Monthly Archives: September 2016

Tuesday of Week 25 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Priest, and Paul Chong Hasang, and their Companions, Martyrs
Proverbs 21:1-6,10-13 | Psalm 118:1,27,30,34-35,44 | Luke 8:19-21

Today, we remember 103 Korean martyrs, whose steadfast faith in the face of persecution fired a Catholic community unique in the history of Mother Church, in that it was founded entirely by lay people. Reading about the life and death of St. Andrew Kim Taegon and St. Paul Chong Hasang, along with the testimony, recounted in Pope John Paul II’s homily at their canonisation mass, of children as young as 13 years old, I am both touched and shamed. I could never imagine declaring my faith as boldly as this:

“Even supposing that one’s own father committed a crime, still one cannot disown him as no longer being one’s father. How then can I say that I do not know the heavenly Lord Father who is so good?” (Peter Cho)

“Since the Lord of Heaven is the Father of all mankind and the Lord of all creation, how can you ask me to betray him? Even in this world anyone who betrays his own father or mother will not be forgiven. All the more may I never betray him who is the Father of us all” (Teresa Kwon)

“Once having known God, I cannot possibly betray him” (Augustine Yu)

Nor can I imagine being inspired by foreign religious books to dedicate myself to Christ, and to bring others to Him under the threat of death.

There’s no question that these 103 martyrs are counted among Jesus’ brothers and sisters, for as He reminds us in today’s Gospel:

My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice. (Luke 8:21)

May we draw inspiration from these martyrs, perhaps not literally giving up our lives for Him, but certainly in staying on His Holy Way, and guiding others to do the same.

Amen.

Monday of Week 25 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Proverbs 3:27-34 | Psalm 14:2-5 | Luke 8:16-18

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed. No, he puts it on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. (Luke 8:16)

Some days, writing this blog gets a bit tricky, but the sheer joy of working through each day’s readings to illuminate God’s love in my head helps a lot. I hope someone out there besides myself is deriving some small benefit from reading my daily posts.

If you are that person, do leave a comment. If you aren’t, do leave one too. I’d love to hear from any and all.

God bless. Amen.

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
Amos 8:4-7 | Psalm 112:1-2,4-8 | 1 Timothy 2:1-8 | Luke 16:1-13

My advice is that, first of all, there should be prayers offered for everyone – petitions, intercessions and thanksgiving – and especially for kings and others in authority, so that we may be able to live religious and reverent lives in peace and quiet. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

Ask any person in any developed country what they think of their local politicians, and you risk being deluged by a torrent of profanity and complaints. Apparently, our leaders are the scum of the earth, greedy bastards whose sole interest is to line their pockets with public funds and private contributions.

They’d probably also reminisce about past generations of leaders who truly understood what “public service” meant, who dedicated their lives to bettering their country and countrymen, without thought to their own benefit. We’ll never see these “few good men” again.

But here’s the thing: We’ve been taught since young to ask God for what we truly want, so why don’t we ask Him for the kind of leaders we want?

“Nah, it doesn’t work that way.”

Huh? If we can’t ask for people who care enough to serve the public good, what can we ask God for?

“…”

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

I think we’ve gotten too used to thinking that God doesn’t really answer our prayers, not stopping to think that perhaps it’s what we ask for that God has determined to not be good for us.

Well, Holy Mother Church has determined that appealing to God for wise leaders in public office is both licit and encouraged. It’s enshrined in the ninth Solemn Intercession on Good Friday, so it doesn’t get much more serious than that.

So instead of viciously castigating our leaders for failing to do their sworn duty, let us pray to God to touch their hearts and guide their minds towards making wise decisions on national matters, and acting in the service of the nation and its people.

After all, if we want rulers who know how to exercise power righteously, who better to ask than our Sovereign King?

IX. For those in public office

Let us pray also for those in public office,
that our God and Lord
may direct their minds and hearts according to his will
for the true peace and freedom of all.

