O3: The Last O3session

Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel

2012-02-27T17:09:00.019+08:00

In Jesus' discourse about the end times, Pope Benedict points out that before the end of time would come, the Gospel would need to be brought to the Gentiles. Luke's account brings this out:

For great distress shall be upon the earth and wrath upon this people; they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. - Luke 21:23-24

The Gentiles, at the time of Jesus, referred to anyone who wasn't a Jew; in other words, anyone from all the other nations. In this regard, Matthew and Mark both also point out the necessity of the spread of the Gospel to the gentiles. Matthew's Gospel records that "this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come" (24:14), while the Gospel of Mark indicates: "The gospel must first be preached to all nations" (13:10). Paul later confirmed it in his time: "A hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in, and so all Israel will be saved" (Rm 11:25-26).

My first thought is that in a world that we live in today – a world that is desperately trying to find ways for the world to never end – would it be that their answer would simply be: "The gentiles have to be preached to first? Good! Then if we don't preach this Gospel, the world would never end!" But the Apostles never saw it that way. They understood the message of Jesus. And if we did, we would want to speed up the end of time too.

Think about it: a place where joy is everlasting and life never ends, torment never near and suffering a thing of the past. You would choose this current state of our sad world only on the condition that you don't really believe Jesus and therefore cannot take him for his words. Anyone who buys into that idea entirely, would do anything it takes to speed this up!

(All this can be taken the wrong way, so let me put it on record. This desire to speed up to the end of time cannot possibly be by means of violence and terror. We had seen in an earlier reflection that this was not Jesus' way (his was was willing sacrifice, as exemplified by his death on the cross). Using means that is against God's ways to achieve God's promise sounds silly, even on a superficial level. We cannot contradict God's ways and goals.)

Furthermore, anyone who's been told about this better place would want their gentile friends to know that they've been invited too! This only speeds up the urgency of Christians to bring the Gospel to all the nations. That's why Paul's declared upon himself in first letter to the Corinthians: "Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!" (9:16). All this goes against the veiled timid excuse that "my faith is my faith ... I don't want to impose on my friends ... I don't want to be preachy", and so on. God is not asking you to merely preach the Gospel, but to live it!

From the Apostles' point of view, this was a mission. If you want the world's destiny to be achieved, you must preach the Gospel of Christ to all nations. This mission was amplified by the Church as she took the initiative last year to organise a "Courtyard for the Gentiles" where she invited young atheists and non-believers to a dialogue, discussing beliefs and faith. In the mind of many, this was a disaster recipe. Why would atheists give two hoots what the Catholic Pope, the "vicar" of this "Christ", was inviting them to? Yet, the event took place, and dialogue took place in a respectful manner. To be honest, of all the many great things the Church did last year, I was most impressed and moved by the "Courtyard of the Gentiles". It motivated me to bring the faith I have immersed myself fully into, to my non-believer friends.

As we observe Lent, we try to grow closer in oneness with our Lord. But this closeness cannot only be a "personal" thing. If we take our Lord's message in full, we have to understand that we, as humanity, are children of the God who made us. We must take it upon ourselves to bring the light of faith to all our friends, perhaps first to our fellow Christians who are weak in the faith, but eventually to those who do not even believe in Christ.

If we believe in Jesus, we will believe his words and his promises. And if we believe in his words and his promises, we will desire to share it with those around us. We are otherwise not being real friends at all. Here are three rhetorical questions that should spur you into action: Do you know someone who doesn't know/understand Christ? Do you know someone who would like to have what Jesus promised? Do you know someone who you are sure Jesus wants to be with?

The answers are the same as Christ's invitation for us to "Go ... make disciples of all nations, baptizing 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" (Mt 28:19-20): Yes. Yes. And Yes.

Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!

Jesus, the point of meeting between God and man

2012-02-26T11:33:00.007+08:00

In his study of Jesus’ eschatological discourse, the Pope discusses the end of the Temple. Of course, as history has it, the Jewish temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed in 70AD, just as Jesus had foretold in his time on earth. This destruction was definitive; efforts to restore it, as the temple was successfully restored after two previous destructions, was this time unsuccessful. Today, only the famous Western Wailing Wall remains, for pilgrims to visit, and particularly for Jews to mourn the loss of the temple. Joo and I had the privilege of visiting the Wailing Wall, and like the pilgrims, placed our palm and head against the wall, and I remember praying for the unity of all of God’s people.

I felt for the Jews, but I don’t think I would fully understand how they feel. The temple was, after all, the key element to their worship of God. As Benedict pointed out: “[For the Jews], God, who had set down his name in the temple, and thus in a mysterious way dwelt within it, had now lost his dwelling place on earth. What had become of the Covenant? What had become of the promise?” It was like their whole world crumbled. One can understand why this was like the end of the world for them.

Yet, that was precisely Jesus’ message. He loved the temple and happily taught in it. Yet, the age of this temple had come to a close, and a new Temple, a new place of worship, a new venue for people to meet God, was to come.

The main purpose of the temple was for sacrifices to be made to God, for the expiation of the sins of the people. The sacrifices came from from way back, in the time of Moses. Then, the place where God had dwelt was the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered by kapporet (Hebrew). Once a year, a bull would be killed as a sin-offering to God on this day, and its blood would be sprinkled on this covering. This was, I believe – and I may stand to be corrected, for my shallow knowledge of Jewish festivals – to atone for the Israelites’ worship of the golden calf when Moses had gone to receive the commandments from God (Ex 32:4) (perhaps thus a the offering of a bull’s blood). The idea was that the sins of all would be absorbed by the blood of the victim. The blood touches divinity (God) and brings atonement.

