away, I was actually still in His hands, where He continues to watch over me, protect me from unnecessary danger, and only allow that level of struggle that was sufficient enough to help me grow in strength, patience, and perseverance.

As I learnt from the famous story of a man trying to cut open the cocoon in order to 'make things easier' for the butterfly to come out, the restricting cocoon and the struggle to get out of the cocoon was a way of forcing fluid from the body into the wings so that it would be ready for flight once that was achieved. Without the struggle, though the butterfly may emerge from its cocoon more easily, it would be left with a swollen body and shrivelled wings.

Back to my image, when I finally saw myself struggling out of the cocoon, and emerging with big, strong, colourful and beautiful wings, I saw God the Father, still cupping me in His hands, with a great, big and proud smile on His face. And He told me, I have created you, with the intention of giving you big and beautiful wings. And it is because you struggled, yet never gave up, that you now receive this pair of wings. It is yours. Be proud of it. Claim it. Embrace it. And now fly free into the world and let the world see my beauty through you and your pair of wings. Never doubt your true potential. Never fear what I have given you. For no butterfly can ever hide the beauty in their wings. They were meant to bring joy to the world just by simply flying freely in the world. And so were you meant to live freely and bring my joy to the world.

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May you too recognise the Father's hands cradling you during your times of struggle, preparing you for the butterfly wings He intends to give you. And when you recognise the beautiful wings He has given you, don't be afraid of them. Claim them. Embrace them. And be proud of them, believing in its great potential for God to do great things through them. And fly free. Spread your wings and fly. So that with each of us spreading our own unique, God-given wings, we may collectively let the world be overwhelmed by the love of our Father through our butterfly wings.

Reflection: Mercy and Faithfulness (Br Simon Anand)

2011-05-03T08:00:00.000+08:00

Mercy and Faithfulness have met,
Righteousness and Peace have embraced.

(An alternative translation substitutes “Faithfulness” with “Truth”. I have adopted it to be more apt for my sharing.)

This phrase in the psalmist’s romantic writing presents a necessary and sound amalgamation of the two major faculties of a human person: the Head and the Heart. Many theologians term the head as the Intellect and the heart as the Will in most of their works.

There is an important parellism in God’s creation. Everything comes in pairs to complement each other, eventually resulting in completion or fullness. In the Old Testament, we see the pillar of cloud in the day and the pillar of fire at night signifying the presence of God throughout the whole 24 hours. Another ideal example to expound this value of parallelism is our respiratory system. It is complete because we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. They are two extremes possessing two different substantial natures yet they always remain complementing each other. Amongst all these, man and woman are viewed as two great extremes complementing each other which is vividly manifested in the Sacrament of the church - Holy Matrimony.

“They are no longer two but one....what God unites, man must not divide.”

Thus, the first line of the above psalm speaks of the two different extremes coming together. Mercy is a property of the heart. It means to be affectionate over a person especially for one who is suffering; to be compassionate, merciful, caring and empathetic. In psychology, a man is incomplete without a woman (anima) within him. The woman (anima) within him makes him a more poised person. Likewise, heart of mercy is incomplete if the truth of the head is ignored. Every emotion has to be integrated with the Truth. This is where the faculty of reason comes into the picture in order to seek that Truth. Imagine the consequence of being excessively merciful to those who are on their deathbed. We might hold on to their lives at all cost which would perpetuate their suffering in this corporeal world. However, if our feelings could be integrated with the head (Truth), we will begin to understand the meaning of suffering that it is not an end by itself but a means to a greater beginning in another “Greater World”.

As when a man meets his “significant other”, he can’t but express his love in gestures which could involve hugs and kisses. Likewise, the meeting of Mercy and Faithfulness certainly results in Righteousness (justice) and Peace. One whose merciful heart, that has been integrated with the Truth will never but live justly and righteously. The man, who has been recently elevated to blessedness, late Pope John Paul II has advocated this virtue by his own life on earth. Incontrovertibly, he was a man with a heart of gold; merciful and compassionate particularly towards woman and youth. The inauguration of the World Youth Day and promotion of moral values in emancipating woman in the society precisely by canonizing many female saints during his papacy communicate the depth of his passion for these groups. Nevertheless, he was not driven by mere emotions until he had to close an eye to the increasing contemporary evil. Many extreme feminists fought for equal rights between man and woman which effectuated in promoting pro-choice, abortion and contraception. On another extreme, the newer generation emerged in neo-philosophical tenets to view life differently from the traditional viewpoint. Pre-marital sex, atheism and agnosticism, substance abuses were all perceived as compulsory aspects of human formation process. He, John Paul II, never condoned but attacked it with the Truth the church teaches, the Truth in his head. Being a philosopher himself, he preached the gospel of Human Life and its dignity loud and clear. In no way has he ever promoted evil that sometimes arise from nowhere but within our pseudo-feelings. His heroic life on earth was the product of harmony between being a man of feelings and a man of knowledge which has now led him to a greater life in the other world. It goes without saying, that he was the image of Righteousness and Peace for whomsoever had encountered him.

Let us pray that we too will never fail to thirst for the knowledge of Him in our lives while our hearts are forever drawn to those who are merciful and in special need of mercy. May we always treasure and appreciate the two faculties in us that distinguish us from all other creation and never cease to praise Him for sharing His life with us. Alleluia!!!!

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Nicholas Lye on 5th May 2011.

Reflection on Psalm 74 (Br Gabriel Wong)

2011-05-01T15:32:00.005+08:00

Yours is the day and yours the night,
you caused sun and light to exist,
you fixed all the boundaries of the earth,
you created summer and winter.
Psalm 74:16-17

Do I know this?
Do I truly know who the boss in my life is?
Do I ask and rely on God in my daily living?
In the face of the contradiction between the ways of the world and Gospel values, have I lost heart?
When everything in this world shouts of threats and foolishness, where does my true loyalty lie?

Arise, God, champion your own cause,
and remember how fools blaspheme you all day long!
Do not forget the shouting of your enemies,
the ever-mounting uproar of your adversaries.
Psalm 74:22-23

Am I aware that He is listening to our prayer this very instance? I try hard to talk to the other self, who doubts so easily at times. I have to meet him halfway at times and not to talk high up on the pedestal. I have to talk to him in terms of my limited knowledge. The other self falls so easily and the Gospel values seem at times so unreal. The other self demands for tangible answers, and craves insurance from the trials of tomorrow.
How can I make the other self see beyond this material world, and set his eyes solely on an eventual judgment?
How can I convince him that judgment will be accompanied with much grace, which flows into eternity?

His Holiness, Pope Benedict, is right. In his “Light of the World”, I know that I have much to grow in faith and knowledge to help the other self in breaking through my sound barrier of finitude.
Help us, Lord, to break this barrier and set our eyes beyond the flesh.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Simon Anand on 3rd May 2011.

Reflection: Easter (Br Joachim Robert)

2011-04-29T08:00:00.004+08:00

There was this crazy man who wanted to control the movement of the Sun so he could continue sleeping and not be disturbed. He thought for a long time and came up with an idea which he thought was brilliant. He said to himself, "I will go up to the mountain and tell the Sun not to rise tomorrow."

So he hurriedly climbed up to the mountain before sunset to meet the Sun. Upon arriving there, he told the sun, “You must not rise tomorrow.”

