The Immaculate Heart of Mary is a Marian devotion promoted in the 17th century by John Eudes, who linked it with devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was particularly strong during the pontificates of Pius VII (1800-1823) and Pius XII (1939-1958), who consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1942.

- The HarperCollins Encyclopedia of Catholicism
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Isaiah 61:9-11

Their race will be famous throughout the nations,
their descendants throughout the peoples.
All who see them will admit
that they are a race whom the Lord has blessed.
I exult for joy in the Lord,
my soul rejoices in my God,
for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation,
he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity,
like a bridegroom adorned in her jewels.
For as the earth makes fresh things grow,
as a garden makes seeds spring up,
so will the Lord make both integrity and praise
spring up in the sight of the nations.
____________________

Luke 2:41-51

Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere.

Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have, you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’

‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’ But they did not understand what he meant.

He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart.
____________________

Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?

Have you ever experienced what it is like to be in the Lord’s presence? Each of us experiences the Lord in our own ways, each with its own unique experience. I recalled during one of the Holy Spirit weekend of Alpha (a Christian introductory course), we were in the midst of praying over participants, and I felt a bit tired, hence I just sat down. I was singing the songs of praise and worship out aloud with my eyes closed. All of a sudden, I felt this cold breeze brush past me, and it was a peaceful feeling – calm and serene.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus stayed back in Jerusalem without his parents knowledge. When they found Him, He was in the Temple with the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. When His anxious parents asked Him why did He make them worry, He replied He was his Fathers’ house. Rightfully He was where He belonged. Yet He obediently followed His parents to Nazareth and lived under their authority. Jesus accepted the will of the God in the days that were to follow.

How do we dwell in the Lord? Simply surrender whatever situation that you are facing now to the Lord. He knows what each of us are going through, and His grace is sufficient for all. We are not put through more than we can bear. When there is an emergency, find a quiet place, dwell in him by saying the Lord’s prayer and then lift up the situation to him. He is always there for us.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Patricia Ang)
____________________

Prayer: Lord, You know what we are going through at this moment. Give us the faith to trust that whatever the situation, You are able to deliver us out of it. In Your hands, we lift our prayers to You.

Thanksgiving: Thank You for being kind, compassionate, forgiving and loving us for who we are. Help us to be better followers of Christ.

Upcoming Readings:
Sun, 21 Jun – Exodus 24:3-8; Hebrews 9:11-15; Mark 14:12-16. 22-26; Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Blood Of The Covenant
The old covenant was sealed with the blood of the sacrifice which Moses sprinkled on the people. The new covenant was sealed with the blood of Christ who offered himself as a perfect sacrifice to God.

- The Sunday Missal
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Exodus 24:3-8

Moses went and told the people all the commands of the Lord and all the ordinances. In answer, all the people said with one voice, ‘We will observe all the commands that the Lord has decreed.’ Moses put all the commands of the Lord into writing, and early next morning he built an altar at the foot of the mountain, with twelve standing-stones for the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he directed certain young Israelites to offer holocausts and to immolate bullocks to the Lord as communion sacrifices. Half of the blood Moses took up and put into basins, the other half he cast on the altar. And taking the Book of the Covenant he read it to the listening people, and they said, ‘We will observe all the the Lord has decreed; we will obey.’ Then Moses took the blood and cast it towards the people. ‘This’ he said ‘is the blood of the Covenant that the Lord has made with you, containing all these rules.’
____________________

Hebrews 9:11-15

Now Christ has come, as the high priest of all the blessings which were to come. He has passed through the greater, the more perfect tent, which is better than one made by men’s hands because it is not of this created order; and he has entered the sanctuary once and for all, taking with him not the blood of goats and bull calves, but his own blood, having won an eternal redemption for us. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer are sprinkled on those who have incurred defilement and they restore the holiness of their outward lives; how much more effectively the blood of Christ, who offered himself as the perfect sacrifice to God through the eternal Spirit, can purify our inner self from dead actions so that we do our service to the living God.

He brings a new covenant, the the mediator, only so that the people who were called to an eternal inheritance may actually receive what was promised: his death took place to cancel the sins that infringed the earlier covenant.
____________________

Mark 14:12-16. 22-26

On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was sacrificed, his disciples said to Jesus, ‘Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the passover?’ So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the city and you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him, and say to the owner of the house which he enters, “The Master says: Where is my dining room in which I can eat the passover with my disciples?” He will show you a large upper room furnished with couches, all prepared. Make the preparations for us there.’ The disciples set out and went to the city and found everything as he had told them, and prepared the Passover.

And as they were eating he took some bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to them. ‘Take it,’ he said ‘this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had returned thanks he gave it to them, and all drank from it, and he said to them, ‘This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, which is to be poured out for many. I tell you solemnly, I shall not drink any more wine until the day I drink the new wine in the kingdom of God.’

After psalms had been sung they left for the Mount of Olives.
____________________

…this is my body

The feast of Corpus Christi is to celebrate the Holy Eucharist. Every Sunday, by participating in the Mass and in receiving Communion, we are celebrating and honouring the Eucharist. When I was younger, taking Communion was just taking the wafer bread, it didn’t much to me then. Now, before I partake of Communion, I seek the Lord’s forgiveness and I invite him to be part of my life to renew and sustain me daily. The Eucharist serves to remind us of the Lord’s passion and death. He died so that our sins can be forgiven. The Eucharist also reminds us of God’s grace by which we are to live as witness to be generous, faithful, joyful, peaceful, righteous and loving in our actions.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus said: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (6:35). “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (6:33). I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats f this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. (6:51). Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. (6:53-54)

Indeed each time before we partake of the Eucharist, pause and pray and see the Lord standing in front of us. Remember God love us so much that He sent his only son Jesus to die for our sake. Let us truly lead a life worth living, to be used as instruments for the Lord and to serve Him for his glory.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Patricia Ang)
____________________

Prayer: Lord we pray that you forgive us when we take you for granted. Sustain and protect us daily and allow us to grow in this spiritual journey with you.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for sending Jesus to die for our sins. Thank you for allowing us to partake the Eucharist and be a part of our lives.

Upcoming Readings:
Mon, 15 Jun – 2 Corinthians 6:1-10; Matthew 5:38-42
Tue, 16 Jun – 2 Corinthians 8:1-9; Matthew 5:43-48
Wed, 17 Jun – 2 Corinthians 9:6-11; Matthew 6:1-6. 16-18
Thu, 18 Jun – 2 Corinthians 11:1-11; Matthew 6:7-15
Fri, 19 Jun – Hosea 11:1. 3-4. 8-9; Ephesians 3:8012. 14-19; John 19:31-37; Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus; Opening of Year of the Priest (Jun 19, 2009 – Jun 19, 2010)
Sat, 20 Jun – Isaiah 61:9-11; Luke 2:41-51; Memorial for the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Sun, 21 Jun – Exodus 24:3-8; Hebrews 9:11-15; Mark 14:12-16. 22-26; Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Philip Neri (1515-1595) came from a poor family, though he was related to Italian nobility. His father, Francisco Neri, worked as a notary. Philip’s brother died in childhood, but his two sisters, Caterina and Elisabetta survived. He was a pious youth, and was taught humanities by the Dominicans.