The Greek word for the covering (Hebrew: kapporet) is hilasterion, which in turn translates to simply, “expiation” in English. Paul used this very term, hilasterion, to describe Jesus: “Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation (Greek: hilasterion, Hebrew Kapporet) by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins” (Rm 3:23-25). For us Christians, Jesus’ blood is now the one that brings us reconciliation with God. According to Paul, Jesus is the hilasterion, the seal of the Ark of the Covenant. Indeed, Jesus is the very presence of God. For this reason, sad as we may be for the Jews, the destruction of the temple did not affect the earliest Christians’ way of worship, because for them, they had already started to worship at the New Temple.

Today, in every single Catholic Church, the very presence of God resides. No other church I know of even claims to have the physical presence of Jesus. Through our Eucharistic Lord, we have God’s presence in the holy places. It’s hard for us to imagine and believe God to be present in “that piece of host”, but people had as much difficulty believing that God would be present in a man, who could get tired and hungry; this was simply impossible for some of the Jews. Christians openly declare Jesus, a man who lived and breathed on our green earth, to be God Himself. It is equally possible for God to take the form of Bread. Jesus is the meeting place, the point where God and man connects. He came as a man two thousand years ago, but remains as Living Bread today.

May we always remember his presence with us this day. May we never be too proud to say that God cannot do this or that, but take into serious consideration his words and his life. May Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection be fruitful in our lives today, as we strive to be one with him, ho brings God to us.

Is your temple a house forsaken?

2012-02-25T15:26:00.003+08:00

Chapter 2 of Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection is entitled Jesus' Eschatological Discourse. Eschatology is the reference to the last things (from the Greek eskhatos, which mean "last, furthest, uttermost, extreme, most remote". In Catholic circles, eschatology encompasses the quartet of death, judgment, heaven and hell (we will all get three of the four). After the introduction of Jesus' entrance to Jerusalem, and the cleansing of the temple, "he taught" (Mk 11:17). And this seems to be a right time to go in the direction of Jesus' words on the end times.

Our Lord had already spoken of the destruction of the temple in a strikingly accurate prophecy: "You see all these [buildings of the temple], do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down ... Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all these things take place" (Mt 24:2,34).

Why did Jesus call down such a curse on the temple and on Jerusalem? Why such anger? Why such hatred? It would be easy for us to see a resentful and unforgiving Jesus, but we know that can't be the case. Not merely because we have been told that Jesus loves us all. But his own words and actions tell us he did not hate Jerusalem or the temple. As I had reflected yesterday, he predicted the destruction of the temple (his body), but it would not be him to destroy it. It would be the people who made the place a den of robbers.

The Pope brought another saying of Jesus in the same theme, taken from Matthew 23 and Luke 13, that would further show us he did not hate Jerusalem. This is the short line I will reflect on today:

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate." - Matthew 23:37-38

Far from hatred, Jesus refers to himself as the protective mother-bird that extends its wings to protect the little ones. Benedict points out that this image comes from the Old Testament. God "found [Jacob] in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, the LORD alone did lead him" (Deut 32:10-12). Further allusions to the mother bird came from Psalm 36 ("How precious is thy steadfast love, O God! The children of men take refuge in the shadow of thy wings", v. 7) and Isaiah 31 ("Like birds hovering, so the LORD of hosts will protect Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it, he will spare and rescue it", v. 5).

The protection is sure and constant, as any good mother would never leave her child unprotected. But it carries along the free right to refusal by the chicks. That is why Jesus could say to the Scribes and the Pharisees: "you would not" [come under my wings] (Mt 23:37b). Jesus did not reject the Jews. They rejected him. We are told that "And the chief priests and the scribes ... sought a way to destroy him; for they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching" (Mk 11:18). They were too worried about their position in the high places to be concerned about Jesus' invitation to them. For that reason, Jesus declares: "Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate" (Mt 23:38).

Forsaken and desolate? By who? People were still visiting the temple. Again, Jesus' words were rooted in Jeremiah's in the Old Testament. Then, the prophet had recorded the words God had spoken regarding the abuses in the temple: "I have forsaken my house; I have abandoned my heritage" (12:7). Now, the words that Jesus spoke makes much more sense. The temple was originally meant to be God's dwelling place. And now, because of the people's lack of faithfulness, God had declared his withdrawal from it. Fast forward to the time of Jesus. Our Lord now places the same declaration. God had forsaken the temple. It was now empty. God no longer dwelt there and it was no longer "God's house". It had become merely - in Jesus' words - "your house" (Mt 23:37).

Jesus does not reject us in our struggles and efforts to become more like him. We too, are the temple of God, a dwelling place for God (cf 1 Cor 6:19). He never neglects us in our search for him (though he may stand quietly without answering our prayers at times). But some times we can desecrate the holy temples of our bodies that causes God to abandon it. God is holy, and he cannot be housed in a desecrated temple. If we refuse to keep this temple holy and consecrated, we take God out of the picture, and destruction becomes a matter of when, not if.

In our Lenten sacrifices and offerings, we are called to die to our selves and to grow in love and faithfulness for him. God longs to gather us as the hen gathers her brood, but we must desire to be gathered. We must desire to be protected. His love and protection is a gift to us, but so is the freedom for us to accept or reject him. May our Lenten observances make and keep us holy. May they give us a greater desire and thirst to come under the wings of God's great love. When we meet him face-to-face to give an account of ourselves, may Jesus not repeat the words "you would not!" (Mt 23:37) and "your house is forsaken" (v. 38).