The next morning the sun rose beautifully and shone as it usually did. Upon seeing the sun, the man got angry and ran back to his home, closed all the door and windows and covered all the holes so that he can be in darkness.

~~~~~

During Easter we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, His triumph over sin and death and His victorious deliverance out of darkness of sin into His wonderful Light. In the Easter proclamation too we sing that:

Christ has ransomed us with his blood,
and paid for us the price of Adam's sin
to our eternal Father!

This is our Passover feast,
when Christ, the true Lamb, is slain,
whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers.

Jesus Christ has truly risen like the Sun in the story but do we really and truly believe that Jesus has done all this out of his love for us or are we still in our slumber….?

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Gabriel Wong on 1st May 2011.

Reflection: Holy Week (Br Terence Kesavan)

2011-04-27T08:08:00.002+08:00

We are back from our Mid-Term Break, where all the seminarians went back to their home parish for Holy Week.

Yesterday's reading (Jn 20:11-18) about Mary Magdalene's encounter with the Risen Lord reminded me of my experience at this year's Easter Vigil.

Before the Liturgy of the Light, everyone was gathered around the fire at the entrance of the church. I was standing with the Fr Brian and the Altar Servers, waiting for it to start. I looked around and saw a priest in his chasuble standing at the back. I didn't recognise him, and I thought it must be a visiting priest come to join in the celebration. So I went up to him and said "Father, we are about to start, would you like to join us near the fire. He gave a laugh and said "It is me lah!". Then I realised that it was Fr Bosco. He had shaven his head and beard. He looked totally different.

I have heard that Fr Bosco had done this before during Easter, but still the sight before me left me in shock. I found myself staring trying to figure out how the hair and beard could change one's appearance so drastically. I recalled the Mas Selamat posters with him in a beard and clean shaven, and it did not look so different.

Back to yesterday's reading. As I compared Mary Magdalene's experience of the Risen Lord, with my encounter with Fr Bosco's new look, I realised the similarities.

Mary was looking for the dead Jesus' body. I was also expecting a bearded Fr Bosco, the one I was used to.

Mary recognised Jesus when he called her. I also recognised Fr Bosco by his voice, when he said "it is I lah!".

Mary would probably have known that Jesus had said that he would rise on the third day. I knew that Fr Bosco had previously shaved his head for Easter, and many people did not recognise him, and yet when I saw him, it didn't cross my mind.

Looking forward to the last day when I brought before Christ, I know that this scenario will play itself out again.

Though I know that Christ will be different from what I imagine him to be, I will still be clinging on to my image of what Christ should look like, and may not recognise him. I just pray and hope that when that day comes, I will be able to recognise his voice when he says to me, "It is Me lah!."

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Joachim Robert on 29th Apr 2011.

Seminary Mid-Term Break

2011-04-14T08:00:00.001+08:00

Dear friends,

Thank you for your continued support for our blog.

We shall be taking a short break from our postings in view of our seminary mid-term break.

Stay tuned for our next posting on 27th April 2011.

Meanwhile, have a meaningful and empowering Holy Week ahead as we anticipate and enter into the highest point of our liturgical calendar through the celebration of the Easter Triduum!

BLESSED

Thank you and God Bless !

The Blogmaster

Reflection: Christ be our LIGHT (Br Anthony Liew)

2011-04-12T08:00:00.004+08:00

Whenever people are facing difficulties, they may seem to think that there is no way for them to come out from these difficulties. They tend to imagine themselves in the dark moments of their lives. As a result, they will try every means desperately to cope with their difficulties. Some seek help from fortune tellers; some try their luck through lottery; some even go for 'Ah Long' (loan shark) or other means which eventually cannot solve their difficulties.

We will not be able to come out from our difficulties unless we turn to Jesus our saviour. It may sound unrealistic to the world. Yet for us His believers, Jesus is the Lord who loves us and gives us Hope in the dark moments of our lives. Similarly in the eyes of the world, the passion and death of Jesus were His darkest moments of His life. Yet, He shows us His believers that His resurrection brings us hope. Indeed, passion and death without resurrection is tragedy. Jesus Christ, who has died and resurrected, is the light that shines in the darkness. He shows us the way when the world says to us that there is no way. Indeed, “anyone who follows me will not be walking in the darkness; he will have the light of life,” says the Lord.

As we are approaching Holy week, let us not only anticipate Christ’s passion and death, but above all His resurrection which gives us sure hope for all who have faith in Him. He will not put us down if we believe in Him. He is the light that the darkness cannot overcome – even the darkness of death! Let us continue to ask ourselves, “How can I be another Christ to bring His light to those who lives in darkness?” Indeed, there are many wounded souls who are unable to come out of their darkness unless they receive the light of Christ and are touched by His love.

Reflection: Work in Progress (Br Jude David)

2011-04-10T08:00:00.002+08:00

“My Father still goes on working, and I am at work, too.” (John 5:17)

Amidst the many challenges and difficulties of life, it is easy to wonder where God is in all this. When we encounter difficult people who seem to constantly get on our nerves, when we have been praying for situations in our lives which doesn’t seem to be resolved even after much perseverance or when we constantly have to face our own brokenness and sinfulness as we are often do when we go deep within ourselves during this holy season of Lent, it is easy to wonder if there is any hope in all this ever being put in order.

Jesus’ declaration that the Father goes on working and so does he in John 5:17 is a strong statement that should give all who are growing weary and burdened in life much hope because God’s work is still in progress. God is the one who has the final say in our lives and it is not over until He says so. As difficult as it may be for us to truly grasp the fact that God is at work in our lives amidst the darkness and gloom, we have to trust that we can hold Him by His Word and believe that He is truly at work in our ordinary lives.

The most silent moment in the life of Jesus was when he hung lifeless on the cross of Calvary. His last words were, “It is accomplished”. Indeed, his salvific work is accomplished upon the cross of Calvary and we will revel in this victory in the days to come when Christian all over will celebrate the passion and death of our Lord on Good Friday. However, the Church also reminds us that even at his death, our Lord descended to the dead where he preached the Good News to all who were awaiting the Good News of salvation. The Father goes on working even whilst his Son slept in the silence of the tomb because He vindicated him on that Easter morning when he rose glorious from the dead. Indeed, we can be sure that even the pain and gloom of Holy Week, there was not a moment when God was not at work. The ancients believed that if God were to stop “working” even for a second, the whole world would crumble upon itself because it is God who continues to sustain the world and hold it in existence.

Thus, as we approach Holy Week, we can take heart that God is certainly at work in our lives even amidst the mundane routines that may overtake Holy Week. God is at work and maybe, if we stopped for a moment and realise the gravity of this fact, we would then realise that we are indeed work-in progress and thus, there is always hope. We are not the only work-in-progress but so are our spouses, our children, our parents, our in-laws, our colleagues, our neighbours and most importantly, so are our enemies. God is at work in every person’s lives and what hope this must stir up in all of us.

Let us take heart in the words of St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians, “Keep on working, with fear and trembling, to complete your salvation, for God is always at work in you to make you willing and able to obey his own purpose.” (Phil 12b -13)

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Anthony Liew on 12th Apr 2011.

Reflection: Not Just Renewed But Made New (Br Jovita Ho)

2011-04-08T08:00:00.000+08:00

“You must be made new in mind and spirit, and put on new nature.”

Ephesians 4:23-24

Some time ago, one of my friends remarked that he is convinced that God loves him as he is, and since he is loved as such, thus there is no need for him to be changed. I agreed with his first half of his statement but the second half I begged to differ.

St Paul tells us that “we must be made new in mind and spirit, and put on new nature” (Eph 4:23-24) and this presupposes that after experiencing (either intellectual or emotional) the love of God for us, we would rid ourselves of former mindset, old spirit or spirits and dispose of the undesirable nature that was a result of our sinful past.

Let’s give it a simple analogy. If any of us have bad habits (and I guess I need not explain what bad habits are!) which somehow we are pretty contended with, and yet when we come into contact with someone whom we love, and who we know loves us deeply and unconditionally, would we not want to try to please him or her, and not allow the person to be hurt by these bad habits of ours which we know are objectionable in this relationship? How many of us would want to do something (which no doubt could be a habitual issue) hurtful to our parents and loved ones when we know it to be wrong?

It is true that God loves us as we are, and it is even more true that since He loves us unconditionally, would we not want to be ‘perfect as He is perfect’ and to be more Christ-like in our nature and relationships? To say that we have no need to change after encountering a loving Father, a Brother who died for us on the Cross and who has given us the Holy Spirit is to deny the existence of a relationship. To say such things is to validate what Karl Marx had said, ‘that religion is opium of the people’, and that we are seeking some form of escapism by embracing it.

When we are embraced by the Father’s love, we are also embracing the path that His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ had trod, and He promises us the Holy Spirit to help us along this life-changing. No doubt that ‘we bring the who we are into what we do’, but even more true is that Christ is not offering a second-class option but a first-class promise of being sons and daughters of the Father. Let us not be mediocre Christians but be people filled with a sense of purpose and trust in the Divine Will and Divine Providence, and be a people radiating the Resurrection life to all who we encounter.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Jude David on 10th Apr 2011.

Reflection: Anniversary of the Vatican's Official Recognition of the Jewish Holocaust (Br Gregory Chan)

2011-04-06T08:00:00.000+08:00

This week in History, recalls the day, 7th April, 1994, when the Vatican officially recognized the Jewish Holocaust. A Holocaust Memorial was erected in Rome and the world famous Jewish Cantor, Howard Nevison cantored for the Pope in Hebrew before an audience of 7000 people and 150 Holocaust survivors. Pope John Paul II is reported to have been so taken by the cantor’s voice that he exclaimed that “God had kissed your vocal chords.”

Reminiscent of the Shoah, Psalm 142 records the cry of the people in their terrifying ordeal, their utter helplessness and despair:

The enemy pursues my soul

He has crushed my life to the ground:

He has made me dwell in the darkness

Like the dead, long forgotten.

Therefore my spirit fails;

My heart is numb within me.

Indeed, the anguish of the people expressed in song, has a haunting quality to it, transfixing the listener and galvanizing the listener to action. Truly, the Lord is not indifferent to the cries of his people.

“We are your people, Lord, and your heritage. Let your eyes be open to the supplication of your servant and to the supplication of your people, Israel, giving ear to us whenever we call to you.” 1 Kings 8: 51 - 52

Anguish and suffering elicits compassion and response, calling us to solidarity, social justice and action. However, the Holocaust is also a testament of action by some and greater inaction by others. Such horrors should never come to pass again, and as we are deep in the fourth week of Lent, we are exhorted to look forward to the joys of Easter, not with feasting and inaction, perhaps not just with penance, good works and almsgiving, but by a deeper realization that humanity must never suffer such indignities again ever.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Jovita Ho on 8th Apr 2011.

Reflection: Recalling my CER experience as I pray Psalm 107 (Br Edward Seah)

2011-04-04T08:00:00.000+08:00

In the Divine Office, Psalm 107 begins with the following words: ‘My heart is ready, O God; I will sing, sing your praise.’ This reminds me of the first two sessions of the Conversion Experience Retreat [CER] where Father William Goh reminded the participants that the most important component of the retreat was prayer and that we needed to give to God totally with all our hearts, minds and souls. The pre-requisite then was the need to have a deep hunger and thirst for God. It is interesting to note that God has already created in us a heart that thirst for Him and if we desire for God, our hearts will ‘expand’. This is so true for according to Deuteronomy 15:9, the heart is the source of thoughts, desire and deeds. In fact, one’s plan and purpose also lies in the heart, according to Isaiah 10:7.

I entered the CER asking myself if my heart was indeed ready. For if I was, my soul will be awakened and I will be able to sing praise and thanks to the Lord. I will experience the inner conversion of my heart, soul and mind leading to a deeper intimacy with my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

There were many things that happened in the CER which really touched me. But one very significant thing which impressed on me and moved my heart so deeply was the very inspiring Christian witnessing I experienced in the people who serve in the different ministries at the Catholic Spirituality Centre. I observed that they were very clear about their focus which was to give glory to God alone! And that seemed to be where their hearts are. During the praise and worship session, I was touched many times when I noticed that the St Jude’s Choir members were so focused on praising God and were not out to seek attention for themselves. They fulfilled their role excellently as they were able to encourage and move the participants to do the same: to be fully engaged in worshipping the Lord through songs and reflections. On a few occasions, when some of us participants got a little distracted with the self, I could see the gentle efforts the music leaders made in steering their attention solely to the Lord. The gifts of humility and counsel these stewards of Christ had were joyfully and generously used in gently directing the participants to always honour, give glory, give thanks and praise to the Lord. They set good living examples of Christians who seek to decrease so that Christ may increase. They themselves have been touched by the Lord and in turn consistently assisted us in preparing our hearts to be touched by the heart of Jesus.

The second stanza of this Psalm in the Divine Office: ‘O God, arise above the heaven; may your glory shine on earth!’ reminded me of the song which we sang so loudly and deeply: ‘Be exalted O God, above the heavens. And your glory be over all the earth.’ Personally, this song was like the anthem of this retreat for me because we spent a considerable amount of time exalting the Lord for his incomprehensible love for us.

May God continue to bless abundantly the people who serve in the Catholic Spirituality Centre so that they will continue to radiate God’s love and mercy to all who come into contact with them and together cooperate with the Spirit of the Living God in renewing the face of the earth!

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Gregory Chan on 6th Apr 2011.

Reflection on Psalm 150 (Br Benedict Chng)

2011-04-02T08:00:00.003+08:00

Let us imagine that we are all in Esplanade Theatre watching a musical play called “Joseph the Dreamer”. Am sure many of you are not new to this well known and popular story in Genesis. As the story goes, Joseph was sold into Egypt as a slave by his jealous brothers. He was seduced by Potiphar’s wife but he kept God’s law. He then was thrown into jailed. Because of his gift to interpret dreams, he soon became Pharaoh’s right hand man. Let’s just fast forward the scene to the final finale when Joseph finally revealed his identity to his family and everyone was overjoyed and there was unity once again. During this time, balloons and confetti will rain down, spotlights flashing on the stage and the conductor waving his baton with his full orchestra and all its instruments playing ending in a high climax, leaving the audience in awe.

Likewise for us, Psalm 150 is the last psalm in the book. And the psalmist ends with a final solemn doxology of the whole Psalter with full orchestra and accompaniment. The book of Psalms is like the play which I described - there are times of rejoicing and despairing, doubts and fear, rising and falling, success and obstacles. But all in all the book of Psalms encourages us to worship and praise God.

So how can we truly praise God today? We can truly praise God only when we see his full greatness and goodness. I invite you to recollect and meditate on your God moment, be it in creation or redemption. In this way, our praise becomes a powerful response of the heart expressing joy, gratitude and the desire for communion with our Lord. And as we make our way to our own respective work place, let us also remember to extend and share our God experience, God’s love and joy to those we meet.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Edward Seah on 4th Apr 2011.

Reflection: Am I the Big “C” or the Big “G”? (Br Alphonsus Dominic)

2011-03-31T08:00:00.003+08:00

About two years ago, I met this young lady Cecelia (not her real name). In getting to know her, I realised that she was always complaining, never satisfied or appreciative about anything or anyone, whether be it her family, friends, colleagues and even her ministry members. Even if it was to her benefit, she would still find fault with something to just complain about. Her friends nicknamed her the big “C” (big complainer)

Recently, I met her again. To my surprise, I saw a complete transformation in her. She no longer grumbled or complained. I affirmed and complemented her for her positive outlook of life and inquired the reason for her transformation.

She then shared with me that she went on a mission trip to India and there stayed with the Missionaries of Charity. In her two weeks stay, she realised how blessed she was compared to the sick and the destitute. She came to realise how good God was to her and His love for her. Despite her perpetual complaints and lack of gratitude and appreciation of God’s goodness to her through the events and people in her life, God has always been faithful and blessed her.

Reflecting on Cecelia’s transformation from the big “C” to big “G” (gratitude), let us look at ourselves today, how often do we also complain when things do not go our way? Are we grateful for what God has blessed us with – the gifts, the talents, the comfortable way we live, for the people around us in our life who love and support us? Let us be encouraged us to give thanks and praise to God. Let us be reminded of the Lord’s goodness for His love for us endures forever. Let us be encouraged to always praise God for His greatness and His mighty works of blessings. Let us remember this awesome God of ours who loves, consoles, affirms and blesses us in abundance despite our lack of gratitude.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Benedict Chng on 2nd Apr 2011.

Reflection: On the Road to Victory (Br Samuel Lim)

2011-03-29T08:00:00.000+08:00

When we come across a cross-junction and are faced with a few paths to choose from, our immediate intuition tends to make us choose the path that is the easiest and most pleasurable, automatically rejecting those paths that involve inconveniences and difficulties.