He moved to San Germano in 1533 to help some family with their business, and while there would escape to a local Dominican chapel in the mountains. He received word in a vision that he had an apostolate in Rome. He cut himself off from his family and went there where he was befriended by Galeotto Caccia who took him in and paid him to tutor his two sons. He wrote poetry in Latin and Italian, and studied philosophy and theology. When he tired of learning, he sold all his books and gave the money to the poor.

He began to visit and care for the sick and impoverished pilgrims. He founded a society of like-minded folk to do the same. He was a friend of St. Ignatius. A layman, he lived in the city as a hermit. During Easter season of 1544, while praying in the catacomb of San Sebastiano, he received a vision of a globe of fire that entered his chest, and he experienced an ecstasy that physically enlarged his heart.

With Persiano Rose, he founded the Confraternity of the Most Holy Trinity. He began to preach, with many converts. In 1550, he considered retiring to the life of a solitary hermit, but received further visions that told him his mission was in Rome. Later he considered missionary work in India, but further visions convinced him to stay in Rome.

He entered the priesthood in 1551, and heard confessions by the hour. He could tell penitents their sins before they confessed, and had the gift of conferring visions. He began working with youth, finding safe places for them to stay, and becoming involved in their lives.

Pope Gregory XIV tried to make him a cardinal, but Philip declined. His popularity was such that he was accused of forming his own sect, but was cleared of this baseless charge. In 1575 he founded the Congregation of the Oratory, a group of priests dedicated to preaching and teaching, but which suffered from accusations of heresy because of the involvement of laymen as preachers. In later years, he was beset with several illnesses, each of which was in turn cured through prayer.

- Patron Saint Index
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Acts of the Apostles 20:17-27

From Miletus Paul sent for the elders of the church of Ephesus. When they arrived he addressed these words to them:

‘You know what my way of life has been ever since the first day I set foot among you in Asia, how I have served the Lord in all humility, with all the sorrows and trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. I have not hesitated to do anything that would be helpful to you; I have preached to you, and instructed you both in public and in your homes, urging both Jews and Greeks to turn to God and to believe in our Lord Jesus.

‘And now you see me a prisoner already in spirit; I am on my way to Jerusalem, but have no idea what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit, in town after town, has made it clear enough that imprisonment and persecuation await me. But life to me is not a thing to waste words on, provided that when I finish my race I have carried out the mission that Lord Jesus gave me – and that was to bear witness to the God News of God’s grace.

‘I not feel sure that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will ever see my face again. And so here and now I swear that my conscience is clear as far as all of you are concerned, for I have without faltering put before you the whole of God’s purpose.’
____________________

John 17:1-11

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

‘Father, the hour has come:
glorify your Son
so that your Son may gorify you;
and, through the power over all mankind that you hve given him,
let him give eternal life to all those you have entrusted to him.
And eternal life is this:
to know you,
the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
I have glorified you on earth
and finished the work
that you gave me to do.

‘Now, Father, it is time for you to glorify me
with the glory I had with you
before ever the world was.
I have made your name known
to the men you took from the world to give me.
They were yours and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now at last they know
that all you have given me comes indeed from you;
for I have given them
the teaching you gave to me,
and they have truly accepted this, that I came from you,
and have believed that it was you who sent me.
I pray for them;
I am not praying for the world
but for those you have given me,
because they belong to you:
all I have is yours
and all you have is mine
and in them I am glorified.
I am not in the world any longer,
but they are in the world,
and I am coming to you.’
____________________

[A]ll I have us yours and all you have is mine

History has been littered with many stories and episodes where the monarchs and heads of the empire have as many heirs as possible in order to ensure the continuity of the empire for as long as possible. However, human construction and endeavours are often brought down by human fallibility and weakness. In contrast, we observe that Christianity has lasted for such a long period of time because it was instituted by divine mandate and continues to exist because it is an act of God that continues to sustain it.

St. Paul knows that a period of “imprisonment and persecution” awaited him upon his departure from Miletus. This drew a natural response of sadness from the believers of the local community who begged St. Paul not to leave, yet he chose to obey God’s orders to go to Jerusalem. St. Paul could do so because he knew that the Word of God would continue to live on from generation to generation.

The glory of God can never be diminished nor destroyed by human hands because we are His witnesses to this glory. Through our actions and words we bring this glory to the lives of ordinary people whom we meet in the workplace and places of leisure. As we go about our daily activities, let us remember that the glory and joy of the Ascension can only be seen after Jesus’ death on the cross.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
____________________

Prayer: Lord, we pray that we bear with our troubles in life patiently as we look forward to the glory of the Ascension.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to those who bring God’s glory to all around them.

Upcoming Readings:
Wed, 27 May – Acts of the Apostles 20:28-38; John 17:11-19; Memorial for St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop
Thu, 28 May – Acts of the Apostless 22:30; 23:6-11; John 17:20-26
Fri, 29 May – Acts of the Apostless 25:13-21; John 21:15-19
Sat, 30 May – Acts of the Apostles 28:16-20.30-31; John 21:20-25
Sun, 31 May – Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11; Galatians 5:16-25; John 15:26-27; 16:12-15; Pentecost Sunday

A group of churches and social service organizations have formed the Boston Food Bank. The bank collects thousands of tons of food every year, donated by several large food producers in New England. Then bank then distributes the food to the poor and homeless in the Boston area.

But the food bank has had a particular problem making connections with one company, the largest processor of fish sticks in the country. The director of the food bank explains: “We estimate they throw away over a million pounds of fish each year that could be turned back to the community.” While local executives seem to support the idea of donating the unused food, “the problem is with the accounting department.”

That’s right, says the accounting department. The company says it would cost $400,000 to process the leftovers into plain fish cakes. And because it doesn’t know how to make fish cakes, it can’t estimate the fair market value of the giveaways for tax deduction purposes. So, until the accounting department can figure it all out, the company will continue to throw the leftover fish away.

Do we let laws and the bottom line get in the way of helping others?

