Christmas

A few days before Christmas, 2 of my friends asked me whether I had bought new clothes for Christmas. My name was very simple, “why should I buy new clothes? I don’t remember when was the last time I bought new clothes for Christmas.” I got 2 different reaction, one asked, “Why are you so simple?”, the other one said, “so frugal.”

To me, I feel that it is not the matter of simplicity or frugality. Personally I do not really care whether what I wear is new or old, most of my clothes are old but rarely worn so they look new. So why spend money to buy new clothes and clutter up my clothes rack?

Christmas is not about buying new clothes to wear or getting presents or wishes. Christmas is about the birth of Christ, the coming of the King of Kings into our lives. But how many of us really think that way? I think, for many of us, it’s about having parties and buying gifts, the list goes on.

Of course, not all of us are like that. I know of many who really prepare themselves for the coming of the Saviour. We need to remember that we are preparing ourselves to receive the infant Jesus into our hearts and lives.

Some may argue that what is internal will flow externally. This means that what we wear represents what we are inside. Perhaps this is true. We are supposed to give the best for Christ, to wear our best to worship Him. But remember that the very first visitors to pay homage to Jesus were poor shepherds who had no lavish clothes or gifts to give him. They came because they wanted to worship him.

We can wear the very best of clothes and bring the most lavish of gifts but do we bring our hearts as well? What is external has no meaning if we do not give what is internal. The gifts of our hearts are more important that what we wear. I am not saying that we should wear tattered clothes or short pants to Church. What I am saying is that what we wear should not be criteria for celebrating the birth of Christ.

Of course, we need to wear something that is presentable, something worthy to wear when we come to pay homage, but the most important thing is to prepare our hearts so that we can truly make it a gift to him who is our Lord. And most importantly, Christmas only happens when it happens in our hearts. Until that happens, we can wear whatever we want but Christmas will have no meaning.

When we can truly prepare our hearts as a gift to our Lord, it will automatically flow into what is external to us. Then Christmas would truly be a celebration of the birth of Christ, in our hearts as well as to the world.

BEC and Mission

This is a sharing that I gave to the SFX Charismatic Renewal Prayer Group.

I would like to begin my sharing with a story. There was once a man who, after many years, stopped going to church. When asked why, he said that he could worship God at home as well as he does in church. One day, the parish priest visited this man and had a conversation with him. During the conversation, the priest took out a burning stick from the fireplace and placed it aside.

After the conversation ended, the burning stick was no longer burning. The parish priest then looked at the man and the burnt out stick. He did not say anything else. The man got the message.

Community is an important aspect in our lives. Whether we like it or not, we are not an island, existing on our own. This is why BEC is important. We come to church to worship together on Sunday but on other days, we live our lives in the secular world. In facing our challenges, all of us will need some form of moral or spiritual support. This is where BECs play their role.

In the document Ad Gentes Divinitus (Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity), the Fathers of the 2^nd Vatican Council states:

“The Holy Spirit, who calls all men to Christ by the seeds of the Lord and by the preaching of the Gospel, stirs up in their hearts a submission to the faith Who in the womb of the baptismal font, He begets to a new life those who believe in Christ, He gathers them into the one People of God which is "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people" (1 Peter 2:9).

“Therefore, let the missionaries, God's co workers, (cf. 1 Cor. 3:9), raise up congregations of the faithful such that, walking worthy of the vocation to which they have been called (cf. Eph. 4:1), they may exercise the priestly, prophetic, and royal office which God has entrusted to them. In this way, the Christian community will be a sign of God's presence in the world: for by reason of the eucharistic sacrifice, this community is ceaselessly on the way with Christ to the Father; carefully nourished on the word of God it bears witness to Christ; and finally, it walks in charity and is fervent with the apostolic spirit.” (Ad Gentes 15)

As we can see by the words of this document, the Church places great importance on the Christian community. This is because we are the visible sign of God’s presence in the world. People who encounter us as a Christian community should be able to see God reflected in the community.

During His time on earth, Jesus did not live a single missionary life. Instead, he called apostles and disciples to share in his ministry and sent them out for mission. As we can see from Mathew chapter 10 verse 8, Jesus sent out his 12 apostles to “cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those suffering from virulent skin diseases and drive out devils” Clearly, Jesus did not intend to carry his mission here on earth all by himself. In another instance, Jesus further chooses another 72 disciples and sent them out to spread the Gospel. This account can be found in the gospel of Luke chapter 10 verses 1 to 12.

In Ad Gentes Divinitus, it says “From the very beginning, the Lord Jesus "called to Himself those whom He wished; and He caused twelve of them to be with Him, and to be sent out preaching (Mark 3:13; cf. Matt. 10:1-42). Then, when He had by His death and His resurrection completed once for all in Himself the mysteries of our salvation and the renewal of all things, the Lord, having now received all power in heaven and on earth (cf. Matt. 28 18), before He was taken up into heaven (cf. Acts 1:11), founded His Church as the sacrament of salvation and sent His Apostles into all the world just as He Himself had been sent by His Father (cf. John 20:21), commanding them: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of a nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:19 ff.). "Go into the whole world, preach the Gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptised shall be saved; but he who does not believe, shall be condemned" (Mark 16:15ff.).

