2nd Sunday

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Sunday, 24 February 2013 : 2nd Sunday of Lent (Scripture Reflection)

The Lord, Jesus Christ, who was transfigured on the mountain, as we heard in the Gospel today, we know to be both fully human and fully divine. He is fully human, having been incarnate into flesh through the Blessed Virgin Mary and the power of the Holy Spirit, and also being fully divine, as He is the Word of God, through whom all things were created by God the Father. Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was sent, by the Father to us, so that all of us can be saved, and can have hope to return to God who loves us, and not be lost to Satan and death.

Elijah and Moses appeared to Jesus on the mountain, because they represented the two aspect of the Old Testament, that Jesus had come to fulfill, and perfect through His new covenant, as told in the New Testament. Elijah represents the prophets, whom had come through the centuries before the coming of Christ, to proclaim His coming, and the prophecies that through Jesus were fulfilled, and all telling of the coming salvation of the people of God from the tyranny of sin, and the end of the separation that had separated God from mankind.

Moses represents the Law, which was given by God Himself at Mount Horeb, the holy mountain, to Moses during his 40 days stay there. This Law includes the Ten Commandments of love, and the other laws of the people of Israel. Christ had come to perfect this Law by explaining the Law, and based them on the very nature of God Himself, which is love. That the Law is made out of God’s love for mankind, and that mankind must not blindly subject themselves to the Law, but rather understand them and carry them out in love for the good of their fellow men.

In today’s transfiguration story, it is indeed noteworthy how, we humans prefer things that are good, and we always hope that things will stay our way, and we like to stay within our comfort zone, that is the sphere that keeps us from the harms and dangers of the outside world. Such was why Peter suggested to Jesus, that they stay there in Christ’s glory, and not come down from the mountain. To come down from the mountain for Jesus, as mentioned that He spoke about that mission to both Elijah and Moses, was to be death for Him, as He would die on the cross, but would rise again on the third day.

He chose to come down, and the Lord too told the disciples to obey Him, through the voice in the cloud, not to be tempted to stay on in glory, but to descend and continue the mission. In this case, Christ lowered Himself such from His glory revealed at the Transfiguration, and in perfect humility and obedience to God, laid down His life for all His sheep, the children of God, for their salvation. It is Christ’s obedience that allow God to exercise the greatest work of all, that is the salvation of all mankind, and the salvation of the world.

Similarly, Abram, who is later to be known as Abraham, was rewarded by God with the promise that his descendants will be numerous as the stars and will receive the Promised Land, all because of Abram’s great faith, obedience, and love to God. Later on, we are told that such is his great faith and obedience, he was willing to sacrifice his own son, Isaac, the son of the promise, to obey the Lord’s will. The Lord saw his faith, and rewards him greatly.

If Abraham was willing to sacrifice his own son, how much more would the Lord therefore then do for our sake? That is to give His own Son, which is part of Him in the Holy Trinity, to be a man and then die so that we can live?

We too, today therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, should imitate Abram/Abraham and Christ, who do not just stay in their comfort zone, and rather do their best to fulfill the mission entrusted to them by God, no matter how difficult it was. Jesus had to face suffering and death, and Abram had to later to face the fact that the beloved son he was given to by the Lord, he had to sacrifice to the Lord. We do not face such difficult challenges, but we too have our own challenges in accepting and fulfilling the missions God has entrusted us with.

Too many times that we have failed to fulfill these missions simply because, we are content with our comfort zone, with whatever abundance we already have in this world, and in our own circles, either in our own family, with our own friends, or in our own career and workplace, and in the achievements and glory that we have achieved and made. We have to make sure that we step out of this comfort zone, as we ourselves are not Christians and not baptised just to be idle in our faith.

Our Catholic faith teaches us that we have to be proactive and do good for the sake of our brethren. Many people have need for our help and actions, and just as Coadjutor Archbishop William Goh mentioned in his recent ordination speech, our Church cannot be just a ‘maintenance church’, but rather must be a vibrant and powerful Church, that exerts its influence and love into this world.

