What the Lord is saying at the beginning of 2012

I remember one day I met a person from Jesus Youth and I asked him, what he did and what was his job. And until today I still remember what he said to me, “Oh, I am a chemical engineer, but that is my part time job.” Then I continued to ask him, so what was his full time job, and his replied still rings in my ear today, “Evangelization”.

Currently, I am teaching and I really do enjoyed my job. It was taxing, and demanding, and consumes my energy, but I really do love it. In fact, I enjoyed it too much that I became engrossed in it. Most of the time, my mind kept on coming to my work, my career, and what I wanted to do. But for the past few weeks, the Lord has been speaking to me, softly and gently. And what surprises me is that he spoke mostly through my patron saint, St. Paul. Week by week, he said something to me through the second readings in Sunday masses. And these are what he said:

1. Second Sunday of Ordinary time (15th January): “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”
2. Third Sunday of Ordinary time (22nd January): “and those who are involved with the world as though they were people not engrossed in it. Because this world as we know it is passing away.”
3. Fourth Sunday of Ordinary time(29th January): “I am saying this only to help you, not to put a bridle on you, but so that everything is as it should be, and you are able to give your undivided attention to the Lord.”
4. Fifth Sunday of Ordinary time (5th February): “woe to me if I do not preach it”
5. Sixth Sunday of Ordinary time (12th February): “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ”
6. Seventh Sunday of Ordinary time (19th February): “therefore it is ‘through him’ that we answer ‘Amen’ to give praise to God.”

So let me say it , “Amen, Amen”

-Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam-

Sign of the Cross, a call to communion

Catholics make the sign of the Cross as we begin the Eucharistic celebration. But what does that signify? We make the sign of the Cross “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”. First of all, of course it reminds us of our own baptism, since we are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We have discussed about water and baptism in the previous posts, and so now we would like to take a look from another angle, and that is we are baptized “in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”.

To be baptized means to immerse oneself, and the Hebrew understanding of “name” simply signifies the person. So when we are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, it means that we “immerse” ourselves in the “person” of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Now what is interesting here is that we are being immersed not into a single person, but into a communion of persons.

Christianity is a call to communion. Some people thought that what matters most is that our soul is saved and that’s it. Hence for these people they thought going to church is not essential, what matters is doing good only. What a crippled understanding of Christianity! Christianity is a call for communion. Because in Christianity we are united with God and with our fellow men.

The basis of this is shown in God himself. Though he is one, yet he is a communion of three persons. God is a communion of love, an exchange of love between the Father and the Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit. And love cannot exist for its own, because love must be given to the Other. And hence, we as Christians are called into that life that exchanges love. This is the life of God, the life of the Father who loves the Son so much, and of the Son who loves the Father so much. We as Christians are called into this kind of life. Love prompts us to reach God as much as it prompts us to reach our neighbor.  That is why we go to Church and celebrate the Eucharist. We are called into a communion. And isn’t surprising that we receive Holy Communion during that celebration?

This is what we do as we begin the Eucharistic celebration: we are reminded that we are baptized, immersed, into a communion of love. And this is what our calling in life is, to love as much as God has loved us. The model of this love is God himself who has shown us a human face, and speaks a human language. Jesus is our model to live this love. And his ultimate love is shown on the Cross. That is how much he loves the Father, and… you.

In todays world where self-indulgent is exalted, Jesus shows a different kind of love. It is not a love that seeks personal pleasure, it is not a love that is self-centred or self-seeking, it is not a love that is conditional. The world’s idea of love has been turned upside down when Jesus hang on that Cross. Jesus shows us a love that is unconditional, a love that continues to give in the midst of sufferings and insults, a love that heals and outpoured, a love that is fully given without reserve.

This is the love that we are called to be. As we begin the Eucharistic celebration and make the sign of the Cross, let us remember that we are called into a life that gives Love.  We are called to participate in that exchange of Love between the Father and the Son.  This is what fullness of life is.  We too can have this fullness of life if we “imitate” Jesus. Through the sign of the Cross, we are reminded that we are not made for ourselves, but for the Other. We are made to love and to give, and it is only in that communion of love, we will find our true happiness.