The mission of the Church, therefore, is fulfilled by that activity which makes her, obeying the command of Christ and influenced by the grace and love of the Holy Spirit, fully present to all men or nations, in order that, by the example of her life and by her preaching, by the sacraments and other means of grace, she may lead them to the faith, the freedom and the peace of Christ; that thus there may lie open before them a firm and free road to full participation in the mystery of Christ. (Ad Gentes 4)

Let us now look at the term mission itself. "Missions" is the term usually given to those particular undertakings by which the heralds of the Gospel, sent out by the Church and going forth into the whole world, carry out the task of preaching the Gospel and planting the Church among peoples or groups who do not yet believe in Christ. The proper purpose of this missionary activity is evangelisation, and the planting of the Church among those peoples and groups where it has not yet taken root. The chief means of the planting referred to is the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Ad Gentes 6)

The mission of BEC can be divided into 2 aspects, inward mission and outward mission. In the document Apostolicum Actuositatem (Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity), the Church says that “The mission of the Church pertains to the salvation of men, which is to be achieved by belief in Christ and by His grace. The apostolate of the Church and of all its members is primarily designed to manifest Christ's message by words and deeds and to communicate His grace to the world.” (AA 6)

We can have an idea of how to participate in this inward mission. In Acts chapter 2 verse 42, which is also the theme for our Golden Jubilee, says that ““These remained faithful to the teaching of the Apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers” For us in the BECs, it is important to always remind ourselves of this inward thrust of our mission. All of us belong to the Body of Christ, and as brothers and sisters and co workers of Christ, we should strive to support one another, spiritually or otherwise, and to be there for one another.

In reality, we all know that our inward mission to minister to our own brothers and sisters is challenging. Our ideal is to transform our community into one that is selflessly helping and supporting one another, especially in the time of need. No community is perfect but having an ideal helps us to strive for something better. As is stated in Acts chapter 2 verse 44, “All the believers continued together in close fellowship and shared their belongings with one another”. And in verse 46, “Day after day they met as a group in the Temple, and they had their meals together in their homes eating with glad and humble hearts.” This was how the early community missioned inwardly. Are we able to follow their example today?

In order for us to be effective inward missionaries, we need to live a life that is Christ centred and prayerful. Without personal sustenance of prayer and reading of the Word, we will not be able to have the grace and strength to carry out our mission. Our inward mission as BECs is to be a pillar of support to all those in our community. We gather to pray during gatherings and to have fellowship, but how sincere are we in our endeavours? In St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, St Paul wrote “With all humility and gentleness, and with patience, support each other in love” (Eph 4:2) Are we doing this in our inward mission?

In Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World), it states that “God, Who has fatherly concern for everyone, has willed that all men should constitute one family and treat one another in a spirit of brotherhood. For having been created in the image of God, Who "from one man has created the whole human race and made them live all over the face of the earth" (Acts 17:26), all men are called to one and the same goal, namely God Himself.”

“For this reason, love for God and neighbour is the first and greatest commandment. Sacred Scripture, however, teaches us that the love of God cannot be separated from love of neighbour: "If there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.... Love therefore is the fulfilment of the Law" (Rom. 13:9-10; cf. 1 John 4:20). To men growing daily more dependent on one another, and to a world becoming more unified every day, this truth proves to be of paramount importance.”

“Indeed, the Lord Jesus, when He prayed to the Father, "that all may be one. . . as we are one" (John 17:21-22) opened up vistas closed to human reason, for He implied a certain likeness between the union of the divine Persons, and the unity of God's sons in truth and charity. This likeness reveals that man, who is the only creature on earth which God willed for itself, cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself.”

This statement aptly describes what is to be our outward mission as BECs, which is to spread the love of God to the world. As Jesus has mentioned as the most important commandment, to love one another, our mission is to love others around us, regardless of race, creed or colour. As I mentioned earlier, the church is the visible sign of God’s presence and love in the world. How else will the world see and experience God’s love if not through us?

In Acts chapter 1 verse 8, Jesus, upon his ascension into heaven, gave the apostles the command to “be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”. This is the thrust of our outward mission as BECs. But we should not limit ourselves to witnessing. In these days of injustice, we should strive to stand for what is just and right, giving assistance to those oppressed and under privileged. This is also why most BECs will have a Social Concern Coordinator, to look into the social challenges and how the BEC can assist.