Just like Abram, who was greatly rewarded by God out of his love and obedience to God, shall we then also obey God’s will, that is to help others around us, spread the Gospel and the Good News of our Lord, especially to those who seek for it, and to give the love of God that flows through us, to all mankind, that everyone too can become the children of God, and just like Abram, to be rewarded eventually with grace from God, which for us, is the promise of life eternal with Him in heavenly glory.

For no glory can come without hard work, and no glory exists without its sufferings and humility. The glorious Christ humbled Himself that all of us have hope through Him, by offering His own Body as the bridge between us and God.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, today, let us be transfigured, and transformed just like Christ was, but not the way Christ was, rather, let us shed our old, passive, and idle path, our idle and dormant faith. Instead, let us boldly step forward into this world, bringing into it, the message of the Good News of our God, and to serve all peoples humbly with sincerity and love, both love for our fellow men, and for our Father who loves us. May God bless us today in all our works, in all our actions, and in all our dealings, that in all things that we do, we will always bring life and love to others, and to glorify God’s Name at all times. Forever and ever. Amen.

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Sunday, 24 February 2013 : 2nd Sunday of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Luke 9 : 28b-36

Jesus took Peter, John, and James, and went up the mountain to pray. And while He was praying, the aspect of His face was changed, and His clothing became dazzling white. Two men were talking with Jesus : Moses and Elijah. Appearing in the glory of heaven, Moses and Elijah spoke to Jesus about His departure from this life; which was to take place in Jerusalem.

Peter and his companions had fallen asleep; but they awoke suddenly, and they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. As Moses and Elijah were about to leave, Peter – not knowing what to say – said to Jesus, “Master, how good it is for us to be here! Let us make three tents, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

And no sooner had he spoken, than a cloud appeared and covered them; and the disciples were afraid as they entered the cloud. Then these words came from the cloud, “This is My Son, My Beloved, listen to Him.” And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was there alone.

The disciples kept this to themselves at the time, telling no one of anything they had seen.

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Sunday, 24 February 2013 : 2nd Sunday of Lent (Second Reading)

Philippians 3 : 17 – Philippians 4 : 1

Unite in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and look at those who walk in our way of life. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. I have said it to you many times, and now I repeat it with tears : they are heading for ruin; their belly is their god and they feel proud of what should be their shame. They only think of earthly things.

For us, our citizenship is in heaven, from where we await the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Lord. He will transfigure our lowly body, making it like His own Body, radiant in Glory, through the power which is His to submit everything to Himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for; you my glory and crown, be steadfast in the Lord.

 

(Alternative Reading – shorter form, Philippians 3 : 20 – Philippians 4 : 1)

For us, our citizenship is in heaven, from where we await the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Lord. He will transfigure our lowly body, making it like His own Body, radiant in Glory, through the power which is His to submit everything to Himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for; you my glory and crown, be steadfast in the Lord.

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Sunday, 24 February 2013 : 2nd Sunday of Lent (Psalm)

Psalm 26 : 1, 7-8, 9abc, 13-14

The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the rampart of my life; I will not be afraid.

Hear my voice when I call, o Lord, have mercy on me and answer. My heart says to You, “I seek Your face, o Lord.”

Do not hide Your face from me nor turn away Your servant in anger. You are my protection, do not reject me.

I hope, I am sure, that I will see the goodness of the Lord, in the land of the living. Trust in the Lord, be strong and courageous. Yes, put your hope in the Lord!

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Sunday, 24 February 2013 : 2nd Sunday of Lent (First Reading)

Genesis 15 : 5-12, 17-18

Then YHVH brought him outside and said to him, “Look up at the sky and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that.”

Abram believed YHVH who, because of this, held him to be an upright man. And He said, “I am YHVH who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.” Then Abram asked, “My Lord, how am I to know that it shall be mine?”

YHVH replied, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtle dove and a young pigeon.” Abram brought all these animals, cut them in two, and laid each half facing its other half, but he did not cut the birds in half. The birds of prey came down upon them, but Abram drove them away.

As the sun was going down, a deep sleep came over Abram, and a dreadful darkness took hold of him. When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passed between the halves of the victims. On that day YHVH made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this country from the river of Egypt to the Great River , the Euphrates.”

