Lenten journal 15

25 February 2016

Destiny

Today we hear the story (Luke 16:19-31) of the rich man who wore fine clothes and ate lavish meals, with no regard for poor Lazarus, on the floor begging. Both died; Lazarus was taken by angels to heaven, while the rich man went to eternal furnace. In his torment, he saw Lazarus with Abraham and he cried for help, but it was too late. Much like what the Buddhists called 'Karma'. If you do good, you will be rewarded, but if you do bad, you face damnation.

Jesus' teachings is about love, mercy, compassion and service...if we can carry these virtues with us in our daily lives, it is not difficult for us to see and be aware of the sufferings around us, the poor, the marginalised, the mentally-ill or even children who are 'lost' from lack of love. Their plight should stir us to want to do something to help them.  

If God has blessed us with abundance, then it is our duty to share with those in need...it is a simple law of nature, and many philanthropists know that, which is why they are giving back to society what society has given them. Every good act is charity and at the end of the day, our true wealth lies in all the good we have done for our fellow human beings.

                           In my case, 'Pilgrim's Progress' consisted in my having to 
                           climb down a thousand ladders until I could reach the  
                           little clod of earth that I am.
                                                                      - Carl Jung-
                           

Lenten journal 14

24 February 2016

Status

The Gospel today (Matt 20:17-28) has Jesus challenging James and John whether they could drink the chalice that he was going to drink. He was referring to his impending passion and death. The challenge came when their mother came to ask Jesus for a favour, for her two sons to sit in places of honour in his kingdom. She has clearly not understood the teachings of Jesus.

Today Jesus is also challenging us if we could live our life according to his teachings...a life of service and sacrifice, with compassion, patience, kindness, respect and most of all with love for one another; just as he did when he said "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve." 

Jesus has stressed that "whoever wishes to be great among you  shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave." (Matt 20:27). Again, to be humble in everything we do. God does not see the position we hold or the wealth we have accumulated, what he sees is our willingness to help those in need.  

                         Humility must accompany all our actions, must be with us
                         everywhere; for as soon as we glory in our good works, 
                         they are of no value to our advancement in virtue.
                                                         -St Augustine of Hippo-
    

Lenten journal 13 (2016)

23 February 2016 

Humility

Jesus' observations of the Pharisees is one of his teachings in humility. He pointed out that the Pharisees craved for recognition in public places, and wanted to be accorded seats of honour in the synagogues and in banquets, to be addressed as 'Rabbi' in the market places thinking that by doing so, they will be respected. In a way, they are lording over the people and this is in complete contrast to their teachings.   

We see this behaviour of scrambling for status and power common in office politics and it is a challenge to stay balanced between pride and humility. But we must know that in playing the same game as them, often times it leaves us stressed, anxious and our energy drained, thus preventing us from spending quality time with our families. Is this what we want in this short life? What are our priorities? 

Jesus's teaching is simple: "whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."  If we can bear this in mind, then God's gifts for us will suffice in our daily needs. As CS Lewis wrote: " Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less." In thinking of ourselves less, we will have the eyes and the heart to see poverty and sickness around us...and that should move us to service, to want to help those less fortunate than us in whatever ways we can.        

                             I slept and dreamt that life was joy,

                             I awoke and saw that life was service,

                             I acted and behold, service was joy!

                                                       -Rabindranath Tagore-

Lenten journal 12 (2016)

22 February Monday

Recognising God

Today's Gospel (Matt 16:13-19) has Jesus asking his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?". Simon Peter replied,"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  It was the revelation of The Heavenly Father through Peter to recognise who Jesus was. For that he was entrusted with the keys to the Kingdom of heaven, and called "the rock" upon which Jesus will build his church. . 

Peter, an ordinary fisherman chosen by God to reveal to us that Jesus is the Son of our living God.  Peter with all his human weaknesses as when he denied Jesus for fear of his life during the Passion of our Lord. Yet, God chose him, and honoured His promise to him, which is today known as the Chair of St Peter.   