Our inward and outward missionary endeavour cannot be sustained if we are not firmly rooted in Christ, in His Word and in the Eucharist. These elements give us the strength to be true witness and missionaries in our BECs. Therefore it is crucial for us to always avail ourselves to the Sacraments. And our mission can only be successful if we work together as one community instead of wanting to hog all glory four ourselves. If all of us keep squabbling and keep wanting all glory, who then will carry out the mission that has been entrusted to us as BECs? Only we can answer that question.

The Prodigal Son

During Mass last weekend (24^th Sunday in Ordinary Time), the Gospel passage was on the parable of The Prodigal Son (cf Lk 15:1-32). Upon hearing the passage, my mind was transported back to almost a year ago when I helped out with the SFX PJ PAG (Persons Are Gifts) Camp.

This camp was held in FRIM and was for those aged 9 to 12 (If I remember correctly). The camp is mainly to create awareness that each person is special and is a gift to one another. Although I missed the first part of the camp, I was present for the rest of the duration. The reason why my mind went back to this camp was because one session that dealt with our relationship with our father, both earthly and heavenly.

During this session, the speaker spoke of the relationship between us and our father and his love for us. At the end of the session, each participant was to write a letter to their parent. While this took place, the speaker played a song that really caused my eye to tear. I later found out that the song was titled “When God Ran” by Phillps Craig and Dean.

The part that touched me the most was this:

He ran to me,
He took me in His arms,
Held my head to His chest,
Said "My son's come home again!"
Lifted my face,
Wiped the tears from my eyes,
With forgiveness in His voice He said
"Son, do you know I still love You?"
He caught me by surprise, When God ran...

All I can remember from that moment was the emotion that I felt. I felt like crying out to God and running back to him. It was what the teens like to call the “emo” moment. But that was what it was for me. And it lasted for quite some time before I finally got my emotions in control. That short moment was emotionally quite gut wrenching. And it didn’t help that the song was being played over and over again.

I believe that most, if not all of us, have the experience of being the prodigal son at one point of our lives. For some of us, it may be more than once. One of my strongest experience of being away was when I was in college. As I shared in one of my earlier article; I had to redo my first year of studies in college. This hurt me badly and I thought God had abandoned me. And I was angry with God. And I could not feel him or feel anything for him. Not exactly like the prodigal son but I did turn away from God.

I encountered God’s love again during a charismatic rally. It was during the healing session that I felt so strongly the love of God for me. And I remember crying my heart (I usually don’t cry) but at that point in time, I just let go and cried. And like the prodigal son, I felt God welcoming me back into his arms. I realised that God has been waiting for me to come back. That no matter what happens, I am still his beloved child. The song “When God Ran” says it all:

I was so ashamed, all alone, and so far away.
But now I know that He's been waiting for this day...

Now whenever I hear the song, I am reminded of how much God loves me and no matter how far I stray, he will always be there waiting for me to come back. And this goes the same for all of us. All of us will stray from time to time. The question is whether we will go back to God. Whatever the prodigal son’s motive may be, his father still accepted him back, and he ran to greet his son, not the other way round.

This parable gives me the assurance that God will welcome me back. As Jesus mentioned in the parable, “In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Going back to God is one thing but we also need to be repentant of our sins. There is no point in going back without a repentant heart because it would be pointless.

The day I left home,
I knew I'd broken His heart.
And I wondered then, if things could ever be the same.
Then one night,
I remembered His love for me.
And down that dusty road, ahead I could see,
It was the only time,
It was the only time I ever saw Him run.
And then...

He ran to me,He took me in His arms,
Held my head to His chest,
Said "My son's come home again!"
Lifted my face,
Wiped the tears from my eyes,
With forgiveness in His voice He said
"Son, do you know I still love You?"

The question is, do we love him as much as he loves us? Only we have the answer to that question.

The Reluctant Saint

When I first watched the Reluctant Saint musical in 1997 (or 98, can’t really remember), it did not have much impact on me. A that time I was only 22 or 23 years old, young and inexperienced, so it was no wonder that I did not find the musical touching..

Recently, they staged this musical again. Although I knew about the project and I was besieged by some of my friends to buy the ticket, I found myself not having the interest to buy them.

But I guess God has his own plans. About 2 weeks before the musical ended, a friend of mine asked me whether I wanted to watch the musical as she has got extra tickets. Although I was reluctant, I just said yes. That yes really surprised me too. But I guess God works in mysterious ways too.

So on the night of the show, we went to Sentul, first to have dinner then to KLPAC for the show. The amount of people who were there surprised me because I heard that the tickets weren’t selling well. And I knew that I did not have any expectations for the musical though some of my friends who have watched it kept telling me that it was really good. I went in without expectations and just wanted to see for myself. And what a show it was!

I found myself constantly wiping tears from my eyes. The songs were simply wonderful and the words really hit me, not on the head level but they spoke to my heart. The emotions that I found in the musical kept my eyes moist. The part where Alphonsus lost his case and was lamenting and making his decision to leave his profession, the confrontation between him and his father, his dialogue with his mother, the chapel on the street where he went to help the sick and the poor, all these scenes hit a raw nerve in me.

