Catholic

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Tuesday, 22 January 2013 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent, Deacon and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Mark 2 : 23-28

One Sabbath He was walking through the grainfields. As His disciples walked along with Him, they began to pick the heads of grain and crush them in their hands. Then the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look! They are doing what is forbidden on the Sabbath!”

And He said to them, “Have you never read what David did in his time of need, when he and his men were very hungry? He went into the house of God, when Abiathar was High Priest, and ate the bread of offering, which only the priests are allowed to eat, and he also gave some to the men who were with him.”

Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is master even of the Sabbath.”

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Two new seminarians at the Major Seminary of St. Francis Xavier, Archdiocese of Singapore, and Challenges to Vocations

http://www.catholicnews.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8309:new-journeys-in-the-new-year-for-two-young-men-&catid=326:january-27-2013-vol-63-no-02&Itemid=78

The Major Seminary of the Archdiocese of Singapore has welcomed two new additions to their number, Gerard Robert (29) and Shawn Wong (22).

Pray for both of them that they will stay faithful in their calling, and will persevere through until their ordination and beyond. May God’s love always be upon them.

However, I cannot help but feel sad at how quite a few people reacted negatively to them offering themselves to God.

Quote CatholicNews :

“Reactions from people regarding their decision have been varied, both shared. Some were shocked at their decision, finding it illogical. Others were worried the two could have made a wrong decision, while others wondered if the young men would be able to live without worldly attractions.

Yet others were respectful while some kept silent, apparently unsure of how to respond.”

Why illogical? why worry? why wrong? and why wonder? 

That’s because they do not understand what being a priest is, who a priest is, and especially for among some Chinese, those who emphasize on establishing family (especially heavy for eldest sons) and carrying the family name, and I am sure that although we do pray often for vocations, there are many amongst us who think, yes I pray for new priests, but not my own son, ok? His future is in his career and his prosperity, not to become simple, poor priest.

This way of thinking in our modern world, especially imbued with materialism and worldly temptations is what exactly hinder vocations. Already there are so few who wants to even contemplate joining the sacred priesthood, and even amongst those who want, there are oppositions, not least from friends, and most importantly, from the parents and the family. Let us pray for both the two new seminarians, and for all those inspired by God’s calling, that they will persevere despite oppositions of those around them, and not to give up their calling to submit, since although we do obey our parents, but ultimately we have to obey and love God even more, for the sake of all mankind.

Let us not just be fishers of fish (read : money and material well-being), but if we are called, as St. Peter was, let us be the fishers of man!

+Ut Omnes Unum Sint, ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam+

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Tuesday, 22 January 2013 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent, Deacon and Martyr (First Reading)

Hebrews 6 : 10-20

God is not unjust and will not forget everything you have done for love of His name; you have helped and still help the believers. We desire each of you to have, until the end, the same zeal for reaching what you have hoped for. Do not grow careless but imitate those who, by their faith and determination, inherit the promise.

Remember God’s promise to Abraham. God wanted to confirm it with an oath and, as no one is higher than God, He swore by Himself : I shall bless you and give you many descendants. By just patiently waiting, Abraham obtained the promise.

People are used to swearing by someone higher than themselves and their oath affirms everything that could be denied. So God committed Himself with an oath in order to convince those who were to wait for His promise that He would never change His mind. Thus we have two certainties in which it is impossible that God be proved false : promise and oath. That is enough to encourage us strongly when we leave everything to hold to the hope set before us. This hope is like a steadfast anchor of the soul, secure and firm, thrust beyond the curtain of the Temple into the Sanctuary itself, where Jesus has entered ahead of us – Jesus, High Priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

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St. Agnes and the Blessing of Pallium of Metropolitan Archbishops

Today is the Feast Day of St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr, whose name closely resembled Agnus or Lamb in Latin. Her martyrdom also represents the similar Sacrifice of our Lord, the Lamb of God on the cross. This is why this day is the day selected for the blessing of a special lamb-wool sewn shoulder-band like vestment, called the pallium, by the Pope.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallium

What is a pallium? It is a woolen cloth, shaped like two connected Y-alphabets worn around the shoulders, and only worn by bishops possessing Metropolitan character (Metropolitan Archbishops), that is the authority over other bishops as overseers of particular Provinces of the Church, as the pallium signify this authority that has been given to them, and also represents the link that they have to the Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Christ, the Pope.