Zeal for God's house

2012-02-24T22:13:00.004+08:00

In the second half of chapter one on Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, Pope Benedict turns our attention to Jesus’ cleansing of the temple, which I briefly reflected about, in addition to thinking about Bartimaeus. Here, Jesus had driven out the people trading in the temple. Here’s the account taken from Matthew’s Gospel:

Jesus entered the temple of God and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you make it a den of robbers." And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant; and they said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast brought perfect praise'?" – Matthew 21:12-16

This is the one time Jesus came anywhere close to doing anything violent. What was he thinking? Was our Lord letting anger get the better of him? Was he a Zealot, like his Apostle, Simon? After all, as he chased the traders and overturned the tables, he had accused them of turning God’s house of prayer into a den of robbers. Furthermore, John’s account remarked that the disciples “remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for thy house will consume me’” (Jn 2:17).

The Pope made a point that had eluded me previously, by pointing to Mark’s account of the incident:

And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons; and he would not allow any one to carry anything through the temple. And he taught, and said to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers." – Mark 11:15-17

The details look similar. But Mark especially points out that after Jesus had done his deed, “he taught” (v. 17), which should be a clue. Jesus wasn’t losing his temper. He had done what he did with purpose. His teaching? "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers", essentially the same across all the three synoptic Gospel accounts. This, as Benedict points out, is not just a reference to an Old Testament prophet, as I had previously thought. I had known the reference to Isaiah (56:7), but Jesus’ words about “a den of robbers” was taken from Jeremiah (7:11). Jeremiah’s words of warning was not heeded, and Jerusalem was destroyed. Jesus was now sounding out the same warning: “Remember Jeremiah’s unheeded warnings! History is repeating itself!”

The two Old Testament prophecies Jesus used, then, for a two-fold purpose. Through Isaiah, Jesus reminded the people of the true purpose of the temple: it would be a house of prayer for all nations (according to Mark) or peoples (from Isaiah 56:7). God’s plan was to have all peoples recognise and worship the same God. To highlight this, the Holy Father pointed to John’s mention of the Greek (Gentiles outside of God’s Chosen circle at that time) pilgrims who wanted to see Jesus (cf Jn 12:20-26). The story is quite queer, because the Greeks ask Philip for access to Jesus. Philip and Andrew bring the request to Jesus, who answers:

"The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him.” – John 12:23-26

“Hello? Lord? Were you listening to us? Some Greeks want to see you” – we don’t know if the Apostles were thinking that to themselves (I think I would have!). But once again – and this is why I just love him – Pope Benedict draws the link. If the Greeks want to see Jesus, they would, eventually. And it won’t be a brief encounter like meeting a rock star back stage after a concert. When Jesus, the wheat grain, falls and dies, he will bear much fruit. Jesus’ suffering and death – the cross – would bring nations together. He would be a new temple, where “nations” or “peoples” would gather. And centuries later, this remains the essential truth.

The second part of Jesus’ “teaching” after the cleansing of the temple, he repeated Jeremiah’s prophecy as well. Through the prophet, Jesus had issued the warning again, that if things remained the same, destruction would come again. After this temple-cleansing incident, the Jewish officials confronted Jesus and asked him for a sign to demonstrate the authority he was acting on. False witnesses would step up on the night before our Lord’s crucifixion, and they would wrongly quote him. They would accuse him: “We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands'" (Mk 14:58). But that was not what Jesus said. The witness got most of the words right, but for one detail. Jesus’ words, according to John, were: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (2:19). Jesus didn’t say he would destroy the temple (and Jesus meant the temple to be his body). Because he wouldn’t. Someone else would destroy it: the very ones who turned the temple in Jerusalem into a den of robbers. The sign of Jesus’ authority would be his death and his resurrection. The sign would be the cross. That is why at another time when Jesus was asked for a sign, he said that the evil generation would only receive the sign of Jonah, who spent three days in the darkness.

While the actions looked violent, Jesus’ way is anything but violent. Matthew made it a point to say, right after his rebuke to the Jews, that “the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them” (Mt 21:14). This was the real cleansing of the temple. Jesus brings healing to those who seek it. Indeed, it was out of zeal that Jesus had done what he did. But this zeal was not the same violent ways that the infamous Zealots had become known for. As the disciples rightly recalled: “Zeal for thy house will consume me”, which was taken from Psalm 69:

“For it is for thy sake that I have borne reproach, that shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brethren, an alien to my mother's sons. For zeal for thy house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult thee have fallen on me.” - v 8-9

For the psalmist, following God all the way became a form of persecution and suffering. After the cleansing of the temple, “the chief priests and the scribes heard it and sought a way to destroy him” (Mk 11:18). Zeal for his father’s house led Jesus to the cross. Far from being violent, his zeal was expressed on the cross, with his self-sacrifice. This is what true zeal for God is supposed to be – one of self-sacrificing love. Pope Benedict exhorts us: “this zeal must become the Christian’s goal”.

As I continue my Lenten observances, I am reminded that my zeal cannot simply be one that leads to a high-headed, self-focused thing. Our sacrifices should not make us feel greater, but smaller. It should help us become a more loving people. How can we do that by giving up Facebook or watching fewer movies, or giving up a meal a day? Perhaps by remembering that whatever we do for him, can never come close to what he has done for us.