(from “Stories for all Seasons” by Gerard Fuller, O.M.I.)
____________________

25 May – Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ

Life’s own Champion, slain, yet lives to reign

(Taken from the sequence recited on this solemnity)
____________________

Deuteronomy 8:2-3. 14-16

Moses said to the people: “Remember how the Lord your God led you for forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, to test you and know your inmost heart – whether you would keep his commandments or not. He humbled you, he made you feel hunger, he fed you with manna which neither you nor your fathers had known, to make you understand that man does not live on bread alone but that man lives on everything that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

“Do not then forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery: who guided you through this vast and dreadful wilderness, a land of fiery serpents, scorpions, thirst; who in this waterless place brought you water from the hardest rock; who in this wilderness fed you with manna that your fathers had not known.”
____________________

1 Corinthians 10:16-17

The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ, and the bread that we break is a communion with the body of Christ. The fact that there is only one loaf means that, though there are many of us, we form a single body because we all have a share in this one loaf.
____________________

John 6:51-58

Jesus said to the Jews: “I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.”

Then the Jews started arguing with one another: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they said. Jesus replied: “I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him. As I, who am sent by the living Father, myself draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me. This is the bread come down from heaven; not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.”
____________________

He fed you with manna which neither you nor your fathers had known

Most of us were taught that things can be placed into neat categories. Living and non-living, mammals and non-mammals, two-legged and four-legged, hardcover and soft-cover; these groupings help us identify objects and creatures around us. Perhaps such lessons lead us to think about people in terms of classifications too: tall and short, big-footed and tiny feet, beautiful and ugly. So what are we to make of a man who has died but still lives, and tells us we too will live forever if we have the real food and the real drink? That seems to go beyond the realm of what we can classify.

A statement made in the first reading and repeated in the gospel give us a hint to how we can perceive the Body and Blood. Moses told the people that God was going to give ‘manna that your fathers had not known’, and Jesus said he wanted to give the bread unlike what ‘our ancestors ate’. Each time, God came up with a unique recipe and made bread for exactly what his people needed. That is how innovative God is. It seems he wants to give in new ways to provide for what we need and want, even beyond what we know or dream of.

Each time we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we take in what is unchanged and what is changed, a man who died but now lives. If we want to, we can receive the Body which resembles the bread which generations have known, and, at the same time, the Body that is exactly what we need at that moment. Strength, wisdom, comfort, peace, love, patience – the Body we receive is all of those (and more), yet is unlike what we know previously, because our needs are constantly changing. If we trust more and more to say, “I will receive the best from Him” at each Mass/Meal, we shall not die of thirst no matter what waterless place we are in.

(Today’s reflection by Melissa Chia)
____________________

Prayer: We pray that does who do not yet believe may come to know the hope found in your Body and Blood. Amen.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for the mysteries of the Eucharist that inspires us to know Jesus more.
____________________

Upcoming readings:
26 May, Mon – 1 Peter 1:3-9; Mark 10:17-27
27 May, Tue – 1 Peter 1:10-16; Mark 10:28-31
28 May, Wed – 1 Peter 1:18-25; Mark 10:32-45
29 May, Thu – 1 Peter 2:2-5,9-12; Mark 10:46-52
30 May, Fri – Deuteronomy 7:6-11 ; 1 John 4:7-16 ; Matthew 11:25-30 ; Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
31 May, Sat – Zephaniah 3:14-18 ; Luke 1:39-56; Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
01 Jun, Sun – Deuteronomy 11:18,26-28,32; Romans 3:21-25,28; Matthew 7:21-27; Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Acts 8: 26-40

The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Be ready to set out at noon along the road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza, the desert road.’ So he set off on his journey. Now it happened that an Ethiopian had been on pilgrimage to Jerusalem; he was a eunuch and an officer at the court of the kandake, or queen, of Ethiopia, and was in fact her chief treasurer. He was now on his way home; and as he sat in his chariot he was reading the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and meet that chariot.’ When Philip ran up, he heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’

‘How can I’ he replied ‘unless I have someone to guide me?’ So he invited Philip to get in and sit by his side. Now the passage of scripture he was reading was this:

Like a sheep that is led to the slaughter-house,
like a lamb that is dumb in front of its shearers,
like these he never opens his mouth.
He has been humiliated and has no one to defend him.
Who will ever talk about his descendants,
since his life on earth has been cut short!

The eunuch turned to Philip and said, ‘Tell me, is the prophet referring to himself or to someone else?’ Starting, therefore with this text of scripture Philip proceeded to explain the Good News of Jesus to him.

Further along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, ‘Look, there is some water here; is there anything to stop me being baptised?’ He ordered the chariot to stop, then Philip and the eunuch both went down to the water and Philip baptised him. But after they had come up out of the water again Philip was taken away by the Spirit of the Lord, and the eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. Philip found that he had reached Azotus and continued his journey proclaiming the Good News in every town as far as Caesarea.
____________ ______

John 6:44-51

Jesus said to the crowd:

‘No one can come to me
unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me,
and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They will all be taught by God,
and to hear the teaching of the Father,
and learn from it,
is to come to me.
not that anybody has seen the Father,
except the one who comes from God:
he has seen the Father.
I tell you solemnly,
everybody who believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your fathers ate the manna in the desert
and they are dead;
but this is the bread that comes down from heaven,
so that a man may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever;
and the bread that I shall give
is my flesh, for the life of the world.’
____________ ______

… is there anything to stop me [from] being baptised?

Human beings are strange creatures; we never appreciate what we should truly treasure until the time comes for that object or person to be removed. In the same way, the eunuch’s desire for Baptism stemmed from an intrinsic desire to be part of the Church after hearing the Word of God being broken by the apostle Phillip.

The Catholics who were baptised as infants did not have a choice of religion compared to those whom converted at adulthood. Some lament that they were thus forced unto something that they wished they could break free of. Yet I have seen at least one of my friends in church who was posted to an Islamic country for business-related purposes. In our conversation, he was sharing with me how he began to realise that the Catholic identity that he had grown up with would soon become a memory because of the new environment that he was going to.

In such a situation, we can learn from his experience and not take God for granted. Today’s Gospel is a continuation from yesterday and dwells on the Bread of Life that is the life of the world. Let us always remember to give thanks to God during Holy Communion for being so close to us and to seek his forgiveness whenever we forget Him in our daily lives.

(Today’s reflection by Nick Chia)
____________ ______

Prayer: Lord, we seek your pardon whenever we forget about You in our daily actions.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for Jesus Christ who came to become the Bread of Life.
____________ ______

Upcoming readings:
11 Apr, Fri – Acts 9:1-20; John 6:52-59; Memorial for St Stanislaus, bishop, martyr
12 Apr, Sat – Acts 9:31-42; John 6:60-69
13 Apr, Sun – Acts 2:14a,36-41; 1 Peter 2:20b-25; John 10:1-10
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Acts 8:1-8

That day a bitter persecution started against the church in Jerusalem, and everyone except the apostles fled to the country districts of Judaea and Samaria.