Towards the end of Jesus’ public ministry, we read in the Gospels:

Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, and on the way he took the Twelve to one side and said to them, “Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the pagans to be mocked and scourged and crucified; and on the third day he will rise again.”

Matt 20:17-19

Jesus willingly continued his way to Jerusalem even though he knew that he would be handed over, condemned, mocked, scourged and crucified. I’m not proposing that we discuss high theology here on his obedience to the Father or his salvific act on the cross or the necessity of his death for the sake of the sin of humanity etc etc. Being fully human himself, I’m sure his decision to carry on their journey to Jerusalem was one of the toughest decisions he had to make.

When I was a little boy, I enjoyed family holidays. I remember going to Kuala Lumpur when I was in primary school. The experience on the plane was an enjoyable one, though I was suffering from motion sickness. When I was 21, I was on another flight to KL. However, that was a totally different experience. It was the same journey, from Sabah to KL, on the same airline, and they were probably serving similar kind of in-flight meal. But that two and half hours’ flight was possibly the worst in my life because I was on my way to KL for a heart treatment in the National Heart Institute – so it wasn’t for holiday this time. Although the journey seems to be the same as my previous journeys to KL, the destination and the purpose of the trip essentially change the journey. Knowing our end and purpose determines our whole disposition before we even embark on the path of reaching the end.

Jesus, although he knew he would not enjoy any moment of it, willingly went through those pains and sufferings because he was convinced of his purpose (to show the depth of God’s love for humanity) and end (that he would rise again on the third day – Matt 20:19).

In life we come face to face with many difficult and painful situations. Nobody wants to go through these but we know most of these are inevitable. But how we go through these and how we make sense of life are determined by knowing our purpose and end. Just to mention briefly, our ultimate purpose is to love [cf. Matt 22:37-39] and our end is to be in relationship with God [cf. John 17:3]. However, my reflection is not about our destination but our journey, and the importance of our knowing our destination since that essentially changes our journey.

Recently, I was just talking to a young man who wants to make some radical decisions to commit his life to God. But saying ‘Yes’ to God entails saying ‘No’ to many other aspects of his life and all these No’s have their own difficult consequences – and he is experiencing all these consequences. Going through all these is painful, but how much more painful it is if he cannot see the purpose and the end of where he’s headed to. In times like these, one is invited to be single-minded and whole-hearted, to focus on the essentials and most importantly not to lose sight of Jesus for he is our ultimate reason and he is the one who is seeing us through.

“I can do all things with Christ who strengthens me.” Phil 4:13.

Jesus is not only our ultimate destination; he walks with us every step of the way. So choose life, choose Christ!

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Alphonsus Dominic on 31st Mar 2011.

Reflection: Mary and the Lenten Practices (Br Joseph Zhang)

2011-03-27T08:00:00.000+08:00

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, during the season of Lent, the bible and the Church exalt us to pray, to fast and to give alms. The bible not only asks us to do so but also offer us models for such practices. Today let us take a look at Mary and learn from her how to exercise the Lenten practices of praying, fasting and almsgiving. Now let us turn our eyes onto the visitation scene, examine what happened, and what the visitation account teaches us about Mary and the Lenten practices.

The first lesson we can learn from Mary is her sensitivity to others’ need. Before we do any charitable deeds to anyone, first we need to be aware of their need. Mary was so sensitive to others’ needs. When she heard that her cousin, in her old age, had conceived and in her sixth month, she realized her cousin’s need. Immediately she rose up and went to serve her.

There are many needy people around us if we open our eyes and see. They may be one of our family members, or one of our relatives, or one of our neighbours. They need people to help them, to listen to them, to support them emotionally or materially. Are we like Mary being sensitive to others’ needs? Do we feel the need, pain, anxiety, and fear of those people who are being affected by the earthquake and the tsunami in Japan? Although they are far away from us, we cannot render immediate help. We can still support them by donating and praying for them.

The second lesson we learn from Mary is the spirit of fasting. Upon hearing the news of her cousin’s conception, Mary rose up at that time and went with all haste to a town of Judah, in the hill country where Zachariah and Elizabeth dwelt. In order to help her cousin, Mary came out of her comfort zone and went into a hill country. A hill country, we can imagine, two thousand years ago, how difficult it would have been to travel on the bumpy road. Yet Mary was willing to endure all the unpleasantness of the journey to give assistance to Elizabeth. This is the spirit of fasting, fasting by giving up one’s own pleasure and comfort for God and others, to be God and other centered.

The third lesson we can learn from Mary is about prayer. After greeting her cousin, upon hearing Elizabeth’s response of praise, Mary responded spontaneously by saying, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord …” What a natural prayer of praise! Mary did not go into a prayer room to pray. She could pray at any place and time because she was always conscious of God’s presence. Prayer filled her life. During the season, we are exalted to pray constantly. We need to learn to make every moment of our life a time of prayer.

The fourth lesson we learn from Mary is about almsgiving. According to St. Luke’s account, Mary stayed with her cousin for three months. We know that three in the bible is a complete number. Therefore, we can say that Mary stayed and served Elizabeth till everything completed. The alms that Mary gave to her cousin was not money but care and time. We may be poor in material things but we can be like Mary to give our time, care and concern to those who are needy and lonely.

Therefore, let us learn from and emulate Mary in this Lenten season, to grow in sensitivity to peoples’ needs; to have a true spirit of fasting, to be willing to give up our personal pleasure and comfort for God and others; to pray always and fill our daily life and activities with prayer. Through these Lenten practices, like Mary, we will also be able to bring Jesus to other peoples’ lives.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Samuel Lim on 29th Mar 2011.

Reflection: Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (Br David Arulnatham)

2011-03-25T08:00:00.002+08:00

Today as the church celebrates the mystery of the Incarnation of the Lord, the whole church kneels at the words of the creed, “Et incarnates… and was made man”. This solemnity recalls the announcement of the Word taking flesh to be born through the person of Mary. “The Word became flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his Glory, the Glory that he has from the Father as only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth” John 1:14. This is the moment in time in Salvation History where God endows Mary with an over abundance of grace to prepare her to play the role of the divine motherhood – the mother of God. Jesus the awaited Messiah from the line of David is to be born to redeem humanity back to the Father which was alienated from him as a consequence of the sin of Adam and Eve. We recall today the Almighty and most Merciful Father stooping down to humanity in his faithfulness and Mary’s “YES” to the will of the Father.

The church acknowledges this by reciting the “Angelus” throughout the year at the break of the day, at noon and at sunset with the exception of the Easter season where during this time the “Regina Coeli” is prayed. For those of us who are not aware of the Angelus, I have inserted the whole prayer below.

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary . . .
Behold the handmaid of the Lord:
Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
Hail Mary . . .
And the Word was made Flesh:
And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,
that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

-Let us pray:
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts;
that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son,
was made known by the message of an angel,
may by His Passion and Cross
be brought to the glory of His Resurrection,
through the same Christ Our Lord.
Amen.

The Celebration of this solemnity, the incarnation of our Lord – the Word becoming flesh, invites us to recall God’s continuous faithfulness which is reciprocated in the faithfulness, obedience and humility of Mary the Star of the Sea who embodied the Son of God Jesus in her womb to be born as fully human for our salvation. Mary’s readiness to say ‘YES’ to the will of the Father and to let go of all her own dreams and plans to fulfill the Father’s will, reflects the virtues of faithfulness, obedience and humility in her. Celebrating this solemnity, we are called to imitate these great virtues of faithfulness, obedience and humility in our very own life and give thanks and Glory to God as we journey our life back to the arms of our Father in heaven.

Let us continue to pray the Angelus daily and fervently so that it becomes incarnate in us changing us to become the self intended by God the Father for each us. Let us in our daily living live the image and likeness of God so as to earn ourselves eternal life with the Father Son and the Holy Spirit in his eternal kingdom.

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,

that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Joseph Zhang on 27th Mar 2011.

Reflection on Psalm 95 (Br Aloysius Tan)

2011-03-23T08:00:00.000+08:00

During the period of Lent, we have an alternative Invitatory antiphon for Lauds taken from Psalm 95: “O that today you would listen to his voice: harden not your hearts.” Images that occur in my mind when I pray this verse often include the people of Israel turning away from God or people in the contemporary world who are great sinners and forget about God. In other words, these are times I struggle to identify myself with the people who refused to listen to God and have a heart of stone as described by the psalmist. Why? I guess I always identify myself with the people of God who are close to the Church, may have sinned but never do turn away from God for a long period. Also, I see myself as a seminarian striving to be His minister, which once again belongs to another category of people who are not far off from God.

In this season of Lent, I have been trying to figure out what I should do or not do to have a meaningful Lent. Again, looking back at my disposition, I seem to do things in order to live out the “invitation” of God and to listen to his voice.

Last week’s Conversion Experience Retreat (CER) at the Catholic Spirituality Center (CSC) indeed gave me new insight when I pray this psalm. The hardened heart in fact not only refers to the heart that strayed from God but also a heart that is insensitive to His words, a heart that does not grief over sins and is indifferent. The process of the retreat invited me to consider the compassionate love of God, my relationship with Him and the sins which separated me from God. It challenged me:

Firstly, to acknowledge my weaknesses and sins in a “plain” way. What is this “plain way”? When I (or perhaps many of us) confess my sins or when I acknowledge my wrongdoings, it doesn't always come as a simple sentence. It comes with a whole packaging of words, adjectives to describe it, to justify it or to water it down. I was made aware that the word “packaging” caused by the hardened heart meant not “fully” acknowledging my fault but confessing it half heartedly. Didn’t the Israelites in Meribah also do the same?

Secondly, to see how my pride contributed in “helping” me build an invisible wall which blocked me from being vulnerable in the presence of God. I became more and more immuned to my sins, telling myself I do not commit BIG sins and thereby trapping myself under the plan of the devil. The pride of self-righteousness is indeed a “stepping stone” that leads me to fall into greater sins.

I thank God for this great awareness which reveals to me that I am indeed very much like the Israelites who did not listen wholeheartedly to God’s voice, and my heart has gradually become hardened through my self-righteousness and my inability to confess: “Lord, have mercy on me for I have sinned." I seem to water it down with “because, maybe or perhaps......”.

After this awakening experience, I thank God for the grace to make a good confession. The best gift for me is to continue my Lenten journey. It is the gift of realising how the words “O that today you would listen to his voice: harden not your hearts” are the words God spoke to me clearly and loudly. I pray that this word will continue to lead me in my journey towards God and in my ministry of following the heart of my Shepherd.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br David Arulanatham on 25th Mar 2011.

Annual Retreat break

2011-03-13T08:00:00.001+08:00

Dear friends,

Thank you for your continued support for our blog.

We shall be taking a short break from our postings in view of our upcoming annual retreat from 16-20 Mar 2011.
Please pray for us that we will have a deeper encounter with the Lord and grow in faith and love during the retreat.

Stay tuned for our next posting on 23rd Mar 2011.

Once again, thank you and God Bless !

The Blogmaster

Reflections on Ephesians 6:10-18 (Br Nicholas Lye)

2011-03-11T08:00:00.000+08:00

War is inevitable. Whether our battlefields are in school, the workplace, at home, or even in our hearts, whether our opponents are strangers, enemies, friends or even ourselves, everyday we face the possibility of getting ambushed, attacked, wounded, or thrown into a cloud of confusion.

In the midst of our daily battles, we sometimes try to flee - by denying, ignoring, or drowning ourselves in other distractions that may give temporary relief, but we never really succeed in finding any sense of peace. We try to fight with clenched teeth and fists, angry and spiteful of the whole situation, trying to throw blame on our opponents who 'started the war', and hope to put an end to war by putting an end to our opponents, but we eventually end up even more tired, frustrated, defeated.

But do we know who we are fighting against really? Do we know who is on our side of the battle really? Do we know how best to prepare ourselves for the inevitable war in our daily lives?

"Finally, be strong in the Lord with his energy and strength. Put on the whole armour of God to be able to resist the cunning of the devil. Our battle is not against human forces but against the rulers and authorities and their dark powers that govern this world. We are struggling against the spirits and supernatural forces of evil. Therefore put on the whole armour of God, that in the evil day, you may resist and stand your ground, making use of all your weapons." (Ephesians 6:10-13)

Whenever I got angry with someone, for whatever the person may have done wrong in my eyes, I set up my war zone against the person, thinking that the person started the war in the first place. Little that I know that the real enemy was putting these evil thoughts in my head, without realising I was raging war with someone on the same side! As much as I thought that the war was with another individual, I was actually unknowingly battling against the evil one who was using my emotions to hurt my fellow brother-in-Christ, or worse, to unknowingly cause harm to my own self.

Yet, we need not flee, for the Lord is calling us to resist and stand our ground, standing firmly in the truth that we are His soldiers, that we all belong to God's army. We need not clench our teeth, but open our mouths and make a (war) cry to our Lord to lead us in our battles. We need not clench our fists, but open our hands to surrender to the (battle) plans of our Lord, to surrender to the power and might of our King of Kings, and receive the weapons that He places upon us to fight the inevitable war of our lives.

"Take truth as your belt, justice as your breastplate, and zeal as your shoes to propogate the Gospel of peace." (Ephesians 6:14-15)

Truth as your belt
Whenever I get ambushed by an event or person that makes me yearn for marriage, or resentful of what I have been called to give up as a result of my priestly calling, what holds me together, keeps me from falling apart and losing myself in the midst of the frustration and turmoil, is the Truth that the Lord "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11), the truth that God remains faithful to me, giving me something greater each time He takes away someone dear to me, the truth that I am a beloved child of God whom God will always want the best for me.

It is in these trying moments when we find ourselves falling apart, or losing a part of ourselves, it is when we turn to these 'anchor points' of truth in our lives, the truth of God's faithfulness, mercy and love revealed in past events or situations or revelations or experiences, that we can rely on this TRUTH to hold us together, and bind us to the love and faithfulness of Christ.

Justice as your breastplate
Whenever I find myself caught in cross-fire, caught in an unfavourable or awkward situation, or deeply misunderstood or unintentionally hurt by another person, the 'misfire' can truly sink deep through the chest and into the heart, causing a searing pain of anguish and bitterness. Yet, often when I am reminded to rely on God's justice and righteousness, and not on my own act of fighting for justice for myself, eventually things get resolved into a happy ending, but only when I allow God to work in His time, for His justice to prevail at the appropriate time. Mother Mary herself, forewarned of a sword that will pierce her heart, had justice as her breastplate to protect her and allow her to continue surrendering to the plans of God, even while seeing her Son dying on the cross, trusting that God's justice and righteousness will prevail in time to come - and sure enough in His resurrection!

It is never easy to be misunderstood or hurt. But when we build our trust and dependance on the Lord's justice, we build a protection over our hearts, preventing ourselves from getting hurt too deeply, but allowing truth and righteousness to prevail in God's time.

Zeal as your shoes
Very often, it is in my most troubled times and hurting situations that I become prone to hurting others out of my own mood swings or temperament. Only with Truth to hold me together in times of turmoil, and justice to protect me from hurting blows, will I then be able to maintain inner peace in my heart, channel God's love into my life, and thereby put on zeal and enthusiasm in propogating and promoting this great peace of God to all around me, all who may be similarly wounded or affected by the war in their lives. It is in keeping peace in my heart that I can then keep on tirelessly spreading God's great peace to others.

"Always hold in your hand the shield of faith to repel the flaming arrows of the devil. Finally, use the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, that is, the Word of God." (Ephesians 6:16-17)

Shield of faith
"Faith is the way of holding onto what we hope for, being certain of what we cannot see." (Hebrews 11:1) In my constant battles when flaming arrows of doubt and discouragement rain down on me, faith can sometimes seem to be the only way out, or what I call the 'easy way out', where even when it doesn't seem to make sense, even when it sounds most ridiculous, even when it goes against my human desire, I just cover myself with the shield of faith and simply hide in the total care, protection and comfort of my Lord, trusting fully in faith that He will watch over me, He will protect me, and He will lead and guide me out not only to safety, but to the best possible plan for me, even if I am unable to see or be certain of what's ahead of me.

Helmet of salvation