Almighty ever-living God,
in whose hand lies every human heart
and the rights of peoples,
look with favour, we pray,
on those who govern with authority over us,
that throughout the whole world,
the prosperity of peoples,
the assurance of peace,
and freedom of religion
may through your gift be made secure.
Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Saturday of Week 24 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
1 Corinthians 15:35-37,42-49 | Psalm 55:10-14 | Luke 8:4-15

Both the reading and Gospel for today remind us that receiving the Word of God, through childhood catechism and weekly mass, is just the beginning. If our faith life stops there, then we truly are seed scattered on infertile ground, unable to sprout and transform ourselves into the beacons of love and light for others that we are called to be.

But I suspect some take away an erroneous message from the Gospel in particular, that the metaphorical ground on which they were sown, the secular environment in which they live their lives, is predestined. “After all, God chose to drop me among the rabid wolves at my office, so can you blame me for drifting away from the Church?”

This is, of course, not mandatory. We have been give free will by our Creator to shape our lives as we see fit. We can choose to dive head-first into the seething cauldron of office politics, to stab others in both front and back, to curry favour with the boss while getting the bare minimum done.

Or we can choose not to play power games at our workplaces, to focus on helping everyone (including ourselves) Get Things Done, while also perhaps looking for another job that doesn’t demand so much Machiavellian maneuvering.

We are not doomed by the sower’s hand to live sordid lives. We are seed with the power to move ourselves to rich soil…but we have to first want to be closer to God. Without that urge, we are but seed cast into a typhoon, destined to drift into darkness.

Lord, grant us:
the serenity to accept the things that You have predestined for us,
the courage to change the circumstances we can,
the wisdom to understand the difference and, above all,
the driving desire to draw closer to You.
Amen.

Friday of week 24 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
1 Corinthians 15:12-20 | Psalm 16:1,6-8,15 | Luke 8:1-3

But Christ has in fact been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20)

One of the most interesting conversion stories I’ve heard goes like this:

I’d just drifted off to sleep, when I was blinded by a very bright light. I woke up in a cold sweat, but it was still dark outside.

I went back to sleep, and again the bright light appeared. This time, I felt like I was floating upwards. I woke up again, and it was still dark.

The third time I fell asleep, I saw the bright light once more, felt the floating sensation again…and had the feeling that it was time to go. This time, I was so scared that I sat up all night till dawn.

That day, my colleague asked me why I looked so tired. I told her about my experience, and her eyebrows went up when I mentioned the last bit. She asked if I was doing anything after work, and when I said no, she suggested that I accompany her to her church that evening.

I was immediately on my guard, but she wasn’t insistent about it. She did say, though, that “I think it’s time you met somebody I know.”

So we had dinner together, then she brought me to her church. When she opened the doors to the chapel, I was struck by how quiet it was, just a few people praying in silence. She motioned to me to sit down and be quiet, then she knelt and, like every one else, turned her attention to the Blessed Sacrament, which to me at that time was just a simple circle of white in some sort of fancy golden holder.

But I couldn’t look at it like everyone else. Instead, my attention was drawn to this sculpture of a man with his arms open wide, in front of a cross. Even though it was in semi-darkness, and his face seemed to be turned upwards, it was as though his eyes were fixed on me. I couldn’t look away either.

I don’t know how long I sat there, just staring at that man. All I remember was my colleague finally touching me on the shoulder, opening the floodgates of my tears.

That night, after I met Jesus for the first time, I slept like a baby.

Some day, we’ll all fall asleep on this earth for the last time. For some, it’ll be tonight, for others, tomorrow night; just like most people, I don’t know when it’ll be my turn.

All I can hope for is to have done enough good in this life, that when I meet Jesus face to face, He will recognize and welcome me. It would be heartbreaking to hear Him say: “I have never known you; away from me, you evil man!” (Matthew 7:23)

Lord, grant us the grace of seeing You in others, of knowing You in the Eucharist, of loving You in all creation, and in our final days, the sure hope that we will be reunited with You in heaven. Amen.