There were some devout people, however, who buried Stephen and made great mourning for him.

Saul then worked for the total destruction of the Church; he went from house to house arresting both men and women and sending them to prison.

Those who had escaped went form place to place preaching the Good News. One of them was Philip who went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them. The people united in welcoming the message Philip preached, either because they had heard of the miracles he worked or because they saw them for themselves. There were, for example, unclean spirits that came shrieking out of many who were possessed, and several paralytics and cripples were cured. There was great rejoicing in that town as a result.
____________ ______

John 6:35-40

Jesus said to the crowd:

“I am the bread of life.
He who comes to me will never be hungry;
he who believes in me will never thirst.
But, as I have told you,
you can see me and still you do not believe.
All that the Father gives me will come to me,
and whoever comes to me
I shall not turn away;
because I have come from heaven,
not to do my will,
but to do the will of the one who sent me.
Now the will of him who sent me
is that I should lose nothing
of all that he has given to me,
and that I should raise it up on the last day.
Yes, it is my Father’s will
that whoever sees the Son and believes in him
shall have eternal life,
and that I shall raise him up on the last day.”
____________ ______

There was great rejoicing in that town as a result

A common saying that we always come across is that the occurrence of an unfortunate event is a “blessing in disguise”. The believers in the Jerusalem church were persecuted bitterly for believing in Christ. In seeking refuge away from the persecution, they ended up becoming the first missionaries.

I believe that at that moment, the Christians in the early church must have felt miserable and questioned the reason for their persecution. To be uprooted from a familiar environment is often a traumatising and painful experience for many. Yet these Christians took heart in the Risen Christ. They were promised by Christ in today’s Gospel that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. This requires steadfast faith and belief in the face of the type of persecution that the early Church faced.

They could not have sustained such faith using their own strength but it was only through faith and the spiritual sustenance of the Holy Eucharist that they managed to survive such a terrible ordeal. Similarly, we should offer up our daily toils, joys and sorrows to our Lord in the Eucharist and be nourished by the Bread of Life.

(Today’s reflection by Nick Chia)
____________ ______

Prayer: Lord, we pray that you strengthen the faith of the brethren that have no opportunity to attend Mass and receive you in the Holy Eucharist.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the privilege of attending Sunday Mass
____________ ______

Upcoming readings:
10 Apr, Thu – Acts 8:26-40; John 6:44-51
11 Apr, Fri – Acts 9:1-20; John 6:52-59; Memorial for St Stanislaus, bishop, martyr
12 Apr, Sat – Acts 9:31-42; John 6:60-69
13 Apr, Sun - Acts 2:14a,36-41; 1 Peter 2:20b-25; John 10:1-10
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Acts: 7:51-8:1

Stephen said to the people, the elders and the scribes: ‘You stubborn people, with your pagan hearts and pagan ears. You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Can you name a single prophet your ancestors never persecuted? In the past they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, and now you have become his betrayers, his murderers. You who had the law brought to you by angels are the very ones who have not kept it.’

They were infuriated when they heard this, and ground their teeth at him.

But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. ‘I can see heaven thrown open’ he said ‘and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ At this all the members of the council shouted out and stopped their ears with their hands; then they all rushed at him, sent him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses put down their clothes at the feet of a young man called Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen said in invocation, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and said aloud, ‘Lord, d not hold this sin against them’; and with these words he fell asleep. Saul entirely approved of the killing.
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John 6:30-35

The crowd said to Jesus:
“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?
What can you do?
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:

He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”

So Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”

So they said to Jesus,
“Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
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Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit

This modern aged places a premium on bodily strength and health. To be strong and full of vitality is the modern way of proclaiming that one is leading a fulfilling life that others should follow. To achieve this goal, many consume food and other forms of supplements that enable one to lead a healthy life. Today’s readings also carry that theme albeit in a spiritual sense of keeping healthy.

Today’s readings are a continuation from yesterday and we read about the martyrdom of St. Stephen. He gave up his temporal body in order to achieve the ultimate aim of eternal happiness and this occurred at the pinnacle of his spiritual health. Whilst it may seem foolish to our human minds, we must remember that the reason for us to stay healthy is to enable us to survive competition. An athlete who is healthy is able to better face the competition present in the sporting world. Similarly, we need to remain spiritually healthy in order to compete in the secular world so that our light will be brighter than the darkness that challenges the faith of those around us.

Jesus offers us the one and only ‘supplement’ that we need to take and that is of his Body. By receiving Holy Communion, we become one with the goodness in life because He is the Bread of Life. This Bread will certainly fortify us and enable us to face the difficulties in the world. The best part is that it is freely available but we do not partake of it frequently enough. Let us resolve to make a point to receive Holy Communion in an effort to develop our spiritual health.

(Today’s reflection by Nick Chia)
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Prayer: Lord, we pray that you strengthen us through Holy Communion with your graces

Thanksgiving: We thank the Lord for giving us the opportunity to receive Him in Mass.
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Upcoming readings:
9 Apr, Wed – Acts 8:1b-8; John 6:35-40
10 Apr, Thu – Acts 8:26-40; John 6:44-51
11 Apr, Fri – Acts 9:1-20; John 6:52-59; Memorial for St Stanislaus, bishop, martyr
12 Apr, Sat – Acts 9:31-42; John 6:60-69
13 Apr, Sun - Acts 2:14a,36-41; 1 Peter 2:20b-25; John 10:1-10
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Acts 5:34-42

But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. Then he said to them, “Fellow Israelites, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them – in that case you may even be found fighting against God!”

They were convinced by him, and when they had called in the apostles, they had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonour for the sake of the name. And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.
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John 6:1-15

After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.” When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
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Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all who were sitting ready.

How long does the bread in your kitchen last before it turns mouldy and can no longer be eaten? A few days? Perhaps up to a week? Maybe longer if you store it in the freezer… but definitely no longer than a year. On the other hand, the bread that Jesus gave us 2,000 years ago is still fresh and is still nourishing us. This bread is the bread of life, the body of Jesus himself, which we receive and eat every time we go for Mass.

In the first reading, Gamaliel tells his peers in the Sanhedrin that if this movement of the apostles were of human origin, it will break up of its own accord; but if it does come from God, it will not be destroyed by humans. Two thousand years after Jesus first broke bread and distributed it to his followers, we are still breaking that bread and distributing it among ourselves. This bread, and indeed this movement of the apostles, definitely comes from God, for if not, the bread and this movement would definitely have turned mouldy by now.

Knowing that this bread that we eat at Mass is Jesus himself, and that the Church today, as it was in the past and will be in the future for generations to come, is from God, how does being a member of this Church affect the way that we live our lives on earth? How does being part of a movement started by God and sustained by His Holy Spirit over 2,000 years affect the way that we live? Let us pause for a few minutes and consider the wonder of the transcendental nature of the Church.