“20 In that day you shall know that I am in my Father: and you in me, and I in you. 21 He that has my commandments and keeps them; he it is that loves me. And he that loves me shall be loved of my Father: and I will love him and will manifest myself to him.” John 14

Water and a new heart

We know that human body is composed of about 60% of water. How significant it is. If water plays a significant part in our physical body, could it be that it also plays a significant part in our spiritual life? If this physical world is meant to point us to something deeper, could it be that there is something deeper also about water in the spiritual realm?

In the previous post, we have mentioned how the water that is used to bless ourselves as we enter the church reminds us of our water of baptism. That water of baptism brings us into the Church of God, which is Christ Body. We have also mentioned the prayer during the Baptism ceremony and how God plans to use water to signify something deeper, his beautiful plan for us. Now we will talk about water and a new heart: the effect of that water of baptism.

Long time before Christ, there was this prophet with the name of Ezekiel. In one of his prophecies, he spoke about water and a new heart.

“25 I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26* A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27* And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. 28 You shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” Ezekiel 36

This verse really reminds me of the liturgy in the Church. And maybe the liturgy of the Church is meant to speak to us about this verse. There was this part in the beginning of the Eucharistic celebration when the priest will go around the people and sprinkle water. Isn’t it amazing? We don’t simply read the Word of God, we experience it! God says he will sprinkle clean water upon us, and we shall be cleansed.  We will be cleansed from all idols and uncleannesses.

Most people do not appreciate this good news because we don’t feel we have idols and uncleannesses. We thought we are ok. But what we feel or we think does not necessarily reveal what truly is. Just as someone who never bath for months will not realize the smell on his body so are we with our “sins” if we never cleanse it or even examen it. We adapted, and get used to it, and we rationalize it, that at the end of the day, we no longer realize the bad in it. I have met some people who say that this kind of retreat or that kind of retreat is for people who are new in the faith. They need conversion, these people say. But don’t we all need that ongoing conversion? The biggest lies that the evil can put in our mind is that, “you are ok”. And because when we think we are ok, we just do our religious rituals without “needing” God. We do it out of trying to be righteous. But blessed are those who are poor in spirit, who always in the need of God.

Many of us also no longer feel we have idols. We don’t keep charm or those devil statues. But Idols have come in many different ways today. They have different names. We can mention a few, like money, career, or maybe even boyfriend. We can also include in this list our dream or even our own ego. And Pride can be an idol as well. These are things that people worship these days, and most of us do not realize that we worship them. Only when we lose it, we start to realize how much we are attached to it. The list can go on and on when we try to examen our lives daily.

But this is the heart of stone that the prophet Ezekiel speaks. It is a heart that is not capable of loving. It is a heart that is not alive but dead. Because of money, we see people fight or even lie. Because of careers, we see how families are falling into ruin. Because of pursuing our dreams, we are willing to sacrifice others. Our mouth and our words also sometimes creates hurt and divisions. And we never realize a little bit, that our heart becomes a heart of stone, a heart that is not capable of loving . We see that in all of us, even with those who are in ministry in the Church. Ego and personal dreams strive rather than charity.

Maybe that is why every time we begin the Eucharistic Celebration, we also start with some penitential act. We admit our sins and weaknesses before God, and ask for His Mercy. If the Church does that regularly, aren’t we too suppose to have our conversion ongoing and not just once?

Interestingly if you notice, this penitential rite in the beginning of the Eucharistic celebration sometimes are substituted with another rite. And I hope you can guess what rite it is. It is the rite of sprinkling of water Yes it is the moment when we remember of our heart of stone, and we ask God for a new heart, a heart of flesh that is capable of loving. A heart that is filled with the spirit of God so that we can love as God loves.

The prophecy says, “And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.” Some people have that honesty to realize that it is impossible to live as a Christian in Today’s world, with its ethical demand and call for holiness. And they are rightly so. It is impossible! But this is what God promises us in Christianity, that he will give us His Spirit within us. And that Spirit is the one that will “cause” us to live holy Today. I know it sounds like a cliche and some Christians even no longer believe in this Good News. But maybe it is also the very reason why “faith” has a such an  important place in the Christian religion. It is by believing in God’s power to save us, that we will never lose hope in that promise, and we will continue to accept that grace that can save us. Rather than following those who no longer believe in the Good News, let us follow Mary in her faith, in that way, we too will hear the message that Elizabeth spoke to her, “Blessed is she who believes that the promise made her by the Lord will be fulfilled”- Luke 1:45.