Everyday, God is asking us "who do you say I am?" . He is inviting us to a personal relationship with him, to understand his will for us and what our vocation should be, to be his instrument here on this earth. If we like, Peter, can tell him, "Yes Lord Jesus, I believe you are my living God and I love you." Can you imagine the graces he will pour on us as we go about our daily lives? Filled with His grace, we will be clear in how we should live our lives of service and love and extending that same grace to the people we encounter.  

                      Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions,

                      or even at their difficulty, as at the love with which we do them.

                                                                        -St Teresa of Lisieux-

Lenten journal 11 (2016)

21 February (2nd Sunday of Lent)

The Transfiguration

The Transfiguration which took place 8 days after Jesus had told his disciples of his impending persecution and death in Jerusalem, is God's way of reaffirming to them and to us that despite the Passion and death of His Son, darkness will not prevail. In fact, Jesus will be glorified, as witnessed by the Apostles Peter, John and James on Mt Tabor, that "his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light ( Matt 17:1-9). 

The Transfiguration teaches us that we can be the shinning light of Jesus on this earth in our day to day dealings with the people we meet, so that touched by our sincere intentions in our words and deeds, they too, like the disciples having experienced that shinning light, will want to pitch a tent to be near God and to worship Him. 

               

                  Holiness does not consist in not making mistakes or not sinning.

                  Holiness grows with capacity for conversion, repentance, 

                  willingness to begin again; and above all, with the capacity 

                  for reconciliation and forgiveness.

                                                     - Pope Benedict XVI

Lentan journal 10 (2016)

20 February Saturday

Be Perfect

Today Jesus urged us to go one step further in our loving and forgiving...to come out of our comfort zone to love our enemies and to pray for them. Is it going to be easy? No...because sometimes the wound inflicted was too painful, or perhaps the harsh words was like a sharp knife cutting into our hearts...Is it possible?...yes, because we too want healing...to rid of this painful burden of resentment, the anger that is gnawing at our hearts, consuming us, and preventing us to be the person God has meant us to be.

Once we set our hearts to truly want to forgive; with prayers and sincere intentions, grace will lead us to that moment of release. It is like the cleansing of the soul and what follows can never be anything but untold peace and happiness! Forgiveness is a continual process, we should make a conscious effort to make amends the moment we know we have sinned; and same when someone has hurt us, just forgive them at that very moment. You can forgive them from your heart with a simple prayer. In time, this becomes a habit...and as time goes on, we may find that it gets easier each time to forgive everyone, even our enemies!   

Jesus who knows our human weaknesses expects us to be perfect just as our Heavenly Father is perfect. And what perfect love there is than seeing our crucified Christ asking that his persecutors be forgiven and even giving an excuse for them, "for they know not what they are doing."  

                          To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable,
                          because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.
                                                                  - CS Lewis -    

 

Lenten journal 9 (2016)

19 February Friday

Forgiveness

           ...Go and be reconciled with your brother first and then come 
           back and present your offering.  
                                                              Matt 5:20-26

Forgiveness is one of the key components of our Christian faith. It is necessary for our conversion from sin to union with God. If we can ask our merciful God to forgive us our sins, why are we still holding a grudge against our neighbour? Jesus taught us that God will forgive us only if we forgive others. Sounds logical. We cannot experience God's mercy and love if we have a stain in our hearts.

Forgiveness is a virtue; yet it is not easy to forgive someone who have wronged us. Many times, it is our pride that prevents us from giving in. But we can learn to overcome it by following the example our Lord has set for us. Whenever an occasion arises for us to forgive, think of our Crucified Christ on the Cross.  Beaten beyond recognition, bruised, bleeding and in great pain, he could still forgive his persecutors. "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they are doing."  That very word should touch our hearts, soften our resolve and propel us to act and forgive all those who have hurt us. Often we find that once we forgive from our hearts, it is like a big burden has been lifted from our shoulders; the day seems lighter and brighter and we are able to move forward and and once again, continue our life's journey.