I’d like to end my reflection today with Jesus’ response when the Jews had denied him praise: "Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast brought perfect praise'?" (Mt 21:16, cf Ps 8:2). The little ones give the fullest praise to God. They are innocent, pure, and open. Their hearts are undivided. May our Lenten sacrifices – yours and mine – make us little enough to return to that innocent trust that we all once had.

The spirit of Bartimaeus

2012-02-23T23:15:00.004+08:00

Pope Benedict’s begins Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection with our Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem. Along the journey to celebrate the Passover, Jesus and the disciples are joined by an increasing crowd of pilgrims. We are reminded by Matthew and Mark that by the time Jesus was leaving Jericho (into the final stretch, before reaching Jerusalem), there was already “a great multitude” following Jesus.

Benedict brings us to the story of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who is sitting on the path (Mk 10:47). This is where I’d like to begin my personal reflection on this first leg of the book.

And they came to Jericho; and as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; rise, he is calling you." And throwing off his mantle he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him, "Master, let me receive my sight." And Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. – Mark 10:46-52

There’s just so much that we can learn from this blind beggar. Poor and disadvantaged, left out in the street, he could have pitied himself (and who knows, maybe he did). But the moment he heard that Jesus was within his reach, be began to cry out for him.

I personally think it take a lot more courage than it first seems to us. It’s easy for us, who have eyes, to picture a crowd walking by and seeing this great teacher walk by. But if we closed our eyes, and imagined the same scene without any images, we may begin to understand the blind man. He had only “heard that it was Jesus” (v. 47), but he had to give it a try, even if it happened that Jesus would miss his cries. To be fair, it almost did. Everyone was quick to rebuke Bartimaeus. Yet, he did not stop. He did not care. This was his chance of meeting Jesus and his chance of a healing. He was not going to let it go.

I know if everyone – Christians and non-Christians – lived with the same attitude, the world would be a much better place. Many of us would give anything to meet someone who could give us our heart’s deepest desire. Yet, even though many have “heard” that this Jesus could do something special for their lives, they are quick to brush him aside as a 2000-year-old folklore. Rather than making a serious search and looking at the objective evidence that is available, they resort to returning to their places on the path, where they continue begging for the empty things that plague the heart. Believe it or not, I think many of us Christians are in a rut ourselves. For even though we have been baptized in his name, we live, act and think like Jesus never existed. It breaks my heart that when I sin, I am the same.

And for the minority who have called out to Jesus, how enthusiastic have we been? Bartimaeus “sprang up and came to Jesus” (v. 50). Just thinking about the recent conversation I had with a friend over dinner about our young Christians going to church, makes me yearn for our young people – and indeed some of our more mature Christians – get excited about the faith. Our faith is exciting! For one, how many faith leaders have actually dared to call themselves God? To most, this is absurd. But Jesus not only claimed it, he made promises and ‘predictions’ and kept them. And this God tells us that this life is a challenge, but that the reward will far surpass the suffering, if we only remain faithful. We could simply think of the time we were the happiest, and know that Heaven is going to be multiples of that euphoria. How is that not exciting?

His enthusiasm, and his faith, won him his sight back. Jesus affirms us that our faith is powerful. And our belief can help us overcome. And, as we would guess as much, Bartimaeus, once blind, now healed, doesn’t sit back down. He does not go back to his old life, but he follows Jesus (v. 52). What else is there for us when we mess our lives up, and Jesus heals it? There’s nothing to go back to! We have to follow Jesus. To not do so would be to remain in spiritual blindness, a disease worse than the one Bartimaeus experienced.

The second point that struck me in this first part is at the point of entry into Jerusalem. This is the point where Jesus is seated on a donkey, and welcomed by many who place their garments on the path, and pluck palm leaves to welcome Jesus. We Catholics experience this very event once a year, on Palm Sunday, where we too will imitate the jubilant welcome by waving out palms for the King’s entrance.

One may wonder why a crown would exalt Jesus at one moment, and call for his execution the next. Benedict points out that the ones who were celebrating Jesus’ entrance to the Holy City were not the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but the crowds who had been following Jesus on the way there. Matthew’s Gospel explains that the people of Jerusalem hadn’t the slightest clue what was happening:

When he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee." – Matthew 21:10-11

Reading this short portion of Matthews Gospel helps us get a clearer picture. People in Jerusalem had heard of the prophet from Nazareth, but they weren’t expecting this sort of fanfare over him. Benedict pointed out so well that it was also in Jerusalem that people had known nothing about the new-born King of the Jews, and the news of his birth troubled the people: “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” (Mt 2:3). Indifference and fear played a part in the people’s rejection of Jesus. In the present case, Jesus had overturned the tables, accused the people of turning God’s House into a den of robbers. At the same time, he was healing the sick and gaining the trust of a growing group of followers (cf Mt 21:12-15). How could the chief priests and scribes not feel aggrieved and worried? How? By having the spirit of Bartimaeus. The one who was physically blind, but who was willing to spring up and run to Jesus. And Jesus would ask: "What do you want me to do for you?" (Mk 10:51). And the Lord would have healed the scribes and chief priests of their spiritual blindness if they had been willing.

