Monthly Archives: November 2016

Christ the King (Year C)
2 Samuel 5:1-3 | Psalm 121(122):1-5 | Colossians 1:12-20 | Luke 23:35-43

Have you no fear of God at all? You got the same sentence as he did, but in our case we deserved it: we are paying for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong. Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. (Luke 23:40-42)

In the agony of his crucifixion, one thief managed to keep his wits about him to:

• recognize his sin,
• repent (and rebuke his self-centered compatriot),
• accept Jesus as Lord, and
• humbly ask for his own redemption.

Can we do even half as much in our own comfort?

Or do we think we’re perfectly fine the way we are?

Lord, we are sorry for our sins with all our heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, we have sinned against You whom we should love above all things. We firmly intend, with Your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads us to sin.

Jesus, remember us when you come into your kingdom. Amen.

Saturday of Week 33 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Apocalypse 11:4-12 | Psalm 143(144):1-2,9-10 | Luke 20:27-40

I, John, heard a voice saying: ‘These, my two witnesses, are the two olive trees and the two lamps that stand before the Lord of the world. (Apocalypse 11:4)

At the Singapore Fintech Festival which concluded yesterday, I met a CEO who wasn’t afraid to tell it like it is. My partner and I questioned Stephane about his company’s financial data feed services, and he was brutally honest about what he knew (which was considerable) and didn’t know. He actually backed his statements up with live demonstrations from his company’s data portal, and deferred to his engineering team for some very specific technical details which we were enquiring on.

I think it’s the beginning of a beautiful working relationship.

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

As Catholics, we too are enjoined to tell it like it is, to bear witness to our faith in God. Our personal comprehension may not be as complete as we’d like it to be, but we can still share what we do know with others.

But talk is cheap. Like Stephane, we need to back up our words with actual demonstrations of the love that we profess to be from God, the love that knows no colour nor social status, the love that IS. It’s one thing to proclaim that God loves us all, and quite another to show it through care and consideration to the less fortunate among us.

And when we are asked questions that we don’t know the answers to, there’s a wealth of sources to turn to, from our parish priests, to scripture and documented tradition (e.g. the Catechism). All it takes is a willingness to show and tell about the I AM, just as Stephane was willing to show and tell about his company’s products.

That’s how we can bring others to God, and build beautiful Christian relationships with each other.

Friday of Week 33 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Apocalypse 10:8-11 | Psalm 118(119):14,24,72,103,111,131 | Luke 19:45-48

I went to the angel and asked him to give me the small scroll, and he said, ‘Take it and eat it; it will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey.’ (Apocalypse 10:9)

I spent the last two days roaming the exhibits and networking at the Singapore Fintech Festival. What particularly struck me was the sheer availability of coffee at the Festival; at least three major exhibitors had brought in local baristas to brew free java for this event, and there were probably a few more that I missed.

As a coffee lover, I was naturally up to trying all the double-shot cappuccinos I could lay my hands on, and wasn’t shy about going back for seconds if I liked a particular barista’s creations. Of course, with all that dark acidic liquid swirling around in my stomach, I ended both days with a purge, but my mouth was well-satisfied.

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

The common interpretation of the scroll’s effects in today’s reading is quite straightforward: The sweetness comes from its prediction of the end times and the final victory of God and His people, while the sourness stems from its record of our sufferings and desolation here on earth.

The scroll, in fact, is analogous to the scripture with which we’ve been gifted, and which we’ve been called to contemplate daily.

Scripture has never predicted that our journey of faith on earth would be smooth and painless. We will be beset by aches and pains, distractions and temptations, crosses that we are called to bear in Christ’s name.

But Christ also promised us easy yokes and light burdens (Matthew 11:30) when we follow Him, and it’s true that when we focus on Him, on the incredibly heavy cross He bore and died on for all our sakes, our sufferings and sorrows are that much lighter.

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

After eating the scroll in his vision, John of Patmos was charged with continuing his prophetic labours. As we have received the Word of God, so we too are tasked to be prophets of a sort, to spread the sweetness of the Good News to others, and help to alleviate the sour pangs of their suffering as much as humanly possible.

