Holy trilogy! Halloween's what?!

Oh my, the Halloween season is coming, and like the Christmas season, Valentine's Day, and many other special days on the calendar, 31 Oct is fast becoming a time for the people at Orchard Road to make some money.

What is the first thing that comes to mind when 'Halloween' is mentioned? Sweets and Candy, Trick-or-treat and costumes are common symbols. Here in Singapore, where we are probably catching on the Halloween culture, we probably think of stuff like witches (and their magical brooms) and ghosts. Oh, and who could ever miss out the pumpkins with those triangular eyes and jagged smile!

But there's a deeper meaning into the festival than these things. Far from just being a time to scare your friends and treat each other to candy, Halloween actually has a connection with Christianity and the Church.

"Like, Hallow?"
For years I said "Halloween" before even thinking of what it really means. If I had put in the little effort to find out, or if I had someone tell me when I was young what the word meant, I think I would have grown up more aware of what I should be doing.

For starters, say two lines of the Lord's prayer in it's traditional language: "Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name." Tadaah! There it is!

Hallow means "to make holy; sanctify; consecrate", or "to honor as holy; consider sacred; venerate". We say "hallowed be Thy Name" because God's name is holy, because God's name should be made holy (don't utter it without purpose or for fun), and because God's Name should be revered as holy (Mt 6:9).

Roots
We in Singapore will find this familiar because we celebrate Hungry Ghost Festival. Halloween originated from a pagan festival in ancient tribes in places like Ireland, Wales and Scotland. Those people celebrated the festival of Samhain, Lord of the Dead.

Similar to the Chinese culture, pagan worshippers believed that the souls of the dead would return to mingle with the living. The purpose of wearing masks, costumes and have bonfires was to scare away those lingering evil spirits.

What's Church got to do with it?
In the mean time, in commemoration of the martyrs killed for their faith, the Church celebrated the feast of All Saints on 13 May. It was an appropriate time because it was during the season of joy after the Resurrection of Jesus.

In 835, Pope Gregory VI – through wisdom granted by God – deliberately changed the feast to 1 Nov. At important dates in the Church, the evening before would be dedicated for a vigil in preparation for the feast (think Christmas and Easter). All Saints' Day would the same. The night before the feast became known as 'All Hallow's Eve', or 'Holy Evening', eventually shortened to 'Halloween'.

Then around 1048, an influential abbot, St. Odilo of France, chose 2 Nov to commemorate those who had died. It was an understandably suitable date just after All Saints. The purpose of the feasts is to remember those who have died – both those who have been canonised by the Church as saints (1 Nov), and of all the souls of the departed (2 Nov).

"In the communion of saints, a 'perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. Between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things.' In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others... We also call these spiritual goods of the communion of saints the Church's treasury... In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission of the Father entrusted to them." (CCC #1475, 1476, 1477)

This is a good time to remind ourselves of the big picture: all Christians, alive or dead, are bound together in an everlasting relationship/covenant/communion with God, and with one another. We, the Church, are a "communion of saints" that makes up the body and family of God.

We've got another reason to be thankful now, because now we have a good reason to truly celebrate 'Halloween'. It is not a season to honour witches and ghosts, but a time to take another stab at being holy. Observe it the right way and we're that much closer to truly celebrate Hallow'een. In turn, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day will hold much more meaning.

Otherwise, we might as well celebrate hollow'een, because all our celebrations would be empty.



Halloween challenge

• Be holy: take courage, separate yourself from secular thinking and secular attitude, and try be what Christ wants you to be.
• Pray for all who have passed on: they have no one to pray for them – we are their intercessors! Come up with a list (whether its two people or 20, it doesn't matter), and say one decade of the Rosary for them.
• Share: Talk to friends about the roots of Halloween when the topic arises! It does not have to sound all theological, but even a simple "bet you didn't know that" type of conversation could make a difference! This is excellent opportunity to share your faith.

Happy Hallow'een to one and all!

- Updated 31 Jan 2007

References:

• CCC#1475: In the communion of saints, "a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things."86 In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin.
• CCC#1477: We also call these spiritual goods of the communion of saints the Church's treasury, which is "not the sum total of the material goods which have accumulated during the course of the centuries. On the contrary the 'treasury of the Church' is the infinite value, which can never be exhausted, which Christ's merits have before God. They were offered so that the whole of mankind could be set free from sin and attain communion with the Father. In Christ, the Redeemer himself, the satisfactions and merits of his Redemption exist and find their efficacy."
• CCC#1477: "This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission in the unity of the Mystical Body."

A new and perfect Jonah

Jesus, in the Gospel of Luke, says that His call is similar to Jonah’s: “For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation” (11:30).

The Old Testament is a fore-shadow of the New one. What the Old is missing, the New fulfills. Jesus would show us that He would be the perfect Jonah. Everything that Jonah fails to do well, Jesus does to perfection.

Jesus is always the perfect example. That’s why we are called to follow Jesus. And that is why we are called to invite Jesus into us every time we receive Holy Communion – because Jesus completes our very being. It is not us who are good, but Jesus in us who makes us good.

There are two direct hints in the Book of Jonah that gives clues to the future: First, Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the big fish (Jon 2:1). Jesus gets swallowed by death, into the tomb, before coming out victorious on Easter morning.

Secondly, right at the end of the Book of Jonah, God tells Jonah how much He loves Nineveh, a city of people “who cannot distinguish their right from their left” (Jon 4:11). Jesus repeats this at the end of His own mission, “Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk 23:34).