                             The weak can never forgive. 
                             Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
                                                                   - Mahatma Gandhi-   

Lenten Journal 8 (2016)

18 February Thursday

Faith

Jesus has assured us that God the Father knows what we need even before we ask him. Today, He reaffirms it in Matthew 7: 7-12

              Ask, and it will be given you; search and you will find; 
              knock and the door will be opened to you.    
              For the one who asks always receives; the one who
              searches always finds; the one who knocks will 
              always have the door opened to him.        

All we need is faith - faith that God will give us what is good for us, according to His will. It may not be what we asked for, but it will be better because God always will us to be happy, to live life and to live it to the full; by helping us grow in our love for one another, grow in our courage and strength to face challenges, wisdom to learn from them; grow in our patience to accept the imperfections of people we care about; grow in our generosity to help the less fortunate in our society. Attributes that will inevitably draw people to want to know more about God through us. 

I realised on hindsight now, that God has been with me all along...even though He was side-lined during my busy career years. What little time I had then for Him, He was still my faithful God, protecting me, opening doors of opportunity for me and guiding me on. What a great and loving God! Now in my retirement years, I know that He wills me to enjoy His peace, to get to know Him better through Scriptures and reflection on his teachings and to unite with Him to help the people I encounter.

                         Look for Christ our Lord in everyone and  
                         you will then have respect and reverence for all. 
                                                                   - St Teresa of Avila-

Lenten Journal 7 (2016)

17 February Wednesday

A Living Sign

Today's Gospel message has a strong rebuke by Jesus. "This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign." (Luke 11:29)

The people following Jesus could not understand even after his numerous preachings and healing of the sick that He is the sign of God's love and mercy for us. They were blind, their hearts were closed; they were very much of the world, seeking power and glory. And now in our 21st century, the same seeking continues and even at a faster pace in the digital realm. 

No, we must not be tempted by this insatiable wanting. Ash Wednesday reminds us that from dust we come, to dust we return. What good is it to accumulate enormous wealth when we can't even take a single cent with us when we die? As the great Sage, Lao Tze once said " He who knows enough is enough, will always have enough." When we look at our daily sustenance, we realise how little we need! 

Life is only complete if we grow in our spiritual quest. Our God is a God of love, great in mercy, slow to anger. Once we experience His love and forgiveness of our sins, shouldn't we be His living signs to our fellow human beings, so that they too can taste that sweetness of our Lord? We can be God's instruments to show love, compassion, goodwill, kindness, generosity to the people we meet, our families, our co-workers. What a privilege it is that we can be God's sign of peace on this earth! 

                         Every moment and every event of every man's life  
                         on earth plants something in his soul.      
                                                               - Thomas Merton -

Lenten journal 6 (2016)

16 February Tuesday

Prayer

                        For prayer is nothing else than
                        being on terms of friendship with God.
                                                       - St Teresa of Avila -    

Today's Gospel (Matt 6:7-15) has Jesus teaching us to pray the 'Our Father'. It is a powerful prayer that consists of two parts: the first expresses praise and surrender to the Father and the second, it presents our basic needs: daily sustenance, forgiveness and deliverance from all things evil.   

St John Vianney once said: " We must take great care never to do anything before having said our morning prayers. The devil once declared that if he could have the first moment of the day, he was sure of all the rest."  With this in mind, every morning when I open my eyes, and before I get out of bed, I will say the 'Our Father' prayer. Armed with this 'armour' of God, I am confident I can get through the day with peace, knowing that the Holy Spirit is with me and that my Guardian Angels are ever near, protecting me. 

                       We must speak to God as a friend speaks to a friend;
                       a servant to his master; now ask some favour,
                       now acknowledging our faults, and communicating to Him
                       all that concerns us, our thoughts, our fears, our projects,
                       our desires, and in all things seeking His counsel.
                                                                     - St Ignatius of Loyola-
  

Lenten journal 5 (2016)

15 February Monday

Charity

Today's Gospel reading is the essence of our faith, our religion.