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Sunday, 20 January 2013 : 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Scripture Reflection)

In the first reading today, God showed His love for His people Israel, although they have betrayed Him many times. Then, the second reading showed about the gifts of the Spirit, what the Spirit can do in us, and through us, the Lord’s will is done. Finally, the Gospel itself is the account of the wedding at Cana, where Jesus performed His very first miracle of turning water into the finest wine.

God still loves His people, and thus still loves us, no matter what we have done. Although we had sinned many times and betrayed Him, and abandoned Him many times, He is still always faithful. For just as He was mentioned as the bridegroom in the first reading, and the land as His spouse, the Lord is united to us through His marriage to us, as in the Revelation it is mentioned that God is the bride of the Church, and this Church is us, the faithful ones in God. And just as He is loving, He is a faithful bride indeed, and even though we, His brides are unfaithful, He is always ready to welcome us back if we indeed repent our sins and our mistakes and turn back to Him, who created us, and who embrace us both as His children just as He is our Father, and our bride as the Lord is the bridegroom of the Church.

The Holy Spirit, the Third person of the Holy Trinity, is the instrument of this unity of marriage between us and our Lord. Just as the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God came down to us from the Father, and built the bridge crossing between us and the Father across the chasms of sin, through Jesus too, the Holy Spirit came down from the Father and sealed our relationship with God, through the Apostles at Pentecost, when the Church was born. This is why, in our baptism too, we are baptised in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, that with the Holy Spirit that empowers, and the authority of the Father, and the Sacrifice of the Son, we are married to God and becomes His alone, and the devil has no part in us. In Confirmation, we receive further the gift of the Holy Spirit, which confirms our Faith in God and mark us with the gifts that enable us to perform good works and deeds in God’s name.

The Holy Spirit brings forth many gifts including even the gift of tongues and prophesy. But while there are Christians that put heavy emphasis on these aspects of the Holy Spirit, the true fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit are actually not on these, but on the gifts that permeates our heart, and allow God to be the centre of our lives, filling our hearts with love and compassion for others. In other times, also the gift of courage, to speak up for our fellow men, whenever we see injustice and attacks against the weak, the poor, and the lonely, and when there are attacks against God Himself, and against the sanctity of human life. The gift of courage and wisdom, and knowledge of God and His Scriptures, to proclaim to all around us, the Word of God, not just by speech and sermons, but most importantly, by good deeds and works through which all mankind can see that we truly belong to Christ, and see the Holy Spirit in us.

Then, there is Jesus’ ministry itself. After being baptised by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, Jesus was full with the Holy Spirit, and began His ministry after calling the first Apostles. The Wedding at Cana was where He conducted His first miracle, despite the fact that He was reluctant to do so. However, through this account, we can see indeed, the obedience Christ has for His mother, Mary, who truly cares for the wellbeing of God’s children, where in their happiest of times, marriage, the most terrible kind of disasters awaited them, as it was truly discourteous of the wedding groom and bride to have run out of wine in the days-long Jewish wedding. Although Jesus apparently said to Mary indifferently and seemingly not wishing to help as His time is yet to come, one can see that Jesus did listen to His mother’s pleas on behalf of the groom and the bride, and performed the miracle, saving the wedding of the loving couple from possible embarrassment.

This is why we pray through Mary (not praying to Mary or worshipping Mary), as Mary is the very Mother of our God, Theotokos, who brought our Lord Jesus into this world. Who is best to champion our cause and pleas other than Mary herself, who pleaded for the couple before Jesus, her Son? And Jesus loves His mother dearly and listens to her, as long as it is within the Lord’s will, if we pray through Mary, we will be heard. Nevertheless, prayers should be more than just asking petitions, and rather should be a true conversation with God, with His mother, and with all the holy peoples of God we choose to speak to in our prayers.