Apart from those direct clues, though, there are several events and choices to compare Jonah to Jesus:

Mission: Both Jonah and Jesus were commissioned to bring the Good News to save people who needed to be saved. So are we, actually. But Jonah and Jesus react differently to their mission. Which are we closer to?

Response: Upon reception of the news Jonah runs away from the task. Jesus, knowing He will end in death, walks right into death’s hands.

Sleeping in the storm: Both men were caught sleeping, Jonah in a ship (big and steady), Jesus in a boat (… a boat). But they sleep for very different reasons. Jesus is in control of the winds and waves (Mt 8:27), yet He is not asleep to avoid doing work, but probably because He had spent a whole day teaching and sharing, that it exhausted every bit of Him. Jonah had no control over anything, yet he slept, trying his best to ignore what was going on around him, even though he knew it was because of him that there was a storm (Jon 1:10).

Trust: Jonah definitely knew God and God’s voice. But he did not trust that God would take care of him. Jesus, knew God’s voice, but more importantly, responded by trusting Him every step of the way – right to His death.

In fear: Jonah slept or run away as far as He can, even though He acknowledged God as “the God of heaven, who made the sea and dry land” (Jon 1:9). Jesus, when scared responded by crying in His prayer, asking God to give Him strength to do what He needed to do (in the garden of Gethsemane).

Treatment from people: The sailors did not want to kill Jonah, even though Jonah asked them to throw him overboard. Many people were waiting for a chance to kill Jesus, so that they would retain their power and influence.

Conversion rate and speed: When Jonah reached Nineveh, he spent days preaching reluctantly, yet the people – Jonah’s enemies – listened and changed their ways. Jesus spent three years in His ministry with His closest apostles, and at the end of it, all but one would run away from Him.

Alignment with God: Jonah did what God wanted, but without the heart of God – he did not want Nineveh to be forgiven. Jesus, despite everything He went through, made forgiveness His last task before dying.

In our Christian journey in life, we are each called to follow Jesus’ example. When we think things are going tough for us (Jonah), we look to Christ and realise they aren’t half as bad as they can be. Jesus came to earth to show us that it can be done. And we must answer the call and learn to love as God loves.

We must be alert and never become too picky over our service to God. Last Saturday, when I was to do a presentation on Jonah, I found myself in the prophet’s shoes. I was so tempted to switch classes with one presenter because I knew that class better, and I felt very comfortable with them, and of course, also because my newly confirmed godchildren, Joel and Gerard (whom I always refer to as the twins), were there.

Of course, the temptation had nothing to do with the group I was assigned to (I actually did love sharing with them!), but my choice would have been obvious if I had been given one. But I wasn’t given a choice – that was a good thing!

But at the spur of the moment, I took things into my own hands: I tried to swap groups with a fellow presenter. Fortunately, within moments of asking for the swap, I woke up and realised my stupidity – “my am I choosing who to serve?!” In one moment I could have made – and almost did make – a physical (comfort zone) and a social (the twins) choice.

We all get tempted to choose for our own sakes. But when we decide to make a spiritual choice, we follow the perfect role model that Jesus is, and place God in the centre of all our work, we learn to take the attitude of the king in Nineveh, we try our best and leave everything else to God’s grace and God’s love: “Who knows” (Jon 3:9)?

Well, God does.

- Updated 1 Aug 2007

Jonah 4: God really cares... for our enemies!

Jonah chapter 3 showed that God's forgiveness is for everyone who is truly repentant.

The last portion of the book only gets more amazing. While Jonah praised God for showing mercy to him, he was not very happy with God's mercy on others. It's the ultimate show of selfish religion and selfish faith – wanting the best for ourselves but the worst for those we hate.

How many of us have been, at the very least, tempted to wish the worst for someone, or have sniggered when something goes wrong for someone we dislike? I am not exempt from the temptation too. Not that Jonah expected any less from God: "I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, rich in clemency, loathe to punish!" (Jon 4:2).

A plant and a worm
Jonah left the city when God questioned his right to be angry (4:4). The prophet sat where he could get a good view of the city, and waited to see destruction. It never came, so we can only imagine how long Jonah must have sat there in the sun, day after day.

God, of course, never lets a great lesson opportunity pass. He grew a plant over night, big enough to provide comfort and Jonah in the scorching day, making Jonah very happy. Then overnight, God took it away.

God went against the law of rewards here: that you work hard, be patient, and hope that everything falls in place for you.

Of course, the law is man-made by society and culture.

Jonah did nothing to earn the plant. He did not plant a seed. He did not water the soil; neither did he wait patiently for the plant to grow. There was no record of him even asking God to provide him with comfort (how could he anyway, since he surely knew he had evil in his heart while watching the city).

Yet, when God decided to take the plant away with nothing more than a worm, Jonah did an anti-Job (Job, of course, had everything taken away, but still praised God). Jonah begged God to let him die. Of course, once again, God shows mercy because Jonah obviously was talking nonsense.

But God reminded Jonah that if he felt sorry and frustrated over losing something he did not work to get, how much less could God care for Nineveh, which God Himself created?

Doesn't that sound familiar, the way we take things for granted? How we don't have to work for many of the things we get for free, yet get angry with God when it's taken away. But that's not the point here.

Going a level deeper, since God referred the big plant to the big city (4:10-11), we can now link Jonah to… the worm! The man was just like the worm, coming out of nowhere (he was in no position to judge anyone) to eat up the great plant! It was greedy, selfish and simply impossible to appreciate!

The book ends abruptly, so that we can draw our own conclusions. But for me, Jonah must have finally gotten the message now (which is funny, considering the fact that he's a prophet).

