Reflections on The Ascension of the Lord (Br Aloysius Tan)

As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight. They were still staring into the sky as he went, when suddenly two men in white were standing beside them, and they said, 'Why are you Galileans standing here looking into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way as you have seen him go to heaven.' (Acts 1: 9-11)

Tong Tong (no this real name) was a Myanmar refugee seeking temporary settlement in Malaysia. He was identified as HIV positive when he went for a medical check up and eventually, he was sent to a shelter runs by the Church for HIV patients. I met him a few years back when I was assigned to do pastoral work there. He was an educated man who had contracted the dreaded disease through the sharing of needles. He spoke of the dark period that he went through, the thoughts of ending his life that he wrestled with, and his many other struggles. Now, after much time has passed, he comes to terms with his condition. In fact, he wrote to UNHCR, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, stating that he was willing to be experimented upon with new medication for HIV and that he would donate his body for research upon his death. What he wanted to do was to help medical research find new ways of helping HIV positive patients.

The liturgy of the Solemnity of Ascension which we celebrate today is generally a dedicated day to celebrate the completion of the work of our salvation, the pledge of our glorification with Christ, and His entry into heaven with our human nature glorified. Jesus, who was lifted up, showed us his full divinity and in fact his real identity as the Son of God who had taken on human form to incarnate among us to fulfil God’s plan for salvation.

Jesus went through his passion, death and resurrection before been lifted up to heaven. As we celebrate this solemnity, perhaps we too are invited to a profound communion with Jesus through events that are present in our own lives. Many a time, we were sure to have experienced the “passion and death” in our struggles, challenges and trials. We might also have “risen” from it and was “lifted up” to see HOPE. Tong Tong, who had experienced his own “passion and death” in his physical struggles, was able to rise from “death” to see hope. He wanted to share his physical body for research purposes so that his act might bring HOPE to others.

Today, as I meditate on the meaning of the Ascension to us, the followers of Christ, I recall many, many faithful disciples of Christ who, in their daily lives, dedicate what they have in order to “lift up” the life of others... to the point of even offering up their own lives.

Think of amazing people like...

Archbishop Oscar Remero,


St. Maximilian Kolbe,

St. Damien of Molokai,

...just to name few.... I pray that we too who celebrate this solemnity with great joy and piety will be able to transform our lives to give LIFE and HOPE to others by “lifting up” each other through our love, kindness and charity.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br David Arulanatham on 15th May 2010.

Reflections on "Not Sacred to Lose" (Br Martin Arlando)

Our God is a just God. Our God keeps his word. Our God is reliable. In Psalm 119, we find that our God is a rock. He is solid as the earth which he has created. For the psalm says “Your faithfulness endures all generations and the earth which you have established stands firm.”

But despite of this assurance we are still doubtful. We are still afraid to loose ourselves in Him. How? Let me illustrate with a story.

There was a donkey, a turtle and a fruitfly which lives only one day. ‘If I had more time,” complained the fruitfly, “than everything would be easier. Can the two of you imagine what it means to have only 24 hours in which to do everything? To be born, to grow up, to get some experience, to suffer or rejoice to grow old and die. All in 24 hours only.”

“You have got a point there,” remarked the donkey. “But I wish I had only 24 hours to live, than I would give everything a try, short but sweet.”


The turtle looked at both of them and said, “I don’t understand the two of you. I am now 300 years old and that would not be enough time to tell you of all the experience’s I have had. They have just been too many. Back when I was 200 years old, I wished that my days would soon be ended.” Then he turned to the donkey and said, “I envy you.” And to the fruitfly, “I pity you.”

The donkey then remarked, “When I hear you explain it that way, then I wouldn’t mind living 300 years myself. Imagine it having a chance like that to get a taste of everything in life, tasting long and intensively.”

Then the 3 of them fell into a long sad silence, because each of them had measured his life by a clock, and each wanted everything else: either a longer or a shorter life or a bit of both kinds.

So the three of them walked over to see a spider, who was famous as a Guru and ask her advice.



She said, “Turtle! Stop complaining. Who has had as much experience as you?”
“And you fruitfly, stop complaining too. Who has had as much fun as you?”
And then the donkey asked what the verdict on him was. “I can’t give you any advice,” said the spider, “because you want both a long and a short life. You’re impossible. You are and always will be just a JACKASS (a foolish one)”


My dear friends, our God has been and is faithful to us in many ways and we can’t doubt or deny that. His love is so immense and strong as we can recognize it in Psalm 117. His love is so strong and so deep and He is waiting to embrace us if only we would loose our life in Him. Let us then take comfort in His sure assurance and allow His words and life penetrate through ours.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Aloysius Tan on 13th May 2010.