Although I do not know what was the church like during Alphonsus’s time, I can really see the same thing that was portrayed in the musical happening today. The song “If Not You Nor I” spoke volumes on how the church neglected those on the street, to cater to those who are rich and wealthy only.

Alphonsus sang of how the people suffer in vain but the clergy offers nothing, the church does nothing and the bishop, nothing. He asks where is the mercy that we preach from the pulpit? Can we not see the same thing happening today?

Although we can say that we are helping the poor, the destitute and the marginalised, how much are we actually doing? I’m not talking about material needs; these needs can be met without much difficulty. I am talking about their psychological needs, their emotional needs and perhaps their spiritual needs.

We preach of things from the pulpit, nice things and rosy things like love, humility, patience, the list goes on. But are we really practising what we preach? Of course, we also have to consider how overworked our priests are, though not all of them are overworked. But still, priests are ordained for the community, not for themselves. Have we lost our shepherds?

Jesus spoke of how sheep will recognise their own shepherd and how He is the Good Shepherd. A good shepherd will care for his flock without reservation, to a good shepherd, all his sheep are the same. And Jesus does indeed care for us, his love is unconditional. Just like the street people in the musical, Alphonsus was right when he says that they are also part of God’s fold. The question is; are our own shepherds able to recognise their own flock today?

Have our shepherds become conditional? Caring for the sheep which will produce high grade wool only and neglecting those who are weak or those which are unable to produce good wool. Alphonsus went all out to care for those who were in need of compassion, of care. Even though his friends rejected him and told him to give up, he persevered on because he believed that these people were also part of God’s flock.

In the song “Chapel on the Street”, the children were singing “who is this man? Who listens with his heart, who ministers to the lost?” As I listen to this song, tears formed in my eye, that song could well be sung today and finds itself to be relevant. After all, priests can preach from the pulpit but it is just words. Words without action is useless, perhaps some may think of this as harsh but what is the point of talking but not doing anything about it?

If a person who is hungry asks for bread, would we preach about God’s providence to him? Or do we give him some food to eat? We preach of forgiveness, but do we forgive those who are in need of forgiveness from us? People who are in need of the sacraments like confession or anointing, do we brush them off and say we have no time? Or give statements like “if he/she is not dying, don’t call me” It is no wonder that people are finding the church a cold place to be.

The experience from the musical has left me thinking and has really opened my eyes to the reality of things in the church. After all, more than 10 years has passed since I watched it for the first time. I would like to believe that I have grown wiser in those years and this emotion that I’m feeling as a result of the musical shows me just how much I’ve grown.

If we really want the church to be a place of love, a place where God reside, then we seriously need to look at ourselves. I’m not saying that I’m a good person, I have my own flaws too, we all do. We talk about evangelisation but if there is no love, then everything that we preach is just plain empty. Alphonsus preached not in words but in action, with love and compassion. Should not then we do the same ourselves?

Mission of Priests

Note: This was a sharing that I gave to the Charismatic Prayer Group of SFX PJ

Before I begin, I would like to share with you a story. Once Pope John Paul II had an audience with 3 priests. His Holiness then asked each of them to introduce themselves.

The first priest said, “I have a PhD in Canon Law and I lecture at the Gregorian University.” The Pope however was not impressed. Then the second priest said, “I am the rector in a seminary”. Still, the pope was not impressed.

Finally, the third priest said, “Your Holiness, I am just a simple parish priest.” What do you think the pope did? He knelt in front of this priest and kissed his hand. And he said, “You have my respect and gratitude for you are the one who’s doing the real work of a priest”

You may think that this story undermines the role of a priest who is a lecturer or a rector. But this is not my intention. I’m sharing this story because it is relevant to the topic at hand.

Our topic is on the mission of priests but before we can even talk about the mission of priests, it would be helpful to first look at what a priest really is. Many of us have different views of what a priest should be. Knowing what a priest truly is will help us better understand their mission.

By his priestly ordination a priest receives the power to offer sacrifice (i.e. to celebrate the Eucharist), to forgive sins, to bless, to preach, to sanctify and to take care of souls.

Priests by sacred ordination and mission which they receive from the bishops are promoted to the service of Christ the Teacher, Priest and King. They share in his ministry, a ministry whereby the Church here on earth is unceasingly built up into the People of God, the Body of Christ and the Temple of the Holy Spirit. God himself has promised, by the words of the prophet Jeremiah, "I will give you shepherds after my own heart" (Jer. 3:15).

In the words from the prophet Jeremiah, God promises his people that he will never leave them without shepherds to gather them together and guide them: "I will set shepherds over them [my sheep] who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed (Jer. 23.4).

In his apostolic exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (I Will Send You Shepherds), Pope John Paul II wrote, "Every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God" (Heb. 5:1).