When I only focus on the kind of earthly life I want to lead, the kind of earthly comforts or securities I want to have, I begin to miss out or shortchange myself of the heavenly life prepared for me. I get caught up with the petty defeats or losses on the ground until I put on the helmet of salvation and bring to my mind the greater life God wants me to have in His heavenly kingdom. And this is a kingdom I don't have to wait til I die, for so long as I keep my thoughts and mind focused on the heavenly life meant for me, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." When I begin to live life with the heavenly kingdom in mind, I no longer get easily troubled by the earthly things I miss out or am deprived of, but can more fully claim the heavenly blessings that will stay with me deep in my heart, where no claymore mine or tripflare can ever surprise me and blow it away from me.

Sword of the Spirit
"For the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword." (Hebrews 4:12) Under the darkest of days or gloomiest of skies filled with overhead missiles flying across my head, it has always been the Word of God that continues to comfort me when I'm down, encourage me when I'm tired, assure me when I feel doubtful, embrace me when I feel alone, heal me when I get hurt, lift me when I am defeated, and the list goes on. If not for the daily readings I try to keep to, I may not be holding my head up high towards the gloomy war scene and release my clenched teeth to cry out to my God, release my clenched fists to surrender to His divine plan, and open my hands to receive Victory in my life.

"Pray at all times as the Spirit inspires you. Keep watch, together with sustained prayer and supplication for all the holy ones." (Ephesians 6:18)

Even if at this present moment, our lives seem to be at peace, St Paul warns the Ephesians that peace is only provisional, for the evil one is waiting for his hour to bring about war. And so in whatever battle we find ourselves fighting or not fighting, we are together still standing on the side of Christ in the inevitable war against Good and Evil. Let us continue to persevere in prayer for one another, especially those caught in the midst of their own battles, that we may depend on the weapons of Christ bestowed on us, put on the armour that God personally places upon us, and stand our ground with open hands, surrendering not to the Enemy, but to the love of Christ that will make us cry out with conviction and strength:

"This is War. But this is our Victory!"

Reflections on Psalm 84 (Br Gabriel Wong)

2011-03-09T08:00:00.000+08:00

Psalm 84: 4-5

How blessed are those who live in your house;

they shall praise you continually.

Blessed those who find their strength in you,

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

There have been strong feelings towards this particular verse of Psalm 84 ever since residing in the seminary. Living under the same roof and in the same house can be a challenge at times but mostly a blessing especially when unity and love overcomes the temptations of pride, jealousy and petty differences. Together the family here finds strength in You, Lord. No longer alone on the journey, but a lifetime of brotherhood as companions on this holy pilgrimage. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. Lent always feels like a pilgrimage to be closer to You, Lord. There is no need to take metal birds in the sky to travel to distant lands for this pilgrimage. This pilgrimage is right here and now.

If only one can open his eyes and is willing to hear, one can feel loving words from You, Lord on this Lentern pilgrimage. Like a lover, one can hear You singing along the pilgrimage just like Disney’s Aladdin singing to his would-be bride on a magic carpet.

“….Unbelievable sights. Indescribable feelings. Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling through an endless diamond sky. A whole new world. Don’t you dare close your eyes. A hundred thousand things to see. Hold your breath, it gets better…”

There is so much adventure on this pilgrimage if only one is willing to take it like lovers on a pilgrimage to You, Lord. Yes, a seminary is filled with lovers of the Lord. They are lovers, who have fallen and continue to fall in love with You, Lord. Did you not send out your lovers in pairs to spread Your love?

Luke 10:1

After this, the Lord appointed seventy two others and sent them out ahead of Him in PAIRS…

Behold a picture of thanksgiving. Within the picture, there are two pairs of brothers in two different formation years. This pilgrimage to You is no longer humanly alone. Besides the divine, there is another brother in flesh alongside to venture out on this lentern pilgrimage together.

This is Your blessing.

This is Your love.

Thank You, Lord.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Nicholas Lye on 11th Mar 2011.

Reflection: Tria Munera for the purpose of Discernment (Br Simon Anand)

2011-03-07T08:00:00.002+08:00

In relation to the process and the importance of discernment, or in layman terms, the process of decision making particularly with regards to our spiritual growth, three elements: the Mountain, the Temple and the Throne, have been situated very significantly in the biblical history of salvation.

The Mountain has commonly been perceived as a place where God dwells in order to convey His Teachings. This is very clear in the scenes of the Ten Commandments (Ex 20) and the delivery of the Beatitudes (Mt 5:1). The Temple, on the other hand, has the aspect of sacrifice. Again, both the Old and New Testaments advocate this point to great heights especially when Jesus constantly focuses on Jerusalem where the Temple is located as His climax in relation to His own sacrifice of Self (Lk 19: 28-48). Lastly, the Throne is a symbol of authority of a judge or Judgement. And needless to say, this is evident especially in the Book of Revelation which communicates to us in rather a metaphorical way of Christ’s Second Advent (Parousia) to judge all the nations on earth. (Rev 20:11)

Thus, the need to listen to God’s Teaching, respond in the form of sacrifice (might not necessarily be physical or literal sacrifice), and judge to bring about Metanoia seem to be key to discernment. Were we to examine when these three elements flow smoothly in our lives, we own conviction and conversion as our standpoint. However, complacency and loss of the sense of direction could be the result of elimination or disregard of one or all of these three elements. Having said so, it is crucial to reckon that all of these aforementioned roles should bridge from being a mere knowledge in our Intellect to a passion in our life. Otherwise, it provides nothing more than a proper epistemological definition.

To add on, if Eucharist is the source and the summit of our lives, I can understand now why in the celebration of the Liturgy of the Mass, we keep our focus on the Lectern from where the Word of God is proclaimed, the Altar where Christ’s sacrifice of the cross is “re-presented” and the Presiding Chair, the throne on which God sits in a sacramental sense.

So, let us pray for this grace today that God may continue to open our hearts and our whole being in order to welcome the guidance of the Holy Spirit in every decision we make especially as we share the divinity of Christ as Prophet to proclaim God’s Word, as Priest to offer sacrifice and as King to make proper judgment of our lives in accordance to the promptings of the Spirit.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Gabriel Wong on 9th Mar 2011.

Reflection on Psalm 50 (Br Joachim Robert)

2011-03-05T08:00:00.001+08:00

Constancy of God’s Love

In psalm 50, King David pleads to God for mercy and forgiveness for his sins, and he begs to be reconciled with God. He recognizes his faults and longs to be in God’s loving embrace. Therefore, he turns to God because he recognizes the constant love of God as he cries out:

A pure heart create for me O God
Put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence
Nor deprive me of your Holy Spirit.

Whenever we have wronged someone or hurt someone dear to us, it makes us restless and uneasy. We find all means to reconcile and restore peace in our relationship. If humans are able to forgive, what more our Father in Heaven who is full of Mercy and Love. He awaits us and welcomes us with His outstretched arms.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Simon Anand on 7th Mar 2011.

Reflection: Rosy Cheeks or Blind & Bogay (Br Terence Kesavan)

2011-03-03T08:00:00.001+08:00

A young boy once asked me this riddle:

"How do you tell the difference between a person in heaven and a person in hell?"
"One has a halo and wings, the other has horns?"
"No. The one in heaven has rosy cheeks and is fit and muscular, the one in hell is blind and bogay (no teeth)".
"How is that so?"
"Because the one in hell takes a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye. The one in heaven has rosy cheeks because he offers the other cheek when he is slapped, and fit because he walks two miles when others walk one."

While this riddle takes what Jesus said in the Gospel (Mt 5:38-48) literally, it does help us visualize the difference between the life of love and the life of hatred. The life of hatred allows hatred and vengeance to perpetuate which will result in a world full of blind and toothless people. But in a world of love and forgiveness, the one who receives injury or insult, puts a stop to it by not taking revenge. He in fact tries to further eradicate hatred by "going that extra mile", by loving the enemy. In loving the enemy, it is not so much doing something good to gain our own salvation, but by loving the enemy, we are trying to help change the person to be better person.

In the battle between good and evil, love and hate, I use scenes from two movies to remind of what Christ was trying to teach us.

First in the movie "Fearless" starring Jet Li, we see the cycle of hatred going on, when first Jet Li's disciple is beaten up by, he goes to take revenge and ends up killing his rival. His rival's godson then takes revenge by killing his wife and child. Jet Li then goes to his rival's house, but before he can get his revenge, the rival's godson commits suicide, denied of his revenge, he turns to his rival's wife and child. In the principle of an eye for an eye, he could have had his revenge for what he himself lost. But he comes to his senses, and walks away. Thus we see how hatred can only stop when one party decides not to revenge a hurt.

The second movie, illustrates Christ call to love. In the movie, Pay It Forward, a boy Trevor starts a class assignment on a plan to make the world a better place. He decides to do 3 good deeds and he tells the recipients of the good deeds not to repay him, but to do 3 good deeds to someone else. In one chain we see Trevor helping his mum, who in turn forgives her mother, who helps a gang member, who in turn saves a girl's life, and then the Father of the girl gives away his car to a journalist whose car was smashed. At the end of the movie, we see how one boy's initiative touches the lives of so many people.

This is the question that we are faced with - Do we want to be part of the chain that passes on hatred, or the chain that spreads love?

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Joachim Robert on 5th Mar 2011.

Reflection: Light or Blind Spots - Which would you choose? (Br Anthony Liew)

2011-03-01T08:00:00.003+08:00

According to Johari Window, each of us has our own blind spots. We ourselves are not conscious of these blind spots. Hence, we need others to help us point them out so that we can try our best to bring them into consciousness. How much we know ourselves depends on our effort in self-discovery which includes the effort to minimize the area of our blind spot. In order to do this, we need to be open to fraternal correction by others and be ready to take the challenge for change.

How about our spiritual blind spots? We are blind when we choose to remain in our sinful way or in darkness. Who can help us to be conscious of these spiritual blind spots? Indeed, we are in great need of Christ, the light who died on the cross out of His love for us and for our salvation. This light of Christ can deliver us from the dominion of darkness and transfer us to the kingdom of his beloved son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin (cf. Col 1:12-14). This effort in receiving Christ our light depends very much on the effort of our spiritual exercises. As we are approaching the Lenten season soon, let us prepare ourselves in deepening our faith, hope and love in Christ our Saviour through fasting, almsgivings and prayers. Hopefully we can truly ask ourselves these questions during Lent: How much do our spiritual exercises help us to discover these spiritual blind spots and ultimately through God’s grace to come out of them? Have we developed a closer relationship with God our light?

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Terence Kesavan on 3rd Mar 2011.

Reflections on Psalm 107 (Br Peter Anthoney)

2011-02-27T08:00:00.000+08:00

In the first line of the third stanza of psalm 107, the psalmist pleads to God:
“O come and deliver your friends”

The psalmist in his pleading is drawing a relationship with God not only as a servant or son but addresses himself as a friend. This psalm, while praising God and appealing for help, establishes in trust and confidence that a relationship in which God is addressed as ‘his friend’ and more than that puts his expectation that God will come and deliver them.

Abraham, Moses and Joshua are called “friends of God”. These people lived their lives for God and completely gave their lives fully for him. They trusted and followed as he had instructed them in complete obedience.

Like the psalmist, we too should have our hope and trust in God who had established His friendship with people like Abraham, Moses and Joshua. We should be able to develop our relationships with God as friend by placing some sort of expectation not only from our side but from the other side too. This has to be built upon by our trust, understanding and self-giving.

How many of us believe that we are having such a relationship with God, that is, to own such a friendship with him, to trust him completely and that he will accept us as His friends.

“To have a friend, we must be a friend first.” Are we being a friend with God? Are we claiming that God is our friend who will walk with us and be with us at all times, in times of difficulties or in times of happiness. God made us for the purpose of knowing and enjoying His presence; so when we live our lives separated from Him because of sin, we may experience great moments of spiritual dryness. Regardless of what we call this experience without God, life becomes empty and meaningless which only God can brighten and make it purposeful.

Therefore, let us strive to build this deep rooted and ever lasting relationship with God. Let us ask God to grant us strength that we will not fail in our relationship with him even when we find ourselves living according to the worthless standards of the world. Let us put our demands in our Lord for his almighty relationship, to continue to become friends and to live our lives faithfully obedient to his will for us and for all mankind.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Anthony Liew on 1st Mar 2011.

Reflection on Colossians 1:12 (Br Jude David)

2011-02-25T08:00:00.003+08:00

“Let us give thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” (Col 1:12)

Thanksgiving is an essential part of the Christian life and we should always be able to find a reason for thanksgiving. Only a grateful heart will be able to truly be joyful. St Paul in his letter to the Colossians invites us to give thanks to the Father for he has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. This short verse is loaded with much food for thought. What is St Paul inviting us to be grateful for?

I think that we should start off by being grateful because we can be grateful. Some of the unhappiest people on our earth are those who are not contented and so are unable to be grateful for what they already possess. I thus believe that the ability to be grateful is already a great grace we should not take for granted. Gratitude is presupposed by humility, for it invites us to acknowledge that we are not able to be independent and so have to embrace the “poverty” of dependence in our lives. Only in the poverty of our lives are we able to discover that everything is a gift and so can we become grateful. So there is cause for gratitude in being grateful.

St Paul mentions that the Father has qualified us. At the heart of our poverty, we also come to realise our inadequacies, imperfections and sinfulness and thus realise that we are in no way entitled to anything from God, let alone the gift of Himself we come to receive in Christ. Our qualification which comes as a pure gift of the Lord is at the heart of our spirit of thanksgiving for without knowing Christ, we would have never come to know how blessed we are by the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This qualification that is made visible in the sacrifice of Calvary is the seedbed of our Faith and invites us into receiving our share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

What is this inheritance that St Paul speaks about? Surely, this gift surpasses any gift of silver and gold that we find here on earth. This heavenly inheritance that St Paul is reminding us off is precisely that we are “saints in light”. Our vocation to sainthood is fundamentally our call to receive the gift of God himself and to share in the divine life Christ has come to initiate us into. To be a saint is to dwell in God and to be immersed in Him and this is what it means to be a saint – that we should be in heaven and we have come to know that heaven is not so much a place as it is a person – heaven is to be in the Father through his Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. When we are able to live in God, we have truly come into the Light who is Christ himself. When we are in the Light, the darkness has no more power over us and we live in the liberation of the Light.

We have much cause to give thanks for truly, this would be the disposition of anyone who has truly come to be a saint in the light of Christ. Amidst the darkness of each of our lives, we are invited to allow the light of Christ to shine again. There is no darkness in the whole universe or in the depths of our hearts that the light of Christ is not able to penetrate but the only barrier to the entry of this light into the darkness of our world or our soul is our will. I would like to invite you to make an act of your will this day to unlock the door of your world or your soul to the penetrating light of Christ who shall truly liberate you from your misery and give you a cause to “give thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light”.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Peter Anthoney on 27th Feb 2011.

Reflections on Gratitude (Br Jovita Ho)

2011-02-23T08:00:00.002+08:00

Whenever we pray, especially in the morning or in times of difficulties, there is more often than not a realization that our day belongs to the Lord, our lives (the good, the bad and the ugly) all belongs to the Lord, and it is in this realization that we turn to the Lord and ask the essential questions, “Lord, what is your will for me?” or “Lord, I dedicate my day, my vocation to you.”

Yet, in order for us to arrive at this realization, what sometimes if not all the time we ought to do is to give thanks to the Lord first and foremost, “Thank you Lord, that I am still alive today.” For whenever we give thanks to the Lord, we acknowledge that whatever we have is first and foremost a gift from Him, in which though we are unworthy and non-deserving, yet the Lord desires to gift us with. Once we are able to acknowledge that all things (even life itself) is a gift from God and give Him thanks for it, we can let go of all that we may have thought is ours and our own doing, and turn over to God’s sovereignty and will. Once we have this metanoia, can we then truly say “Lord, what is your will for me today?”

It is only in our nothingness that we then are able to acknowledge God’s totalness in us, and through us become co-cornerstones with the Chief Cornerstone Jesus Christ our Lord. A thankful person is a joy-filled person.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Jude David on 25th Feb 2011.

Reflection: On Wanting To Come Out First (Br Gregory Chan)

2011-02-21T08:00:00.008+08:00

In the Hindi Movie, “The Three Idiots”, a headmaster asks his students, “Who is the first man on the moon?” Immediately, one bright-eyed student answered, “Neil Armstrong, sir.” “Right,” shot back the headmaster. “Who’s the second?” The class was silent. The headmaster continued, “Don’t waste your time. Nobody remembers the man who came second… ”

