Reflections on Psalm 107 (Br Peter Anthoney)

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)

“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)

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)

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)

‘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)

“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)

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.