Monthly Archives: July 2016

Tuesday of Week 17 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
St. Joachim & St. Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Jeremiah 14:17-22 | Psalm 78:8-9,11,13 | Matthew 13:36-43

Pretty much everything we know about Mother Mary’s parents, including their names, is derived from legend and tradition. About all we know for sure is that she had human parents, and we infer their piousness from Mary’s later role in bearing our Lord and Saviour.

Similarly, our actions and demeanor are deemed indicators of our upbringing, and hence the “quality” of our parents. I can only imagine what others might think of my mom and dad after meeting me for the first, second or thousandth time, or what they must think of me now as I continue to merrily bumble my way through a childless life.

So as we celebrate the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne today, let us also celebrate our own parents, who fed, clothed and set us on the road which we walk today. May we always love, respect and cherish them not just as our progenitors, but also co-heirs to the heavenly kingdom that is to come.

Lord, we give you thanks for Sts. Joachim and Anne, for their part in bringing salvation to all mankind. We also give you thanks for our own parents, for their part in bringing us to You. Grant them good health and length of days, and when the time comes for us to part, remind us that we will be reunited with them in the fullness of time, there to give You glory forever and ever. Amen.

St. James, Apostle
2 Corinthians 4:7-15 | Psalm 125:1-6 | Matthew 20:20-28

We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

We like to think of St. Paul as tireless and fearless, bounding from town to town like the Energizer Bunny, spreading the Gospel message despite heavy opposition from almost every quarter.

But St. Paul was man, neither God nor machine. He got tired, got hungry, got stoned (and not on marijuana – see Acts 14:19). Yet he carried on preaching the Word of God till the end of his life, under conditions that would’ve made most other men give up in short order.

God chose beings of dust like St. Paul, the prophets and the apostles, to house the Light of Truth to be given to all. Unlike kings and millionaires who lock their treasures away in impenetrable steel vaults, God proves that He is God by entrusting the awesome power of the Gospel to weak bags of blood and bones. He does not desire that it be hidden away, but that it be shared, and thus multiplied across the face of the earth, “so that the more grace is multiplied among people, the more thanksgiving there will be, to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:15)

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

As I write this in the dead of yesterday night, I feel some share of the fatigue that St. Paul must have experienced in his missionary journey. My eyelids are drooping, my blood pressure and heart rate are declining in preparation for the “little death” that comes with sleep. If it were up to me, I would’ve just shut down an hour ago.

But I can’t stop. I believe that it’s the Spirit at work within, pushing forth enough energy to my brain to string words together, my fingers to type them out and my eyes to proofread them…and my soul to pour forth the thoughts that make this blog a quirky testament to my journey in faith.

The power within is indeed not my own, and thanks be to God for that. Amen.

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
Genesis 18:20-32 | Psalm 137:1-3,6-8 | Colossians 2:12-14 | Luke 11:1-13

God gives us permission all day, every day, to ask Him for what we want out of our own free will. Jesus taught us to ask for daily sustenance and forgiveness commensurate with our own forgiveness towards others.

But Abraham goes one step further: he asks for mercy for the righteous faithful in Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim and Bela, five cities on the Jordan River plain in southern Canaan. Our spiritual father had no idea if there were any such people worth saving, but he pleaded their case anyway.

Through his pleas, Lot and his family were saved from the fire and brimstone that flattened the plain, but God also spared the entire city of Bela (later called Zoar), not because of their own merit, but so that Lot had a safe place to run to.

We too are called to ask for mercy for others around us, not just for ourselves, and not just for those whom we think are deserving of compassion. Even William Shakespeare was hip to this, as one of his most famous passages clearly states:

PORTIA / BALTHAZAR:
The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence ‘gainst the merchant there.
(The Merchant of Venice, Act IV, Scene 1)

Heavenly Father, have mercy on us and on all mankind, as we show mercy to those around us. Amen.

Saturday of Week 16 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Jeremiah 7:1-11 | Psalm 83:3-6,8,11 | Matthew 13:24-30

Steal, would you, murder, commit adultery, perjure yourselves, burn incense to Baal, follow alien gods that you do not know? – and then come presenting yourselves in this Temple that bears my name, saying: Now we are safe – safe to go on committing all these abominations! (Jeremiah 7:9-10)

When I read this passage, the word “bulimia” immediately springs to mind.

Indeed, the binge-purge cycle that characterizes this eating disorder is a close analogy of the behaviour described above. Oh, how wonderful it is to continually “binge” on sinful thoughts and deeds, then just go to church once a week to “purge” our sins. Rinse and repeat “Sunday Catholicism” for the rest of our lives, accumulating luxuries and power over others while keeping God happy. What’s not to like?

Except it doesn’t work that way.

As physical bulimia can lead to:

• heart stoppages,
• the inability to care about food,
• dental erosion,
• death,

so spiritual bulimia can lead to:

• moral stoppages,
• the inability to care about life,
• spiritual erosion,
• the eternal death that’s life in hell.

In both cases, many sufferers simply don’t see or won’t acknowledge their problem, so it’s up to third parties to intervene and “WAKE UP YOUR IDEA!” in the local patois.

Lord, open our eyes to those around us who pay lip service to You while doing the Devil’s deeds. Give us the courage and the wisdom to gently nudge them back in Your direction, and never let us fall away from You. Amen.

St. Mary Magdalen
Song of Songs 3:1-4 | Psalm 62:2-6,8-9 | John 20:1-2,11-18

whom my heart loves (Song of Songs 3:1,2,3,4)

So nice she said it twice…twice.

I love Jesus, and Jesus loves me!

From a child, that bold statement elicits laughs of approval, but when it comes from the mouth of a grown man, the room will instantly fall silent, with every pair of eyes fixed on the utterer, until someone breaks the silence with “Amen, brother!”…or “Homo! HOMO!”

In a world where His name is usually used as a curse, often with a rude word tucked in between (“J F C!”), one who loves our Lord and Saviour is often treated by non-believers as an anachronistic simpleton at best, or The Enemy to be quashed with half-baked scientific arguments and flawed reason at worst.

But the heart wants what the heart wants, and this heart wants Jesus.

Even when the day is filled with trials and tribulation, to the point where I’m on the brink of “why, Lord, WHY?!?!“, this heart still wants Jesus.

And when my oldest friend does his “personal devil’s advocate” thing, forcing me to research what I profess to believe and push back the boundaries of my faith, this heart really wants Jesus.

I guess I’m just a sucker for Christ. ? ?

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Today’s Gospel acclamation brought to mind a long-held misconception:

For some reason, I’ve always associated this with Mother Mary, rather than of course Mary of Magdala, whose feast we celebrate today.

I guess it’s past time to do some reprogramming. ?