Category Archives: Lent

Monday of the 5th Week of Lent
Daniel 13:1-9,15-17,19-30,33-62 | Psalm 22(23) | John 8:1-11

‘If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ (John 8:7)

Condemnation has to be one of the typical Singaporean’s favourite pastimes, perhaps second only to complaining about everything under the sun. After all, it’s only logical to go from:

Ai yah, Qing Ming again, now got traffic jam outside church!

to:

See lah, Traffic Police not doing their jobs, lazy bums!

Would that we could open our eyes to the reality of the situation, and admit to ourselves that when hundreds of vehicles converge into a small area, fed by a major artery that’s itself constricted by MRT works, no human agency can ensure a smooth flow.

‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Jesus ‘go away, and do not sin any more.’ (John 8:11)

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The phrasing of today’s Gospel interests me in two ways:

• Jesus doesn’t question the accused. He already knows what she has done, and sees no reason to shame her in righteous anger.
• The accused doesn’t defend herself. She too knows what she has done, and is willing to accept whatever justice is meted out.

As we embark on Penitential Service week, let us remember that Everyone Sins. Sometimes we commit venial sins, sometimes mortal ones.

Do we dare to discern our own faults, or continue to pretend they don’t exist?

Do we dare to bare our souls completely to Christ in the person of His priest, or continue to hold back on admitting the Big Sins for fear of human and divine condemnation?

Do we dare to seek forgiveness for all our transgressions, or continue to quietly castigate ourselves for not being perfect?

And as we go forth from reconciling ourselves to God…

Do we dare to discern the good from the bad in the people we interact with each day, and gently guide them in God’s Holy Way, without condemning them mentally or verbally?

Lord, You call us to draw closer to You, to open our hearts to You, to admit our faults and seek Your forgiveness. Help us to abandon ourselves willingly to Your merciful love, confident that You have already discerned our faults but still don’t condemn us. We place our trust in You, for You are our Lord forever and ever. Amen.

Brothers and sisters, I started my daily Lectio Divina journey exactly one year ago today. Looking back, I still remember my initial enthusiasm, and while the initial bonfire has mellowed somewhat into a warming blaze, I still look forward each night to reading, pondering, and sharing.

With the grace of God, may there be another year’s worth, then another, and so on, till the day I can no longer share my faith in this mortal realm.

Until that day, orate et laudate (pray and praise).

5th Sunday of Lent (Year A)
Ezekiel 37:12-14 | Psalm 129(130) | John 11:1-45

Today’s scripture is all about rising from the dead, an appropriate thing to look forward to as we approach both Holy Week and the start of Lenten Penitential Services.

The Lord longs to “open our graves” (Ezekiel 37:12), and lead us back to the “soil of Israel”, the land of righteousness and love. He calls us to meet up halfway, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Each time I go for monthly confession before mass, I feel the relief of a sinful load I never realized I was carrying. It still troubles me that, after so many iterations, I still don’t feel that burden in my daily life. It’s only when I come to reconcile myself with Christ, and prepare myself by examining all that has happened during the weeks before, that I truly realize just how often I’ve gone astray, and how much of a price I’d unwittingly paid, through unnecessary conflict with others, the fear of being found out, and an uneasy rest in the night.

The first few times were somewhat scary, but once I got used to being honest with myself about my own failings, it became much easier to admit to Jesus, in the person of a priest, that I had transgressed and longed for healing absolution.

As we prepare ourselves to walk with Jesus and relive His glorious Passion, let us cast off all our yokes of sinfulness, refresh our spirits with the cleansing waters that flow from the right side of the Temple that is the Lamb of God, and wander back onto His Holy Way.

Amen.

Saturday of the 4th Week of Lent
Jeremiah 11:18-20 | Psalm 7:2-3,9-12 | John 7:40-52

Prophets do not come out of Galilee. (John 7:52)

We tend to make snap judgements about others’ abilities, based on their declared backgrounds. In my consulting career, I’ve often had to stop myself from summarily terminating a job interview after a quick glance at the interviewee’s CV, instead trying to find a “jewel in the rough” who might complement my client’s existing team.

Of course, it’s often the case that the candidate simply won’t work out, but just as prophets have come out of Galilee (Jonah comes to mind), an unimpressive résumé may hide a keen mind who would be an asset to my client.

Likewise, one thing that drives me each night in Lectio Divina is finding that “jewel in the rough” from my experiences during the day. Perhaps it’s a chance encounter with the less fortunate, or a misreading of a HUGE poster outside a shopping mall:

Yes, Lord, help me make a playground of all the TRIALS I face,
instead of moaning and groaning about the unfairness of it all.