The key to a holy life is sight to see Jesus. Failure to recognise him is reserved for only a few. Jesus makes himself easily seen, for those who are seeking for him, and hard to see, for those who are actually seeking their version of a Jesus. For us who are observing Lent, this must be the number one goal. Many people have the idea that during Lent, we have to torture ourselves. But it would miss the point. The point is not to give up the bad things “for Lent”. We ought to give up the bad things all our lives! The point is for us to give up good things, that we may better recognize the best thing. Even the word “sacrifice”, means “to make sacred”. And sure, part of sacrifice – giving up a favourite hobby, or chocolate, or a TV show – could be a little painful and difficult, but it’s not for the torture that we should be doing these things. The goal is for us to be able to clear our vision, and see Christ more clearly. As you live out this holy Lenten season, think about what you’re giving up, and what you’re doing more. Whatever it is, it should not be focused on yourself, but on the One whose own sacrifice saves us.

What do you think? Share your thoughts with me.

With the ashes marked on my head...

2012-02-22T12:05:00.002+08:00

Lent has officially started.

I won't speak much about what I intend to do this Season, but I think it's going to be tough, but worthwhile. I ask your prayers and I promise to pray for you (by name, if you tell me to; by mention as "the readers of my blog" if I otherwise don't know who you are).

One of the things I am doing that I will say, is that I'm picking another book to go through prayerfully, and finish by Easter. Statistics show that this has pretty much become a Lenten blog more than anything else, I think it was a no-brainer to start writing here again during Lent. So I will. And hope that I continue to write regularly after Lent too.

The book I will be reading is also a no-brainer, seeing that I'm a huge fan of Pope Benedict XVI - our Holy Father is simply brilliant. I've had the book sitting untouched on my shelf for a year now, and since it's directly related to the Lenten Season, I figured this is the perfect excuse (like I'm supposed to have one) to get down to it. I will take the words of Ignatius Press, the publishers of the book, to introduce the title:

Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection is the follow up to Pope Benedict XVI's best-selling book, Jesus Of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration. In this new work, Benedict challenges readers to contemplate the meaning and impact of Jesus' life. He looks at the days from Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem — to the herald of followers — to his suffering and death a few days later . . . and his resurrection and appearances to his apostles and disciples for another 40 days.

Along the way, I will write my thoughts and reflections on parts of it. Consequently, I would hope that you'd want to pick the book up and check it out. Above all, I pray that my heart will be open to what the Lord says to me through our Holy Father, and I pray that the reflections I write will in some way affect someone, even if in the smallest of ways.

Have a great Lent, friends!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Hard truth for Saint-wannabes #7: “Life is short, death is certain, Eternity is long” – Blessed John Henry Newman

2012-02-09T08:54:00.002+08:00

This last hard truth is taken directly from Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman. Simply because it really sums it all up.

How would you react if someone told you today that “you’re going to die in so-and-so months”? Many of us would mourn a little bit, go for confession and reconcile with God, make peace with the people they’ve fought with, pray more, and so on. But most of us won’t do any of that, because we don’t see the end coming.

Let me be the one to do the honour then: Let me tell you: You’re going to die. This is a hard truth: Every day you wake up, you are most certainly one day closer to meeting God face to face, and giving an account of your life. Whatever we achieve in this life will be gone when we leave. No matter how great we become in this world, at death, everyone becomes equal. Our time on earth is only one portion of our life. It may last 50 years, or 70 or 90. Maybe some will go on to 100 or more. There is a second part to our life, which will be much longer, and much more significant. Just what is 90 years like, compared to eternity? As James puts it: “You are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (4:14).

Hard truth for Saint-wannabes #6: Sainthood is a long way from here. We’d better start today

2012-02-08T10:25:00.002+08:00

We may be tempted to do great things to become a Saint. Therese Liseaux was just like that. She would feel discouraged because she could not do big things. But one day, she determined to do “ordinary things with extraordinary love”. That made it for her. The Church calls her the Patron of Missionaries, but she never went on a single mission trip. The Church declared her a Doctor of the Church, a title given to only 32 others before her.

St Augustine gave us a useful tip: “If you want to be a Saint, act like one”. “Act”, of course, does not mean “pretend to be”, but “behave”. The truth is that practice makes perfect. And perfection is what we seek. It’s silly to expect to achieve sanctity tomorrow when we cannot discipline ourselves today. It takes time, and it takes practice. Don’t pray? Start today. Set a reminder on your high-tech gadget phone. Don’t read? Start today. Spend $20 on a spiritual book and read – a page a day. Invest in your faith! Don’t know your faith? Start today. Ask one question about your faith and seek for answers at the right places. Still caught in an ocean of sin? Determine to stop sinning. Look at your life. What are the things that need changing? Where in your life have you dismissed God? How often and in what circumstance have you made yourself Lord over your life? Start by correcting those. Then resolve to not do those again. Start today.

Hard truth for Saint-wannabes #5: You are destined for Heaven, only you can pull yourself out of it

2012-02-07T08:20:00.001+08:00

Luke records Jesus’ will for us: “How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (13:34). Paul reminds the Philippians that we’re not to set our minds on earthly things because our citizenship is in Heaven (3:20). We belong there. We don’t belong here. We’re here for a tour, a pilgrimage, that will eventually end. At the start of this tour, you were given a ticket and a passport at Baptism. We were given friendship with Christ. When this tour ends, we can lose everything. Just don’t lose our ticket or our passport.

Hard truth for Saint-wannabes #4: Love is decision, not an emotion

2012-02-06T12:08:00.002+08:00

Many of us struggle in our relationship with Christ and the Church. We don’t hear him or feel him. But love is not a constantly high feeling. Love is a decision, not an emotion. The pitfall for many Christians is that they expect to feel like you’re on cloud nine because they’re Christian. It is true that there are occasions where we are happy and laughing and feel like everything is going for us. It is especially common for many to feel a spiritual high after camps, prayer sessions, or a healing or reconciliation service, and that should not be under-appreciated. But to think that joy is only these, would be a mistake.