In this way, may we all come together on the last day, to shed the caustic burns of sin and sing sweet praise to our Lord and God. Amen.

Thursday of Week 33 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious
Apocalypse 5:1-10 | Psalm 149:1-6,9 | Luke 19:41-44

‘You are worthy to take the scroll
and break the seals of it,
because you were sacrificed, and with your blood
you bought men for God
of every race, language, people and nation
and made them a line of kings and priests,
to serve our God and to rule the world.’ (Apocalypse 5:9-10)

One of the things I brought back with me after college was a wicked sense of humour. As I read today’s reading, my mind immediately jumped to, of all things, the movie Wayne’s World. If you’ve seen it, you probably know why:

But seriously…

Compared to our Lord Jesus Christ, we really are not worthy. The Lamb who was slain for our sake, gifted with omnipotence (seven horns) and omniscience (seven eyes), is…God. Even John the Baptist acknowledged that:

Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. (Mark 1:7)

Now, we tend to gather round the rich and powerful, listening to their words and watching their actions closely, in the hope that some of their perceived wisdom might rub off on us and help us attain a similar stature. Since we’re all humans, closing this gap is a plausibly attainable goal.

The “capability gap” between us and God…is larger than the universe. Is it any wonder that so many have given up on their faith, given up on trying to be better children of God? How do you love an omnipotent alien?

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

Earlier this month, I mentioned a succinct comparison that bears repeating:

The difference between Christianity and every other faith in the world is that all other religions are about man trying to reach up to God. Christianity is about God reaching down to man. (emphasis mine)

If it were solely up to our own efforts, the gulf between us and God could never be bridged. It is God who reaches across that gap, sending us Himself as man, sending us Himself as the Spirit that burns within us.

He reaches down to us in love, because He deems us worthy of love. Should we not reach up to Him to accept that love, and across to others in a sharing of that love?

As Paulist Fr. Ricky Manalo reminds us in song:

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive honour and glory.
Worthy are the ones who believe
to receive the goodness of God.

Amen.

Wednesday of Week 33 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Saint Margaret of Scotland
Saint Gertrude, Virgin
Apocalypse 4:1-11 | Psalm 150 | Luke 19:11-28

Today’s gospel reminds me so much of Donald Trump’s “November Surprise”:

Nobleman goes to be appointed king.

He wins the U.S. presidential election…

He gives money to his servants to carry on the business while he’s away.

…so he has to hand off his business interests to his deputies.

His enemies send a delegation protesting his coronation.

Meanwhile, the protests continue, and there’s a public petition asking the Electoral College to elect Hillary Clinton instead.

Upon his return, he audits his servants’ profits.

Shades of The Apprentice…

He chastises his laggard servant and takes away his money.

…and his ever-popular catchphrase “You’re fired!”

He calls for his enemies to be executed.

Uh oh.

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

One plausible interpretation of Luke’s version of this parable is that the 10:1 and 5:1 “profit margins” exhibited by the first two servants points to our call to bring others to faith in God. The interest that the third servant failed to accrue would then actually point to our own interest in the faith that we’ve been bequeathed as children of God.

In that vein, today’s reflection continues neatly from yesterday’s, wherein I describe the “lukewarm” faithful. Just as interest accrued in our bank accounts helps to offset inflationary “depreciation” of our money, so taking an active role in our Christianity helps to offset the natural tendency of the secular world’s troubles and cares to “depress” our hope and faith over time.

Prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and other Christian activities that we’re continually exhorted to perform, help us expand our “treasure” of faith. When we fail to do so, our “treasure” will slowly but surely rot away, and we’ll join the ranks of the “lukewarm”.

So let us urge each other to exercise our faith sincerely and often. Then, if we still can’t bring others to Christ by our example, at least we can claim with all sincerity:

Lord, my trust in You has only grown over time. You are the center of my life; in You I am, for You I long. May this “accrued interest” be pleasing to You, as a sign of my love and faithfulness. Amen.