So now, every time we bless ourselves with water or when we participate in the sprinkling of water rite at the beginning of the Eucharistic celebration and in the renewal of Baptismal promise, let us remember this beautiful promise. Let us remember our weaknesses, and how God has the power to change our heart from a heart of stone, to a heart of flesh. Let us believe in God! During the renewal of our baptismal promise in the Easter Vigil celebration we cry out together with the whole Church “I believe in God!” Let us live what we proclaim. And as we believe, the Spirit will continue to change our heart bit by bit into a heart of Jesus, a heart of God.   This is the heart that is beating and alive, a heart that is giving life to others. Just as a human heart pumps out blood that gives life to our whole body, so too our lives should be. Our life should not be self-seeking but rather life-giving to others. If only Christians live what they celebrate in their Baptism and Eucharist, the world will be a different place. This is our hope, a new heaven and a new earth, a place where righteousness is at home (2 Pet 3:13). This is what our Baptismal water give us, the Spirit of God that make us holy. We are called to be holy, and that holiness should give life to the world around us starting from our family.

“25 I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26* A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27* And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. 28 You shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” Ezekiel 36

Our Gathering every Sunday

On every Sunday Christians all over the world gather together to church. Isn’t it amazing? If only we can observe how it looks like from above, we see people start to move from every houses, different houses, and they all move to one place. They all converge to one destination at that one hour. At the call of the Church bell, they all came. Once the Eucharistic celebration ended, they all dispersed from that one place going to all directions, to all the world. If only we could see how it looks like from above, that must be fantastic. I imagine it would like seeing dots or grains moving from all over the place and they all move to one direction, to one center, the Church, and they all go inside that place. That really reminds me of a song.

As wheat upon the hills was gathered and was grown,

so may the church of God be gathered into one…………………

And the refrain says:

Seed, scattered and sown,

wheat, gathered and grown,

bread, broken and shared as one,

the living Bread of God.

Vine, fruit of the land,

wine, work of our hands,

one cup that is shared by all,

the living Cup, the living Bread of God.

Indeed it must have been like gathering wheat from all over the fields, and put into one place. And from that one place results indeed the fruit of the grains of wheat, which is bread, bread that gives life.

Have we ever reflected how our lives should be? As we gather together to church every Sunday, have we ever asked, what does this all mean?

If only we can see from “above”, then we will see our lives like that grains of wheat that are gathered from different places, but gathered into one. Not only one place, but into one bread, which is the fruit of the grains. And this is what Jesus said about that grains of wheat,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24

This is what every Christian does every Sunday as we gather in the Church to celebrate the Eucharist.  We are being gathered into one, but in that gathering, what we really do is no other than dying. But what does this dying mean?

We can know the answer by looking at Jesus. He is that one grain of wheat that falls into the earth and dies. I know it sound quite literal. He “went” down from heaven to earth. And at the end of his 33 years here on earth, he dies. But because he dies, he bears much fruit. But what kind of death does Jesus die to?

Jesus died to sins. He does not live for sins. But in todays world where sins is not a common vocabulary, it helps to rephrase it in another words. Jesus died to himself. In Jesus, there is no self-centredness, no selfishness, no self-love. This is what Christians are called every Sunday as we gather into that one place. We are called to die to our self-centredness, to our selfishness, to our self-love. And that is why Jesus continues with this words after he talked about the grain of wheat that falls and bears fruit:

“He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ” John 12:25

We know that the word “hate” in that Greek word means to “love less”. But this is the meaning of our Eucharistic gathering, we are dying to our self, we learn to love less our self, and to love more God. And not only to love more God, but also to love more others they way God loves.

Just as the grains are gathered and crushed, pressed, and at the end become bread that gives life, so too are Christians. We are gathered into that one place to become bread. But are we crushed and pressed in the church? It may sounds weird. But indeed we are crushed and pressed from Monday to Saturdays in our day-to-day activities. It is in our office, in our family, it is when we meet the people that irritates us, that we are crushed and pressed. It is when we are facing difficulties or problems, we are crushed and pressed. It is when relationships are broken and hearts are wounded, that we are crushed and pressed. But every Sunday, we gather together, to bring that crushed and pressed lives as an offering. An offering that God would not refuse. And that offering will be brought into the altar as a sacrifice. That is our tears and joys that lays on the altar, that is our lives. And the priest will lay over the offerings that it may become the bread of life. Indeed, as we went home from that one place and that one hour, we have become bread that gives life. Not because of our own merit, but because of what God is doing. And that is why we give thanks, we “eucharist”.