"For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothe me; sick and you visited me; in prison and you came to see me." 

"I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me."    Matt 25: 31-46 

A simple yet very powerful guide for our spiritual advancement. I must admit that during the years when I was working, my mind was all clogged up with reports, meeting, productivity, bottom-line etc, etc. Now in my retirement, I am more aware of the people around me, especially the less fortunate, the marginalised: the old women collecting discarded card-boxes and pulling their rickety carts; the young but lame man sitting by the roadside with a small tin in front of him, begging...and more. 

So many of God's people in need: in need of our help, our love, our smile, our eye contact just so that they can feel the human dignity in them in a sea of people rushing about their way. On top of a small donation, I always say a prayer for them...for God to bless them. Mother Teresa has taught us that she sees Jesus in these, the poorest of the poor. We should do the same. We are, after all, children of God, made in His image.

                              It is when you give of yourself 
                              that you truly give.
                                                      - Kahlil Gibran-     

Lenten journal 4 (2016)

14 February (1st Sunday of Lent)

Temptation

Today's Gospel reading is about the temptation of Jesus in the desert and his strong responses (which we can also use whenever we are tempted):

              "Man does not live by bread alone."
              " You must not put the Lord your God to the test."
              " You must worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone."

We are tempted all the time. The lure of the world is strong, pulling us towards greed, power, money, status, and material pleasures. The choice is ours. If we have put a criteria that God should be the centre of our lives, then the Holy Spirit will give us the courage and the will-power to overcome temptations. 

I learned long ago from a Christian gathering that whenever we feel fear in our hearts as though some dark forces are nearby us, all we have to do is declare: " I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only son, our Lord...".  Satan on hearing this will run far, far away from us!  

Yes, that easy....all it needs is our conviction that we want to lead a life pleasing only to God, as His children on this earth. We have a loving God who protects and guide us in our daily lives. As St Paul wrote (1 Cor:10:13) He will not let you be tested beyond what you can endure. Isn't that a consolation? 

                      Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit
                      makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.
                                                               - William Yeats-





  

Lenten journal 3 (2016)

13 February 

Trust

   Jesus noticed a tax collector, Levi by name, sitting by the Customs House and said 
   to him, "Follow me." And leaving everything, he got up and followed him.  
                                                                               Luke 5:27

Can you imagine Levi (later renamed Matthew) whose idol is money can suddenly give up everything to follow Jesus? The voice of God must have touched the core of his being, because he knew by his lifestyle that he was guilty of many wrong-doings. He even gave a reception and called all his like-minded friends to come and meet Jesus. Perhaps he knew all along that he and his friends are 'sick' with sins and needed healing by a 'physician', which is so aptly confirmed by Jesus in today's Gospel reading (when challenged by the Pharisees) " It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance."     

God is calling us everyday. Can we be like Levi, so trusting and willing to leave everything and follow him? Levi showed us that it is never too late to change for the better. I think it is his humility that stirred him to turn to God. 

It's never too late for us too. If we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, with us and through us, building up our faith and trust in God, we too can do wonders in bringing healing and the goodness of a loving God to others in our our daily living, through our words and our deeds. All God asks of us is that we follow Him and be His instrument to bring peace, love, forgiveness, hope, light and joy to the people we meet; and in so doing, allow Him to show His glory through us.   

                     Trust the past to the mercy of God,
                      the present to His love, and
                      the future to His providence.
                                                 -St Augustine-



        

Lenten journal 2 (2016)

12 February (Friday after Ash Wednesday)

Fasting

                 The ultimate goal of fasting is to help each one of us 
                  to make a complete gift of self to God.                                                                                                                   - Pope Benedict XVI-

Lent is also synonymous with fasting. Fasting from food or a luxury; or it can also be a fasting from all that prevents us from loving...obstacles that prevent us from being more forgiving, more compassionate or more charitable. We have to examine within ourselves what these obstacles are. Could it be hatred? jealousy? envy? a grudge? resentment? We have to face these obstacles head-on and to rise above them, through prayer and fast.