While that may be true in the secular world, the same may not be said of the priesthood. I come from La Salle School, Petaling Jaya, and back then, we were very competitive, even in classes like Catechism. Our headmaster was a La Salle Bro., Bro. Leo Manicasami, an enigmatic and charismatic man. I remembered we competed with each other for even half a mark. While he was pleased that he had many bright sparks with him, he disapproved of us, competing with each other in Catechism. One day, he decided to give us a test. From the test, he hoped that at least one of us would have a call to the priestly or religious life. But he said, this test is not to be determined by marks. We looked at him, rather puzzled. “What’s it determined by, Bro. Director?,” we asked him.

He proceeded to write three words on the blackboard, three words for which, I would never forget:

Obedience

Fidelity

Humility

Amazingly, these three words feature prominently in the Psalms.

Psalm 118 says:

“Your word is a lamp for my steps
And a light for my path
I have sworn and have made up my mind
To obey your decrees.”

This pertains to obedience.

Psalm 15 says:

“Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.
I say to the Lord: You are my God.
My happiness lies in you alone.”

This pertains to fidelity.

Finally, the Canticle in Phil. 2: 6

“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.”

This pertains to humility.

While I hasten to add that this sharing has nothing to do with me, but I do so that all may be edified at the wisdom of the headmaster. At the end of the day, Bro. Leo was right. It had nothing to do with who came first. Through the passage of time, we found out. The lad who came in first, eventually became a Protestant and left. He had 20/20. The lad who came in second, is now a Franciscan priest. He had 19½ /20. He made us so proud. As for me, I am still in the journey, and I live in hope. St. Paul would say, “So your faith and love are based on what you hope for, which is kept safe for you in heaven.” (Col 1:5). I was simply glad that I got through the exams safely. However, I do wish to affirm all of you in one thing. My classmates, were always supportive of me. The same may be said of the company I am keeping now. I wish to thank you for the journey so far. Its been great, brothers! May God continue to bless you all.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Jovita Ho on 23rd Feb 2011.

An Afterglow Lunar New Year Reflection on Psalm 91 (Br Edward Seah)

2011-02-19T08:00:00.001+08:00

‘Chap Goh Meh’, the fifteenth night of the Lunar New Year, marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations and indeed so soon have the festive celebrations come and gone. As I reflect on what has happened especially on its first few days of celebrations, I have much to thank and praise God for his immense love and wonderful works.

My first two days of the Lunar New Year was spent with my family members and relatives. My family members were originally all non-Catholics. Although my grandfather and my dad had their education in Catholic and Lasallian schools, somehow they did not become baptized Catholics. This was mostly due to the family tradition of my grand-dad which was very steep into filial piety and certain practices of showing respect to ancestors [often referred by others as ‘ancestors worship’]. My dad did not send any of his children to Catholic schools much to the disappointment of his father, my Ah Kong. Peng Yam, my Ah Kong, was very proud of his alma mater, St Joseph’s Institution, and spoke well of some the La Salle Brothers he knew. He was also familiar with a priest in Ss. Peter and Paul’s Church who had asked him if he wished to become a Catholic but he felt it was not necessary. It was his hope that his grandsons would follow his alma mater’s call. Apart from our two cousins from my dad’s only sibling, all the other grandchildren went to government schools. But somehow along our life’s journey, half of my dad’s six children became Catholics. For various reasons, my siblings are generally positive towards the Catholic faith. But I dare not say that the Catholics among us are always strong in terms of witnessing to the new-found faith. Despite our weaknesses and also at times the challenges of mixed marriages [religions-wise] as well as certain values differences, it must be God’s grace that all eleven nieces and nephews ended up in Christian Mission Schools, with the bulk in Catholic Schools. They went into the Christian mission schools through the normal route, no ‘pulling strings’, either because they live near Catholic schools while others, certainly with the grace of God, got in through balloting. Their schools are St. Nicholas Girl’s, CHIJ Toa Payoh, SJI Junior, Monfort Secondary, St Margaret’s and Geylang Methodists.

So my family gathering during the Chinese New Year season was very refreshing and interesting as I took the graced occasion to update myself with the lives of my family members. I learnt that my nieces and nephews are very happy to be in the mission schools. God has indeed been so very good to us and I am sure that many people have also been blessed with such wonderful grace of God whether they are aware of it or not. My experience of God’s incredible grace is best expressed in Psalm 91 when the psalmist says: “O Lord, how great are your works! How deep are your designs! The foolish man cannot know this and the fool cannot understand.” In this, there must be a reason and it is well expressed in the First Meditation of St. John Baptist De La Salle : "God is so good that He not only brings us into existence by His act of creation but also desires that all of us come to the knowledge of the truth. This truth is God Himself and all that He has willed to reveal to us through Jesus Christ, through His apostles, and through His Church. God desires all of us to be taught this knowledge, that our minds may be enlightened by the light of faith.”

For all the graces that our God of surprises, our Trinitarian God, has bestowed on us and on all our loved ones, let us join the psalmist in praising our Heavenly Father and acknowledge His mighty deeds by saying: "Your deeds, O Lord, have made me glad; for the work of your hands I shout with joy!” Amen.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Gregory Chan on 21st Feb 2011.

Reflections on Psalm 45 (Br Benedict Chng)

2011-02-17T08:00:00.003+08:00

“God is for us a refuge and strength, a helper close at hand, in time of distress…” reminds me of a story. It goes like this:

A man was walking along and fell into such a deep hole that he could not get out. So he began to shout very loud for help.

A learned professor came along and found him. He looked down into the hole and began to scold him: "How could you be so careless as to fall down there? You should be more careful. If you ever get out again, watch your step." And with that he walked away.

Then a holy man came along. He looked down into the hole and told the man, "I'll reach down as far as I can and you reach up as far as you can. If I can grab your hand, I'll pull you out." But it did not work: the hole was too deep. So the holy man said he was sorry, and left the trapped man to his fate.

Then Christ came along. He saw the man's problem, and without asking him any questions, he jumped down into the hole. Then he let the man climb up onto his shoulders, and even onto his outstretched arms. And the man got out.

This is how much our God loves us. He loves us so much that he would be personally involved to get us out when we are in distress. This is echo in our second antiphon reads “The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold”. Likewise as Christian, have we given our life for another?

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Edward Seah on 19th Feb 2011.

Reflection on Psalms 114 and 115 (Br Alphonsus Dominic)

2011-02-15T08:00:00.001+08:00

Divine Intervention

Psalms 114 and 115 boldly express the love of God for His people for He hears the cries of His people and graciously intervenes to restore divine order. Although, nothing humanity offers can repay God for His many benefits, our response to such unconditional love is first to receive it and then pledge ourselves into the service of the Lord.

During occasions of emotional or physical distress, we are to be quick to call upon the Lord and He will hear our cries and deliver us even if the circumstances seem impossible. All the saints had practiced this in their life time and have become witnesses of how God worked, marvelously intervening for both great and small situations in their lives.

I would like to share with you an account of how a friend of mine experienced this wonderful God of ours in the lowest moments of her life intervening at the sound of her cries. After being married for a number of years and not being able to conceive, Cynthia was informed by her gynaecologist that she had a number of cysts growing in her womb during one of her usual visits. This could hinder her from ever having a child. Devastated upon hearing the news, she shared it with her husband only to discover a week later that he had been having an affair with a friend of theirs for a year. Her world fell apart and she went into depression. She could not handle the fact that her husband whom she loved so dearly could cheat on her and on the top of that she has to undergo an operation to remove the cysts in her womb. She even contemplated of committing suicide but her faith prevented her. Knowing that her only hope is to turn to the Lord in prayer, she cried out to Him seeking His aid for both her situations. She didn’t want to go for the operation. As for her husband although being immensely hurt by him, she could not let go of him for she loved him too dearly.

Just a day before the operation, to her surprise, the scan showed no traces of cysts in her womb. The cysts had suddenly vanished. Even the doctors were amazed at the results of the scan. She no longer had to go for the operation. She continued to give thanks to God and to pray for her husband to stop having his extra-marital affair and return to her so as to keep their marriage alive. A year later, her husband realised his mistake, ceased his extra-marital affair and returned back to her.

As for us today, let us be reminded to seek the Lord no matter how difficult a situation we are in. Apart from that, let us also honour our merciful and faithful God for all the times He had delivered us in our time of need by adoring, praising, thanking and serving Him.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Benedict Chng on 17th Feb 2011.

Reflection on Today's Scripture Reading - 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Br Samuel Lim)

2011-02-13T08:00:00.002+08:00

Please Stand Behind the Yellow Line

This is a photo of a typical MRT platform. Where is the best place to stand? Area A, Area B, or Area C? According to the rules and regulations of the station, we should stand behind the yellow line while waiting for the train. This means that we’re not allowed to stand in Area A, which is beyond the yellow line. And this also means that technically we’re allowed to stand in Areas B and C.

Now these rules – in this example, the rule concerning the yellow line – are made for the safety of the passengers. And if the purpose behind the rule is the safety of the passengers, then it is obvious that although we’re allowed to stand in Areas B and C, it is safer to remain in Area C. Standing in Area B is technically permissible or ‘legal’. But what is permissible may not always be beneficial. Although standing just behind the yellow line is OK according to the rules, what if we feel drowsy and accidentally fall asleep and drop onto the track? This is of course an exaggerated example but the point is this: Why should we be so sticky with the rules and “stand on the edge” when we have high risks of getting ourselves into unforeseen dangers? Although we don’t “cross the line”, keeping ourselves much further from the line is more beneficial – and in this case, it’s more life-giving, literally.

Live Life, Don’t Compromise

For the example of the yellow line above, we don’t need to be great theologians to know that the safest place to stand is Area C. But many times we fail to see this when it comes to our faith and moral living. God, the Author of life, has kindly given us many guidelines so that we can live our life in the best manner possible. These guidelines, or laws or commandments, have been given to us through the Old Testament prophets, through the teachings of Jesus himself, through the Church inspired by the Holy Spirit. But more often than not, we either don’t follow these guidelines [standing in Area A] or we observe merely the minimum requirements, just so that we don’t “cross the line” [standing in Area B]. Somehow, we prefer not to live life to the max.

Letter vs Spirit

This is the message of Jesus in today’s Gospel [Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – Mt 5:17-37]. He is comparing the strict observance of the letter of the law versus the understanding and living the spirit of the law. To illustrate his message, he uses a few examples, and one of them concerns adultery. The letter of the law prohibits adultery, but if we understand the spirit behind the law, even looking at a woman lustfully is committing adultery in the heart. Jesus himself says in the beginning of the Gospel that he didn’t come to abolish the law but to bring life and meaning into it – and more importantly, to bring life and meaning to those who live out the spirit of the law. And going back to our analogy of the yellow line in the MRT platform, these are the people who happily remain in Area C not just because they’re obedient to the rules, but because they understand and are convinced of the purpose of the rule. These people are the ones that are actually liberated even to dance around without the risk of falling into the tracks. What more, they can even relax on the benches that are provided by the station! As today’s Responsorial Psalm exclaims: They are happy who follow God’s law!

The WHY

Therefore, it is pretty obvious that living our life in accordance to the commandments of God will only lead us to experience life to the fullest. But this must be equally emphasized: that it is crucial for us to know the whys of these commandments, the spirit and purpose behind them. Far too often we Catholics have been keeping the commandments without understanding why. So a lot of us end up feeling imprisoned by them.

Choose Life!

The final point of my reflection is about choice. And I will let the word of God to speak for itself as I quote a few verses from today’s First Reading:

“If you wish, you can keep the commandments, to behave faithfully is within your power.
He has set fire and water before you; put out your hand to whichever you prefer.
Man has life and death before him; whichever a man likes better will be given him.”
[Ecclesiasticus 15:15-17]

These verses from the book of Ecclesiasticus are obvious and self-explanatory. At the end of the day, we’re all free to make our own decisions and choices. But as I emphasized earlier, we need to understand the meaning of the commandments in order to avoid making blind decisions. And if we really want to comprehend the spirit of God’s Law, we have to remember not to depend on our human abilities, but on the help of the Holy Spirit, as reminded by St Paul in today’s Second Reading:

“These are the very things that God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God.”
[1 Cor 2:10]

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Alphonsus Dominic on 15th Feb 2011.

Reflections in Psalm 96 (Br Joseph Zhang)

2011-02-11T08:00:00.000+08:00

How Great Thou Art!
“The skies proclaim his justice; all peoples see his glory …” (Ps 96)

Psalm 96 describes the majesty and power of God. God’s power and majesty is shown in his control over the universe. The psalmist experienced it and he wrote it down. I was also blessed during the Jesus Youth conference to behold the glory and power of God.

On 31st December, the second last day of the conference, we had activities throughout the day and many other programmes were organized for the night lasting till the next morning. In the evening of 31st December, during the praise and worship time, before a new session started, many people were not focused, some were walking outside the tent, some were taking photos and some were talking. The volunteers tried to get them into the conference hall but couldn’t.

Suddenly, it began to rain heavily. And the people outside the tent quickly ran into the tent. A task that was not achieved through the human efforts of the volunteers was done by the rain.

The rain was so heavy that some parts of the tent began to leak. If the rain continued, many more parts of the tent would have leaked; all the programs organized for the night would be affected.

At this time, the praise and worship team asked the congregation to pray for the rain to stop. They suggested that we pray the Rosary and ask the Blessed Virgin Mary for intercession. At this suggestion, all the people began to pray. The earlier noisy scene suddenly changed into a solemn and quiet scene of prayer. When the Rosary was finished, the rain stopped.

At that moment, I could not help but thank God for his almightiness to stop the heavy rain. And all of us gave a loud applause of praise to God for his faithfulness and goodness. Thus I personally experienced how God made use of the rain to bring the distracted people back to the session and how he gave us the privilege to see his majesty and power. I can now exclaim the same with the psalmist of psalm 96, “The skies proclaim his justice; all peoples see his glory … for you indeed are the Lord, most high above all the earth, exalted far above all spirits.”

There might be difficulties in our lives which we find that we cannot overcome with our own efforts. Let us not be dismayed but turn to God. With his power and majesty, He can accomplish what is impossible for man.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Samuel Lim on 13th Feb 2011.

Reflection on Psalm 36 (Br David Arulanatham)

2011-02-09T08:00:00.007+08:00

In you is the source of life and in your light we see light.

Psalm 35(36) : 9

In this psalm the psalmist makes a vivid description of the darkness of life as opposed to the life in the light of God. The first part of the psalm alludes to the darkness as experienced by a sinner who refuses to acknowledge neither God nor the ways of God. The rest of the psalm takes on a very positive tone of love, peace and joy that is experienced of how good life with the Lord is.

I found myself very drawn to verse 9 of the psalm which declares God as the source of life and that it is only through the light of God that we will be able to perceive the truth. As, I prayed and reflected further this verse of the psalm my thoughts were taken way back to the creation story where God upon completing his creative work looks on at all that he has created and declares them ‘good’. More than good the human person that God created were created in his image and likeness.

Coincidently the readings for Mass on Monday and Tuesday this week (5th. Week in Ordinary time) took us back to the creation story. In response to the words of the creation story in Genesis we must begin to own the fact that we are good and that we were created in the image and likeness of God. This simply means that our roots are in God, the source of our life, our very being. In addition, having the image and likeness of God means that we do have the attributes of God, the potential to move towards the divine and eventually become another Christ. Therefore, if we begin to cling on to this God in an intimate manner then we will truly see light. In all our joys and struggles we will begin to appreciate God and his abundant loving and merciful ways.

Recently, I was sent a URL for a video clip of a testimony of a lady on ‘the best gift I ever survived:

I found it very good and in some ways it reflects the verse of the psalm that I have chosen to reflect. Hope you will take a view of it and maybe share your thoughts of the clip with me.

It is only when we are connected with God and become in tune and harmony with his ways; we begin to understand who we really are and where our destination is. Jesus was completely in communion with the Father that he was able to fulfil the will of the Father for him even when he had to experience passion and death on the cross. He truly saw the light and lived in the light for he was truly the light of the world.

Let us therefore turn from the light of the world and be connected to the source of that light and live in the light, glorifying God the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit in our joy and struggles.

Your word is a lamp for my feet
A light on my path
Psalm 119:105

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Joseph Zhang on 11th Feb 2011.