The Letter to the Hebrews clearly affirms the "human character" of God's minister he comes from the human community and is at its service, imitating Jesus Christ "who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:1s)?.

God always calls his priests from specific human and ecclesial contexts, which inevitably influence them; and to these same contexts the priest is sent for the service of Christ's Gospel.

For the sake of this universal priesthood of the new covenant Jesus gathered disciples during his earthly mission (cf. Lk. 10:1-12), and with a specific and authoritative mandate he called and appointed the Twelve "to be with him, and to be sent out to preach and have authority to cast out demons" (Mk. 3:14-15).

For this reason, already during his public ministry (cf. Mt. 16:18), and then most fully after his death and resurrection (cf. Mt. 28; Jn. 20; 21), Jesus had conferred on Peter and the Twelve entirely special powers with regard to the future community and the evangelisation of all peoples. After having called them to follow him, he kept them at his side and lived with them, imparting his teaching of salvation to them through word and example, and finally he sent them out to all mankind.

To enable them to carry out this mission Jesus confers upon the apostles, by a specific paschal outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the same messianic authority which he had received from the Father, conferred in its fullness in his resurrection: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Mt. 28:18-20).

On 7 December 1965, the Second Vatican Council issued a document entitled Presbyterium Ordinis i.e Decree on the Mission and Life of Priests. Among other things, it lists what the mission of priests is to be. They are: Priests as Ministers of God’s Word, Priests as Ministers of the Sacraments and the Eucharist and finally Priests as Ruler of God’s people.

Let us look at these missions separately. In the document Dei Verbum (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation), issued on 18 November 1965, we find the importance of the Word.

“Therefore, all the clergy must hold fast to the Sacred Scriptures through diligent sacred reading and careful study, especially the priests of Christ and others, such as deacons and catechists who are legitimately active in the ministry of the word. This is to be done so that none of them will become "an empty preacher of the word of God outwardly, who is not a listener to it inwardly" since they must share the abundant wealth of the divine word with the faithful committed to them, especially in the sacred liturgy. "For ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." Therefore, they should gladly put themselves in touch with the sacred text itself, whether it be through the liturgy, rich in the divine word, or through devotional reading, or through instructions suitable for the purpose and other aids which, in our time, with approval and active support of the shepherds of the Church, are commendably spread everywhere.” (DV 25)

This is why the Word of God is very important in the life of Christians. This is why we have the readings from the Bible at every Mass. The readings are God’s word to us, planting itself in the bedrock of our souls, nourishing us as we walk on the road that ultimately leads to God. This is emphasised by St Peter in his letter. He writes, “Since by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves so that you can experience the genuine love of brothers, love each other intensely from the heart, for your new birth was not from any perishable seed but from imperishable seed, the living and enduring word of God.” (1 Pt 1: 22 – 23)

Every priest has the obligation to proclaim the Gospel and preach the Word of God to all the faithful. In order that it might more effectively move men's minds, the word of God ought not to be explained in a general and abstract way, but rather by applying the lasting truth of the Gospel to the particular circumstances of life.

It is through the saving word the spark of faith is lit in the hearts of unbelievers, and fed in the hearts of the faithful. This is the way that the congregation of faithful is started and grows, just as St Paul, in his letter to the Romans describes: "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Rom 10:17).

Sacraments are, as Fr Simon always puts it, outward sign of inward grace. The word sacrament is a direct translation of the Latin word sacramentum and the Greek word mysterion. This is because each sacrament is a mystery, which can never be fully understood. It is only by faith that we can accept it into our hearts. And priests are ministers of these sacraments.

All the Sacraments affect our personal relationship to God and to one another. The Holy Spirit works through the Sacraments. He leads us to Christ who unites us with the Father. By participating in the Sacraments, we grow closer to God and to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This is why every priest, regardless of his other duties, must celebrate the sacraments. No matter how busy a priest is, he cannot deny anyone who is in need of the sacraments, especially confession and anointing of the sick. And most importantly, he cannot deny the faithful the sacrifice of the Mass.

The Mass, or the Eucharist, is, according to Vatican II, “the source and summit of a Christian life”. It is established by Christ himself, during the Last Supper, to give us his flesh to nourish our souls. As we can see in John’s Gospel chapter 6 verse 51, Jesus says "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."

Confession gives one a wonderful sense of freedom and peace from the burden of sin. Sorrow, affliction, and a desire for conversion follow the remorse of sin in those with a contrite heart. For the Anointing of the Sick, the ecclesial effect of this sacrament is incorporation into the healing Body of Christ, with a spiritual healing of the soul, and at times healing of the body. The sacramental grace helps us to accept sickness as a purifying cross sent by God, and the grace even to accept death if that is God's will.

All the reasons stated make it more important for a priest not to ignore those who are truly in need of the sacraments. As Jesus and his apostles went round to heal the sick and forgive sins, so should every priest imitate this very action of Christ and his apostles. For this is what Christ has handed down to his apostles.