Sometimes we try to be like a little worm trying to destroy something God loves. But we have no right. Our call is to love and serve, that's all. If we have failed to do that in one way or another (and we all have), we must start evaluating ourselves and start to serve more fully and whole-heartedly, and selflessly.

There may be people in our lives we don't prefer. I have them. That's very human. But there's no reason to hate them, let alone want God to not forgive them for any wrong they might have done. The moment we place the judgment on these people in our lives, we place a judgment on ourselves and decline His forgiveness.

Let's acknowledge the fact that God loves our enemies. And that should be a sign of comfort for us because it is a measure of the distance His love and forgiveness go.

- Updated 1 Aug 2007

Jonah 3: The power of a repentant heart

Jonah 2 revealed God's mercy towards His own children. Even when we refuse to obey, God's patience is overwhelming.

Nothing short of miraculous, He sends a big fish to swallow Jonah. The prophet doesn't die. He praises God for saving him, and goes on to commit himself to God's task for him. When he does that, God instructs the fish to spit His prophet out. He fish obeys.

Still, making a choice to follow God is not simple. To be fair, unlike the fish, and the plants and the sea and the sky, we human beings have complete freedom and we have more control than we think. Somewhere along the line, we've allowed that control and freedom to rule over our hearts. And it is not uncommon to run away from the mission that God gives us. In chapter 3 of Jonah, we learn that God always gives second chances.

Another chance
How many of us have asked God for 'another chance'? Jonah doesn't, but God calls Jonah a second time anyway (3:1). In reality, if Jonah had said no, God would probably have asked a third, a fourth, a fifth time. He would probably have called Jonah over, and over, and over again.

Could God do without Jonah? Absolutely! Remember that even with Jonah's deliberate running from God, the Lord still easily worked His plan with the sailors. God's constant call for us (to live a life worthy of the Kingdom) is His mercy and love, in action! He never gives up on any one of us. Only we are guilty of giving up on ourselves.

It's at this point in the story that we encounter the Ninevites. Given our earlier little revelation about Assyria's power, the Ninevites look like pussycats here. Contrary to what we might think, Jonah at this point, still did not choose to serve God. Yes, he did go to Nineveh (3:3). And yes, he did agree on his own accord (2:10). But more than anything, he was still hoping for the city to be destroyed. When it was not destroyed, Jonah got angry.

Jonah served. But he sure didn't go because he wanted to bring God's love. He was still serving himself – quite possibly to avoid being eaten up again. Aren't we sometimes guilty of that ourselves – doing church work for every reason under the sun, except God?

Applaud the user, not the tool
Still, all he did was to go in and give the message. And amazingly, his enemies heard the message… and repented! Boy, was that easy! It took some sailors (who worshipped other gods), a storm and a fish to make Jonah do something half-heartedly, but it took a half-hearted man with God's message to help a city repent whole-heartedly. Clearly, it's not the instrument, but the player who is good. Give me a guitar and I could carry a tune. Give it to Mr Clapton and he will mesmerise you.

It's God's who always has the last word, isn't it? All that was required for a successful mission was the Message, and an open heart. The instrument was a mere medium used to get the Message across! And thank goodness the Ninevites listened without prejudice. A truly repentant person is always worthy of God's forgiveness.

True repentance never comes too late
It's fascinating to me that the king of the Ninevites did not feel offended that people were proclaiming a fast even before he knew anything – isn't it rude to proclaim something so serious without going through the government first?

Instead, when he heard about it, the king ruled for everyone to fast and repent. He himself did so, even though forgiveness from God was never guaranteed. Jonah's main message was not, "unless you repent…". The emphasis (in Jon 3:4) was: "40 days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed!"

Isn't that beautiful? We have so much to learn from these people! The king of Nineveh repented, knowing that he and his people's actions might have been in vain (3:9) – it might have been too late. But true repentance never comes too late.

- Updated 1 Aug 2007

Jonah 2: Mercy and love... in a fish belly

In Jonah 1, God sends Jonah to preach to Nineveh. Jonah decides not to answer the call. He runs in the opposite direction and buys himself a ship ride towards Tarshish. On the ship, he meets several sailors, who worship different gods. A storm comes along the way, and the gods these sailors are praying to have no answer. Jonah suggests that his God has the power to stop the ship, and that if he was thrown overboard, the storm would stop. When the sailors eventually did throw Jonah off, they were struck with awe by the power of the one true God.

Moving to Jonah 2, we see that God 'punishes' His prophet for His refusal to follow. In actual fact though, God is showing mercy and love. Mercy and love?! In a fish belly?! You'd be amazed; a fish belly is a great place to reflect in.

Time for reflection
The second chapter tells us that God sends a big fish to swallow Jonah. The interesting thing here is that at this, the lowest point for Jonah in this adventure is that Jonah did not reproach God. He didn't not beg for mercy, neither did he apologise profusely. Jonah explicitly and directly praised God for what had just happened, and went on to make a commitment to do what God wants.

It's ironic because this is probably the one time everyone else (including me, and probably you too) would have done the opposite! We might have begged God for forgiveness, or we might have hated God for this torture (imagine how it must smell in there!). We just got swallowed by a big fish!

But Jonah did not see the situation like that at all. What he saw – and what we all should see when the time of testing comes – was that things could have been much worse. He could have died in the waters! Jonah had just experienced the mercy and love of God, not punishment!

Isn't it true that in our roller-coaster life, most of us tend to forget God when we're flying high at our peak, and turn to Him when we're free-falling into the darkness of despair? Sometimes, allowing us to be thrown into despair, into the desert, into a fish belly, is God's only way of getting our attention.