(Today’s reflection by Daniel Tay)
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Prayer: We pray for more people to come into the Church and be fed and nourished by the Bread of Life.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to Jesus for feeding and nourishing us with His body.
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Upcoming Readings:
Sat, 5 Apr – Acts 6:1-7; John 6:16-21; Memorial for St. Anselm, bishop, religious, doctor
Sun, 6 Apr – Acts 5:27b-32, 40b-41; Revelation 5:11-14; Jon 21:1-19 or 21:1-14; Third Sunday of Easter
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Acts of the Apostles 5:17-26

The high priest intervened with all his supporters from the party of the Sadducees. Prompted by jealousy, they arrested the apostles and had them put in the common gaol.

But at night the angel of the Lord opened the prison gates and said as he led them out, “Go and stand in the Temple, and tell the people all about this new Life.” They did as they were told; they went into the Temple at dawn and began to preach.

When the high priest arrived, he and his supporters convened the Sanhedrin – this was the full Senate of Israel – and set to the gaol for them to be brought. But when the officials arrived at the prison they found they were not inside, so they went back and reported, “We found the gaol securely locked and the warders on duty at the gates, but when we unlocked the door we found no one inside.” When the captain of the Temple and the chief priests heard this news they wondered what this could mean. Then a man arrived with fresh news. “At this very moment,” he said, “the men you imprisoned are in the Temple. They are standing there preaching to the people.” The captain went with his men and fetched them. They were afraid to use force in case the people stoned them.
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John 3:16-21

Jesus said to Nicodemus:

“God loved the world so much
that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost
but may have eternal life.
For God sent his Son into the world
not to condemn the world,
but so that through him the world might be saved.
No one who believes in him will be condemned;
but whoever refuses to believe is condemned already,
because he has refused to believe
in the name of God’s only Son.
On these grounds is sentence pronounced:
that though the light has come into the world
men have shown they prefer
darkness to the light
because their deeds were evil.
And indeed, everybody who does wrong
hates the light and avoids it,
for fear his actions should be exposed;
but the man who lives by the truth
comes out into the light,
so that it may be plainly seen that what he does is done in God.”
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Go and stand in the Temple , and tell the people all about this new Life.

The main theme of Easter revolves around Life – new Life, to be specific. This new Life is, in today’s readings, shown in stark contrast to the old life, the life that is led by those who reject Christ. Those who accept Christ are given new Life, which frees a person and enables him to stand in the light. He does not fear the light which exposes all his actions, because he has nothing to hide.

In contrast, we see the behaviour of the high priests and his supporters, who arrested the apostles out of jealousy. This jealousy is a mark of the old life, one that rejects Christ, who is the light of life. A person who rejects Christ is one who is afraid of the light. He is afraid that the light will expose all his actions, especially those which he is ashamed of.

The great irony of this is that only by exposing our actions to the light of Christ can we be truly free, and not fear the light anymore. The Church gives us the light of Christ and invites us to bask in His light, especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where we are called to expose our actions to the light by confessing it to the priest. Regularly receiving this sacrament therefore becomes the way for us to constantly expose ourselves to the light of Christ. And since this is a sacrament of mercy, we have no fear of God’s judgement, because we have already accepted Christ.
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Prayer: We pray for all Catholics to come to the realization of the great gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and that all Catholics may receive the light of Christ through this sacrament as frequently as possible

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the sacrament which keeps us in the light of Christ, the light of life.

Upcoming Readings:
Mon, 1 Apr – Acts 4:23-31; John 3:1-8
Tue, 2 Apr – Acts 4:32-37; John 3:7b-15
Wed, 3 Apr – Acts 5:17-26; John 3:16-21
Thu, 4 Apr – Acts 5:27-33; John 3:31-36
Fri, 5 Apr – Acts 5:34-42; John 6:1-15
Sat, 6 Apr – Acts 6:1-7; John 6:16-21; Memorial for St. Anselm, bishop, religious, doctor
Sun, 7 Apr – Acts 5:27b-32, 40b-41; Revelation 5:11-14; Jon 21:1-19 or 21:1-14; Third Sunday of Easter
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The Beggar’s Joy

When Norman Vincent Peale, the famous pastor, speaker and author, was very young, he learned a lesson for life from his father. The elder Peale, a clergyman, was a large-hearted person who made no distinction between people. He had respect and esteem for every individual, not going by external appearances but looking at people as they really were.

It was Christmas Eve and Norman was out with his father doing some late Christmas shopping, he reveals in his book The Amazing Results of Positive Thinking. He was loaded down with packages and felt tired and irritable. He was thinking how good it would be to get home when a beggar, a bleary-eyed, unshaved, dirty old man came up to him, touched his hand with his and asked for money. Norman recoiled from his soiled hand and rather impatiently brushed him aside.

“You shouldn’t treat a man that way, Norman,” said his father as soon as they were out of earshot.

“But, Dad, he’s nothing but a bum,” replied Norman.

“Bum?” he said. “There’s no such thing as a bum. He is a child of God, my boy. Maybe he hasn’t made the most of himself but he is a child of God, nonetheless. We must always look upon a man with esteem. Now, I want you to go and give him this.” His father pulled out his pocketbook and handed him a dollar, which was all he could afford. “And do exactly the way I tell you. Go up to him, hand him this dollar, and speak to him with respect. Tell him you are giving him this dollar in the name of Christ.”

“Oh,” objected Norman. “I don’t want to do that.”

His father insisted, “Go and do as I tell you.”

So Norman ran after the old man, caught up with him and said, “Excuse me, sir. I give you this dollar in the name of Christ.”

The old man looked at him in absolute surprise. Then a wonderful smile spread over his face. A smile that made the boy forget the beggar was dirty and unshaven. Normal could see the real face of the man through the streaks of grime – his essential nobility. Graciously, with a sort of bow, the beggar said, “I thank you, young sir, in the name of Christ.”

Norman sums up the experience thus: My irritation and annoyance faded like magic. And suddenly I was happy. The very street seemed beautiful. In fact, I believe that in the moment I held that man in full and complete esteem, I came very close to Christ Himself. And that, of course, is one of the most joyful experiences any person can ever have.

- What thoughts, feelings, occurred to you while you went through the story?
- What do you think is the ‘moral’ of the story?