Reflections on the Diocesan Vocation Retreat and Ps 130 (Br Cornelius Ching)

The annual Diocesan Vocation Retreat ended today. We had 47 young men who came to the seminary on Friday evening to spend about 2 days discerning the call of the Lord in their lives. For many of them, it was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of their lives as students or employees, and spending time listening to the enlightened speakers tell the ups and downs in their vocation and priesthood.

As a seminarian, I was one of the facilitators involved in this retreat and as I was listening to the sharing of my group members, I cannot help but think about my own call and the uneasiness and fear in my hearts when I was contemplating over it. The was much uncertainty in my mind about what lies ahead. Well, the challenge is to take the first step and the Lord will lead you on and pave the way ahead for you. I can fell the security and faith if the Psalmist when he writes,

I hold myself in quiet and silence,
like a little child in its mother's arms,
like a little child, so I keep myself.

Although the uncertainties still lie ahead, there is little fear now. I am feeling the care and warmth like I am in my mother's arms. I know the Lord will take care of these matters in the way he knows best. There is only one thing on my mind. To be obedient to his will and move on in the path he paves for me. Blessed be God forever!

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Martin Arlando on 11th May 2010.

Reflections on the Easter Season (Br Terence Kesavan)

Each year, Lent and Easter occur around the time the Spring season begins. Significant because Spring is the time of new life, when trees start to bud and flowers start to bloom. And so we too celebrate the new life that Christ has gained for us in His death and resurrection.

Spring is also the time when farmers start their sowing and planting to grow their crops to be harvested in Autumn. In preparation for the planting, the land first has to be cleared of rocks, weeds and even the crops from the previous harvest. Then the land has to be ploughed to loosen the soil hardened over the winter as well as to aerate it.

When we look at our spiritual life, this clearing and ploughing is what we do during the season of Lent, when we observe the spiritual exercises of Fasting, Prayer and Almsgiving. These help us to rid our lives of the harmful attachments in our lives as well as to open our lives to a closer relationship with God.


After the land is cleared, the farmer has to decide what crops and fruits he would like to harvest. This of course would determine what seeds he would plant in the field. But as nature has planned it, the plants that grow the quickest after the land is cleared are usually the weeds. These sprout and cover the land rapidly, blocking out sunlight and depriving the planted seeds of nutrients from the ground. Any good farmer would know that ploughing and planting is only half the job. He would have to remove the weeds, water and fertilize the plants that he has planted.

Similarly for us, in our spiritual life, our Lenten exercises are only half the job done. We too have to “plant” certain practices that will bear the fruits that we want to see in our spiritual life. Easter is that season where we start to live out that new life. Not only just planting, but we too have to be aware of the “weeds”, that were cleared during Lent, which have a quick tendency of returning into the “fields” of our lives if we are not careful.

So let this Easter be a time of planting and growing in our spiritual lives, that we may enjoy the fruits and graces that God wants to shower on us

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Cornelius Ching on 09th May 2010.

Reflection on Psalm 144:1 (Br Jude David)

Psalm 144 begins in a rather interesting manner - “Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my arms for battle, who prepares my hands for war.” (Psalm 144:1). What is interesting or maybe even alarming is that the psalmist is blessing God for training his arms for battle and preparing his hands for war. The first thought that comes to mind is that the psalmist who prayed Psalm 144 must have been a pretty violent person. Why does he praise God for training him for war instead of praying for peace? Should he not be praying for peace instead?

I guess we will all arrive at the answer when we reflect more deeply into the reality of our lives. Although we all pray for peace and the first gift of the Risen Lord is peace, war is also a reality in our lives. Henri Nouwen has beautifully put it when he says that every war that is fought out in the outside world, whether it be between entire nations or between groups of people; they are all a reflection of the war that is raging in human hearts. In that sense, the wars that are fought in the world is but the manifestation of the wars that are already raging strongly in our hearts. Thus, battle is a reality of our lives and it would be naive to think that we are able to bypass the battle for righteousness. Indeed, our battle as Christians is to be heralds of God’s Kingdom which is God’s reign in the lives of all mankind, starting with our own personal lives. As such, a battle is being fought whether we like it or not – it is a battle with our fallen nature that is striving to allow Christ to truly reign and conquer it. It is no wonder than that St Paul says, “For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armour of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground” (Eph 6: 12 -13).