Three days and three nights provided Jonah with time to think and turn to God. Working on G! Magazine has given me ample opportunities for these trying moments. And how He has helped me out time and again. That's the reason why I come out each issue feeling stronger. The interesting thing about comparing life to a roller-coaster is that we can appreciate that it's much easier to drop to the bottom than to climb to the top.

If and when we get into these dark moments, it's a good time to think and regroup.

How many times have we experienced a test and blamed God or have gotten angry with Him for the test? Are we synchronised enough with God to see that God gives us endless opportunities to change and improve? Do we need to change our perspective, and try to see things through God's eyes? We all get swallowed by things that are bigger than us. But these things might not be meant to destroy us; they are meant to help us grow closer to God.

Follow the fish
The other amazing thing in chapter two is the big fish. The fish obeyed God. Just as the wind, the sea and the sky did. Imagine this! A fish is more obedient that God's own prophet! Doesn't that say so much?!

We were created to be the kings of the universe, to be in charge here. We are given authority to rule, but it is easy to forget that it's God's authority and name we rule with! And how have we let this revelation of power take over our heads. Even animals listen to God.

- Updated 1 Aug 2007

Jonah 1: When God gives a mission, don't give your own version

The book of Jonah, while short simple to follow, contains a wealth of lessons for us Christians. It highlights God's love, forgiveness and mercy on those who love Him... and on those who don't!

We find several characters in this story who will play important roles in the story. God, of course, is the main man, as with all other books in the Bible. He calls His prophet, Jonah, who decides not to do what God wants.

Jonah runs away from the mission (literally in the opposite direction), and even pays to get on a ship to go someplace far. There, he meets some sailors, who worship other gods.

When God sends a storm, Jonah confesses that his disobedience is the cause of the storm, and the sailors eventually throw him off to save the ship from disaster.

Jonah gets swallowed by a big fish, where he prays. After three days, God tells the fish to spit Jonah out. Jonah finally goes into Nineveh and preaches. It is surprising that the Ninevites and their king respond positively, and repent.

After Jonah leaves, he finds a spot to sit, where he could watch the city of Nineveh (he was waiting for God to do something to the Ninevites).

Out of nothing, God puts a plant to protect Jonah from the heavy heat, which makes Jonah very happy. Only a day later, though, a worm destroys the plant, and Jonah gets angry. The story ends abruptly after God explains His mercy to Jonah.

While there are arguments that the story is fiction not to be taken as factual, it is completely possible that these things happened. Jonah was a real person – and a real prophet who spoke on God’s behalf – who really did exist.

In the second book of Kings, Jonah gave God’s word to Jeroboam II, who listened, and “recovered the territories of Israel between Lebo-hamath and the Dead Sea, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had promised…” (2 Kings 14:25).

Jonah must have also been quite a popular figure. In the New Testament, Jesus Himself compares Himself to the prophet (Mt 12:38-41).

What is it about Jonah that he deserves four chapters, one book, in the Bible? What can these four chapters, 47 verses in all, do for us, who live in today’s society? Maybe you, like I did, think you know the story, but a closer look will prove that this ocean is deeper than we thought.

God gives the mission, don’t give your own version
God gives Jonah a mission: to preach to the people of Nineveh (in Assyria). It was obviously not something out of Jonah’s prophetic calling. He was pretty good at his vocation. Why did he run away then? It was not because he didn’t love God. It was because he loved himself more than he loved God. He decided (and overruled God’s choice along the way) that the Ninevites did not deserve forgiveness. Assyria was the dominant power of those days, threatening to overpower Israel – it was pointless to forgive people who were rooted in evil and hungry for world dominance.

It was only natural that Jonah would have wanted them destroyed so that his own life may be spared. Furthermore, if the people of Israel had heard about Jonah going to preach and save the Ninevites, what would they have thought of him and what would they have done to him? Lastly, it is not logical the Ninevites would listen to an Israelite preach repentance. Oh yes, Jonah loved God. He just loved himself more.

Like many of us would today, Jonah had talent and was gifted, but he preferred to choose how he would serve God and who he would preach to. We also tend to forget that, some times – many times – God wants to use us to help our enemies! We also tend to walk away from trouble, from difficulty, from His mission.

Through his experience, he would experience several types of people who would reveal a little more to us, about discipleship and conversion.

The gods must be crazy
The first group of people he encountered while running away was an interesting bunch. These were sailors on the ship who worshipped “their own gods” (Jon 2:5). They obviously did not belong to the one true God of Israel. When the storm comes (thank you, Jonah), they start to offload their items into the waters and praying to their own gods.

They were probably praying to the god of the waters, and to the god of the sky, and the god of the winds! Wouldn’t this be such a slap in the face for these ‘gods’? They are ‘in-charge’ of the section, but they had absolutely no power over it. Are we guilty of worshipping other gods? Grades, money, friends make up a little of our happiness, but they have little power compared to God.

We know that Jonah was “fast asleep” (Jon 1:5), but was it because he was tired? It wasn’t logical at all! The waters were choppy; the ship was violently shaking to a “point of breaking up” (Jon 1:4). Anyone who could sleep though that, would be dead (in every sense of the word! He was trying to ignore the problems he had caused. He was still trying to “run away” from it. Are we asleep in our faith – do we sleep away during mass? Have we been caught not know why we do certain things in church? Is there someone we are being called to reach, but like Jonah, we’re refusing, for one excuse or another?