The pallium itself can also represent the sheep being carried by the shepherd, which represents us, the faithful, the sheep, being entrusted in the care of the Metropolitan Archbishop, who is the shepherd.

For those of us in Singapore in particular, and other Archdioceses directly subject to the Holy See (not part of any Provinces of the Church), our Archbishops do not wear this pallium, and the reason was noted above, as they do not oversee any other bishops in a Province of the Church. This is why, Singapore’s Archbishop, Nicholas Chia, do not wear a pallium, while the Archbishop of my hometown, Palembang, wears one, as he is the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Church (Ecclesiastical) Province of Palembang, overseeing the two Dioceses of Pangkalpinang and Tanjungkarang in the region.

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Monday, 21 January 2013 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr (Scripture Reflection)

Today, the readings truly focus on Jesus Christ Himself, who is the High Priest of all mankind, as mentioned in the First Reading, and as the Bridegroom of the faithful, the Church. Today we focus especially on the nature of the priesthood itself. For priests in our Catholic tradition are men who have given themselves fully to God, and in doing so, they do not marry or seek to marry anymore, why? This is because they are indeed married, married to God, and to His beloved people the Church. It is in the footsteps of Christ who has loved us so much that He gave us His life for our salvation, that those who choose to become priests, also dedicate themselves to a life of holiness and service, out of pure love for God and all creations.

Christ is the High Priest, who offered Himself as the Lamb, the pure and unblemished Lamb whose Precious Blood cleanses all the filth of sin and freed us from slavery of death and evil. He is the High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, just as all our priests are priests of that same order. Once a priest, you are a priest forever. Who is Melchizedek? He is the King of Salem, Priest appointed by God, and named as the Priest of God the Most High, who presented the offering of bread and wine to God, and blessed Abraham, our forefather in faith. Today, priests also do what Melchizedek did, which is to offer bread and wine as offering to God, but yet, through Christ, this has become a truly Divine Offering, as not just any bread and wine is offered, but the very Precious Body and Blood of Christ Himself, the only Sacrifice worthy of our sins, countless and innumerable as they are. No one but Christ can redeem us from the incomprehensible nature of our sin’s extent.

Christ suffered for our sake on the cross, blood streaming down His Body from the cross, endured curses and spits from those who He had come to save. But yet, Christ obediently gave Himself, that even these who had rejected Him, may yet have hope of eternal life. He forgave those who cried out for His death, and although as human as He was as we are, He was also tempted to abandon His final task, but He accepted the chalice of sin and bitterness, submitting Himself fully to the will of God. This is why, He is our High Priest, through whom all of us are finally free from the certainty of death and separation from God.

For indeed God loves us so much that He sent us His only Son, and through the obedience of the Son, and through His Love, He endured all our sins that we are now hopeful of His Kingdom. He represents us before God bringing gifts of offering for our sins, but His gift is He Himself, who is the only worthy gift of all creation to cover for all our sins, both before, present, and after. So, therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us strive not to sin anymore, as whenever we sin, let us remember that we burden Christ with ever more and more sin. Let us rather turn to His Love, and listen to His words that we all will truly be worthy of He who died for us.

That is why priests today are who they are, they dedicate themselves fully to God, and they give their time fully for God and His people, all of us, alone. For He, just like Christ, in the image of Christ, offer the gifts of the Precious Body and Blood of Christ in the bread and wine every time we have Mass, that all of us are saved. This offering is neither separate nor symbolic from the Ultimate Sacrifice of Christ, since the bread is Real Body, and the blood is Real Blood, and the offering of the Sacrifice is truly one and in union with the Ultimate Sacrifice of Christ on the cross, who through the priests in the Mass, gave Himself to us, His Body and His Blood, that we will have eternal life in Him. Pray for our priests and all the religious who dedicated themselves to God, that they will stay pure, that they will stay faithful in their mission and their dedication to God.