One thing that we can be sure when we enter into this battle is that the battle has already been won by Jesus, Our Saviour. When he broke the chains of death and responded to mankind’s hatred and rejection of Him with love, compassion and forgiveness, Jesus our Lord, had inaugurated a new kind of battle – it is the battle for the Kingdom by the Kingdom. The ultimate seen of this battle is the Cross of Calvary, for Jesus did not conquer this world for the Father with military might or shrewd strategising; He conquered it with obedience, love and forgiveness. So too is out battles today and God is training our arms for these battles; battles that must be won together with Christ as we unite ourselves with Him upon the Cross of Calvary and learn what it means to obey through suffering (cf. Heb 5:8) Let us always pray that we may fight the good fight till the end and share in the victory of Jesus who has conquered the world!

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Terence Kesavan on 07th May 2010.

Reflection on Psalm 107 (Br Anthony Liew)

What is your response if your girlfriend out of jealousy asks you this question – “Honey ah, if your beloved mother and I accidentally drop into the sea. Remember you can only save one of us. Who would you chose to save?” I guess most of us will get stuck with this question as we know that no matter which one we choose to save, we will still be in trouble. Yet, I have a better response for this. I will tell my girlfriend, “Honey ah, out of filial piety I will have to save my beloved mother.” Before she has a chance to voice out, I will quickly continue, “But, I will then try to jump into the sea to save you. If I cannot make it, let us go to heaven together.” I guess you can think of her reaction after hearing this response.

This is the power of love. To some, love is blind. In the eyes of the outsiders, this is merely a stupid action; yet, in the eyes of those who have experienced that love, it is more than worthy to save our loved ones out of love, even to the extent of sacrificing our lives. It is what our Lord Jesus has shown us when He died on the cross out of His love for you and me. That is why we should thank and praise Him for his love for us as the psalmist of psalm 107 says, “I will thank you Lord among the people, among the nations I will praise you, for your love reaches to the heavens and your truth to the skies.” I am sure all of us do feel this love of Christ for us throughout our lives. This love of his for us must be great enough which enables us to respond to our calling. What can I do or become in return for His love?

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Jude David on 05th May 2010.

Reflections on Matthew 13:14-15 (Br Peter Anthoney)

“Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.”

Listen and listen, but never understand!
Look and look, but never perceive!
This people’s heart has grown coarse, their ears dulled,
they have shut their eyes tight
to avoid using their eyes to see,
their ears to hear,
their hearts to understand,
changing their ways
and being healed by me

Matthew 13:14-15 (Isaiah 6:9–10.)

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building holding up a sign which said, “I am blind, please help me” with a hat by his feet hoping to make some collection to fend for himself. A man was walking by saw that there were only a few coins in the hat. He stood there staring at him for a while then took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign from the boy, turned it around, and wrote some words on it. He gave the sign back but getting him to hold it with the side he wrote to face the passer-bys so that everyone who walked by would see these new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. It seemed a lot more people were moved by those words to stop and give money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who changed the sign returned to see how things were. The boy immediately recognized the man by his footsteps and asked “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write on my sign?” The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.” I wrote: “Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.”

Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind but the second sign told people that he was blind, lacking the ability to see and enjoy the world around him. The second sign expressed his deepest need and desire to see the world around him. The second sign opened the eyes of the people around who could look but could not see and perceive the needs of the blind boy. Therefore, they were moved and drawn to help him with some money so that he need not worry about his other needs. They made his life become a bit more comfortable.

Many times we tend to see or in contact with people around us at a very surface level but this man was able to see beyond the blindness of the boy. As such he was touched and was prompted to act, to assist him from the best of his own ability. In doing so not only he was able to assist the boy but he managed to get others to do the same. He brought cheer to that boy and provided the opportunity for others to act out their love in charity. That man by doing what he did not only got the world around the boy to see and perceive his need but also gave them this new knowledge of the need to see things around them with a deeper sense. Those people will never see a blind man the same way again.
Being able to look beyond a person’s ability and disability, we will be able to connect better to the world, recognize our own giftedness and become servants to one another in love and not go around snapping at one another and tearing one another to pieces or become conceited, provocative and envious of one another. Instead we will allow the spirit to use us to share the love, hope, peace and joy of God with one another. Let us become ‘servants to one another in love, since the whole of the Law is summarised in the one commandment: You must love your neighbour as yourself.’ (Galatians 5: 13-14)

Let us be thankful for who we are and what we have. In our quest to build the kingdom of God, we need to be more sensitive of one another’s potentials and weaknesses, ability and disabilities while we try to find ways and means to help one another to grow in love, peace and harmony. As we turn to the Lord each day, let us seek for the grace of God for us to become servants of love for one another. Let us be ears and eyes for each other. Alleluia! The Lord has truly Risen.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Anthony Liew on 03rd May 2010.