Here’s the thing about the sailors: when he finally confessed, Jonah suggested being thrown overboard so that the ship would stabilise. What did the sailors do? Many of us would see that they did. But read it carefully, and we’ll realise that they did not want to do it; they were extremely reluctant: “Still, the men rowed hard…” (Jon 1:13).

Killing a man was their last resort! We begin to appreciate this when we remember that these were not “God’s people”. Jonah, who was a prophet and close friend of God’s, couldn’t wait to kill the Ninevites (indirectly), for pathetic reasons, but here we had the sailors who had very good and valid reason to kill, but did not want to. Perhaps we are guilty of being less Christ-like than people who don’t even know Christ?

Jonah described God as “the [One] who made the sea and the dry land” (Jon 1:9). And when he chose to run, he ran to… the sea. The very place God created and had every power over. Aren’t we all guilty of lip-service sometimes? We proclaim Jesus as Lord of our lives, but we try to control everything in our lives.

Still, even when Jonah was in total disobedience, God used his life. When the storm died off, the sailors were “struck with great awe” (Jon 1:16). It is not definitive, but there are clues that point to the sailor’s acceptance and conversion.

They “offered sacrifice” and “made vows” (Jon 1:16) to God. Such is the power of the Lord we serve, that He is able to use someone useless and unwilling positively. How awesome is our God. Poor ‘gods’ of the sea, sky and wind. They sure lost some fans there.

- Updated 20 Jul 2007

Get involved in church or get the grades?

I know that between my life and God’s work, the latter is much more important. But between God’s work and studies (to play my part as a student), which is more important?

This is a matter of balance, really. There are two key questions we all need to ask ourselves when it comes to balancing our lives across the various roles we each have to play. The first question is: why do I do church work? The second is: why do I study? The reasons that drive us in our lives play an extremely important role in our perspective.

Of course God’s work is extremely important, but they’re not very different to begin with. In a very big way, your studies are part of doing God’s work – it is your offering to Him! If you do well in school, God can be glorified.

The problem lies in the reason for getting good grades. Many students study hard to get into a good Junior College or a great Diploma course, work towards a degree, so that they can get a job that pays well, in order to get lots of money. They are driven by ‘financial freedom’. That's not a bad reason to do well in school, but it should never be the number one reason.

As Christians, we should be motivated by far more than that. God reminds us to see the big picture when we plan our lives: “Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt 6:33).

If that’s our perspective, when we do well at work or in school, God is glorified, because all “may see your deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:16). Our study and our work can be and should be driven by God and by the love for God.

With the very same breath, we must not be overly indulgent in our secular life. Service in church is just as important. In church, we join the rest of God’s family for a common purpose – to grow and to give.

Let’s face it, life is not easy. We are each one person, but never just one role. In one lifetime, we are a son/daughter, a brother/sister, a cousin, a student, a teacher, a friend, a father/mother. We get more roles with age! Everything must be balanced out. The most important thing is that we must each live our roles under the one most important role we each: as a child who belongs to God. This means every other role we play, every task you do, we should do for God.

If you are not in a church ministry, I’d suggest you join one. Being in a church group is important because it gives us a community to belong to. We have, in the group members, new channels through which we can share our thoughts, feelings, uncertainties and joy. Being in a group reminds us that we were never meant to be many individuals in a church – we are called to be one holy, apostolic community.

The Book of Proverbs tells us that “the horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the Lord” (21:31). Ultimately, we must firstly acknowledge God’s role in our lives, do our very best for Him in everything we do, and then leave the outcome to Him.

- Updated 8 Jul 2007

For the man (focused) on a mission

This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of St. John The Baptist (JTB). Isaiah proclaims the mission of the man who would baptise Jesus:

"You are my servant, he said to me,
Israel, through whom I show my glory...
Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God...
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."
- Is 49:3-4,6 (NAB)

When JTB's story finally comes in the Gospels, and people were starting to talk about him being the promised saviour, he made it clear that he himself is not the Messiah, that instead he was just "a voice of one crying in the wilderness" (Lk 3:4, RSV-CE2). And when he eventually saw Jesus, he did not react out of worry and jealousy, "Darn! Now my disciples will leave me". In fact, he stood and welcomed, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world" (Jn 1:29). JTB had always been very focused on his mission in life - to being people to God, and to point the way to Jesus.

The celebration of the Solemnity is inserted wisely this week to break the flow. But, I don't think it is for the sake of highlighting JTB's birth and mission. The occasion should help us look ahead and realise that we're six months away from the real big news: the birth of Jesus. It provides a good opportunity to to take stock of the distance - or the lack thereof - we have come since the last Christmas.

Have we been the "voice" of/for God, sharing and proclaiming His love for us all? We don't have to stand in the streets to preach. Never mind if we don't know Scriptures well. Never mind if we don't know our traditions at the tip of our fingers. Have we made the little effort to affirm and praise God for the little good we do in our lives? Whenever we do something nice for someone, and they thank us, do we simply accept, or do we make the effort to go a little more, and affirm that it is God working through us?

Isaiah's prophecy surely is a message for us too. God was to use us, His servants, to show His glory. He wants to use us as light for all the nations. We are called to be JTB's in our own little worlds - to show the way to God. Have we responded? All we need to do is try hard - I mean honestly, try hard. And none of our efforts will be wasted.

That has been something I've had to grapple with all my years in ministry, this working in vain. But God has been kind to remind me that "though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength," my reward is God. And I cannot testify strongly enough that my relationship with Him has soared each time I've related my disappointments to His; I've gotten closer to Him each time I shared my betrayals with His. It has given me strength to keep going, regardless of my own feelings.