Exercising the office of Christ, the Shepherd and Head, and according to their share of his authority, priests, in the name of the bishop, gather the family of God together as a brotherhood enlivened by one spirit. Through Christ they lead them in the Holy Spirit to God the Father. For the exercise of this ministry, as for the other priestly duties, spiritual power is conferred upon them for the building up of the Church.

In building up of the Church, priests must treat all with exceptional kindness in imitation of the Lord. They should act toward men, not as seeking to please them, but in accord with the demands of Christian doctrine and life. They should teach them and admonish them as beloved sons, according to the words of the St Paul: "Be urgent in season, out of season, reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine" (2 Tim 4:2)

In building the Christian community, priests are never to put themselves at the service of some human faction of ideology, but, as heralds of the Gospel and shepherds of the Church, they are to spend themselves for the spiritual growth of the Body of Christ.

Priests, therefore, ought to acknowledge and foster the ministries, offices and roles of the lay faithful that find their foundation in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, and indeed, for a good many of them, in the Sacrament of Matrimony. When necessary, priests can entrust to the lay faithful, certain offices and roles, connected with their pastoral ministry.

God promises the Church not just any sort of shepherds, but shepherds "after his own heart." And God's "heart" has revealed itself to us fully in the heart of Christ the good shepherd. Christ's heart continues today to have compassion for the multitudes and to give them the bread of truth, the bread of love, the bread of life. And this is what the mission of priests is to be; to be Christ to everyone.

To conclude, I would like to quote from the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 20 verse 28, “"Now be solicitous for yourselves and for the whole flock in which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as bishops to pasture the Church of God, which He purchased with his own blood."

Walk With Me

Note: I wrote this during my 4 day silent retreat in Singapore. I have tendencies to do these things while on retreats.

Lord, my heart is full of fear,

Yet I know that you are near,

You are there to wipe my tears,

Your gentle voice I always hear.

Walk with me on this road of life,

Grant me grace and strength to survive,

Teach me the meaning of sacrifice,

So that you will be glorified.

And though I want to walk with you,

I need your love to pull me through,

To you all glory is due,

Because of your love so true.

Guide me Lord, take my hands,

That I can proudly stand,

Shout your love across the land,

To all women, child and men.

23rd September 2009

Jesuit Novitiate, Singapore

The Sands of Time

Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time.

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

In the movie, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, there is a dagger that has, as its holder, a glass that holds magical sand. When this sand is released, the person holding the dagger can turn back the clock for a few moments and do whatever he or she wants to adjust when the clock is turned back.

One of the characters, Nizam, who was the uncle of Prince Dastan (the lead character), wanted to use the dagger for a bigger enterprise, he wanted to turn the back the clock to the moment where he would have had the chance to let his brother be killed and he would be the king of Persia. Of course, he was foiled by Prince Dastan. The ending is kind of anti-climactic but, well… it is a movie after all.

But I’m not writing this to talk about the movie. Rather, I was intrigued by the idea of the turning back of the clock. Imagine if we had that dagger or some sort of device that would allow us to turn back the clock of our lives and change whatever that we were never happy about in the past.

Just imagine what we can do with such a device. We can just erase or adjust whatever piece of our past that we do not like or would like to alter and – voila – it is done and our present is immediately altered. After all, what we did in the past will determine our present and what we do now will affect our future.

I’m quite sure that most, if not all of us, struggle with the “what if…” question. There are times when I would ask myself “what if I had done this or had not done that?” and I would often try to think of what possible that outcome would be if the “what if” had happened.

To be honest, there are many what ifs in my life, and I daresay, in many people’s lives as well. We all have our what ifs and many of us would do something to change that what ifs if we could. Statements like “I should have or I should not have” are so common that one would think that we are not happy or satisfied with who we are.

If I had such an opportunity, I would be tempted to alter my past too. After all, there were many things that I’d wish I’d done differently and in many instances in my past, I wish I could have acted differently. The question is, why should I?

I’m sure that there will people who will say “You can easily say you don’t want to alter your past because it is not possible. But what if you could? Would you do it?” To be perfectly honest, my answer would be no. Regardless of whether it is possible or not, my answer would still and always be a no.

To me, it is not the matter altering the past to make my present better or to change what I do not like, To me, it is whether I am satisfied or content with who I am at present moment. I can change or influence my future with the decisions that I make now. But what or who I am now is a result of my actions in the past. If I’m happy with who I am right now, why would I want to change my past?

While it is true that I can change my past actions and make myself a better person or a more studious person so that I would be a successful person, I would not be the same person that I am now. I would not have met some of my really wonderful friends and experienced some of the most wonderful time in my life. And that is a fact.

What I did in the past may not be the best actions or decisions in the world but through these actions and decisions, they have made me into the person that I am today. I may have many regrets about my past but I would certainly not exchange it for anything the world may offer. For me, I am happy with who I am now. With so many wonderful friends and family members, why would I want to change anything?