True joy takes us beyond that - it is the knowledge of something deeper, something greater. Something objectively true – regardless of our emotion. Many Saints suffered dryness in prayer, and were admittedly unable to “feel” God speaking to them. We here today can take consolation from them, because many of us have that ‘problem’. But why is it a ‘problem’? Christ may choose to remain silent, even in a time of desperation. It does not make him evil. Worst. It does not make him unreal. Mother Theresa felt alone and exhausted for a long time. Her “Dark Night of the Soul” went on for some for 50 years. Yet, every morning, before she went out on her task of serving the poor, she said: “Of my free will I will follow you, Jesus”.

In times of struggle, remain faithful; because He remains faithful. Love is a decision for the other. We can develop a love for God. A child may be forgiven to only ‘love’ their friends and siblings when they are treated well, but mature, adult love demands a kind of selflessness, a kind of self-denial. And what can we do in our love for Him? Pray. Spend time in adoration. Read the Scriptures. Read other spiritual books. Go for Mass regularly. Be nice to someone for His sake. Cut off vulgarities (even from the inside, because it is what’s on the inside that makes one unclean). You may not do these things because you absolutely feel like it, but you can do it out of love for Him. Feelings will likely develop in time and that would be a plus.

Hard truth for Saint-wannabes #3: Suffering is inevitable

2012-02-05T10:46:00.002+08:00

All the Saints suffered. Suffering is a trial and training for Heaven. Only the wounded need healing: Without experiencing evil and suffering, we have no need for comfort and healing.

The plain and simple (hard) truth is that Jesus never once told us to enjoy ourselves as Christians. We can certainly have good times, but His message to us was to pick up our crosses daily and follow Him (cf. Lk 9:23).

A life of suffering does not necessarily equate to a life without joy, even though our world has come to think so. Christians of old have suffered patiently, but have been profoundly joyful. Peter, Paul and all the Apostles were great examples of this joy. Perhaps, for the Saints, suffering was the best way they could be with Jesus, who suffered the worst injustice for us. Perhaps they all knew that suffering was redemptive and purgative.

As Christians, we cannot run away from suffering. It is an inevitable part of the journey. We ought to embrace difficulty. Learning to live with difficulties, obstacles and suffering can only help us appreciate the good times more.

Hard truth for Saint-wannabes #2: Only one will can dominate

2012-02-04T08:43:00.002+08:00

My own will is imperfect. In the search for my own satisfaction, my will can and have hurt others. We know little about the future or anything beyond ourselves. We may even argue that we don’t know even ourselves well. God’s will is perfect. He knows everything there is to know.

When the two wills conflict, one must be chosen, one must take precedence. For that reason, I must strive to do God’s will, I must strive to unite my will with God’s. John’s words say it the best: He must increase, and I must decrease (Jn 3:30). Until that union of wills is perfected, we cry: “Not my will but yours be done”, and “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”. When we next ask “What will I do?”, first ask “What will God want me to do?”

Hard truth for Saint-wannabes #1: God is God. I am not.

2012-02-03T09:42:00.004+08:00

This may seem obvious to us. But if we only look at the many times we resort to our methods of doing things (some call them bad habits), we start to realise that even for us who acknowledge this fact, don’t always live it.

God is perfect. He is not just good, he is goodness itself. He created the universe, and our parents needed His help to bring us here into the world. I, on the other hand, am not God. In fact, I am far from being God. I didn’t even have a choice to come to life. I came into the world powerless, completely dependent on someone else. That I am here, is by His grace.

Since God created us purposefully, He knows the best way to use us. We ought to seek His ways.

7 hard truths for Saint-wannabes

2012-02-02T18:37:00.003+08:00

I was privileged to be invited by the North District Youth Council last Saturday to make a presentation of Saints in the New Millennium. I had two good groups of youth leaders who look like they can ignite the Catholic youth scene again.

At the talk I gave the leaders “Seven Hard Truths For Saint Wannabes”. It’s a cheeky title, I know, but they are nonetheless truths. Here they are:

God is God. I am not.
Only one will can dominate.
Suffering is inevitable.
Love is decision, not an emotion.
You are destined for Heaven, only you can pull yourself out of it.
Sainthood is a long way from here. You’d better start today.
“Life is short, death is certain, Eternity is long” – Cardinal John Henry Newman

I hope to put seven more entries on each of them. In the mean time, maybe you can ponder, and maybe even thing if I’ve missed out any truth more important.

Of course, we are all saints on earth, but we know there’s a big difference between us and the Saints – with a big ‘s’, as I would say – in Heaven. For they have the privilege of the complete beatific vision, seeing the full glory of God Himself. We, the “small-s saints” on earth, are called to be with our Heavenly Father at the end of our pilgrimage on earth. The seven truths help motivate me to a life of integrity, and I hope they do something for you too.

The consequence of Jesus' incarnation

2011-12-20T11:24:00.005+08:00

As we approach Christmas, the birth of God as man, I thought I'd share with you this wonderful read from Pope St Leo the Great, who sums up beautifully: Christ, by becoming one of us, enlarged humanity, without diminishing His Divinity:

He took the nature of a servant without stain of sin, enlarging our humanity without diminishing his divinity. He emptied himself; though invisible he made himself visible, though Creator and Lord of all things he chose to be one of us mortal men. Yet this was the condescension of compassion, not the loss of omnipotence. So he who in the nature of God had created man, became in the nature of a servant, man himself.