"You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and inheritance" (Nm 18:20). Indeed, our reward will be God Himself. I can't think of a better prize.

Try. Start today. And claim your reward.

- Updated 13 Jul 2007

More than just a number

Youth is not always defined by age.


It won’t be surprising the very mention of ‘youth’ will make many parishioners sit up and say, “Yes, we have a dynamic movement here at Christ the King”. Having been heavily involved with youth ministry for all my teenage years, I’ve personally heard many church-goers – from CTK and also from other parishes – complimenting the kind of young people we have here. I’ve been guilty of doing so a few times myself!

It’s no exaggeration that the youth movement in CTK has had a colourful and decorated history. Since it started in the early 1990s, our youths have come a long way, with the number of youth ministries hitting 11 at one point. For the record, no other parish has come remotely close to this number of groups. Indeed, God has blessed us in CTK with young diligent workers for His Kingdom.

Ready to be used
The Bible has accounts of young people who have followed the way of God closely. And while many of them are not perfect, we can easily see why they are remembered in Scripture, and why they make good examples for us all.

One person who comes to mind almost immediately is our Blessed Mother Mary. When we place ourselves in her story (Lk 1:26-38), we begin to comprehend what she had to go through as a teenager. To have an angel appear in front of us might be enough to shock us stone cold. But more than that, she had to hear shocking news that she was going to give birth (never mind that it was God Himself who would be her son’s Father).

Then she had a decision to make.

In our culture today, a 15-year-old who walks into school one day big bellied, will be stared at by friends, condemned as silly by teachers, and even sent for counselling. That’s bad. But in those days, it was even worse! Pre-marital intimacy was taken a lot more seriously then. News of her pregnancy might have been enough to get her banned from any worship service. It might have even have warranted death by stoning.

“Woah. Are you crazy, angel Gabe? I have a whole life ahead of me, you know?” would have been my reaction. Thank goodness I’m not Mary. Her decision to be available for God was pivotal in our salvation. She would go through months of staring and gossip before giving birth in a measly stable. We won’t even go to the part where she watches Him die.

Another example was Joseph (not to be mistaken as Mary’s betrothed), of Technicolor Dreamcoat fame. He was the eleventh son of Jacob, and was despised by his brothers for his apparent arrogance. Of course, when we read the stories about his dreams and his attitude, we know that was not true. In fact, it was quite the opposite. After he was sold to the Egyptians, and wrongly put in jail, he continued to stay close to God, giving the Father glory for his own good deeds (Gn 37, 39-45).

Here’s how a writer of Days Of Our Lives would have plotted Joseph’s life: After all he goes through, Joseph comes out the most successful of the 12 brothers. Upon meeting them, he gives them a tongue-lashing and throws them into the streets.

But Joseph was not like that. Instead, seeing his brothers in need many years after what they did to him, Joseph welcomed them into his house with open arms.

Compare Mary’s and Joseph’s behaviour with 80-year-old Moses, who repeatedly refused to work for God (Ex 3-4), and the apostle Peter’s constant superficial bragging before his Pentecostal experience (Mt 26:33-34), and you’ll see quite plainly that we have a bit to learn from the youths in the Bible.

Not restricted by age
Still, to define youth strictly based on age will do the very meaning of the word much injustice. A dictionary will define ‘youth’ as ‘the condition of being young’ or ‘an early period of development’. To say that Mary and Joseph, among many other young people in Scripture, acted out of their age would be silly. ‘Youth’ also means ‘[to have] the appearance, freshness, vigour [and] spirit’ of one who is young. Being youthful is more than a number – it’s to have the characteristics of someone who is young. And there are many youthful, though not necessarily young, people who were obedient to the Lord, and close to God as well. Abraham (Gn 22), Noah (Gn 6:9), Job (Jb 1-2), Joshua and Caleb (Nm 32:12), just to name a few, were all enthusiastically loyal and faithful to God.

A call to youthfulness
We are all called to youthfulness in our lives as Christians as well. Just as defined, we need to approach our faith with freshness and enthusiasm. How many of us talk about God so much that it would surprise people if we didn’t talk about Him for a day? In fact, many of us are guilty of talking too little about God, that people don’t even know we’re Christians!

We also need to be ready to spend time and effort, and be vigorous in our evangelisation. Most of us put in aggressive effort in our studies so that we can bag the A’s. Just as many of us work hard, overtime even, to get that promotion and bonus. That’s all very good. But why are we not working hard for our place with God? It’s clear we love our grades and our pay cheque. Is it clear that we love God?

When we look at new Christians or returning Catholics, we see good examples of youthfulness in faith. The desire of these ‘young’ Catholics to be part of the church is commendable. When I got confirmed, I had the desire to attend mass every day. I had the urge to be with Christ. The desire never died, but I must confess that a year later, I wasn’t intending to attend mass every day anymore. I know many newly baptised and newly confirmed Catholics who share the same experience. Maybe you do too.

Perhaps what we need is to think of ourselves as ‘baby’ Catholics again. Like we’ve just joined the Church, and we don’t know anything. We need to look forward to talking about our faith and attending every event there is to attend, so that we can constantly learn more about our faith, and bind ourselves closer to the community. We have to have ‘the appearance, freshness, vigour [and] spirit’ of those who are young, or new, in the Church. We need to treat our faith like a long journey, with the attitude of “we’ve only just begun”.

Time for action
To begin with, we could read the Word of God regularly, and understand it. Some might say that’s the job of the priests, but that could not be further from the truth. It takes more time than many think, but it is possible for even lay Christians to understand what God wants for us. It’s not right to say, “I pray in my own words every day, and that’s enough”, because as St. Jerome puts it, “ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ”.