- taken from “Persons Are Gifts”, by Hedwig Lewis, SJ
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2 Samuel 6:12-15, 17-19

David went and brought the ark of God up from Obed-edom’s house to the Citadel of David with great rejoicing. When the bearers of the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fat sheep. And David danced whirling round before the Lord with all his might, wearing a linen loincloth round him. Thus David and all the House of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with acclaim and the sound of the horn. They brought the ark of the Lord and pt it in position inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered holocausts before the Lord, and communion sacrifices. And when David had finished offering holocausts and communion sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. He then distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israelites, men and women, a roll of bread to each, a portion of dates, and a raisin cake. Then they all went away, each to his own house.
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Mark 3:31-35

The mother and brothers of Jesus arrived and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him, “Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.” He replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and my sister and mother.”
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About a year ago, when I had been working in my job for over a year, I was faced with the unfamiliar task of filing my income tax. I had no experience in this at all, and was simply told to check out the IRAS (Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore) website to find out more. I found out that below a certain income level, I did not need to pay income tax. One day, I remarked to my father that I was keeping my income below that level so that I did not have to pay income tax. What he said to me then has left a deep impression on me.

He said: “Don’t worry about having to pay income tax, but be grateful that you have enough money so that you can be taxed.” Since that time, I no longer worried about keeping my income tax below a certain level, because I also came to realise why we have taxes – so that the government who collects the revenue may distribute them fairly. At least that’s the way it’s supposed to work, but sadly is not true in a number of other countries.

This is exactly what David did – as king, he collected the wealth of the people through taxes and later, he distributed the revenue to all people so as to ensure that everyone had a little piece of the pie that was rightfully theirs. In the past, the priest who celebrates Mass used to distribute the offertory collections to all the people, especially to those most in need. This is the beauty of communion – when everyone belongs to the same community, we look out for one another. This is also why tax evaders are punished by the state – because through their selfishness, they harm the good of the community.

Does the Catholic Church have something similar? Yes, we do. We have what is called indulgences. Millions of people do good deeds and pray for the pope and the Church everyday. What happens to these results of these good deeds and prayers? They go into what is called the storehouse of merit, which is kind of like a spiritual treasury, which also ’stores’ the merits that Christ has won for the salvation of all mankind. Hence our merits are united in communion with that of Christ.

These merits are then distributed to those who are in need of it e.g. those who pray for help, etc. (Fortunately for us, it is all automated. I don’t know how it works, perhaps angels have something to do with it.) Wikipedia has a good list of acts for which indulgence is granted, so you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to receive indulgences.

In any case, once in a while, the pope, like David, has the authority to distribute the wealth of the treasury to all who fulfil certain conditions. In the case of David and his people, the people had to be there to receive the shares. In the same way, the pope’s conditions usually require us to be at a certain location in order to receive the shares.

Perhaps the most important part about these indulgences is that they can not only be used for ourselves, but for the souls of others, in particular, the souls in Purgatory who cannot do anything to earn merit, but have to rely on us who are still living to pray for them. They are, as Christ said, our brothers and sisters and our mother because the very fact that they are in Purgatory shows us that they did the will of God and are destined for Heaven. That is why it is such an important duty of Catholics to pray for the souls in Purgatory. It can be equated to charitable works that are done for the poor who likewise can do nothing to get out of their poverty, but are equally our brothers and sisters, as we are all children of God.

Let us make an effort to gain a plenary indulgence for a soul in Purgatory today, by praying the Rosary in a church, in a family, or in a religious community, and by receiving the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion.
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Prayer:
Dear Lord, we pray that more Catholics may come to realise their share in the great spiritual treasury of the Church, to receive from that treasury, and to share their own material and spiritual wealth with those who are lacking in either. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: The spiritual treasury of merits that never runs out.

Upcoming Readings:
Wed, 30 Jan – 2 Samuel 7:4-17; Mark 4:1-20
Thu, 31 Jan – 2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29; Mark 4:21-25; Memorial for St. John Bosco, priest, religious founder
Fri, 01 Feb – 2 Samuel 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17; Mark 4:26-34
Sat, 02 Feb – Malachi 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40; Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
Sun, 03 Feb – Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12a; Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Andrew was the first apostle. A fisherman and the brother of St. Peter, and a follower of St. John the Baptist. He went through life leading people to Jesus, both before and after the Crucifixion. He became a missionary in Asia Minor and Greece, and possibly areas in modern Russia and Poland. He was martyred on a saltire (x-shaped) cross, and is said to have preached for two days from it.

- Patron Saint Index
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Romans 10:9-18

If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are saved. When scripture says: those who believe in him will have no cause for shame, it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: all belong to the same Lord who is rich enough however many ask for his help, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

But they will not ask his help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless they have heard of him, and they will not hear of him unless they get a preacher, and they will never have a preacher unless one is sent, but as scripture says: The footsteps of those who bring good news are a welcome sound. Not everyone, of course, listens to the Good News. As Isaiah says: Lord, how many believed what we proclaimed? So faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of Christ.

Let me put the question: is it possible that they did not hear? Indeed they did; in the words of the psalm, their voice has gone out through all the earth, and their message to the ends of the world.
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Matthew 4:18-22

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast in the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” And they left their nets at once and followed him.

Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. At once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.
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Last night, I came across a query by a catechumen on a discussion forum asking about the sacrament of Baptism. This catechumen read or heard that there are those who die without being baptised, but because they died for and with Christ, they received the baptism of blood, which bears about the fruits of baptism without being a sacrament. He also read that for catechumens who die before their baptism, their explicit desire to receive it, together with repentance for their sins, and charity, assures them the salvation that they were not able to receive through the sacrament (CCC 1258, 1259).

And then he asks: does this mean we do not need to go through baptism and can still be assured of salvation?

It is an interesting question, is it not? And certainly a good number of us do believe that people can be assured of salvation without baptism… otherwise we would most definitely have stepped up our efforts to bring more non-Christians to the faith, the way our Protestant brothers and sisters have been doing. However, our Protestant brothers and sisters’ fervour is definitely something that we Catholics are lacking. For as much as we believe in interfaith dialogue, we can’t say that for sure that our non-Christian brothers and sisters, who have not been baptised, are assured of salvation, can we?

This is because “the Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from the Lord to see that all who can be baptised are “reborn of water and spirit” (CCC 1257)

This is something that we, as Catholics, should start remembering – that we don’t know of any other way that a person is assured salvation, unless he or she is baptised. I am sure that you want to see, at the very least, your loved ones with you in heaven. Given the readings of the past week, of the necessity of us bearing witness when we see the writing on the wall, and our ability to understand and interpret it, it then falls onto our shoulders as Christians, to bring this good news to our non-Christian family members and friends, and work towards their eternal salvation by providing them the motivation to get baptised and be “reborn of water and spirit”.

We know that no one can get into heaven unless they receive help from Jesus, and our non-Christian family members and friends won’t ask Jesus’ help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless they have heard of him… and they will not hear of him unless we preach the good news of salvation to them. Who better than us, who already know them, who they already trust, and who have so much contact with them?