Thus the Son of God enters this lowly world. He comes down from the throne of heaven, yet does not separate himself from the Father’s glory. He is born in a new condition, by a new birth. He was born in a new condition, for, invisible in his own nature, he became visible in ours. Beyond our grasp, he chose to come within our grasp. Existing before time began, he began to exist at a moment in time. Lord of the universe, he hid his infinite glory and took the nature of a servant. Incapable of suffering as God, he did not refuse to be a man, capable of suffering. Immortal, he chose to be subject to the laws of death.

He who is true God is also true man. There is no falsehood in this unity as long as the lowliness of man and the pre-eminence of God coexist in mutual relationship.

As God does not change by his condescension, so man is not swallowed up by being exalted. Each nature exercises its own activity, in communion with the other. The Word does what is proper to the Word, the flesh fulfils what is proper to the flesh.

One nature is resplendent with miracles, the other falls victim to injuries. As the Word does not lose equality with the Father’s glory, so the flesh does not leave behind the nature of our race.

One and the same person – this must be said over and over again – is truly the Son of God and truly the son of man. He is God in virtue of the fact that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He is man in virtue of the fact that the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.

- Ex Epístolis sancti Leónis Magni Papæ (Epist. 28, ad Flavianum, 3-4: PL 54, 763-767).

Thanks to Taylor Marshall, on whose blog I found this reading in March this year.

So, did World Youth Day cost taxpayers millions of Euros?

2011-08-23T10:40:00.004+08:00

You may have seen the glaring headlines on the mainstream media about how the World Youth Day would burn away millions of taxpayer's money. And in Singapore, it's no different. The Straits Times declared on the 18 Aug edition: "Outrage over Pope's $87m Madrid visit".

The ST article used even a clerical figure, a Fr Eubilio Rodriguez, to lead the story. It's the perfect character to play the lead role -- show one of your own, taking the brave stand to go against those evil old men. It was laughable that the story even quoted the original (emphasis mine):

Rev Rodríguez and others who signed the 10-page petition say the costs are always fuzzy when the pope comes to town. They suspect that the cost of extra security, of collecting trash and of stress on health systems will add up to millions for taxpayers.

Very conclusive, ST. "Fuzzy" and "suspect" are clear indications. The evidence is clear as daylight. Let's all leave the Church now. Oh, a paragraph before that, the story cited that the Spanish Government and Church officials said that the cost would be minimal. But who are they to say such things? All they have are official documents and official positions. Rather, let's go with the Fr Rodriguez groundless, fuzzy and suspicious punch in the air.

To be fair, ST did not write the story, but reproduced it (with edits) from the New York Times and Reuters. And I don't think ST has a particular anti-Catholic agenda at all. But also to be fair, editors should be first, careful of such glaring misses in the original story. Secondly, if a story like this was run, why were none of the articles that showed the other side of the story -- the truer, more accurate side -- not run? I did wish that ST made efforts to offer a balance. On the very day that ST ran that story, the Vatican clarified matters:

"The event will not cost anything" for Spain, it said. "The burden will fall on the church, the pilgrims, and private donors," it added, citing Spanish Government Spokesman Jose Blanco. (ANSA English)

Needless to say, unless you're sniffing around for the truth, you would not have seen it, because the mainstream media is not interested in balancing the story. All you need to know is that the Church is evil, and it has planned the World Youth Day under the inspiration of the late Pope John Paul the II so that the economies of the world would crash, one city at a time, three years at a time.

And now that the dust has settled, the head of Madrid's chamber of commerce, Arturo Fernandez, has given estimation that the World Youth Day festivities actually -- wait for it -- injected €160m (US$230m or S$276m) into the Spanish economy.

PHEW! Those evil priests' plan to destroy the economy has backfired, and even helped the Spanish economy. God IS good! We can all sleep sound tonight. And, as expected, this fact has not been published to correct the previous, faulty story.

Anyone with the right mind can see this is a story run by certain kinds of people with certain agendas. Any even will always see a spike in transportation, food, lodging, recreation, and souvenirs. And that is why we don't ever see people protesting against the president of the Olympics committee or of FIFA when they hold month-long events in countries. Why? Because Sports binds people together? Because football is a religion? Certainly not for those reasons, no matter how true they are.

The Church is the target because people are always out to prove something. There is a particular hatred for the Church because the world hates its message. It makes them uncomfortable. And they will do anything and everything to burn the Church down.

Thankfully, we can stand on the promises of Christ: "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it" (Mt 16:18).

Remembering my Patron Saint: Hilary, bishop of Arlse

2011-05-05T09:55:00.004+08:00

I think it's obvious to everyone who knows me, that I am no Saint. I try hard to look at myself critically, and not allow myself to linger in darkness. I look to my faith heroes for example and inspiration: including some great writers, apologists and the great Saints who strived to live a life worthy of God's call. I especially look to my patron Saints, including Hilary of Poitiers (315b-368) and Isaac, son of Abraham. On this day, I would like to take time out to remember another great early Christian, St Hilary, the bishop of Arles.