We could also share our faith more with the people around us. Of course, that would also mean we’ll have to live by the example of Jesus. Start by smiling at the neighbour, and saying “thank you” when the bus driver waits for you. There is no better way to show our gratitude to the Father, than to love others around us so much, that people start to take notice of our behaviour. Acting out of love is an effective way of glorifying God.

James’ letter makes it clear that our faith in God must be demonstrated:

“What good is it … if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (2:14-18).

The truth is prayer cannot stand without action. In order to live fully in God’s ways, we also need to be part of the Body of Christ – the Church.

In CTK, we’re blessed to have many communities to share in. There are plenty of roles for every believer in church. Even for those who lead busy lives, there are Bible studies, worship sessions, spiritual talks and social events open to all. We have no excuse to say that we have no opportunity to serve and share.

“Confirmed! Chopped! Guaranteed!”
Last month, 68 teenagers received the sacred sacrament of confirmation. At every confirmation I attend, I evaluate my own journey of faith as the confirmands start theirs. It might be useful for all of us to see where we each stand in our faith too. The church teaches that “by Confirmation … those who are anointed share more completely in the mission of Jesus Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit with which he is filled, so that their lives may give off ‘the aroma of Christ’” (CCC#1294).

Confirmation is God’s blessing on us, but it is also our agreement to share in Jesus’ mission for all Christians to “go and make disciples of all the nations” (Mt 28:19). It means we “advance toward the perfection of charity” (CCC#1212), giving not just money to the poor, but, perhaps more importantly, giving our time to God – to learn about and to understand the Word of God, to pass on what we learn from the Church to those around us. We need to do this both in church (participating in activities, community prayer and holy mass) and outside the church (spending quality time in prayer and making a conscious effort to love all around us).

When we see how the examples in the Bible have lived their lives, and start to fully see how youthfulness really encompasses freshness and enthusiasm, vigour and spirit, we see clearly, that youth goes far beyond the number of years we have lived. More importantly, it is defined by our attitude towards our faith and in our works for God.

- Updated 12 Jul 2007

References:

• CCC#1294: "Anointing with oil has all these meanings in the sacramental life. The pre- baptismal anointing with the oil of catechumens signifies cleansing and strengthening; the anointing of the sick expresses healing and comfort. The post- baptismal anointing with sacred chrism in Confirmation and ordination is the sign of consecration. By Confirmation Christians, that is, those who are anointed, share more completely in the mission of Jesus Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit with which he is filled, so that their lives may give off 'the aroma of Christ'."
• CCC#1212: "The sacraments of Christian initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist - lay the foundations of every Christian life. "The sharing in the divine nature given to men through the grace of Christ bears a certain likeness to the origin, development, and nourishing of natural life. The faithful are born anew by Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life. By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation, they thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity."

Mass understanding, mass appreciation (Book review: We worship: a guide to the Catholic Mass)

If you've been attending Mass all your life, but haven't experienced Jesus' presence all these years, you're not alone. Neither are you, if you've been guilty of treating the Mass as mere obligation.

The irony is that the Mass was never meant to be a burden. Rather, it has always been meant to help unite us with Jesus and the community of Catholics around the world!

In We worship: a guide to the Catholic Mass, Fr Oscar Lukefahr, C.M., a religious educator with over 40 years of experience, describes the Mass as a ritual, and compares it to the ritual of a baseball game: "Those who understand the rules and the rituals of baseball can have a great time at the game. Those who don't know baseball, on the other hand, will likely experience much confusion."

In a light-hearted, simple-to-read manner, Lukefahr gives good reasons to attend Mass, as well as a brief history showing how the Mass we celebrate goes way back to Jesus' time. He also takes a step-by-step walkthrough of the Mass, explaining along the way the significance of each part.

He also gives practical suggestions for participation at Mass in order to get more out of it, and then reveals why the Eucharist is key to the Mass, and the centre of all other sacraments of the Church (CCC# 1324).

To add value to the read, questions for reflections and activities for personal growth at the end of each chapter will help keep us engaged. A full chapter is devoted to addressing Frequently Asked Questions, which will likely satisfy most, if not all, of your own curiosity.

Not once during the read was I tempted to put the book down as dull or boring. In fact, the further I read, the more I wanted to know! Lukefahr provides a refreshing perspective on the Mass we attend each week, and promises to help the reader with the open heart to experience more fully the meaning of the Mass and the Eucharist.

For Catholics who want to deepen their knowledge on the Mass, or those who have lost the meaning of it, or those simply never understood it, We worship: a guide to the Catholic Mass makes a good read to help you appreciate and love the weekly hour-long devotion as the pinnacle of Christian prayer, where we come in full union with Jesus and the Church.



Book review: We worship: a guide to the Catholic Mass
Author: Fr Oscar Lukefahr, C.M.
Publisher: Liguori Publications
Year of publication: 2004

This review can also be found on Amazon.com and was published in G! Magazine, the official community magazine of the Church of Christ The King, Singapore, in July 2007.

'Appropriate dressing' for adoration?

One evening I was in church for a group meeting. Realising I was early, I wanted to go to the adoration room to spend some time with Jesus. However, I was wearing shorts. I have always believed that when we go for mass, we should dress well (not in shorts or spaghetti straps for ladies) for mass because it is a form of respect for God as we enter into His house. Since we need to dress appropriately when we attend mass, can we enter the adoration room if we are not dressed appropriately?

