Monthly Archives: April 2017

Saint Mark, Evangelist
1 Peter 5:5-14 | Psalm 88(89):2-3,6-7,16-17 | Mark 16:15-20

Bow down, then, before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the appointed day; unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after you. (1 Peter 5:6-7)

Many of my reflections are triggered by incidents and people I meet on the train. That shouldn’t surprise anyone; if we really paid attention to the goings-on around us, each journey is guaranteed to bring newness into our lives.

Yesterday was no exception. I helped a middle-aged man haul a marketing cart loaded with items onto the train, when the wheels got stuck in the gap between train and platform. He turned out to be an itinerant cobbler, but my initial impression was that he was carting a hoard of discarded items around, a veritable karung guni (rag-and-bone) setup.

Rather like this one, but with more stuff.

Would you believe that I’d just finished reading today’s scripture when this incident happened? I immediately made a connection with it, as I thought to myself: What am I still dragging around, that’s holding me back spiritually?

Ten minutes later, on a different train line, another commuter needed help getting his cart wheels unstuck. Two incidents, out of a daily average of zero.

I don’t know what the deal was with all those sudden cart troubles, but at least I got a blog entry out of it.

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

I’m sure all of us have daily cares that seem to drown out God’s quiet voice of guidance.

I’ve so many things to do, that I don’t have enough hours in a day.

My boss is an absolute monster! I really want to beat his arrogant brains out, but I can’t feed my family from jail!

The kids are driving me up the wall! Why can’t they just do what I tell them?!?!

I feel a little weird comparing God to the kindly neighbourhood karung guni man, but perhaps it’s time for us to say, in the silence of our hearts:

Lord, these worries and frustrations are of no use to me. They’re just distracting me from the important things in life: family, friends, and You.

I offer them to You, in the hope that You can make something of them, and offer in return some small inspiration, or smidgen of courage, or coin of wisdom, that would lead me to a better relationship with my family and friends, and especially with You whom I would dearly love to love more. Amen.

Cast your cares on Christ and be sure of His help.
Trust that He will comfort you.

Joyful and trusting we come to You, O Lord,
Ready to give all to You.

Monday of the 2nd Week of Eastertide
Acts 4:23-31 | Psalm 2:1-9 | John 3:1-8

As they prayed, the house where they were assembled rocked; they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:31)

When I read this passage, I was instantly reminded of a hip-hop hit by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince from my younger days. The latter rapper is better known as actor Will Smith these days, and the song does attract modern crazies who interpret its lyrics as literal support for terrorist bombings.

I’ll now connect it to something that may seem like sexual innuendo, but really isn’t: When you last prayed, did the earth move?

Boom! Shake-shake-shake the room!

And was it good for you?

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

I’m quite fascinated by the frenzy that affects some people when praying, or being prayed over. I’ve never witnessed a “slaying” or “speaking in tongues”, but I’ve heard from people who have seen it. They said it was both frightening and rather awesome.

I’ve also had the earth literally move under my feet, 20 floors above ground level back in 1989. And yes, the Loma Prieta earthquake was terrifying while it happened, but because I survived the experience with no injuries, I also look back on it as an awesome display of the power of nature.

And just this past Easter Vigil, when we welcomed the newly-baptised back into the main church hall, it happened again, to the sound of music.

Let us build a house where all are named,
their songs and visions heard
and loved and treasured, taught and claimed
as words within the Word.
Built of tears and cries and laughter,
prayers of faith and songs of grace,
let this house proclaim from floor to rafter.
All are welcome,
all are welcome,
ALL ARE WELCOME IN THIS PLACE.

I’d like you, brothers and sisters, to now imagine the frenzy that overtook me when I conducted the combined choir for this verse of Marty Haugen’s All Are Welcome. Let the bolding and italicizing be your guide.

I know I wasn’t dribbling saliva or anything so dramatic, but my face must’ve been a picture at that point, and my arm muscles were wound up so tightly that they were rather sore afterwards.

I think a couple of choristers in the front row might have been a little terrified, but I know I felt awesome!

Oh yes, brothers and sisters, it was good for me. It was really good for me.

(And why are you still thinking about sex at this point? Kidding.)

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

Easter comes but once a year, but I think Fr. Cornelius told us how we could experience this terrifying awesomeness as often as we can stand it, when he pointed to the confessional during his homily yesterday.

Examining our failings, and admitting to them? Terrifying as hell.

Having the weight of our everyday sin-burdens be lifted by God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation? AWESOME!

The day everyone accepts this is the day this house of God will proclaim from floor to rafter. That day, the house will rock with Spirit, as it did for the early disciples.

It may be a long day coming, but we can hope and pray, and reconcile early and often. How else could we…

BOOM! SHAKE THE ROOM!

Amen.

2nd Sunday of Easter (Year A)
Divine Mercy Sunday
Acts 2:42-47 | Psalm 117(118):2-4,13-15,22-24 | 1 Peter 1:3-9 | John 20:19-31

As the modern world accelerates each year, we keep trying to save time by shortening our communications with each other, relying increasingly on acronyms, txtspk, and just plain dropping “unnecessary” words.

FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) is one such acronym, and in these turbulent times, we experience it in spades, what with worldwide political and economic unrest, made worse by “fake news” and unpleasant people unreservedly spewing their vitriol online.

