pagan practices

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Friday, 6 December 2013 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Bishops)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in God lies our salvation, and in Him we have a bright new hope for the future. For we have lived long in the darkness, just as the two blind men healed by Jesus in the reading today. Remember what the Scripture said, that a people who had lived and walked in darkness, had seen a great light, and that light is none other than Jesus, the Lord and the Light of world.

Jesus is the light, true light and source of all light that will dispel all the darkness that surrounded us. In Him lies the salvation of the world in light, after for eons it had been living in the great darkness. Indeed, the great darkness of our sinfulness. We have been made blind by our lust for evil, by the disobedience that we had done. In our search of knowledge and curiosity, we had been trapped in the designs of the evil one, who misled us towards destruction.

Mankind groans to be free of this state of darkness. Who among the blind does not want to see the beauty of light and the beauty of the world through light? They certainly aspire, desire, and want to see again, to be able to once again perceive light in their eyes. Such was the condition of mankind, and indeed, still is, even until today.

That is why the two blind men sought the mercy of Jesus, whom they recognised, as the One who would be able to bring them out of their dark blindness, and return into the world of the light. And Jesus, having loved them just as He loves all of us, and in His pity and mercy for them, healed them and made them to see once again.

We too, brothers and sisters, are blind. We who have ever sinned are blinded by sin, by the forces of evil that comprises sinfulness. This blindness is not the physical blindness of our eyes, but instead, is the spiritual blindness of our hearts and souls. Sin has wrapped itself around us, distorting truth and distorting our perceptions of the world around us. It has made us corrupted in a sense, and made us to conform to the ways of evil.

That is why, even though we groan to be released from this state of blindness, and even though we are called by the Lord, and through the disciples He had sent to us, He had made the effort to call us out of the darkness, we still often linger or prefer to linger in this state of darkness. Sin corrupts us, and it distorts our perceptions, and it makes often irresistible offers that keep many people to continue in their sinfulness.

It is indeed, in our world today, one increasingly tainted by evil and sin, easier for us to commit things that are evil in the eyes of God, than to do things that are in accordance with the will of God. It is harder for many of us to be good persons that are concerned with the good of others, instead of being selfish and caring only for our own good.

But we can do it, brothers and sisters! We can do it! We can seek and reach out to the Lord, as the two blind men had done. Step outside of our comfort zone, and seek the Lord in places unknown. We have been far too long been blind, and in our darkness, we have been manipulated and corrupted by sin. Reach out to the Lord who is Light, and seek His healing just as He healed the two blind men, who put their trust and faith in Him.

Today, we celebrate the feast day of St. Nicholas, also known as St. Nicholas of Myra, which many people said to be the figure that inspired the story of father Christmas, or Santa Claus. Many people see Santa Claus as the figure who goes around the world every Christmas, distributing gifts and presents to children, and from there, eventually grew the secularised celebration of Christmas, a commercialised version, where Christ no longer lays at the centre of it.

St. Nicholas of Myra was in fact a bishop of the early Church, in the area of Myra, now located at the area known as Turkey. At that time, the Church was growing and flourished in the area, and with every day, new converts entered the Church of God, bearing the fruits of salvation. St. Nicholas was one of their bishops, and he was particularly dedicated to the flock entrusted to him.

St. Nicholas often give generous gifts to others, to the people he was bishop of, and to the children. He showed them the warmth of God’s love and care, through his own actions, as one of God’s representatives among mankind. He showed the perfection of God in love, and share the love he has received from the Lord, that everyone may enjoy the love together.

Such is the true joy of Christmas, for God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son, Jesus Christ, part of Himself, who is Love, that He might share that eternal and undying love with all of us. That is the true essence of Christmas, that is about Christ, about His coming into this world, and about His humble birth, and not in all the commercialised celebrations of Christmas.

It is alright to rejoice and be happy in Christmas, as indeed we should be happy and rejoice. But are we doing them for the right purpose? Let us not be blinded by sin and evil, who will scheme to distort our understanding of the nature of this wondrous event, from one where we rejoice in the coming of Christ, into one where we think only about ourselves, about our own good, about our own well-being.

May the Lord who is Light, the true light, will shine forth and pierce the darkness and evil that surround us, and with the guidance and intercession of St. Nicholas of Myra, allow us to seek the light and be able to truly see again the truth of God and the truth about ourselves and our salvation in God. May He bless us as we prepare to celebrate His coming this Christmas. Amen!

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Monday, 19 August 2013 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Eudes, Priest (Scripture Reflection)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priest)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today’s readings, particularly the Gospel, brings our attention strongly on the need for all of us to love and serve the Lord our God, with all our hearts, with all our beings, and with all our attentions and our full, wholehearted dedication. We must never be half-hearted in our love for the Lord, for a half-hearted love is easily shaken, and will open us to harm, to the temptations of Satan and his evil forces, waiting daily to prey on us, and bring us away from salvation promised in the Lord, as he had once done to God’s beloved people, Israel.

Yes, brethren, the people of Israel had fallen into temptation, and had fallen into the worship of the devil instead of the One True God, through their worship of the pagan idols and following pagan practices, such as even the abominable sacrifice of children, licentiousness, and embracing the pleasures of the flesh with great impropriety. Such things had made the people of Israel to sin gravely before the eyes of the Lord their God, who punished them by giving them up to the hands of their enemies, and yes, indeed, they suffered grievously for their rebellion against God and His love.