Thanks for the question. It’s nice to know you make efforts to dress well for mass. First of all, let me assure you that you can enter church even in shorts. There is no rule in the Church that bans worshipers from entering because they are dressed poorly. If there is any ‘rule’, it is an unwritten one.

Let’s look at what the key issue is here. The core of this unwritten rule is simply to pay reverence to the Lord. Jesus is Saviour and King. When we enter God’s house (no less), it is only right we dress appropriately.

Think about this: we’ll never enter the home of our President or of President George Bush without dressing up. At mass, we are entering the presence and the home of God! Surely it makes sense to dress well, as you correctly pointed out. We’re also keen on dressing well when we attend wedding banquets. Yet, every weekend, we attend a Eucharistic Banquet, higher than any other banquet. Why should we slacken?

There is an argument that will tell us: the Lord loves you the way you are. He will accept you even if you came in dirty and dressed badly. That’s true. Jn 15 tells us that Jesus the King indeed treats His servants (that’s you and me) as friends. Yet, true servants will never be overly informal to the point of disrespect.

If you treat your domestic help as part of the family – maybe by allowing her to eat with you at your table – she would still never dare to lie on your bed, or switch the TV channel when you are watching it. Even though you treat her as family, she still understands there is a certain level of respect between the two of you. Similarly, while God allows us to be friends with Him, we must ourselves pay due reverence.

Based on the above logic, then, it is easy to see how the same applies for visits to adoration room. There, we have the chance to experience the majestic presence of Jesus. It is only right that we dress appropriately when going in. That’s also why it’s important to be quiet and respectful when we’re in the prayer room.

That being said, we must be careful not to let the etiquette or the law get over our love for God. There will be times (particularly on weekdays) where you have no intention to attend mass or to go to church, but suddenly feel the need or desire to. If you’re dressed inappropriately then, and you have no chance of going home to dress up, you should not stop yourself from going to church, because laziness has not caused you to dress inappropriately. If you intend to go for mass or the adoration room, make the effort to dress appropriately.

It’s important to understand that we follow the law because we love God, we don’t love God because we’re following the law.

- Updated 9 Apr 2007

Confession of sins

I was reading my Bible and I came across Lk 7:36-48 (Jesus’ feet are anointed by a sinful woman). The story helped me understand that Jesus will forgive my sins, no matter how bad they are, if we really repent and if we want to change for the better. However, if God forgives all our sins, why do we even need to go for confession? Why should I go to a priest to confess when I can confess to God directly?

That’s a good question, which many people may have, but dare not ask. Your asking is a sign of trying to understand your faith and tradition. That’s good! There are several reasons for the need to confess our sins regularly.

Firstly, the priest is a representative of God in the community of believers. In the Church, many rituals are done with an appointed mediator. In Matthew’s gospel, God empowered St Peter, our first pope – he was just a man – to forgive sins. Jesus said to him, “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (16:19). In Jn 20:23, Jesus is more explicit: “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven”.

Next, we need to understand that God does not need our confession; we do. Whenever we commit a sin, our first response should be to appeal to God for mercy and forgiveness, not because He doesn’t already know. He’s God! God is omnipresent - this means He is everywhere. Whether we confess within ourselves or to a priest, we are not telling Him anything that He doesn’t already know. Rather, we are acknowledging our own sin and taking responsibility for our actions. We are the ones who need to confess. Sometimes we do something terrible and don’t realise how bad it is until we voice it out. That’s human. Confession serves as a reminder of our weakness, and helps us see a need to change. God’s gift of the forgiveness of sins is tailored to meet our needs.

Thirdly, we need to shame the devil that lives in us. The Lord spoke through Isaiah: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (55:8), and again through Jeremiah: “The [human] heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure...” (17:9).

While God created us perfect and pure, in His image and likeness, original sin has made sin a big part of our human nature – it has become our inclination, to sin (CCC#405). That’s why it’s dangerous to follow what the world encourages: “Be yourself. Don’t care what people think.” We don’t, in fact, belong to ourselves. Jesus came to us, gave His life up to redeem ours. We were purchased by His body and blood, and thus belong to Him. We must stop doing what we think is right and start doing what God thinks is right.

It might be worth noticing we don’t usually question the need for priests for Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Matrimony, Holy Orders, or even the Anointing of the Sick? But we seem to be extra cautious over the need for a human mediator in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Why? Because it hurts our pride! Understandably, confessing our sins to another human being is difficult, and often embarrassing. Part of the power of sacramental reconciliation is that it makes us shame the evil one (provided we confess honestly). More importantly, regular confession keeps us humble before God.

Lastly, we can take consolation in the fact that confession frees us from the slavery of sin. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9). Can you begin to see the beauty in the idea of confession? Confession is a gift; it helps us become aware of our failures as humans, and plays a vital role in freeing us from the trap of sin. Confession is done for our good, not for God’s good! When you go for your next confession, be 100% honest. Confess wholeheartedly and be truly remorseful for your sins. You will come out feeling a load lighter, and ready to love the Lord fully again!

- Updated 8 Apr 2007

References:

• CCC#405: "Although it is proper to each individual, original sin does not have the character of a personal fault in any of Adam's descendants. It is a deprivation of original holiness and justice, but human nature has not been totally corrupted: it is wounded in the natural powers proper to it, subject to ignorance, suffering and the dominion of death, and inclined to sin - an inclination to evil that is called concupiscence". Baptism, by imparting the life of Christ's grace, erases original sin and turns a man back towards God, but the consequences for nature, weakened and inclined to evil, persist in man and summon him to spiritual battle."