Reflection on Renewal (Br Aloysius Tan)

2011-02-07T08:00:00.002+08:00

As we celebrate Lunar New Year, I recall my experiences of the celebration during my childhood whereby this was the only time of the year when we are able to get new clothing. However, I guess besides getting new clothes, changing new curtains and putting up new decorations in the house, the celebration of New Year was not so much a celebration of total newness only but rather a celebration of RENEWAL.

With the New Year, we are given the time and opportunity to recall the past, make new resolutions and most importantly to start anew for whatever we have failed to do in the past year. Sometimes, we make a lot of new resolutions which we never successfully achieve. For instance, my New Year resolution was to lose weight but with the good food on the table during the celebrations, the resolution of the year was always postponed for the next year. Thus, with lots of past experiences, pending matters to be settled in life, our New Year celebrations definitely is not a celebration of total newness but a celebration to remind us and to invite us to renew our lives.

Surely, in this process we need our Saviour to lead us and to guide us so that we may persevere and have the wisdom to acknowledge Him as the only guide in our life’s journey of constant renewal. The writer of the canticle (1Chron 29: 10-13) beautifully expresses it: “Both riches and honour come from you, and you rule over all.” Yes, only through His strength are we able to regain wisdom and courage to renew our life.......without fear!”

Happy Lunar New Year! Wishing you NEWNESS in Christ through our RENEWAL in HIM!

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br David Arulanatham on 09th Feb 2011.

Hello again! We'll be back real soon!

2011-02-01T21:12:00.003+08:00

Dear friends,

Welcome to the new year and we hope you're having a great start to the new year!

After two months of rest (from blogging) we shall be coming back very soon with our sharings.

In view of the upcoming Chinese New Year (CNY) celebrations, our first post for the year will be on 07th Feb 2011. So stay tuned for it!

In the meantime, we would like to gather some feedback with regards to our seminary blog. So we hope you can spend some time providing your heartfelt comments, feedback, or suggestions for improvement so that we can serve you better! Even a simple word of encouragement or affirmation will be most appreciated! (Kindly leave your comments by clicking 'comments' at the bottom of this post.)

So we hope to hear from you, as you wait to hear from us real soon!

Have a Blessed CNY celebration and enjoy the long weekend too! =D

God Bless!!

The Blogmaster ^_^

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

2010-12-01T08:00:00.000+08:00

Thank you for visiting our webpage of reflections and your continued support and prayers for our seminary.

We're having our year end break and hence, we regret to inform you that the schedule of postings for the blog will only resume in Feb 2011.

Meanwhile have a meaningful preparation and celebration of the Christmas season and till we return again!

God Bless!

The BlogMaster

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

2010-11-27T08:00:00.000+08:00

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)

2010-11-25T08:00:00.000+08:00

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)

2010-11-23T08:06:00.000+08:00

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)

2010-11-21T15:09:00.007+08:00

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)

2010-11-19T08:00:00.001+08:00

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)

2010-11-17T08:00:00.002+08:00

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)

2010-11-15T08:00:00.001+08:00

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)

2010-11-13T08:00:00.001+08:00

“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)

2010-11-11T08:00:00.018+08:00

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)

2010-11-09T08:00:00.000+08:00

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)

2010-11-07T08:00:00.002+08:00

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)

2010-11-05T08:00:00.003+08:00

"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)

2010-11-03T08:04:00.000+08:00

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)

2010-11-01T08:03:00.001+08:00

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.

Reflections on Ps 8 (Br David Arulanatham)

2010-10-30T05:45:00.004+08:00

God saw all that he had made and indeed it was very good

Each time I am confronted with this psalm especially verses 4 & 5; I feel an awesome feeling of the surging of goodness within me. For me as I perceive what seems to be ‘Glory and honour’ in the psalm simply as the goodness that God claimed when he had completed his creation on the sixth day;

God saw all that he had made an indeed it was very good

Genesis 1:31

It is indeed this goodness that we were created in and created for. However, we somehow are not able to embrace and live this goodness to the fullest. It seems a struggle for us for we seem to be attracted to the world around us, and its attraction as goodness. We join in the rat race to the illusive and deceptive goodness of idolatry which eventually lead us away from our ever loving and merciful God.

A few years ago when I visited a BEC [Basic Ecclesial Communities – Malaysia; Small Christian Communities -Singapore] for their word sharing meeting as part of my pastoral work, I found that the people in this group started their reflection hurling criticism, hurtful feelings, resentment, anger and frustrations. I was taken aback and was wondering what was happening there and made up my mind that I had to take control of the situation and turn things around for them that evening.

I suggested that maybe for a change instead of pointing fingers and feeling miserable why don’t we look into ourselves and speak of the goodness within us. Everyone became very silent and occasionally nudging the other to speak up. After some moments I added if that is difficult maybe we could try affirming each other in this group of their goodness for I am sure you all know each other quite well and have been engaged in some form of relationship for a while. Well, this turned out to be very successful, there were beautiful stories, experiences shared, joy being expressed, a display of emotions and even tears streaming down on their faces. It was simply a wonderful time. God’s immanent presence among us was felt. He was mentioned, acknowledged, praised and glorified.

At this point I decided to make them feel guilty for the disposition they were in at the beginning of the evening by asking them which was a better time. Here I took the opportunity to infuse some teaching that I share with you readers of the ‘Blog.’

Each time we look into ourselves and sense the goodness within us, in the persons around us, in the world around us we truly experience the presence of God and we allow the goodness of God to grow a hundred fold or even more. The God that we experience in these moments is not one who is silent but one who speaks to us in the silence of our heart.

Take a moment now, become very silent and still while reflecting your life remembering the goodness that you have lived and expressed to people around you. How do you feel?
If you feel good then give praise to God and allow the goodness of God within you to surge out of you even more freely and unconditionally.

How great is your name,
O Lord our God , through all the earth!

Psalm 8:9

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Joseph Zhang on 01st Nov 2010.

Reflection on FEAR vs TRUST- Matt 8:23-27 (Br Aloysius Tan)

2010-10-28T08:03:00.000+08:00

Based on the episode of the Calming of the Storm (Matthew 8:23-27)

Most of us have certain fears in life that range from the minor fears of darkness, rats or dirt, to the paralyzing fears of separation, illness or death, among others. A lot of times, these fears come part and parcel with life experiences.

We, as people of faith trusting in God, are supposed to “fearless folk”. But, in reality, we know we are all still struggling to be “fearless” as we go about our daily lives. This is similar to the experiences of the disciples.

If we read the episode of how Jesus calmed the storm in the account of Matthew, we can see how the disciples, despite having accompanied Jesus and having witnessed His numerous miracles, healings, and teachings, went back to their normal “humanness” with their thought processes and fears when they were crossing the sea with Jesus. When the storm broke out, it must have been a terrifying storm. Otherwise the disciples, who were mainly fishermen, wouldn’t have been so frightened as they would have surely encountered numerous storms at sea before in their lives as fishermen.

This fierce storm caused great fear in the disciples. Just imagine -- they had witnessed how Jesus had cast out demons, healed the sick, performed miracles -- and yet, they were still cowed with fear despite Jesus being right there in the same boat.

Then, Jesus calmed the sea. His disciples were stunned by the miracle. Although they personally knew who Jesus was, yet, they were very impressed by His power that could even control nature.
Can we identify ourselves with the disciples in this gospel passage? Though most of us hardly experience storms while tossed in a boat of angry waters, the storms of life hit us in many ways and stages. For some, their storms may be facing a financial crisis, for others, problems in their marriage, career, family relationships, sickness, injustice in the work-place, the struggle to support their children’s education ... the list can go on and on! All these difficulties in life can be considered storms in our life.

The question is whether we allow our faith as Christians to be tested as the disciples did. Do we also forget all the wonders and blessings God has showered upon us and only feel that “we are being let down” as the disciples did? Do we allow the trials of life to overwhelm us until they become the great storm that will cause great fear within us?

The faith of the disciples was being tested as part of their discipleship and sanctification. We too, should be motivated to turn to Jesus during all the storms in our live, knowing that the boat of our life can never sink when Jesus is in it.

Perhaps it is only when we experience a storm that we can identify who the real disciple of Christ is. We have the choice to “stick on” to Jesus to let him lead us through or we can “jump out” from our boat, trying to look for alternative human strength or other worldly power to overcome our problems.

In fact, I have encountered quite a number of Christians who are generous with their time and money in Church when it was smooth sailing for them in their business or career. But when a life crisis hits, you see them turn to other sources for help. They seek out feng shui masters, wear crystals and stones that can “change their misfortune”, or seek advice from fortune tellers. They would rather spend money and misplace trust to seek help from these other sources than go straight to Jesus…. Our Lord and saviour who provides free help, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Let us all TRUST....and be fearless!

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br David Arulanatham on 30th Oct 2010.

Reflections on A choice between God or $ (Br Martin Arlando)

2010-10-26T08:05:00.001+08:00

In spite of our dedication and absorption in daily chores, these are in themselves, vain pursuits whereby we should actually aspire for true riches which are found only in heaven…with God. Well let me illustrate with a story to show how wealth can make us unhappy as it is when God is absent in our lives.

There was once a poor shoemaker who was always in a good mood. He was so happy that he sang from morning to night. There were always children standing at his window and listening to him sing.

Next door to him lived a very rich man. He spent entire nights counting his money, and then went to bed in the morning, but he could not sleep because of the shoemaker’s singing. One day he figured out how he could keep the shoemaker from singing.

So he invited the shoemaker to come over and see him. He did. To his great surprise, the rich man gave him a little a bag filled with gold coins. When the shoemaker got back home, he opened the little bag. Never in his life had he ever seen so much money. He counted it all out carefully and the children watched him. It was so much that the shoemaker was afraid to let it out of sight and so he took it along to bed at night. But even there he kept thinking about the money and could not sleep.

So then he got up and took the bag of money up to the attic. But on second thought he was afraid it was not safe there. So the next morning he brought the money downstairs again.

He then thought of hiding it in the fireplace. “But I’ll just put it in the chicken coop. no one would look for it there,” he decided.

But he was still nervous about the money and so he dug a deep hole in the garden and hid it there. He was so preoccupied with the money that the never got back to making shoes. Nor could he sing any more. He was so worried that he could not produce a single note. And worst of all, the children did not come around to visit him any longer.

Finally the shoemaker was so unhappy that he dug up the money and hurried back to his neighbor with it. “Please take this money back,” he said. “Worry about it has made me sick, and even my friends do not come to see me anymore. I would rather be a shoemaker, like I was.”

Soon the shoemaker was again as happy and contended as before and he sang and worked the whole day.

Another day of our life is gone and just like today which is no more, our life here on earth will someday come to an end. Why, then, should we fear evils that do not last? And why do we put our hope in ourselves, in wealth…with it we cannot buy everlasting life nor avoid coming to the grave. But do not be afraid as the Psalmist of Psalm 48(49) says, evil days will end just as the days of both wise men and fools… just as their wealth and all their plans will perish. But there is salvation – a treasure that will never perish, because it has been revealed by Jesus Christ for this is our Christian hope, it is a hope that overcomes all pessimism. Let us than make a resolute choice in choosing God and God alone in our lives :)

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Aloysius Tan on 28th Oct 2010.

Reflection on God’s Power (Br Nicholas Lye)

2010-10-24T08:03:00.001+08:00

If you have seen commercials like the ones above, I wonder how many of us truly believe in the magical transforming power of such products. We don’t seem to get the same kind of effect in our own homes, kitchens or everyday lives.

But one particular morning hymn that we sing for lauds on Monday: Week 4 seems to express that the magical transforming effect that we don’t see in reality, actually happens in our spiritual reality! – once we allow Creator Spirit to make a home in our hearts...

Come, O Creator Spirit, come,
and make within our hearts your home;
to us your grace eternal give,
who of your breathing move and live.

Our senses with our light inflame,
our hearts to heavenly love reclaim;
our bodies’ poor infirmity
with strength perpetual fortify.

Our earthly foe afar repel.
grant us henceforth in peace to dwell;
and so to us, with you for guide,
no ill shall come, no harm betide.

Sounds as unbelievable as a commercial? But our challenge is precisely to believe! That whenever we invite the Lord to fill us with the scent of His love every morning, we are challenged to ask ourselves if we truly believe in the mind-blowing, awe-striking intensity and magnitude of God’s power and might. Do we believe that a simple prayer each day, when sincerely prayed from our hearts, can truly affect, and sanctify, and intercede for all peoples across every land and nation? Do we believe that receiving a small, tiny host we which we profess to be the Real Presence of Jesus, can truly transform our entire being and cause rippling life-changing effects on all whom we meet each day? Do we also believe that as children of God, we have the potential power to be life-changing instruments of God’s love even with our small acts done with great love?

With our child-like imagination and conviction, we can move away from what seems unreal in real life, and enter into what is the deeper truth and reality in our spiritual life.

For only when we can believe in the mind-blowing power of God’s scent of love that fills our hearts and our lives, can we then be effectively SENT out to bring that scent of God’s love to the people all over the world, so that their broken, terrorised, sinful, hurting, depressed, lonely hearts may be transformed as they are filled with that powerful, life-changing scent of God.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Martin Arlando on 26th Oct 2010.

Reflections on encountering God in unexpected ways (Br Gabriel Wong)

2010-10-22T08:05:00.000+08:00

Fr Ignatius has shared on the importance to be aware of God in the surrounding environment. For him, nature seems to be the most prevalent medium in which God uses to touch him. God reaches out differently to different people. For someone who has served in the navy, He chose to reveal His message in a more suitable fashion.

Right across the Straits, Pasir Gudang Port stood just a few kilometers away from the Seminary. God’s message subtly reveals itself through the sound blasts made by the ships transiting at the Straits. His message comes in two fold which consists of two different sound signals.

The first signal will be one prolonged blast, which will last from four to six seconds. This is a signal used to show the ship’s intention to leave the dock. His subtle message:

Remember the excitement each time the ship leaves the dock to embark on a journey. Each journey is an encounter with me, filled with many surprises. Don’t let the fatigue and burdens of yesterday prevent you from noticing the surprise I have in store for you today. Let each day be an exciting day of your yearning to come and meet me.

The second signal will be five short blasts, with each short blast lasting for a second. This is the DANGER signal. If a ship doesn’t understand the nearby ship’s manoeuvring intentions, or feel that their proposed manoeuvre is dangerous to either vessel, then there is a requirement to sound the DANGER signal. His subtle message:

Watch out there! You seem to be maneuvering away from me and the community I set around you. WAKE UP! You must neither take for granted the blessings which I bestowed on you, nor slacken in your daily attempts to converse with me. If you continue in your attempts to move away from me, somebody gonna get hurt…real bad.
And I think you know that somebody very well. Check your maneuvers.
I love you always.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Nicholas Lye on 24th Oct 2010.

Reflections on Ps 62 (Br Cornelius Ching)

2010-10-20T08:03:00.000+08:00

Have you ever craved for a plate of char kway teow so bad that you just got to have a nice meal of it... the succulent kway teow and mee.... the crunchy tau gay and chai sim... the bouncy lap cheong... the fresh see hum... all bound together by the slightly charred egg and fried to perfection in its sweet sauce and with a hint of the aroma of lar pok... Mmmm!!!

I have this craving once in a while and will not rest until I hunt down a nice plate of it, or visit one of the famous stalls scattered around Singapore (like Old Airport Rd, Chomp Chomp, High Street Market etc).

When I have this craving, the longing in me is so deeply rooted that I just have to fulfil this urge to satisfy my want. I am sure the psalmist of Ps 62 must be feeling this way or even more when he composed this psalm. Everytime I pray this psalm, especially on Sunday, Wk 1 of the Liturgy of the Hours, I cannot but feel this deep need and longing for the Lord to be in my life and set it straight. Sometimes, this feeling is so strong that it even draws a tear to my eyes.

O God, you are my God, for you I long;
for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you
like a dry, weary land without water.

How I pine for the water of the Lord to irrigate the arid spiritual life I have. My prayer is to continue this deep pining for the presence of the Lord in my life and let him lead me where he wants me to go..... now I can go dig in to my plate of char kway teow.....

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Gabriel Wong on 22nd Oct 2010.

Reflections on Ps 134 (Br Terence Kesavan)

2010-10-18T05:16:00.001+08:00

Recently, my sister made some cupcakes for a friend's wedding. There were many who came to tell me how great & irresistible they were. As I listened to their comments, and seeing how much they enjoyed eating the cupcakes, I wondered why I did not have the same enjoyment that they had.