The people of Israel put their trust in their own power, in their own wisdom, and in their own desires, and therefore, they failed to see that in God lies power, wisdom, and the truth, that they cannot gain through their own power. They have been given much, in the Promised Land God had promised to their forefathers, the land which their rebellious forefathers in the desert after the Exodus failed to gain because of their rebellion against God and Moses, His servant. yet, they repeated the same mistake and once again disobey the Lord their God who had shown them much good and showered them with many blessings.

The people of Israel indulged themselves too much in the pleasures of the land, and the goodness of the promise that God had given them had made them lax in their morality and in their judgments. Therefore, they have fallen into the trap Satan laid for them, and they fell into the pit of sin. Yet, God still loves them, and He did not give up on them, and that was why He sent them redeemers in the form of judges, who, empowered by the blessings of the Lord, and the people of God were saved, even though momentarily.

Yet, the people remained in rebellion, because they continue to open themselves to temptations and the pleasures of the world, the easy life offered to them by their environment, by the world they live in. The same happened to that young man, although he indeed was in better position than the people of Israel in the time of the judges, because he had at least fulfilled the commandments of the Lord. Yes, he did obey the Lord and did not worship the pagan gods, but he lacked the will and determination to follow through with His dedication, and still had his worldly attachment that he could not let go, and therefore, his heart was not entirely with the Lord his God.

It is not that we all have to forsake all our possessions, our wealth, our money, and everything we have in order to follow the Lord. Yes, there is a danger in translating every single words of Christ literally. In fact, Christ was making an analogy and indeed, an example to teach the disciples and all of us, about the importance of loving God and letting no evils corrupt our hearts and our true purpose in this life. We must not be distracted nor deviate from the Lord and His path.

It is very easy for us to be consumed by our desires, fueled especially by this world and its increasing emphasis consumerism. With every advertisements and enticing promotions we see, we read, and we hear in the media and in everywhere around us, our minds can gradually grow to be accustomed to such things that we will certainly grow to desire, if we do not keep our faith in the Lord strong in our hearts. We have been fed with much evils and temptations, all the desires in this world, be it gluttony, lust, greed, or any kind of vices subconsciously through our increasingly commercialised and materialistic world.

Again, it is not wrong for us to have wealth, gadgets, and all the earthly possessions that we do possess now, and may have more in the future. What is important is that we must be able to control them, and make sure that they do not control us in return. These should be our great asset in our daily lives, and use them for the betterment of everyone, ourselves, and even more importantly, others, especially those who lacks, and those who needs our help. What the Lord warns us is that we must not become so attached to our possessions and this world, that they become indispensable and we cannot literally live without them.

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. John Eudes, a French missionary and founder of several religious congregations. He was a devout man, who went through much suffering and even illness, in his service to the less fortunate, the poor, and the sick in the society at the time. He promoted the devotion to both the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and through his dedication to them and through his service, he had brought much love to the society, reminding many of the task and the duties entrusted by the Lord to all of them.

St. John Eudes worked hard for the sake of the Lord, and he kept the Lord foremost in his heart, through his strong devotion to the love of God in His most Sacred Heart. He kept the Lord always in his heart, as the treasure of his life. It is an example that we too should follow and emulate, that is to place the Lord foremost in our lives and consider Him as the treasures of our life, the true purpose of our existence.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we hear the example of St. John Eudes and his works, and heeding the words of Christ and the example of the Israelites during the time of the judges, let us remind ourselves of the importance of God in our own lives, and whether we have really loved Him and dedicated ourselves to Him and His cause, that is love for all of us, for the least privileged among ourselves.

Our possessions and wealth are fine as it is, and we need not hate them or shun them, as long as we are able to detach ourselves from them, and do not consider them as essential in our lives. When we begin to entangle ourselves in these things and be ensnared by them, we will most likely will divert away our attention from the Lord, and not only the Lord, but also our brethren who need our love and attention. Let us resolve from now on to continue loving and committing ourselves to God and our brothers and sisters in God, helping one another, loving one another, and praying for one another.

May the Lord who loves us comfort us, strengthen us, and bless us daily at all times, and continue to foster within us, love, compassion, and dedication to His own Sacred Heart, following the example of St. John Eudes and those who followed him, from now on. God be with us always. Amen.

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Monday, 19 August 2013 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Eudes, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priest)

Judges 2 : 11-19

The Israelites treated YHVH badly for they served the Baals instead. They abandoned YHVH, the God of their ancestors who had brought them out of Egypt, and served other gods, the gods of the neighbouring peoples. They bowed before these gods and offended YHVH.

When YHVH saw that they had abandoned Him to serve Baal and Ashtaroth, He became angry with His people and gave them into the hands of plunderers who left them in misery. He Himself sold them to their enemies who completely surrounded the Israelites, so that these Israelites could no longer withstand them.

Whenever they felt strong for an offensive, YHVH would turn against them and send evil upon them, as He had warned them and sworn to do. And this caused much distress and anguish for the Israelites.

YHVH raised up “judges” (or liberators) who saved the Israelites from their exploiters. But neither did they obey those “judges” for they still prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They soon left the way of their fathers who obeyed the commandments of YHVH; they did not follow the way of their fathers.

When YHVH made a judge appear among His people, YHVH was with him and saved them from their enemies. That lasted as long as the judge lived, for YHVH was moved to pity by the lament of His people who were oppressed and persecuted. But when the judge died, they again became worse than their ancestors – worshiping and serving other gods. They would not renounce their pagan practices and stubborn ways.