The scandal of the cross

The cross has always been a stumbling block for many. Many people love the glorious and risen Jesus. Many people speak of blessings and prosperity. But how many speak about the cross these days? Many will accuse us as the prophet of doom, those who talk about the cross. But talking about the cross is not being a prophet of doom. It is far from it. It is about power of Love.

I remember talking with a friend of mine who has been following christianity but not yet baptized. She told me that one of the most difficult thing for her to commit herself to christianity is the cross. Look at the saints and the sufferings they have to endure. Why would one ever want to suffer? Why should we carry the cross?

For many years, I too have been scared by the cross. I was scared by the sufferings I have to endure. When I look at the cross, I look at burden, at sufferings, and difficulties that we all have to endure. It is only until recently that the Lord helped me to look deeper into the cross.

I used to see only sufferings on the cross. But now, every time I see the cross, I see someone who is capable of loving in the midst of all the sufferings. Jesus loves and he never stops loving. Many of us would stop loving at the point of suffering. Many of us would start looking only at themselves when difficulties come. But Jesus did not. He continued to love even in the midst of sufferings.

Sufferings and difficulties seem inevitable. God did not send suffering contrary to what people might think. No he didn’t. But this is what he did. He sent his own son to redeem our sufferings. He sent Jesus that suffering might no longer be the last word, but rather a pathway to redemption. What kind of redemption is this?

We all, realize it or not, are fallen. There is a tendency inside us that rebels against God, and not only God, but also towards other people. Selfishness is not uncommon in todays world. People taking advantage of other people, lying, oppression, and many others are a few examples. One of the greatest temptation that we all have is even worse. Instead of loving, we use other people for our satisfaction. Pope John Paul II said that the opposite of Love is not hatred, but using others because of our self-love. In a word, we are all fallen.

What we are fallen from is what God plan for us. God made us into his own image, and that image is one of love. It is in loving other and being love by other that we will be happy. And yet our fallen nature draw us to “self”. We are drawn to be selfish. We are drawn to run away from God, and even blame God. In other word, we have lost of our true self who is able to love.

Now this is what Jesus told us, his new commandment. “to love as I have loved you”. It is in this love that we are being redeemed. By receiving God’s love, we are able to love the way God loves. And this is the way that God loves, by sacrificing himself totally for us.

Jesus did not die on the cross because God the Father wants it that way. We put Jesus on the Cross. If Jesus even lives today, he would be put on the cross by us. Because the way he lives, the way he acts, the way he speaks disturb us. His light and his righteousness would make us uncomfortable. His life when it is compared to us, reveals our darkness and weaknesses. When we live side by side with him, we know we are wrong and selfish, and we do not like it. And because we do not like it, we try to get rid of him. If you look at the secular world today, to talk about God might be an offense to some people.  This is what happen during Jesus time. Some people didn’t like him, up to the point they want to kill him. And they did.

Many of us would do the same. Many of us would kill that voice that tell us what is right and what is wrong. Many of us would “kill” people who seems to be righteous. And we did that by laughing at that person, make fun of him, get away from him, make his life difficult. We see that all the time in the office, political system, and even friendship.

And in all those situation, the Cross stands tall. In that cross, we see Jesus who continues to love. We see that man is capable of loving in the midst of suffering. In that cross, we see our true dignity as a human person. We realize that we are not created for hatred and selfishness. No, but rather we are created to be beautiful. In that cross, we see someone who is beautiful. Yes, he is beautiful because he is a loving person. He is capable of loving even his enemies! And in that cross, we see how Jesus continues to receive love from his father.