As I reflected on the smile on the faces, I could only conclude, that I was so used to eating my sister's delicious cakes, that it was nothing out of the ordinary. For my friends it was better than the cakes they normally have, while for me, it was the norm.

There is a Chinese saying that goes <生在福中不知福> (sheng zai fu zhong bu zhi fu), which means one who is living a blessed life does not know his blessings. Similarly I realised that I had started to take my sister's cakes for granted, not fully appreciating the blessing that I had in my life.

This can also be seen in many other areas of our life. Our economic stability, our low crime rate and the cleanliness and hygiene standards of our country are often quoted examples of things that we so easily take for granted in our society. But more than that, all these are just a small portion of the many blessings that God showers on us everyday of our lives.

Our freedom to worship, the love of our family and friends, God's forgiveness and the many small miracles that works in our lives are just some things that we can get so used to, that we forget to be grateful and thankful for what God is doing for us in our lives.

As the Psalmist in Psalm 134 says

Praise the name of the Lord...
Praise the Lord for the Lord is good...
Sing a psalm to his name for he is loving...
For I know the Lord is great...

Let us not take out blessings for granted, and be grateful to the Lord for all that he is doing in our lives. I'm sure that the blessings that we have here on earth, are just a foretaste of what we will experience in heaven. If that is the case, I'm looking forward to the chocolate fountains, chocolate roads and chocolate houses in heaven.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Cornelius Ching on 20th Oct 2010.

Reflection on Praying the Rosary as Imitating Mary’s Openness (Br Jude David)

2010-10-16T08:02:00.000+08:00

October is traditionally the month of the Rosary and Catholics all around the world observe this special month of devotion to our Blessed Mother with various activities centred on the praying of the rosary and meditating on its mysteries. One of the significant liturgical celebrations of this month is the Memoria of Our Lady of the Rosary which is celebrated on 7th October every year and was instituted on the anniversary of the Christians victory at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 attributed to the praying of the rosary. Today, we are still able to celebrate a similar victory of many Christians who are conquering the battles of their daily their lives on their knees with their rosaries in their hands. The rosary is still an all-time favourite devotion of Catholics all around the world because it is a prayer that is simple enough to appeal to diverse peoples. What is the most significant effect of praying the rosary?

The rosary is often misunderstood by many and Catholics are often accused of babbling it like the pagans which Jesus warns us against in Matthew 6:7. This seems like a valid accusation when the rosary is understood only from face value instead of going deeper into the essence of this prayer. The Church has always taught that at the heart of the Church’s recommendation of praying the rosary is not the centrality of Mary but the Mysteries of our Faith which we are called to enter into a deep contemplation of during the reflective praying of each decade. Essentially, we are called to contemplate the Face of Christ as Mary did when we enter into this prayer.

Personally, the rosary forges in us a simplicity and openness to God that Mary herself is honoured for. In the simplicity of the rosary, one is invited to transcend the ego of the self that seeks to be in control or to be excited and enters into the docility of a heart that is waiting upon the Lord. The repetition of the prayers is not to be understood as a means of pestering God but one of stilling our easily excitable spirits and centring us to be open to Christ and His action in us. This is the hallmark of our Blessed Mother who was herself so thirsting and open to the Lord that the God of the Universe was able to find a worthy dwelling for His Son in her womb. This is also the call for each of us who desires to honour our Blessed Mother; that we too shall imitate her in her disposition of total openness to the Lord.

St Augustine once said, “Mary conceived Jesus in her heart long before she had conceived him in her womb”. The clearest sign of the openness of Mary was the Incarnation and so it shall also be for us. If we are truly open to the Lord, then, the clearest sign of this openness in us will also be that the Word will become flesh in us and we will be “pregnant with Jesus” for Christ will continue to make His sacred presence felt in the ordinary situations of human life through our own being which becomes the open channel for the Incarnation to take place in our daily lives. God is desiring to transform our world today into His Kingdom through our openness to His Incarnation in our lives and this is the most significant call of all who pray the rosary with such devotion.

When we have truly embraced the spirit of praying the rosary as it was meant to be and thereby allowed the Word to become flesh in us, then we too shall sing with Mary, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my saviour. For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness.” (Luke1:46-48)

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Terence Kesavan on 18th Oct 2010.

Reflections on Ps 126 (Br Anthony Liew)

2010-10-14T08:05:00.000+08:00

During the mid-term break, I met a group of Catholic friends in Penang who recently started a restaurant by the name of New Manna. It serves as a mean to ministry to the Orang Asli. They supply food, medical stuff to them and help them to build their basic facilities in their village. In fact, they are very prayerful laity who always seek God’s will and His help before they start this ministry. I was deeply touched by their effort to come up with this restaurant as it involves risk to run it. I must say I am inspired with their courage and their trust in God as stated in their little booklet in which they share their insights with those who come to their restaurant.

The psalmist of psalm 126 reminds us about the importance of clinging onto God and His will in whatever we do. It says, “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 rising, your going later to rest.” Though the restaurant does not earn enough for them to get rich, it has brought a significant message to the people around. Many Christians have realised the ministry of Orang Asli. Their little booklet in the restaurant, with some scriptural texts, has inspired many to get themselves involved in this ministry.

I especially like the statement they put in the conclusion: A wise man once said – there are 3 kinds of people in the world… (1) those that MAKE things happen… (2) those who WATCH things happen… (3) those who SAY what happened?...Are YOU willing to make things Happen?

(If you wish to know more about this ministry, you may go to – http:/new-manna.blogspot.com)

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Jude David on 16th Oct 2010.

Reflections on Ps 100 & Phil 2:6-11 (Br Peter Anthoney)

2010-10-12T08:02:00.000+08:00

Integrity is doing the right thing,

even if nobody is watching…

There was a King who wanting to find someone to take over his reign, someone who not only was able and intelligent but one who was trustworthy and held on to the virtue of integrity. Therefore, he summoned some of his wise young men and gave each of them a seed. They were to sow the seed and bring back the plant that grows from the seed a month later. A month later every one of them except for one returned with a healthy, lush green and well-grown plant. This exceptional one young man presented himself looking rather sad and disappointed with a pot that showed no sign of any form of growth.

With much fear he trembled to say that he tried very hard but his seed simply would not germinate. Everyone in the king’s court was watching him and the king closely waiting for the king to react to him. However, to their amazement the king welcomed this young man to his side and announced that the seeds that he had given all of them were boiled seed. They were actually dead seed. As such it was impossible for any germination to take place. All of them with their healthy, lush green and well-grown plant were undeniably dishonest and lacked integrity. He praised this young man for his integrity, humility and courage and appointed him to take over his reign as king of that country.

Like the psalmist of psalm says

“I look to the faithful in the land
that they may dwell with me.
He who walks in the way of perfection
shall be my friend”

Psalm 100(101): 6

Like the young man who exercised integrity, humility and courage in the task assigned to him we too are called to follow our Lord Jesus Christ who showered love, peace, joy and hope on us to continue his mission with faithfulness and integrity. Our call is not a call to be successful or to be attractive for the Lord but a call that will lead us to become naked in truth, humility and faithfulness before God and his people.

Our leadership role must take on the virtues of Christ who is ‘the’ perfect model who was truly a servant king.

Though he was in the form of God … He emptied himself taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of man And being found in the human form, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even death on the cross…

As St. Paul says in his letter to the Philippians (2: 6-11), there is a need for us to let go of ourselves and embrace the cross to become faithful and virtuous before our Lord and his people. God is forever inviting us to his presence, to be ‘His’ , so let us start living our life of faithfulness by keeping his commandments and embrace the virtues of humility, integrity and obedience. Let each and every one of us pray for the grace of His mercy and justice to prevail among us, to mould and shape us according to His will for us.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Anthony Liew on 14th Oct 2010.

Reflections on Exodus 3:1–12 (Br Jovita Ho)

2010-10-10T08:06:00.001+08:00

As God called Moses, so is He calling you… do not be afraid but response in faith and freedom.

Moses was looking after the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, priest of Midian. He led his flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of Yahweh appeared to him in the shape of a flame of fire, coming from the middle of a bush. Moses looked; there was the bush blazing but it was not being burnt up. 'I must go and look at this strange sight,' Moses said 'and see why the bush is not burnt.' Now Yahweh saw him go forward to look, and God called to him from the middle of the bush. 'Moses, Moses!' he said. 'Here I am' he answered. 'Come no nearer' he said. 'Take off your sandals, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. I am the God of your father,' he said 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.' At this Moses covered his face, afraid to look at God.

And Yahweh said, 'I have seen the miserable state of my people in Egypt. I have heard their appeal to be free of their slave-drivers. Yes, I am well aware of their sufferings. I mean to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians and bring them up out of that land to a land rich and broad, a land where milk and honey flow, the home of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. And now the cry of the sons of Israel has come to me, and I have witnessed the way in which the Egyptians oppress them, so come, I send you to Pharaoh to bring the sons of Israel, my people, out of Egypt.'

Moses said to God, 'Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?' 'I shall be with you,' was the answer 'and this is the sign by which you shall know that it is I who have sent you... After you have led the people out of Egypt, you are to offer worship to God on this mountain.'

* ‘Moses was looking after the flock…’ Moses was doing what he did almost everyday for 40 years, ‘looking after the flock’ when he was ‘called’. What about you? God calls us in the ordinary circumstances of our lives, and yet His call puts in that extra-ordinariness into the circumstances that you are called. Do you allow yourself to be attentive to God’s voice speaking to you in the ordinariness of your life?

* ‘I must go and see this strange sight…’ Moses could have ignored this strange sight and think it is a figment of his imagination. Or he could have been struck with fear and ran away, rather than moving forward to see this burning bush sight. What about you? What are the ‘burning bushes’ in your life? Do you try to encounter it with eyes of faith, or do you run away from it in fear? Perhaps there are some ‘burning bushes’ in your life that you fear sighting because you cannot comprehend it. Bring it to the Lord in prayer, and pray for the grace of wisdom to understand, and the courage to respond.

* ‘Take off your sandals…’ Moses wanted to do things his ways when he was a prince in Egypt for the first 40 years of his life, then he went into self-exile for another 40 years before encountering the Lord in the burning bush. Moses seemingly wanted to live life in his own terms and conditions, yet God’s command is clear, ‘take off your sandals’. Moses is to come into God’s presence under God’s terms. What about you? Where are you at this point of life? The tension between Moses’ will and God’s will that Moses faced is much the same and real in your life. ‘Take off your sandals…’ is easier said than done, but it is possible with God’s grace. It is in prayer that your aspirations meets the mind of God, thus God’s will becoming yours as well. Pray for the humility and docility in taking off your sandals.

* ‘I have seen the miserable state of my people… I shall be with you.’ God’s call does not appear out of the blue nor is it plucked out from thin air. God’s call is rooted in the realities of your life and the circumstances in which you live in. There is a purpose in God’s call, and sometimes that purpose may seem overwhelming. Have you felt that way sometimes too? Have the circumstances of your life, in your home, college and workplace seemed to speak to you of God wanting you to ‘renounce yourself, pick up your cross and follow him’? Moses was hesitant, and perhaps for you too. But God’s promise is clear and certain! ‘I shall be with you’. Do not be afraid to respond!

(Thanks to http://www.thebricktestament.com for the above pictures)

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Peter Anthoney on 12th Oct 2010.

Reflections on Celebrating Success (Br Gregory Chan)

2010-10-08T08:07:00.003+08:00

The secular world has a very unique way of celebrating success – they peg it to material achievement. They use the imagery of “height” to convey to us the “dizzying heights of success.” The Property Market speaks of “high-end living” and “the height of living” to convey to us this exclusivity, this privilege of living it up. Even universities are not immune from “scaling the heights of knowledge.” The commercial world depicts this in high-rise mega corporate offices, in sophisticated boardrooms and plush executive suites. “Ahh! This is the life!” One is almost tempted to murmur, contentedly. However, if this does not translate into capital, or that projection does not convert into sales, or a project ceases to be income generating, one is looking at a very swift spiral into the doldrums. That is the reality.
My reflection looks at height in a very different sort of way.

“High above all nations is the Lord,
above the heavens his glory.
Who is like the Lord, Our God,
who has risen on high to his throne
yet stoops down from the heights to look down,
to look down upon heaven and earth?”
(Psalm 112:4-6)

God is taken to be on high, exalted, holy, set apart from humanity. Nevertheless, we too are not excluded from this holiness, for we are a people who have been “sealed by an eternal covenant” (Heb 13:20) the covenant of his blood. This is Christ’s exaltation on the Cross, this is why he is lifted up, for in his passion, death and resurrection, he has “raised up” for us “the cup of salvation” (Psalm 115:13). Christ’s exaltation is that he was brought down, laid low, to be beneath contempt, made to suffer intolerable indignities beneath a human being, to be treated even worse than a slave.

This then is why “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name” (Phil 2:9), for he does not look at whether we are able to convert projection into sales, etc. Rather, he has, by his blood, redeemed us, and by so doing “made us ready to do his will in any kind of good action; and turn us all into whatever is acceptable to himself through Jesus Christ.” (Heb 13: 21) Thus, celebrating success is not the about celebrating the dizzying heights of mega-corporations. It is about relationship, our relationship with Christ and each other. So, today, let us celebrate success, Christ’s success, in having won for us our salvation. Let us in turn bend our knee and “confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2: 11).

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Jovita Ho on 10th Oct 2010.

Reflections on Luke 17:5-10 (Br Edward Seah)

2010-10-06T08:02:00.000+08:00

THE POWER OF FAITH AND HUMBLE SERVICE

For some years I had the privilege to live with a man even secular governments had acknowledged as a man of great faith who trusted in God’s providence. He was one who had renovated chapels or made big improvements to schools’ facilities without first raising the funds needed. In fact not only did he change the physical aspects of schools, he also exercised his creativity not attempted by many educators and which benefited not only his immediate students but the generations which followed. When he started La Salle College of the Arts some years after his retirement as the principal of St Patrick’s School, the Brothers were so stressed because they were afraid of the debt that he might accumulate.

Whenever I read in the scripture describing faith as strong enough to uproot trees and move mountains, I cannot help but remember Bro. Joseph McNally who moved huge chunks of metal and rocks even in his later age and transformed them into sculptures which speak to people about life experiences and its values. Nothing was impossible. These include his belief that everyone is made in the image of God and is basically good with all the potentials and giftedness. By sharing a fragment of his life story here, I am not canonizing him for like many of us he will likely remain anonymous in the liturgical calendar although the secular organizations and authorities had decorated him with many awards. Among these are the Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International, Montblanc de la Culture and the Singapore National Day Meritorious Service awards.

When the apostles asked Jesus ‘Increase our faith’, glad with their request, our Lord replied that if they had faith even the size of a mustard seed they could have the power to command trees to be uprooted and be transplanted into the sea. Indeed faith is a key factor in our lives and it is the quality rather than the quantity which needs to be increased. Faith does not depend on its size for it can grow in a qualitative way becoming deeper and richer resulting in the bearing of good fruits. Of course it does not mean that faith gives us the power to literally uproot trees and move mountains but rather that it gives us the grace to cope with difficulties and especially obstacles which come our way so that we may attempt greater things for the greater glory of God. Yet some people like Bro. McNally had faith which moved rocks and ‘mountains’.

His installation at the chapel of St. Francis Xavier Major Seminary here bears testimony to this for those rocks were moved from across the straits even though it was impossible even to get soil across. In the mid 70’s Bro. McNally also gave St Patrick’s School a beautiful refreshing landscape with huge red earthen rocks scattered around looking like fallen meteorites blending with the softness of bamboo and palm trees. It seems to me that these installations and some art collections there were gradually removed or destroyed by his detractors who of course also had no art education. One thing I remember about Bro. McNally is his belief that if the project is for the good of humanity and the Church, God will provide the funds needed. With such disposition he actually lived out the Lasallian Spirit of Faith, as found in the Brothers’ constitution called THE RULE, for ‘it is in faith that the Brothers are aware of God’s presence in their undertakings, their cares and their joys’ and it is also ‘by faith that the Brothers learn to see in every happening and in every person, especially the poor, a sign and a call of the spirit.’ And in God’s providence He sent many ‘guardian angels’ to deliver the funds needed.