Prayer after all is the lifting of our mind to God...and what better resonance can we get than God's great love and mercy for us. And when we receive such from God, so freely and abundantly given to us, sinners as we are, shouldn't we want to share it with our fellow human- beings? By fasting, we discipline ourselves to practise self-control; help us to reflect on our oneness with the less fortunate and realise our dependence on God. So, by prayer and fast, we should work to rid of those sins that separate us from God and from our neighbours.

                Fasting helps us to attune our hearts to the essential and to sharing.
                It is a sign of awareness and responsibility in the face of injustice,
                abuse, especially to the poor and the little ones; and 
                it is a sign of the trust we place in God and in his providence. 
                                                                -Pope Francis-                                                
                                                                   

Lenten Journal 1 (2016)

11 February (the Thursday after Ash Wednesday)

The Way of the Cross

In the Gospel message today, Jesus tells us that if we want to be his followers, we must renounce ourselves, take up the cross and follow him. 

        Jesus Christ has taken the lead on the way of the Cross. He has suffered first. 
        He does not drive us toward suffering but shares it with us, wanting us to 
        have life and to have it in abundance. 
                                                                   -Pope John Paul II-

Our life is not a bed of roses. There are ups and downs, joys and sorrows, success and failures, hopes and fears - we all go through such roller-coaster of life, but if we have our faith firmly anchored on Jesus, we will be sure he is beside us on the way of the cross. All he asks of us is to empty ourselves; renounce our hatred, anger, envy, ego and live a life of truth, love and service, in accordance with his teachings; and to be conscious that whatever we do each day will be pleasing to him. 

M. Scott Peck in his book, The Road Less Travelled  wrote that life is difficult; but if we see this truth, understand it and accept it, then the fact that life is difficult no longer matters. Same with the Cross. Once we accept it and are willing to go through whatever trials or difficulties that life presents to us and to learn and grow from them, Grace will abound. The good Lord will bless us with peace, a divine peace that cocoon us from fear and distrust as we go through each hurdle in life; and in so doing, gain strength and wisdom to carry on our pilgrim way.    

                             The cross will never oppress you, 
                             Its weight might cause you to stagger,
                             but its strength will sustain you.
                                                          - St Padre Pio -                                




  

                                         
                               
                                                

Ash Wednesday (2016)

 God's Mercy

I attended the Ash Wednesday Mass on 10 February at the Holy Family Church in Singapore. By receiving ashes on our foreheads, we are called to repent; to examine our guilt and fears; to reconciliation; to walk towards a closer union with God and to experience His love and mercy. 

Ash Wednesday in the Catholic liturgical calender marks the beginning of the Lenten fast; it is not a day for us to feel sad or solemn; on the contrary, it should be a day of happiness because we are given the opportunity to reconcile with God, to reaffirm our friendship with Him and in so doing, experience the joy of His forgiveness. 

The 40-day penitential journey that culminates in the Easter celebration is a time of preparation. Through Scripture, prayer and an inward reflection of ourselves and the lives we are leading; examining our relationship with our families, friends and neighbours, we are able to be aware of the areas where we can change to be a better person. In fasting and works of charity (alms-giving), we identify with the poor in our society and know that they too are God's children in need of our help, our smile, our love. 

As the Catechumens are being prepared for their baptism, we too are made ready through penance and conversion of our hearts so as to continue our sacramental life in communion with the rest of the church. It is important in this journey of spiritual growth that we understand what it is that we are celebrating...we desire, together with the Church to share in the Paschal Mystery - the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ...the core of our belief... to share in the joy and light of a victory won for our salvation.       

                   The liturgy of Ash Wednesday is not focussed on the sinfulness of
                   the penitent but on the mercy of God. The question of sinfulness
                   is raised  precisely because this is a day of mercy.
                                                                -Thomas Merton-