There is one other thing. In the movie, turning the clock back too much (by breaking the Sandglass) would bring about Armageddon and the end of the world. To me, if I were change or alter my past, the consequences may not be pleasant. After all, like one of Newton’s Law, which states “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”, whatever we change in our past may have negative repercussions on our present and possibly our future. And it does not just affect us. It affects those around us as well.

Do we want to harm ourselves or those whom we love just for something which we perceive would make us a better person? That is a question only we ourselves can answer.

The Journey

What a journey it has been
And the end is not in sight
But the stars are out tonight
and they're bound to guide my way

When they're shining on my life
I can see a better day
I won't let the darkness in,
what a journey it has been.
- The Journey by Lea Salonga

At the end of the month of December 2008, I left my job as the Sacristan of St Francis Xavier’s Church PJ to join my friend in his training company. I decided to leave church employment because I felt stagnant, that I was not growing. Although it was not an easy decision to make, I nevertheless went through with it. I felt that it was time for me to step out into the world and face whatever that awaited me. Of course, fear and doubt was present. I guess that’s what makes us human, having fears and doubts.

And so, in February 2009, I officially joined my friend in doing team building for corporate clients. It was a real eye opener for me, especially when dealing with corporate people. After all, my experience has always been with church people. After being surrounded by Catholics for 2 years, I was now surrounded by people of other faiths and walks of life; high ranking people, people in positions of authority, managers etc. It took quite awhile for me to adjust to this kind of crowd.

I still remember the first team building event that I assisted in. It was held in Holiday Villa Cherating and it was for the Honda CRD (whatever that meant, I never found out). I felt so small and inexperienced. Despite all the fears and doubts, I managed to sail through that weekend.

Throughout 2009, I went for quite a number of team building events and it was through these events that I began to learn more and more about what it means to be a trainer, especially in the areas of team building. All these experiences helped me in discovering my skills and talents which I never knew I had. To me, it was a period of great growth.

I think one of the most challenging experiences was when I was asked by a trainer to assist him in his program, to design and conduct an “Amazing Race” event for him. (Incidentally, that’s one of the skills that I discovered I had) It was the first time that I fully took on a whole session where I briefed and de briefed the participants. And I’m proud to say that I did well.

The other challenging event was when the Chief Coordinator of the RCIA of SFX PJ asked me to conduct a team building retreat for their facilitators. To do that means to incorporate spirituality and team building. I had sleepless nights over this program but finally managed to prepare and deliver the entire program. And based on the positive feedback of the facilitators, I was greatly relieved and really thanked God for the graces that He has bestowed on me to conduct this program.

It is now 1 year and 3 months since I started on this journey outside the confines of church environment. Someone once mentioned to me that I would experience more growth while in church employment. I found that the opposite is true. The one year plus has been a great journey so far. Never would I imagine the kind of experience that I have gone through.

The training industry has allowed me to grow in my confidence, my self esteem and to discover what I’m capable of. I’m not saying that I did not experience growth while I was working for the church. I know that I have grown while working in church. But the experience in the corporate world has helped me to expand my horizons and to grow more in maturity and mind and heart. Above all, I have come to discover the value of the person that I am.

As the song goes, “What a journey it has been”, I would say that, yes, it has been an incredibly wonderful journey. But like all journeys, there were and there will always be ups and downs. The thing is to never give up and to always hope in God, knowing and trusting that He is guiding me through this journey of life, along the path that will eventually lead to Him.

Forward, always forward...
Onward, always up...
Catching every drop of hope
In my empty cup

What a journey it has been
And the end is not in sight
But the stars are out tonight
and they're bound to guide my way

When they're shining on my life
I can see a better day
I won't let the darkness in,
what a journey it has been...

To Serve or To Be Served

In the Gospel of John, during the washing of the feet, Jesus told his disciples that just as he has washed their feet, they too must others’ feet. Jesus was telling them to serve others as they have been served. For many of us, we try to keep this command by serving others to the best of our ability. But what about being served?

Yesterday, I finished my reading of a book written by Paulo Coelho titled “The Devil and Miss Prym”. A very interesting book indeed, as all of his books are. In one of the stories told by one of its characters (a priest), his Bishop offered to serve everyone water after dinner. Everyone declined except the priest. Everyone present criticised the priest for accepting the Bishop’s offer. The Bishop, upon hearing this, then remarked, “You, who think you are holy men, were not humble enough to receive and so denied me the pleasure of giving.”

This hit me quite hard because I, too, am guilty of this. Very often, I “deny” others of the pleasure of serving me. I thought that by accepting the service of others, I would not be humble enough. After reading that line, I came to the realisation that I was wrong. Just like Peter, who refused Christ’s offer to wash his feet, I was refusing the service offered by others, who also wants to serve and to be served.