Many of us blame God the Father for sending Jesus to the cross. It is one of the most sad misunderstanding. If you are a father, you will understand. My baby just born two weeks ago. And I had time to reflect what it means to be a father. I began to know that I would never send my son to suffer. It would break my heart. But I know what I will send my son to, I will teach my son to love, and I will ask him to love others. That is what God the Father is asking of Jesus. God the Father simply asks Jesus to love. And Jesus said Yes, because he loves the Father. In my imperfection, I can see how hurting for the Father to see  Jesus on the Cross. You need only look at the sufferings of Mary at the foot of the Cross to see a heart of a parent. It hurts the Father so much. Now I understand what Jesus meant when he said, “when you see me, you see the Father”, and also “I only do what I learnt from my Father”. In Jesus, we see God the Father who loves us so much. It was not only Jesus who sacrificed Himself. It was God the Father who also sacrificed himself, his only son, his love. In that Cross, we see the agony of Jesus and also the Father. We see the suffering of Jesus as well as the Father. Jesus is able to sacrifice himself because that is what he sees from the Father. It is in this love that we are saved.

This is the message of Christianity, that there is someone who loves us no matter what. No matter what is your past, no matter what you did, there is someone who loves you that much. God is that one who loves us. He would do everything to love us. This is the message of great news, in fact for two thousand years the world has been talking about this Good News. The Good News that sets us free. It sets us free from all our sins and past, but also from our fear. Because we know that God loves us, what should we be afraid of? As St. John told us in his letter, “perfect love casts out any fear”. We have a future, and it is bright, because God loves us. Our future is in God, that will be one of happiness.

It is on that Cross that we see Jesus gave himself to us. One of the most touching scene was when one of the soldier pierced Jesus heart, and water and blood came out. For us catholics, that water and blood symbolizes the Sacrament of Baptism and Eucharist where graces flow.

In San Damiano Cross (figure), we see how that water and blood is offered to all people. God has given us his graces. Through Baptism, we have received the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God’s love. I remember I attended a talk from a Jesuit priest Father Robert Faricy, and he said that the Holy Spirit only does two things, he helps us to be able to receive more love, and to help us to love more. Through Cross, we have been redeemed from our sinfulness and selfishness. We have received graces that enables to love more, to love God and to love others. The Holy Spirit is that “inner law” that helps us to obey “love one another as I have loved you”.

I often stumbled at the word of Jesus when he said, “if you love me, you will obey my commandment”. It sounds so conditional. Recently, I read a commentary somewhere that helps me to open my eyes. It is not a condition, but rather a promise. Jesus promise us that if we love Jesus, we will be able to love the way he loves. That’s a great promise!

And implied in that promise is that we will be able to love in the midst of all the sufferings and difficulties that we experience in this life. We might experience that difficulties in our family, or our office. We might experience sufferings in our relationship. Jesus promise us that there is a redemption. That redemption helps us to be a more beautiful person, a person who is capable of loving, even in the midst of sufferings.

As I look at the cross, I no longer look at the sufferings that I have to endure, but I look at that person who loves me so much, that he is able to endure sufferings for me. That’s is a great hope and promise. Love redeems, Love saves. And blessed are we who believe in this Good News.

“Blessed is she who believes that the promise made her by Lord would be fulfilled” -St. Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist

Can a Christian have ambitions?

I remembered one day, when I chatted with a friend of mine, and she asked whether it’s ok for us as Christians have ambitions? And I remembered this recently since I began to enter the working life. Is it wrong? Is it right? Can we have a better life without ambitions?

And I found what the Lord teaches just in the Mass readings for one of the weekdays last week. It’s again from James You can read the whole 1st reading from James 3:13-18.

This is what James said about ambitions:

[14] But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.[15] This wisdom is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. [16] For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

It’s earthly St. James said, when we have this jealousy and selfish ambition.

This is from Oxford English Dictionary on the word ambition:

1. The ardent (in early usage, inordinate) desire to rise to high position, or to attain rank, influence, distinction or other preferment.
2. Ostentation, display of the outward tokens of position, as riches, dress; vain-glory, pomp. Obs.
3. A strong or ardent desire of anything considered advantageous, honouring, or creditable. Const. of (rarely for) a thing, to be or do something.
4. The object of strong desire or aspiration.
5. Canvassing, personal solicitation of honours. (L. ambitio.) Obs.

If you read through those definitions, you can see that ambitions can have two directions, one is “self”, and the other one is “other” (cf. definitions 3 and 4).