Each Christian is expected to be a disciple of Christ, one who imitates his teacher. Our Teacher spent his life saving people from eternal damnation, we too are expected to do the same, to be “fishers of men”. Let us start where we are. Think of one non-Christian that you are close to, and work towards seeing him or her getting baptised.

This coming Advent and preparation for Christmas is an excellent opportunity to introduce a non-Christian family member or friend to the meaning of Christmas – the Incarnation of God as man. Start from here, and imitate our Teacher in the work of saving souls.
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Prayer:
Dear Lord, grant us the courage to share the Good News with our non-Catholic family member / friend [insert name]. We pray that your Holy Spirit will go before us and open the heart and mind of [insert name] that s/he may receive the Word that we share joyfully. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: The season of sharing Christ with others.

Upcoming Readings:
Sat, 01 Dec – Daniel 7:15-27; Luke 21:34-36
Sun, 02 Dec – Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14a; Matthew 24:37-44; First Sunday of Advent
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Romans 8:12-17

My brothers, there is no necessity for us to obey our unspiritual selves or to live unspiritual lives. If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the misdeeds of the body you will live.

Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God. The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are the children of God. And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.
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Luke 13:10-17

One sabbath day Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who for eighteen years had been possessed by a spirit that left her enfeebled: she was bent double and quite unable to stand upright. When Jesus saw her he called her over and said, “Woman, you are rid of your infirmity” and he laid his hands on her. And at once she straightened up, and she glorified God.

But the synagogue official was indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, and he addressed the people present, “There are six days,” he said, “when work is to be done. Come and be healed on one of those days and not on the sabbath.” But the Lord answered him. “Hypocrites!” he said. “Is there one of you who does not untie his ox or his donkey from the manger on the sabbath and take it out for watering? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has held bound these eighteen years – was it not right to untie her bonds on the sabbath day?” When he said this, all his adversaries were covered with confusion, and all the people were overjoyed at all the wonders he worked.
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What is the focus of the Mass? Who do we worship when we celebrate Mass? Most of us would probably answer something along the lines of: “We worship Christ in his real presence at the Eucharist.” But if this were true, why would we need a congregation of people to come together for Mass? We could very well do it on our own in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

It might surprise you to learn that our primary purpose at Mass is not to adore Christ himself, but to join him in his adoration of the Father. The 18th century heresy Jansenism was largely responsible making people believe that the purpose of the Eucharist was to provide them with the means to worship Christ in his real presence, rather than to join him in his sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father and to receive him in Holy Communion. As St. Paul says, it is the Spirit that makes us cry out together with Christ, “Abba, Father!”

It is therefore of utmost importance that our celebration of Mass is not reduced to personal devotion or piety. Some of us are tempted to sing extra loudly at Mass, or to sing a hymn in a way that is different from the way the rest of the congregation is singing it, or to kneel when everyone else is standing or vice versa. Such a behaviour betrays a lack of understanding of the purpose of the liturgy, which is to bring together the people of God and worship the Father in communion with Christ.

As such, we need to be mindful of our fellow worshippers. What hypocrites we are when we, in order to have a more peaceful Mass, prevent certain people such as children from being present with us at the Mass! In today’s gospel reading, Jesus shows care for the woman at the synagogue, and reminds us through his example that it is more important to care for our neighbour than it is to follow a law that would prevent us from being caring towards another, especially at communal prayer.

Let us pray therefore that we will bear in mind the presence of our fellow worshippers when we next attend Mass, and to unite our prayers and worship with them, and with Christ, directing it towards our heavenly Father. Amen.
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Give Thanks to the Lord for: Vatican II liturgy.

Upcoming Readings:
Tue, 30 Oct – Romans 8:18-25; Luke 13:18-21
Wed, 31 Oct – Romans 8:26-30; Luke 13:22-30
Thu, 01 Nov – Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12a; Solemnity of All Saints
Fri, 02 Nov – Daniel 12:1-3; Romans 6:3-9; John 6:37-40; All Souls
Sat, 03 Nov – Romans 11:1-2a, 11-12, 25-29; Luke 14:1, 7-11; Memorial for St. Martin de Porres, religious
Sun, 04 Nov – Wisdom 11:22 – 12:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:11 – 2:2; Luke 19:1-10; Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Disclaimer: The reflections expressed in this e-mail are the writer’s own. They may not necessarily reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church. Nonetheless we should all be able to learn something from it.

A sin is a sin!

Anthony Mastroem wrote the following provocative comment:

No one steals any more… they simply lift something.
No one lies any more… they simply misrepresent the facts.
No one commits adultery… they simply play or fool around.
No one kills an unborn baby.. they simply terminate a pregnancy.

All of this, Mastroem says, is simply a clevery, if dishonest way, of candy-coating the reality of sin.

- If God wanted a permissive society, God would have given us Ten Suggestions, instead of Ten Commandments.

- Calling a spade ‘an agricultural implement’ does nothing to change what it is!

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
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Jonah 1:1 – 2:1, 11

The word of the Lord was addressed to Jonah son of Amittai:

“Up!” he said, “Go to Nineveh, the great city, and inform them that their wickedness has become known to me.” Jonah decided to run away from the Lord, and to go to Tarshish. He went down to Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish; he paid his fare and went aboard, to go with them to Tarshish, to get away from the Lord. But the Lord unleashed a violent wind on the sea, and there was such a great storm at sea that the ship threatened to break up. The sailors took fright, and each of them called on his own god, and to lighten the ship they threw the cargo overboard.

Jonah, however, had gone below and lain down in the hold and fallen fast asleep. The boatswain came upon him and said, “What do you mean by sleeping? Get up! Call on your God! Perhaps he will spare us a thought, and not leave us to die.” Then they said to each other, “Come on, let us draw lots to find out who is responsible for bringing this evil on us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell to Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us, what is your business? Where do you come from? What is your country? What is your nationality?”

He replied, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.” The sailors were seized with terror at this and said, “What have you done?” They knew that he was trying to escape from the Lord, because he had told them so. They then said, “What are we to do with you, to make the sea grow calm for us?” For the sea was growing rougher and rougher. He replied, “Take me and throw me into the sea, and then it will grow calm for you. For I can see it is my fault this violent storm has happened to you.”

The sailors rowed hard in an effort to reach the shore, but in vain, since the sea grew still rougher for them. They then called on the Lord and said, “O Lord, do not let u perish for taking this man’s life; do not hold us guilty of innocent blood; for you, Lord, have acted as you thought right.” And taking hold of Jonah they threw him into the sea; and the sea grew calm again. At this the men were seized with dread of the Lord; they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. The Lord had arranged that a great fish should be there to swallow Jonah; and Jonah remained in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. The Lord spoke t the fish, which then vomited Jonah on to the shore.
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Luke 10:25-37

There was a lawyer who, to disconcert Jesus, stood up and said to him, “Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? What do you read there?” He replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.” “You have answered right,” said Jesus, “do this and life is yours.”