Whatever it might be, when the next day’s scripture triggers that memory, it’s as if God is gently tapping me on the shoulder and whispering, “see how much love and joy can be in your life?”

How can I keep from writing?

My life flows on in endless song;
Above earth’s lamentation,
I hear the real, tho’ far-off hymn
That hails a new creation;
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear that music ringing;
It sounds an echo in my soul—
How can I keep from singing?

Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH72dgNSAsw

Friday of the 4th Week of Lent
Wisdom 2:1,12-22 | Psalm 33(34):16,18,19-21,23 | John 7:1-2,10,25-30

Look at our colleague there, all smiles and kindness to everyone else, when we’re all up to our eyeballs in work. Bloody bastard, he’s got no right to make us all look so sad! Let’s tekan him and dump all our work in his inbox, then we can relax and go for a coffee break. Must remember to take credit for all that work when we get back, hor?

Raise your hand if you’ve been the target of such a concerted backstabbing.

Now raise your hand if you’ve participated in such things yourself. (Be honest about it.)

It can be a tough pill to swallow, to see others keep their spirits up through all their toil and trouble, while we suffer through the same tasks with furrowed brow and down-turned lips. That’s just not fair; they should suffer just like we do. We don’t care that they have a better attitude towards life that we do, it’s all about equality of suffering, man!

The good man is a light in the darkness for the upright, but he is also a reproof to those who continue to cling to the old ways of slavish adherence to outdated interpretations. The Pharisees certainly didn’t like to hear Jesus claim that God was displeased by their hidebound practice of Mosaic Law; after all, they took great pride in just how many laws they could keep “faithfully”.

Just yesterday, I was introduced to this intriguing article about how adopting the Benedict Option as a counter to the insidious permeation of American pop culture in Christian life:

[which] includes such measures as: stable local living in small intentional Christian communities—“the Christian village”; cutting back on pop culture consumption; orienting the family towards God; creating sacramentally vibrant worship; pulling the kids out of public school and educating them classically either through private school, home school, or co-op; practicing hospitality and Christian neighborliness; buying from other Christians even if it costs more; building Christian employment networks; refusing to compromise to satisfy the whims of the young; fighting pornography—the list goes on. In short: avoid vice, and take up virtue.

can seriously backfire, when it devolves into a game of one-upmanship among the very people who “set themselves apart” to be more faithful to God, a Christian version of a “purity test”.

I wonder if something similar happened to the Jews in the years before Christ, building a corpus of 613 commandments, then using it as a measuring rod of individual worthiness. It would certainly explain the prominence of the Pharisees as opposition to our Messiah.

So then next time we find ourselves reacting negatively to those who express joy in doing what the Lord commands, perhaps we should stop and think hard about why we don’t feel the same way.

After all, as the old hymn reminds us:

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

Amen.

Thursday of the 4th Week of Lent
Exodus 32:7-14 | Psalm 105(106):19-23 | John 5:31-47

How can you believe,
since you look to one another for approval
and are not concerned
with the approval that comes from the one God? (John 5:44)

Likes. Views. Upvotes (and downvotes). Unlocked achievements. Shares.

These are just some of the ways that we quantify our popularity online. Many of us hate to admit it, but they play a very significant role in influencing our online persona, and not necessarily for the better.

For instance, “telling it like it is” is surprisingly popular, even though it would seem that being explicitly rude to others, voicing opinions liberally sprinkled with obscenities, isn’t something that should be tolerated, online or otherwise. It’s especially troubling that Catholic online communities have to regularly remind their members to “Be Nice, Be Respectful”.

We also instinctively share rumours and “miracle cures” and stories that tug at the heartstrings, all in a secret chase for online approval, without stopping to think whether the words we share even make sense, or spend a few seconds checking online to see if they’ve been debunked. All that matters is the likes, so Like This Post If You Love God, People!

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But seriously, don’t like this post if you love God.

Comment on this post if you love God.

Share your own perspective on the words I write, on the spiritual positions I take, on whether you think I speak Truth, a big fat Lie, or something in between.

Start a conversation on what you think I should improve, and perhaps even share what you think you should improve too.

Don’t show your approval. Show your understanding, through opinions and stories about how God has spoken to you throughout your life.

Show how anything I’ve written has helped you draw closer to God, and share in turn how you think I can do likewise.

Let’s not seek approval from each other.

Let’s seek approval from the One Who Is.

Amen.