James condemned all those selfish ambitions. It’s earthly, unspiritual, and devilish, he said (what a word: devilish). But if want to be true to the Gospel, we know what James said is true. These selfish ambitions go against the Gospel values. It is against the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. We can see what James said is true: there are disorder and every vile of practices. Can’t we see this in the world today?

This is why we are “troubled” when we ask this question. We know it is against our faith, and we know it is against who we truly are, a Christian, not of the world, but a pilgrim in this world.

Before I end, let me say another trap that is very subtle. Our human brain has the capacity to rationalize things. We have the tendency to look for selfish things and we say that is for our spouses, for our families, for the better of human society, so that we can give more the Lord, etc (of course there are people who have sincere desire to do good for others and for the Lord, I am not talking about this, we know which one is which). And hence, we rationalize our desire and say it is good because it is for others. I know this because this happens to me very often.

There is a true story of two men which I know. One of them said to the other, “I want to get more money so that I can give more the poor, I can build houses just like this and that person did”. The other man said, “I already have money from my work, and have been giving to the poor, you can do the same if you want to.”

And so let us pray for one another that we may live the Gospel truthfully as it is.

Things coming out from our tongue, this must be wrong

One day on a bus to St. Mary’s church, I was chatting with my fiance about two things that I felt God is asking me to change: first is pride, second is my tongue.

Strangely that night, after I went back from prayer meeting and did my night prayer, I read this scripture passage from James 3:1-10. Since I was involved in a teaching ministry, the first line struck me quite hard:

Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness.

I was stunned, and a bit scared to read further, but I know the Lord is trying to say something to me. Please do read the passage from the link above, if you have not. It’s a beautiful passage.

And then it moves on to speak about tongue:

[5] So the tongue is a little member and boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire!
[6] And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature, and set on fire by hell.
[7] For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by humankind,
[8] but no human being can tame the tongue — a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
[9] With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God.
[10] From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brethren, this ought not to be so.

The last sentence linger in my mind for a few minutes, “My brethren, this ought not to be so”. How many times do we praise God with our tongue? But with this same tongue, we gossip, blame others, boast, lie (small or big, white or black), grumble, complain, and even curse sometimes.

What words that came from our tongue when we were at the office or at the school? What kind of things that shoot up when we chat with our friends, or colleague? What kind of words that we speak to our parents or spouses?

Are they praises? or are they curses?

With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God.

Are we aware that these things are sin? When we go to mass, do we confess it before the Lord? I find it interesting that when the prophet Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord, this is what happens:

[2] Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

[3] And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”

[4] And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

[5] And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

[6] Then flew one of the seraphim to me, having in his hand a burning coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar.

[7] And he touched my mouth, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven.” (Isaiah 6)

I found it interesting that the first few words that Isaiah said is “Woe is me! for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

Woe am I, for I know too that I am a man of unclean lips. I know how bad I am in controlling my tongue. I am aware that I sometimes hurt others with my words, I sometimes joked the Lord’s priest and not speak the Lord’s name with honor, I sometimes did not speak the truth. Woe am I.

But the Lord is slow to anger and full of compassion, just as the Lord touched Isaiah’s mouth and made it clean, and send him out, we too are made clean and send out.

This is what is happening in the mass, we have the chance to be forgiven, we have the chance to be purified. And by the Lord’s grace, and not on our own, we can praise the LORD, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD God of hosts”, and we can embrace him humbly in our mouth as we receive Holy Communion.

And, at the end of the mass, as the priest sends us out “to serve and love the Lord in each others”, we too are sent.

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” (Isaiah 6 : 8 )

God set us free from the prison

Few days back, the mass reading speaks about the story of Paul and Silas who were put into prisons. It’s one of the interesting story that I remember  since I was small. I used to read the comics bought by my mother

One of the things that caught my attention recently was that, they were set free when they were “praying and singing hymns to God” (v. 25). When they pray and sing? How interesting it is.

One of the great things to read the scripture in the Tradition of the Church is that we will get insight more to the Word of God. If you read the responsorial psalm on that day, it’s taken from Psalm 138. We may consider this is one of the possible song they sing. From the Grail Translation it says

Psalm 138(137) Confitebor tibi

1 I thank you, Lord, with all my heart,
you have heard the words of my mouth.
In the presence of the angels I will bless you.
2 I will adore before your holy temple.