But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” Jesus replied, “A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of brigands; they took all he had, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way, a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. he then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the brigands’ hands?” “The one who took pity on him,” he replied. Jesus said to him, “Go, and do the same yourself.”
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Recently in the news, we have read that the law is to be changed such that it will become criminal for a person who has AIDS to have sex with another person, regardless of whether or not the infected person knows that he is infected, so long as the infected person knows that he has been in a high-risk situation.

Regardless of whether an infected person knows whether he has the disease or not, when this person has sex with another person, the other person is going to get infected as well. Does this not sound remarkably similar to the first reading? Jonah was ‘infected’, so to speak, and he didn’t tell the sailors about it. As a result, because of his ‘infection’, the other sailors suffered for Jonah’s mistake.

When we do something morally wrong, each of us has an ‘infection’. That ‘infection’ is a weakening of the relationship between God and ourselves. It might not be a mortal sin, but if something is wrong, whether we know it is wrong or not makes no difference; it is still wrong, and it has consequences on us and on the people around us.

When we are not aware of our ‘infection’, often because we don’t want to find out about it, we are harming our neighbour, in a similar way as the HIV-infected person harms others despite not knowing about their infection.

What do we do then? The Church presents us with a wonderful gift which enables us to find our infection, and to address it. It is called the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It begins with a desire to find out where we have done wrong, and it brings us through an Examination of Conscience, which is pretty much like a medical checkup. In a medical check-up, the doctor asks us some questions about our lifestyle. In the Examination of Conscience, there is often a list of questions that we can ask ourselves, and from our responses, we will know where our ‘infection’ is and what nature it is.

All of us are living in high-risk situations, hence it is advisable for us to go for frequent checkups, that is, to examine our consciences frequently… everyday, if possible. This is the best way to keep ourselves infection-free, and it helps that we are aware of it as well.
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Prayer:
Dear Lord, please grant us the courage and patience to examine our consciences regularly, and grant us the humility to accept correction in our lifestyles, so as to avoid sin, and do no harm to ourselves and to our neighbour. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: The Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Upcoming Readings:
Tue, Oct 9 – Jonah 3:1-10; Luke 10:38-42; Memorial for St. Denis, bishop, martyr, and his companions, martyrs; Memorial for St. John Leonardi, priest, religious founder
Wed, Oct 10 – Jonah 4:1-11; Luke 11:1-4
Thu, Oct 11 – Malachi 3:13-20a; Luke 11:15-26
Fri, Oct 12 – Joel 1:13-15, 2:1-2; Luke 11:15-26
Sat, Oct 13 – Joel 4:12-21; Luke 11:27-28
Sun, Oct 14 – 2 Kings 5:17-17; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19; Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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By your work you show what you love and what you know. When you observe true obedience with prudence and enthusiasm, it is clear that you wisely pick the most delightful and nourishing fruit of divine Scripture.

- from a letter by St. Bruno to the Carthusians

Bruno (1030-1101) was educated in Paris and Rheims, France, and ordained in 1055. He taught theology and one of his students later became Blessed Pope Urban II. He presided over the cathedral school at Rheims from 1057-1075. Bruno often criticized the worldliness he saw in his fellow clergy. He opposed Manasses, Archbishop of Rheims, because of his laxity and mismanagement.

Following a vision he received of a secluded hermitage where he could spend his life becoming closer to God, he retired to a mountain near Chartreuse in Dauphiny in 1084 and founded what became the first house of the Carthusian Order. He and his brothers supported themselves as manuscript copyists. He was assistant to Pope Urban II in 1090, and supported his efforts at reform. Retiring from public life, he and his companions built a hermitage at Torre, where in 1095, the monastery of St. Stephen was built. Bruno combined in the religious life the eremitcal (the life of a hermit) and the cenobitic (community life). His learning is apparent from his scriptural commentaries.

- Source: Patron Saint Index
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Baruch 4:5-29

Take courage, my people,
constant reminder of Israel.
You were sold to the nations,
but not for extermination.
You provoked God;
and so were delivered to your enemies,
since you had angered your creator
by offering sacrifices to demons, not to God.
You had forgotten the eternal God who reared you.
You had also grieved Jerusalem who nursed you,
for when she saw the anger fall on you
from God, she said:

Listen, you neighbours of Zion:
God has sent me great sorrow.
I have seen my sons and daughters taken into captivity,
to which they have been sentenced by the Eternal.
I had reared them joyfully;
in tears, in sorrow, I watched them go away.
Do not, any of you, exult over me,
a widow, deserted by so many;
I suffer loneliness because of the sins of my own children,
who turned away from the Law of God.

Take courage, my children, call on God:
he who brought disaster on you will remember you.
As by your will you first strayed away from God,
so now turn back and search for him ten times as hard;
for as he brought down those disasters on you,
so will he rescue you and give you eternal joy.
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Luke 10:17-24

The seventy-two came back rejoicing. ‘Lord,’ they said ‘even the devils submit to us when we use your name.’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Yes, I have given you power to tread underfoot serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you. Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.’

It was then that, filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, he said, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’

Then turning to his disciples he spoke to them in private, ‘Happy the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it’.
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Do you know that all Christians are given a secret at Baptism? Not all of us are aware of it; some of us have to be guided to discover this secret whilst others may be able to discover it through prayer. What is this secret?

God is with us in all our experiences in life especially when we think he is not present.

There are times where we decide to face life’s obstacles and troubles alone, believing that we can do without the help of God. When we stray from God, we stray away from the care and wondrous love he has for us.

This marks the beginning of an experience that may eventually make us feel exhausted and wonder why God has abandoned us. Prophet Baruch in the first reading tells us that it is “… by your will you first strayed from God”. It is a life-transforming experience whenever we realise the following:

1. We chose to abandon God and go our own way.
2. Our lives and the achievements that come with it all belong to God and not us.

Jesus tells us, in the Gospel, that his disciples should rejoice that they manage to see him in person. We should also be happy that we can see Jesus in person in the Blessed Sacrament. It is a privilege to be able to witness and see God right before our very eyes and offer to him all our troubles and distress. He is a faithful companion that will follow us in our journey of life.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nick Chia)
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Prayer:
Lord, we pray for those that have lost hope. May they rediscover the childlike joy of knowing you as their Lord and saviour.

We give thanks for: the many chances that God has given to us to discover his immense love.

Upcoming Readings:
Sun, 7 Oct – Hebrews 1:2-3, 2:2-4; 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10; Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Disclaimer: The reflections expressed in this e-mail are the writer’s own. They may not necessarily reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church. Nonetheless we should all be able to learn something from it.