Thomas the Apostle must’ve felt like he was being pranked in today’s Gospel, when his fellow disciples kept telling him “WE HAVE SEEN THE LORD! Why don’t you believe us?”

We experience the opposite problem today, besieged by unbelievers who keep telling us “you fools, there’s no such thing as eternal life, you’re wasting your time preparing for it! You sure you don’t want to fornicate, do drugs, get drunk? Your loss, and where’s this God of yours anyway?”

Fear of missing out. Uncertainty of our own beliefs. Doubt in the deposit of faith we were given. The esteemed science-fiction author Frank Herbert coined an apt phrase to describe these phenomena: mind-killers, “little deaths” that lead to psychological and spiritual oblivion.

Brothers and sisters, let’s replace this FUD with a different one:

• Faith bolstered by regular communion with our fellow believers at church
• Understanding through daily contemplation of scripture
• Deeds of kindness and mercy, impelled by the revelation of Christ’s all-consuming love from the cross

May this trinity of belief keep us on the narrow path that is God’s loving plan for our salvation, leading in time to the Holy Trinity.

May we take inspiration from today’s First Reading, and remain united as a faith community that pours out its collective love for others.

May this FUD sustain us in the trials that St. Peter alludes to in the Second Reading for today, till we attain our unsullied inheritance in heaven.

Faith, Understanding, Deeds. They may be difficult to achieve under the relentless assault of this unforgiving secular world, but we too have our “secret weapon”.

Jesus, we trust in You!

Amen.

Easter Saturday
Acts 4:13-21 | Psalm 117(118):1,14-21 | Mark 16:9-15

It is obvious to everybody in Jerusalem that a miracle has been worked through them in public, and we cannot deny it. But to stop the whole thing spreading any further among the people, let us caution them never to speak to anyone in this name again. (Acts 4:16-17)

Two days ago, I was riding the train to my client’s office, quietly praying the Divine Mercy chaplet, when I heard some words I’d never expected to encounter on public transport.

Church. Resurrection. Jesus.

The speaker was a young Filipino, going by his accent, chatting with a group of like-minded folks just a few meters away. He certainly sounded enthusiastic, if a tad loud.

I smiled briefly, and continued my prayer.

At the next stop, a burly Malay man boarded, and stood between me and the group. As the Christian group chatted on, I noticed him turning several times to stare at them.

His face was a thundercloud, and for a moment, I feared that there would be a public incident.

Then the train doors opened once more and he exited, still looking like he wanted to chew someone’s head off.

I briefly wondered if I would’ve been the target of his ire, had I finished the chaplet sooner…and made the sign of the cross right in front of him.

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

We take religious tolerance for granted in Singapore, often forgetting that it’s individual people who would ultimately practice that tolerance, or not.

Yet we are commanded by Jesus to, like Peter and the disciples, “go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)

How do we proselytise without causing a ruckus?

I don’t have a perfect answer, but I try to let my deeds do the talking. Helping people with little things, like giving up my seat to an elderly person, or helping them with heavy trolleys, or just clearing my own lunch table rather than attracting the beleaguered cleaner’s attention with imperious gestures and impatient words.

I generally wear polo T-shirts, and normally don’t button the V-neck due to the local climate. Ever so often, as I bend over to do my bit for others, my neck chain slips out, and my crucifix swings free for anyone to see.

It’s yet to attract any attention or start a conversation, but my focus is really on helping others. As and when that “so you believe in God then?” window opens, I’ll start chatting about Him. Otherwise, it’s a privilege to help lighten someone else’s load, and receive a smile in return.

Brothers and sisters, how do you share the Good News with others? I’d really like to learn from you.

Amen.

Easter Friday
Acts 4:1-12 | Psalm 117(118):1-2,4,22-27 | John 21:1-14

Jesus called out, ‘Have you caught anything, friends?’ And when they answered, ‘No’, he said, ‘Throw the net out to starboard and you’ll find something.’ So they dropped the net, and there were so many fish that they could not haul it in. (John 21:5-6)

I was curious enough to look up the etymology (origins and history) of the word “starboard”. I’m glad I did, because it made me realize the rich symbolism of this passage.

Starboard comes from the Old English steorbord, literally “the side on which the ship is steered”. Since most people are right-handed, the steering oar is mounted on the right side of older ships. To avoid trapping the oar against a jetty or wharf, ships would be tied to their docks on their left side, which naturally came to be called port.

So how does all that relate to today’s scripture?

Most people spend their lives clinging to the familiar, metaphorically tied to port, bobbing gently in secular comfort. In doing so, we have actually left God and our fellow brethren out in the deep ocean, especially those who long for a kind word or a helping hand.

Jesus instead asks us to cast our nets out into the unknown, to evangelize to those who do not know Him, to help those in need, to be beacons of hope in the dark and turbulent waters of modern life. He asks us to go forth, secure in the knowledge that He is the oarsman of our lives, steering us in the way of righteousness. With Him at the helm, we need not fear.

We may not be as mindlessly excited as Peter, to leap naked into the sea at the name of the Lord.

We may also not be so “productive” as to fill our “conversion nets” to bursting.

But we have been filled with His radiant love, and He asks us to share with others.

Christ is risen! Let us go forth, bringing the Good News to the world!

Amen.