I thank you for your faithfulness and love
which excel all we ever knew of you.
3 On the day I called, you answered;
you increased the strength of my soul.

4 All earth’s kings shall thank you
when they hear the words of your mouth.
5 They shall sing of the Lord’s ways:
“How great is the glory of the Lord!”

6 The Lord is high yet he looks on the lowly
and the haughty he knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of affliction
you give me life and frustrate my foes.

You stretch out your hand and save me,
/8 your hand will do all things for me.
Your love, O Lord, is eternal,
discard not the work of your hands.

I felt it speaks what Paul and Silas pray and sing to God. And It speaks about my heart as well everytime I felt in darkness and in prison.

No matter how difficult the situation is, we can always thank God, we can start to look at God and put our trust in him. Sometimes for us the prison is not physical, but rather it’s our problems, our “thoughts”, we don’t want to come out from the thoughts, or maybe our sins, we prefer to dwell in it. Or maybe simply our Ego, We are imprisoned by our desires, dreams, and selfishness, by our own “I”, everything in our lives is about “ME”.

And it’s when we pray, and sing to God, our eyes change from looking at our selves and they start to look at God. We are set free!

I want to close this short sharing, with the last few verses, and It’s a kind of prayer always for me everytime we sing a psalm.

6 The Lord is high yet he looks on the lowly
and the haughty he knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of affliction
you give me life and frustrate my foes.

You stretch out your hand and save me,
/8 your hand will do all things for me.
Your love, O Lord, is eternal,
discard not the work of your hands.

Brothers and sisters, we are the work of God’s hand, and he will not discard us, for his love is eternal. He is faithful.

Psalm 114: A Reflection on Easter

The second evening psalm throughout the Easter Octave is from Psalm 114(113A).

Psalm 114(113.1) In exitu Israel

ALLELUIA!

1 When Israel came forth from Egypt,
Jacob’s sons from an alien people
2 Judah became the Lord’s temple,
Israel became his kingdom.

3 The sea fled at the sight:
the Jordan turned back on its course,
4 the mountains leapt like rams
and the hills like yearling sheep.

5 Why was it, sea, that you fled,
that you turned back, Jordan, on your course?
6 Mountains, that you leapt like rams;
hills, like yearling sheep?

7 Tremble, O earth, before the Lord,
in the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turns the rock into a pool
and flint into a spring of water.

Isn’t it interesting to sing this psalm on Easter? Why would we choose to sing this psalm every evening throughout the Easter Octave?

The psalm describes the moment when God brought Israel out of Egypt. But if we read and reflect slowly, getting out of Egypt is not the main message. Why? Because even in the language itself, that’s not the main clause.

In verse one, the sentence “when Israel came forth from Egypt,” only leads to verse two, which is the main message of the Psalm.

Judah became the Lord’s temple,
Israel became his kingdom.

It is when God deliver them from Egypt, Judah became the Lord’s temple, and Israel became His kingdom. The main message is that now Judah is the Lord’s Temple!

What does this signify? A temple for them is God’s dwelling place. It is the house of God. So when they say Judah became the Lord’s temple, it simply means that God dwells in Judah. God dwell in Israel! He is in their midst!

And isn’t it what is described in the following verses?

5 Why was it, sea, that you fled,
that you turned back, Jordan, on your course?
6 Mountains, that you leapt like rams;
hills, like yearling sheep?

7 Tremble, O earth, before the Lord,
in the presence of the God of Jacob,

“Tremble, O earth, before the Lord”, the Psalmist said. Why? because the Lord of heaven and earth now walks on earth. Tremble, because you are in the presence of God. Tremble O earth, because now God dwells in our midst. He is walking with Israel.

It’s wonderful to see that God dwells in not a building or a fixed place or location. He dwells on Judah. He dwells on his “people”. And when Israel walks, He walks (Actually the more appropriate is when He walks, Israel walks).

We, the church, is the new Israel. We, the church, is God’s Holy Temple. We, the church, proclaim that God is Emmanuel (God is with us). What is its relation to Easter?