Then, to some, it seems that Christ was extremely rude in calling His mother, “Woman” in His response on Mary’s request. “Woman” may seem to us to be very rude, but in fact, it is an honour that was ascribed by Christ to His mother. In the first chapters of Genesis, we noted that in the account of Creation and the first people, Adam and Eve, the serpent-devil successfully tempted them to eat the fruits of the Tree of Knowledge. God punished them, but not before proclaiming before Satan, that He will put enmity between him and the woman, and his offspring and her offspring. And that the woman shall crush the serpent under her feet. This woman, in times immemorial and uncountable after the fall of mankind, is Mary. Mary, through her ultimate obedience in God, becomes the one who bore Christ into this world, the new Adam, and also the Saviour, whose enmity as the child of the woman, with the Satan and his offsprings, Sin, finally freed us from the eternal slavery of sin, through Christ’s sacrifice on the Calvary. It is through this Ultimate Sacrifice that Mary, as the woman, crushed the powers of evil forever. This is why, as Catholics, and indeed, as all Christians should do, we should properly venerate Mary, the Mother of God, the faithful one, and the one who Christ listens to, and most importantly, the one allowing our Salvation to happen by her obedience to the will of God.

Let us therefore renew our commitment for this coming weeks and months, to strengthen our faith in God, and to renew our dedication to Him, God who loves us despite our wrongdoings and waywardness. Let us ask God’s forgiveness and let Him embrace us with His love, a love that we ought to share with our fellow men. Let us also aspire to be more like Mary, the mother of our Lord, whose life and actions in her love and obedience to God should be our compass to guide us in our daily lives, so that we will not be lost amongst the waves of sin and materialism, but to always remain in focus on God, that through Mary, we can have a direct way to the Lord. Bring forth the Holy Spirit and use His gifts to us to bring the Good News to all, through our actions inspired by His gifts and presence in our hearts, that indeed the Holy Spirit will come upon our world and renews all the earth. Amen.

(Continue praying for the victims of flooding in Jakarta, which is still ongoing, and also those who suffer from natural disasters across the world. Also to those who suffer persecution and injustice, especially because of their faith. Let us pray through Mary, that she will bring our petitions for the sake of those who are suffering before her Son, who will surely listen, and bring God’s justice to their oppressors.)

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Sunday, 20 January 2013 : 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

John 2 : 1-11

Three days later there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus was also invited to the wedding with His disciples. When all the wine provided for the celebration had been served, and they had run out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” Jesus replied, “Woman, what concern is that to you and Me? My hour has not yet come.” However His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”

Nearby were six stone water jars, set there for ritual washing as practiced by the Jews; each jar could hold twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them to the brim. Then Jesus said, “Now draw some out and take it to the steward.” So they did.

The steward tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing from where it had come; for only the servants who had drawn the water knew. So, he called the bridegroom to tell him, “Everyone serves the best wine first, and when people have drunk enough, he serves that which is ordinary. Instead you have kept the best wine until the end.”

This miraculous sign was the first, and Jesus performed it at Cana in Galilee. In this way He let His glory appear, and His disciples believed in Him.

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Sunday, 20 January 2013 : 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

1 Corinthians 12 : 4-11

There is diversity of gifts, but the Spirit is the same. There is diversity of ministries, but the Lord is the same. There is diversity of works, but the same God works in all.

The Spirit reveals His presence in each one with a gift that is also a service. One is to speak with wisdom, through the Spirit. Another teaches according to the same Spirit. To another is given faith, in which the Spirit acts; to another the gift of healing, and it is the same Spirit.

Another works miracles, another is a prophet, another recognises what comes from the good or evil spirit; another speaks in tongues, and still another interprets what has been said in tongues. And all of this is the work of the one and only Spirit, who gives to each one as He so desires.

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Sunday, 20 January 2013 : 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Isaiah 62 : 1-5

For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace, for Jerusalem I will not keep silent, until her holiness shines like the dawn and her salvation flames like a burning torch. The nations will see your holiness and all the kings your glory. You will be called by a new name which the mouth of YHVH will reveal. You will be a crown of glory in the hand of YHVH, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

No longer will you be named Forsaken; no longer will your land be called Abandoned; but you will be called My Delight and your land Espoused. For YHVH delights in you and will make your land His spouse. As a young man marries a virgin, so will your builder marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so will your God rejoice in you.