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
Saturday, 23 June 2007
Friday, 22 June 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:
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."
Monday, 11 June 2007
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.
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.
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