I also realised that what Jesus did to his disciples was something to be followed i.e. to serve and to be served. It goes both ways, not just one. We cannot just want to serve and not want to be served. We may think that we are being humble that way, but sadly, we are not. By refusing to let ourselves be served, we are actually saying “You’re not good enough to serve me.” Perhaps this is not our intention. But by refusing, we are unconsciously sending that message out.

To be true disciples of Christ, we must come to the awareness and realisation that we need to be served as well. Some may say that “Yes, I allow myself to be served, in restaurants etc.” I don’t mean that kind of serving. I’m referring to services rendered to us by our fellow Christians, our fellow pilgrims who are also on the same journey as we are.

The question is, do we have the courage, humility and wisdom to allow others to serve us? That is a question only we ourselves can answer.

Lent

As I write this, the Catholic Church is coming into the 4 Sunday of Lent. More than 3 weeks has passed since Lent began. To me, I wonder to myself where these 3 weeks or so went. This year, Lent passes me by as if it’s the maglev train in China. What happened to all the days of Lent? Where did it go?

I find myself asking these questions as I go through my everyday living. To be honest, I feel no connection to Lent most of the time and though I carry out my Lenten abstinence, it feels like an empty action, something that needs to be done rather than something that is voluntary.

Even during Mass and my private prayer time, I find myself getting distracted and my mind wanders away. And the worse thing is I do not feel that nagging feeling of guilt. It’s as if I’m just walking along aimlessly and not caring where I go or where I end up.

Although I have gone through many desert experience, I feel that this is one of the heaviest journey by far. That is perhaps why when a friend of mine sent me a song, the song touched me so that I listened to it over and over again. The melody and lyrics really spoke to my heart. (compliments to you Mousie, if you’re reading this

The last line of the chorus goes “Reveal yourself to me, I pray” This really struck my heart because I realise that I’m unable to feel God’s presence. I feel so empty. And the song became a prayer of sorts for me. The song title is “Keep Me Close”

I guess this is my prayer to God, to keep me close to Him. To help me not to lose sight of Him and to always trust Him and seek Him in all that I do. And above all, to really make the remaining days of Lent an opportunity to discover God’s love more and more.

Contentment

Many years ago, I came across a story on contentment. Once, a man came across an old man sitting in his rocking chair doing nothing. So this young man asked the old man, “Why are you sitting here doing nothing?” The old man answered, “What else is there to do?” “You could work the field and reap a huge harvest.” The old man then said, “And what happens after I harvest my crops?” The young man said, “Well, you can sell them and make money and then you can relax” The old man looked at the young man and said “Well, that’s what I’m doing now”

For many of us, we spend more than half of our lives chasing after so many things. One of the challenges that we face in this modern society is that we are constantly bombarded with tons of advertisements, each telling us what we should buy and what we should wear. In other words, modern society is telling us how to run our lives.

Because of this, we are rarely content with what we have. We always look to others to see what they have and wanting whatever others have for ourselves. This is especially apparent for the younger generation. Peer pressure affects the younger people very much, especially those in their teens and young adults.

Teens these days find opportunity to brag about what they have, a new IPod, new phone, where they study, new branded clothes, the list is endless. For many people, having new stuff and gadgets makes us look cool in the eyes of others. And this is the problem with modern society today.

I always tell people that I have no TV, no air cond, no fridge and they’ll say “What??” Personally I don’t see a big deal in having all those stuff. I have, after all, been living without them for nearly half of my life. One thing about life is that we can learn to live without certain things if we put our mind to it. And after awhile the urge to have something will go away. How, then, to stay contented with what we have?

One of the things that I discovered is that we need to be satisfied with what we have in the first place. To really appreciate the things that we have and no think of the things that we want. I’ll always remember a story of Aristotle (I think, or is it Plato?) walking through a market and saying to his disciple, “I’m amazed ay the many things that I do not need” I wonder how many of us can really say that out loud. We need to really open our eyes and see the many good things that we have around us; our family and friends, our health, our well being, the little things that make our lives meaningful.

We need to ask ourselves whether we would be happier if we had that new IPhone model, or a new 16Gb IPod Touch or a new pair of Nike shoes. All these things are nice to have in the beginning but after some time, the novelty of having them will wear off. Then we look for other things. Our sense of gratification will never be satisfied as long as we look for happiness in material objects.

To me, some of these things are essential, perhaps necessary, but I don’t think they’re worth dying or craved for. What’s important to me are friends that I have, the love of family members, good health and enough to spend on. Of course, I would be lying if I said I didn’t wish to strike the lottery or have a million bucks, but eventually these thoughts will just fade away. It fades away because it leaves me feeling rather empty. So for those of us who feel that their life would be more complete if they had this or that, please think again.

Christ has said that we cannot serve two masters; we will end up liking one and hating the other. Do we want to make the things that we have our master, or do we want to make Christ our master? That is for us to think through because only we can make that choice.