Jesus also mentioned about the wine and wineskins, and the cloth and the coat, and how new things should not be put together with old things, or they will destroy each other. This is because, Christ Himself, as the Lord, has brought a new Covenant to all people, not just limited to the people of Israel, that through His Sacrifice on the Cross, and through His blood, He made a new Covenant with all peoples that they all can be saved through Him. He is the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament and the prophets, and He brought a new rule of Love and Faith in God. The people no longer have the need to regularly sacrifice sheep, goats, and other animals to redeem them from their sins at the temple, for now God, as mentioned, has done it once and for all, as our High Priest. Gone are the rules and precepts of the past, and with it, the new teachings of Christ came into place. The new wine and the new cloth are Christ and His teachings, which render the old ones outdated, as Christ fulfills the prophecies, and He also made perfect the Law which had been passed down from Moses, so the old Law no longer applies, but the new Law of Christ, which is based on Love of God, and love of one another just as He loves us.

Today is also the Feast Day of St. Agnes, who we remembered as both a virgin and a martyr. Just like Christ, St. Agnes gave herself up to the executioners without complaints at the age of 13, rather than abandoning her faith and her chastity by marriage to the son of a Pagan prefect of the Roman Empire. St. Agnes is a shining example of faith and love to God, whom priests and indeed all of us should follow. That rather than betraying God and our soul, she chose death rather than promise of material wealth and fame. This is not to say that we all should choose death, but in our daily lives, we should constantly remind ourselves of our faith, and our ties with God, and always do all things in the name of the Lord, and in His honour. Let us ask St. Agnes to pray for us, that our faith in God will ever be strengthened, that whenever we falter in our faith and love for God, the Lord will send His angels and the Holy Spirit to empower us and renew our commitment in Him.

St. Agnes, pray for us, and may we be able to follow in your footsteps in loving our God and dedicating ourselves to Him, and also pray for our priests, especially those tempted by the worldly temptations and sin. Amen.

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Something to share – Mediator Dei Encyclical by Pope Pius XII on Sacred Liturgy

http://www.sanctamissa.org/en/music/church-documents-on-liturgical-music/mediator-dei.pdf

I find this encyclical to be a good read, especially for those of us who wants to learn more about the liturgy. Remember, the liturgy itself is intricately linked to our faith, and with good understanding of the sacred liturgy, we can deepen our Faith!

Let us strive to learn more about our faith, and about the Mass, about the liturgy, and other things on our faith in this Holy Year of Faith!

 

+Ut Omnes Unum Sint, ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam+

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Monday, 21 January 2013 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Mark 2 : 18-22

One day, when the Pharisees and the disciples of John the Baptist were fasting, some people asked Jesus, “Why is it that both the Pharisees and the disciples of John fast, but Yours do not?”

Jesus answered, “How can the wedding guest fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

No one sews a piece of new cloth on an old coat, because the new patch will shrink and tear away from the old cloth, making a worse tear. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, for the wine would burst the skins, and then both the wine and the skins would be lost. But new wine, new skins!”

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Monday, 21 January 2013 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr (First Reading)

Hebrews 5 : 1-10

Every High Priest is taken from among mortals and appointed to be their representatives before God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin. He is able to understand the ignorant and erring for he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he is bound to offer sacrifices for his sins as well as for the sins of the people. Besides, one does not presume to take this dignity, but takes it only when called by God, as Aaron was.

Nor did Christ become High Priest in taking upon Himself this dignity, but it as given to Him by the One who says : “You are My Son, I have begotten You today.” And in another place : “You are a priest forever in the priestly order of Melchizedek.”

Christ, in the days of His mortal life, offered His sacrifice with tears and cries. He prayed to Him who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His humble submission. Although He was Son, He learnt through suffering what obedience was, and once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for those who obey Him. This is how God proclaimed Him Priest, in the order of Melchizedek.

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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.