Jesus, after cleansing the temple, said

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” John 2:19

And John commented in verse 21

[21] But he spoke of the temple of his body.
[22] When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

Through his death and resurrection, Jesus has raised the new Temple, the new God’s dwelling. It is in his body, the church, that now God dwells. The LORD of heaven and earth dwells in his people.

The story of Israel prefigures what God will fulfill in his Church. In his church now He dwells.

Do we see this? Do we recognize it? It is in the church that God walks on the earth.

“7 Tremble, O earth, before the Lord,
in the presence of the God of Jacob,”

And so the mystery of the Incarnation and the mystery of Easter links together.

” And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” John 1:14

It is in Incarnation that the Son of God took on humanity, and it is in Easter, he raises humanity to God forever. And just as we cannot separate the Godhead of Jesus with his humanity, so now, we too cannot separate man with God. Thanks be to Jesus Christ our Lord.

[35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
[36] As it is written, “For thy sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
[37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
[38] For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
[39] nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35-39

Psalm 110: a reflection on Easter

Throughout the Easter octave, the evening prayer starts with this psalm 110:

Psalm 110(109) Dixit Dominus

1 The Lord’s revelation to my Master:
“Sit on my right:
your foes I will put beneath your feet.”

2 The Lord will yield from Zion
your scepter of power:
rule in the midst of all your foes.

3 A prince from the day of your birth
on the holy mountains;
from the womb before the dawn I begot you.

4 The Lord has sworn an oath he will not change.
“You are a priest for ever,
a priest like Melchizedek of old.”

5 The Master standing at your right hand
will shatter kings in the day of his wrath.

6 He, the judge of the nations
will heap high the bodies;
heads shall be scattered far and wide.

7 He shall drink from the stream by the wayside
and therefore he shall lift up his head.

As I pray this psalm day by day. I felt that we are drawn into the dialogue of the Father and the Son. We are drawn into the relationship between the two which is one.

The psalmist starts by saying that the LORD (YAHWEH) speak to his master,

“Sit on my right:
your foes I will put beneath your feet.”

And Jesus in Matthew 22:41-46 refers to himself as the Master of the psalmist. And so the LORD says to Jesus “sit on my right, your foes I will put beneath your feet”.

But the following few verses, the psalmist begins to address the Master, the Son of God.

2 The Lord will yield from Zion
your scepter of power:
rule in the midst of all your foes.

3 A prince from the day of your birth
on the holy mountains;
from the womb before the dawn I begot you.

God the Father will bring Jesus victory in the midst of all his foes. Jesus is the prince from the beginning. In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the word was God (John 1:1). And the psalmist continues…

4 The Lord has sworn an oath he will not change.
“You are a priest for ever,
a priest like Melchizedek of old.”

Through his death and resurrection, Jesus has become our high priest. Through his sacrifice on the cross, he has offered up mankind to God. This is a perfect offering that is pleasing to the Lord.

This is an interesting part. On verse 5, the psalmist starts to address the LORD,

5 The Master standing at your right hand
will shatter kings in the day of his wrath.

6 He, the judge of the nations
will heap high the bodies;
heads shall be scattered far and wide.

7 He shall drink from the stream by the wayside
and therefore he shall lift up his head.

It’s interesting because, the psalmist is drawn to converse with the Master and the LORD. He first talk to the Master and what the LORD is doing for the Master. Then he talks to the LORD telling how the Master will reign victoriously.

It is enlightening to read this psalm in the light of Easter. Through Jesus’s death and resurrection, God has made him both Lord and Saviour. It is on that Cross that he became our high priest offering up himself with his humanity to the Father.

But it is also in the light of Easter we can understand this conversation. It is through the death and resurrection of Jesus that we are drawn into the conversation between the Father and the Son. By his death and resurrection, we are drawn into the eternal relationship of God the Father and God the Son, into their loving relationship.

It is the fruit of Easter that we can call God, “Abba!”. Just as Jesus calls his Father “Abba”. It is through Easter that we are called children of God, and that is who we are!

“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” 1 John 3:1

Indeed, it is through Easter, that we obtain eternal Life. We today are confused with many opinions about God. Sometimes we are also confused what Jesus has done in our lives. Is Jesus necessary?

Yes, He is necessary. It is only through him that we can be drawn into this Eternal conversation between God the Father and the Son. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And only through him, we can obtain Eternal Life.

“And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3