With regards to humble service I must say that the noble thing about Bro. McNally was that he did not spend his life deliberately working to get those awards I mentioned earlier. He received those awards because he had great passion in education and totally immersed in being a steward in the creative kingdom of God. Often going beyond his call of duty, he gave his all not only to education and the arts but also for humanity beyond political boundaries.

What we need as Christians is to believe that in Jesus all things were created in heaven and on earth. That our Lord truly reigns and his decrees are to be trusted. May our faith, no matter how small, can always renew our lives and move us to share the Good News to the world solely for the greater glory to God.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Gregory Chan on 8th Oct 2010.

Reflections on Ps 121 (Br Benedict Chng)

2010-10-04T08:00:00.001+08:00

Shalom! Shalom! Shalom! These are words of greetings heard when the Israelites reached Jerusalem. In psalm 121, the first 4 stanza echoes the joy of a pilgrim.

“I rejoiced when I heard them say – Let us go to God’s house. And now our feet are standing within the gates O Jerusalem”

These Israelites when they make their annual pilgrimages, they have to travel a long journey, their eyes, faces and whole bodies would be filled with joy at the first sight of the holy city. There in the holy assembly the people would mingle together like one people. It was like they used to do in the desert, gathering together around the meeting tent and the Ark of the Covenant. There the Israelites who had issues with each other would find justice because the doors of the palace of the king was where the tribunals of justice were held. It was there that the traditional greetings of Shalom were heard. It was indeed a cause of great joy to be invited “Come let us go to God’s house”.

As we come together to give glory and praise to the Lord…We too are like the Israelites gathering together exchanging our greetings of Peace, singing praises to His holy name. For those of us who are undergoing trials and sufferings in our journey, do not despair because there is always hope when you seek the Lord. Continue to persevere and not to give up, have that childlike confidence like St Theresa of child Jesus, trust our Father…for he is ever loving and ever forgiving. Shalom…Shalom.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Edward Seah on 6th Oct 2010.

Reflections on Ps 79, 80 and Isaiah 12 (Br Alphonsus Dominic)

2010-10-02T08:09:00.001+08:00

“Gratitude by Evangelising”

On 30 Sep every year, we celebrate the Memorial of St. Jerome. St. Jerome, as we all know translated the bible to Latin. He has also written many bible commentaries..

Just as St. Jerome was chosen to translate the bible, we too are chosen, each one of us for a mission of helping to build God’s Kingdom. Psalms 79 & 80, and Isaiah 12 reminds us of the greatness of our God. We are encouraged to rejoice and renew our relationship with our all merciful God. Just as the Israelites, during the time of the Psalmist, recalled giving praise and thanksgiving to God, let us this morning recall all the marvels the Lord has worked in each one of our lives and give praise and thanksgiving to God.

This is further emphasised in the scripture reading from Romans 14:17-19 as we are encouraged not only to rejoice but to evangelise by sharing our God experiences and what we have learned from Wisdom herself.

As we reflect on the above psalms and passages, with gratitude and faith, let us ask the Lord to bless us with the grace of being more open to being His instruments in the mission that God has planned for each one of us.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Benedict Chng on 4th Oct 2010.

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

2010-09-30T08:04:00.000+08:00

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)

2010-09-28T08:02:00.000+08:00

“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)

2010-09-26T08:06:00.004+08:00

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)

2010-09-24T08:07:00.003+08:00

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)

2010-09-22T08:10:00.000+08:00

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)

2010-09-20T08:07:00.000+08:00

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)

2010-09-18T08:03:00.000+08:00

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)

2010-09-16T08:07:00.002+08:00

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)

2010-09-14T06:00:00.000+08:00

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)

2010-09-12T08:03:00.001+08:00

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)

2010-09-10T08:03:00.000+08:00

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)

2010-09-08T08:03:00.002+08:00

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)

2010-09-06T08:31:00.000+08:00

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)

2010-09-04T08:04:00.002+08:00

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)

2010-09-02T08:06:00.000+08:00

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.

Reflections on Ps 15 (Br Benedict Chng)

2010-08-31T08:06:00.000+08:00

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived; Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge and all the others, including Love.

One day, it was announced to all of the feelings that the island was Going to sink to the bottom of the ocean. So, all the feelings prepared their boats to leave. Love was the only one that stayed to the end. She wanted to cherish the island paradise until the last possible moment.

When the island was almost totally under, Love decided it was time to leave. She began looking for someone to ask for help. Just then, Richness was passing by in a grand boat. Love asked, "Richness, Can I come with you on your boat?"

Richness answered, "I'm sorry but there is a lot of silver and gold on my boat and there would be no room for you anywhere."

Then, Love decided to ask Vanity for help, who was passing in a beautiful vessel. Love cried out, "Vanity, help me please."

"I can't help you," Vanity said, "You are all wet and will damage my beautiful boat."

Next, Love saw Sadness passing by. Love said, "Sadness, please let me go with you."

Sadness answered, "Love, I'm sorry but I just need to be alone now." Then, Love saw Happiness.

Love cried out, "Happiness, please take me with you."

But, Happiness was so overjoyed, that he didn't hear Love calling to him. Love began to cry.
She then heard a voice say, "Come, Love, I will take you with me." It was an elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that she forgot to ask the elder his name. When they arrived on land, the elder went on his way. Love realized how much she owed the elder.

Love looked for Knowledge and asked, "Who was the elder that helped me?"

"It was Time," Knowledge answered. "But, why did Time help me, when no one else would?" Love asked.

Knowledge smiled and with deep wisdom and sincerity, answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how great Love is."

And so it is with Psalm 15, where the psalmist seeks God for refuge and acknowledges Him as his only God. Over time, the palmist soon began to discover that God has put a marvelous love in his heart. Likewise when we feel rejected, heavy burdened, confused etc. remain steadfast with God ‘cos time is capable of understanding how great God’s love is only if you allow it,

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Edward Seah on 2nd Sep 2010.

Reflections on PS 112 (Br Alphonsus Dominic)

2010-08-29T08:03:00.000+08:00

Praising God At All Times

All of us at one time or another had not been closely acquainted with the Lord as we should be. We may not be sure of what the appropriate response to our omnipotent God should be. Whatever spiritual level we are in our journey with Him, we are encouraged to continue to praise Him like the psalmist in Psalm 112. Obviously, God does not need our praises for even our praises are from Him. Yet with gratitude in our heart, we praise Him because He is a caring, merciful God who is not only transcendent but eminent in our life. God has humbled Himself to be active in our life, meeting the needs of us who are wretched and desperate. He uplifts the sufferings of humanity to positions of honour.

As unworthy and undeserving as we are, the Lord has called each one of us for a mission and purpose in life. As we pray this psalm, let us have hope and in faith pray that our God of Peace may make us ready to do His will through any kind of good actions. Let us then open our hearts and our minds to Him so that we can be transformed and moulded for whatever purposes acceptable to Him for our mission. With this in mind let us praise God.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Benedict Chng on 31st Aug 2010.

Reflection on the Transfiguration of the Lord [Luke 9:28-36] (Br Samuel Lim)

2010-08-27T08:02:00.000+08:00

We are all familiar with the account of the Transfiguration of the Lord, but let us revisit again with a little adaptations.

Jesus went up the mountain with his disciples – Peter, John and James. Suddenly Jesus manifested himself with glory, his face changed and his clothing became dazzling white! And there appeared Moses and Elijah and they were talking to Jesus. It was such a wonderful sight, truly an amazing experience of the glory of the Lord.

Then Peter spoke up, “Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” In the original version, Jesus didn’t reply him but he did in this version. And so Jesus replied Peter, “Why do you want to build the three tents for us? Do you plan to stay here for a long time? Is it because it’s a wonderful experience? No, my friend, don’t dwell in this experience; this is not the highpoint of my glory.”

Why did I put those words in Jesus’ mouth? As we fast forward the story in the gospel, when is the next time we see Jesus up on a mountain standing in between two people? Up on Mt Calvary, his death on the cross! This time, instead of his clothing becoming dazzling white, his body was drenched with sweat and blood. This time, his face wasn’t gloriously transfigured; it was violently disfigured! But this is the climax, the culmination of his moment of glory – the sacrificial love of God for all humanity!

And if Peter was there at the crucifixion, what do you think he’d say? “Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, and two for the thieves.” Of course not! None of the disciples would like to pitch a tent and dwell in that experience. In fact, most of them were not even there.

Why do I put these 2 events together?

In all 3 synoptic Gospels, the account of the Transfiguration is preceded by Jesus telling us the cost of discipleship: that is to renounce ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him. (cf. Lk 9:23) But where should we follow him to? Well, if he asks us to take up our cross, where else can we go? To Calvary of course!

We’re all called to be radical disciples. But discipleship entails the experiences of both the mountain of transfiguration as well as the mountain of crucifixion – and not forgetting the valleys of the ordinary life in between. St Paul says, “We must share his sufferings if we are to share his glory.” (Rom 8:17) ‘Joy’ and ‘suffering’ are actually the same word with different spelling. Just ask a mother who has just given birth and she’ll testify to this reality.

Should any of us feel a bit discouraged and apprehensive at this point, let us also be assured that our walk as disciples does not end on Mt Calvary because our Master did not stop there either. Our faithfulness in going to the crucifixion with him will lead us ultimately to his triumphant Resurrection! And that’s what he promised us: “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world!” (Jn 16:33)

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Alphonsus Dominic on 29th Aug 2010.

Reflections on God, the Divine Doctor, Restores and Re-energizes (Br Joseph Zhang)

2010-08-25T08:04:00.001+08:00

Sometimes when we fall sick, we feel drowsy, we feel we have no strength, and we just want to rest and do not want to do anything. In order to get well again, we go and see the doctor. After seeing the doctor, with the medicine prescribed, we become well. And we have strength again to carry on our duties.

As with our physical health, sometimes we also fall sick in spirit. When we have too many things to do, we feel stressful and sometimes we even become distressed. We just want to give up and stop doing everything. Yet deep in our hearts we know we have to fulfill our responsibilities. How do we become well again in spirit?

Psalms 142 and 146 present us a picture of God as the divine doctor. The psalmist of psalm 142 cried out to God, “Lord, save my life; in your justice save my soul from distress for my spirit fails within me.” Psalm 146 sings praises to God by saying, “He heals the broken-hearted, he binds up all their wounds.”

I share the psalmists’ experience, I experienced that in my stress and distress I turned to God. In prayer and conversion with Him, I found peace and hope, for God, the divine doctor, allows me to see the purpose of all my duties. And He strengthens my spirit and empowers me to carry on. Therefore, when we are drowsy and feeling down in spirit, when we feel we have no strength to continue, let us turn to God, the divine doctor, to be restored and re-energized.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Samuel Lim on 27th Aug 2010.

Reflections on The Voice of the Lord (Br David Arulanatham)

2010-08-23T08:03:00.000+08:00

The Lord’s voice resounding on the waters,
The voice of the Lord, full of power,
The voice of the Lord, full of splendour,
The Lord’s voice shattering the cedars,
The Lord’s voice flashes flames of fire,
The Lord’s voice shakes the wilderness of Kadesh,
The Lord’s voice rending the oak tree
and stripping the forests bare,
The God of Glory thunders.
The Lord will give strength to his people,
The Lord will bless his people with peace.

Psalm 28(29)

I felt rather drawn to the ‘voice of the Lord’ as I reflected this psalm. It simply dawned to me that the voice of the Lord was not only full of power and splendour but it was a voice that was as gentle as a breeze speaking to me in his silent awe-inspiring presence. God was, is and continuing to speak to me. He is present to us in all of his magnificent creation. This insight or rather experience was very evident and overwhelming for me during my recent .thirty-day retreat. I realised that it is when I really become quiet both internally and externally within me that I am able to listen and hear the voice of God. It simply becomes an audible reality.

The voice of the Lord in its power and splendour is simply seeking us out to ‘be still’. It is only when we become quiet and still that we are able to hear, to listen to him relating to us. And these moments seem to occur in very strange, awesome and mysterious ways. Though strange and mysterious because the grace of God is at work we seem to be able to discern that it is God who is speaking to us.

I would like to share one such moment in my life. On my last day of my recent retreat I decided that I was going to do a closure by spending some time walking in the labyrinth after which I was coming out of the retreat situation. I had some wonderful reflections and thoughts but as I was just about to get out of the labyrinth a familiar tune emerged deep within me and before realising what was happening I began to sing a part of the song. I was literally amused and was laughing to myself because the song was not a spiritual song but a song from the movie, ‘My Fair Lady’. It is song that Audrey Hepburn sang, ‘Wouldn’t it be lovely’

Later, I spent some time reflecting the lyrics of the song, the movie itself and of course the state I was in at that point of time. The experiences of the retreat had left me with great affirmation and empowered feelings. It was then I became aware that the Lord was in his way telling me to be calm, and to have this strong desire to yearn for the heavenly home while desiring to live a simple comfortable life here and now. For me it was another great moment in my life. I marvelled at the experience of God, engaged in a conversation with me at a very personal and intimate way.

Today, as we pray the words of the psalmist glorifying the ‘voice of the Lord’ let us pray for the grace of God for us to be able to allocate time in our daily living to become still before the Lord, to be able to enter into this moment of quietness within us so that we will be able to hear and listen to the ‘voice of the Lord’. The ‘voice of the Lord’ in all its power and glory continues to lead us to his heavenly kingdom of love.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me;
and I give them eternal life, and they shall not perish
and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.

John 10 :27-28

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Joseph Zhang on 25th Aug 2010.

A Reflection on travelling (Br Aloysius Tan)

2010-08-21T08:10:00.000+08:00

We all travel; sometimes for short trips and sometimes for long journeys. I used to struggle how to travel light. Sometimes, I travel together with friends for a holiday or go to some over- night programs or camps; I am amazed how they can travel with a small bag while I have a small bag plus a big bag. Perhaps, I bring extra clothing in case I can’t do my laundry, an umbrella in case it rains, an extra pair of sandals in case I need to go for a walk, some medicine in case I am not well, a torch light in case of power failure, and as this list goes on, the size of my bag also keeps on getting bigger and bigger.

It is also a similar picture reflecting our life; as we have a lot of “if” and “ in case” questions and worries in life; our baggage of life will definitely keep growing and it might even get to the point of being overweight. Thus, we might need to learn how to travel light in life, putting our trust in God; don’t carry excess worries and things; let God provide us in our life.

Today as we pray the psalm 8, we can be sure that the psalmists can freely and wholeheartedly praise God because they have put all their trust in God and they are free from the problem of excess luggage in life. The psalmist shows us this attitude of letting go and letting God lead in our following Christ to be his disciples.

Today as we celebrate the memorial of St. Pius X, let us also follow his example in trusting God, let this words of him inspire us to travel freely with the God:

"My hope is in Christ, who strengthens the weakest by His Divine help. I can do all in Him who strengthens me. His Power is infinite, and if I lean on him, it will be mine. His Wisdom is infinite, and if I look to Him counsel, I shall not be deceived. His Goodness is infinite, and if my trust is stayed in Him, I shall not be abandoned.”

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br David Arulanatham on 23rd Aug 2010.

Reflection on St. John Eudes, Priest (Br Martin Arlando)

2010-08-19T08:16:00.000+08:00

There is an old story about the rabbi who asked his disciples how they knew that night had ended and the day was on its way back. “Could it be”, asked one, “when you can see an animal in the distance and tell whether it is a sheep or a dog?”

“No” the rabbi said.

“Well, then, what is it?” the disciples pressed.
“It is when you look on the face of any woman or man and see that she or he is your sister or brother. Because if you cannot do this, no matter what time it is, it is still night.”

Today the Church commemorates the memoria of St. John Eudes, Priest (1601 – 1680). He is probably best known for the central theme of his writings where he says Jesus is the source of holiness, whereas Mary is the model of the Christian life.

This is quite appropriate in his life as he ministered to the sick and to the fallen, conducted missions, founded religious orders and established new devotions. When he felt overwhelmed by all the tasks he had taken on, he prayed for help from God and found new strength in that grace.
We could say that he saw and recognized God in others and served them to the best of his ability. Our wish, our object, our chief preoccupation must be to form Jesus in ourselves, to make his spirit, his devotion, his affections, his desires and his disposition live and reign there.

Encountering Jesus close to us we let His love flow unto others as we serve them as Jesus came to serve and not to be served. All our religious exercises should be directed to this end. It is the work which God has given us to do unceasingly.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Aloysius Tan on 21st Aug 2010.