Although it would make sense, my parents did not name me after this great man. So I think it's very much God's design that I was born on his feast day in the Roman Martyrology and given the same name. St Hilary's writings have been lost but the testimony if his life is enough for me to proudly call him my patron Saint. His life story strikes a chord in my heart and inspires me to a holier way of living. I wrote a short biography of St Hilary, based on the text from Volume V of The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints by Rev Alban Butler (1864, D&J Sadlier & Company). I hope you'll join me in remembering this great example of conversion, faith and humility.

Early life
Hilary was born to a noble family about the year 401. He was brought up in a manner suitable to his birth, in the study of the liberal arts, and was learned especially in philosophy.

But Hilary noted once that we ought to value less all things that appear great in the eyes of the world. "We are all equal in Jesus Christ," he said, "And the highest degree of our nobility is to be of the number of the true servants of God. Neither science, nor birth, according to this world, can exalt us." Such wisdom was not always in Hilary. Before God had put these sentiments into his heart, Hilary experienced the advantages of a prestigious worldly life. After all, he was raised to the highest dignities.

God's call
His relative, St Honoratus, had forsaken his old life to seek Christ in the solitude of the isle of Lerins, where he had founded a great monastery. Honoratus was the instrument God used to open Hilary's eyes. The holy man, Honoratus, had always loved Hilary. To him, the best proof of his friendship and love for Hilary was to gain him entirely to God. So he left his life of solitude for a few days to seek Hilary out, and shared with him the reflections which had steered him to break the chains of the world.

Hilary was moved by his relative's efforts to reach out to him: "What floods of tears did this true friend shed to soften the hardness of my heart! How often did he embrace me with the most tender and compassionate affection, [to make me] take into serious consideration the salvation of my soul!" Still, Hilary was not convinced: "Yet, by an unhappy victory, I still remained conqueror."

Finding his endeavors to wean him from the charms of a deceitful world ineffectual, Honoratus turned to prayer, his ordinary refuge. "Well," he said to Hilary, "I will obtain of God, what you will not now grant me." Upon which they took leave of each other.

Hilary, reflecting on what Honoratus had said to him, soon felt a violent conflict within himself: "On one side," he reflected, "I [saw] the Lord calling me; on the other the world offering me its seducing charms and pleasures ... But in the end Jesus Christ triumphed in me. And three days after Honoratus had left me, the mercy of God, solicited by [Honoratus'] prayers, subdued my rebellious soul." Hilary then went in person to seek St Honoratus, and appeared before him as humble and tractable as before.

A heart converted for God
From this moment Hilary experienced that wonderful change which the Holy Spirit produces in a soul which He truly converts. His words, looks, and whole comportment breathed nothing but humility, patience, sweetness, mortification, and charity. Every one saw in him a man who began to labor in earnest to save his soul, and who had put his hand to the plough to look no more behind him (cf Lk 9:62). Aspiring to perfection, he sold all his several estates to his brother, and distributed all the money accruing from the sale among the poor, and the most indigent monasteries. Thus disengaged from the world, and naked, no less in the inward disposition of soul than in his exterior, he, like Abraham, took leave of his own country, and made the best of his way to Lerins.

He set out in the pursuit of monastic perfection with such zeal and fervor, as to become in a short time the pattern of those on whose instructions and example he came to form his own conduct. His application to prayer and mortification, and his watchfulness and care to avoid the smallest faults and imperfections, prepared him to receive the gift of tears.

God's plans
After St Honoratus had been chosen to be archbishop of Arles, Hilary followed him to that city in 426. But it was not long before his love of solitude brought his return to Lerins. All the inhabitants of that isle testified as great joy to receive him again, as he felt to see himself among them.

But God, who had other plans for him, did not permit him to enjoy long his beloved new life of solitude. Honoratus begged his assistance, and the comfort of his company. Soon after Honoratus died (some time between 428 and 429). Hilary, although afflicted for the loss of such a friend, was happy that he himself was now free to return to Lerins. But it was again not to be. Not long after the citizens or Arles were informed of his departure, messengers chased after him with such hurry that he was overtaken, brought back to Arlse, and consecrated archbishop, though he was only 29 years old.

Living the holy life
In this high status, the virtues which he had acquired in solitude shone in his character. The higher he was exalted by his dignity, the more he humbled himself beneath all others in his heart. He reduced himself in every thing and stuck to only what was most absolutely necessary (he had only one coat for winter and summer). He diligently meditated on the holy scriptures, and set out preaching the word of God, was always practised prayer and fasting. He also put himself to manual labor, with a view of gaining something for the poor. He had such a love for the poor, that in order to have the more to bestow on them, he himself lived in the greatest poverty: he never kept a horse, and labored hard in digging and manuring the ground, although he came from an educated and wealthy background. Hilary always travelled on foot, and had attained such a good control of his temper that his mind seemed never ruffled with the least emotion of anger.

He had an admirable talent in preaching. When he spoke before the learned of the world, his elocution, his accent, his discourse, his action, were admired by many great minds. Yet when he instructed the illiterate, he changed his manner of address, and proportioned his instructions to the capacities of the most simple and ignorant, without lowering the dignity of the Divine Word. He preached the truth in its purity, without flattering the great. He often admonished a certain judge in the province (privately) of a his unfair ways of administering justice, although with no effect. On another occasion, when he noticed many people leaving church immediately after the reading of the gospel, just as he was going to preach, he made them return, by warning them: "You will not so easily get out of hell, if you are once unhappily fallen into its dungeons."

Hilary was even more moved to pity at the spiritual needs of the faithful. He bore the weak with tenderness, but never indulged the passions or sloth of any. When he put any one in a course of penance he was himself bathed in tears. He visited the bishops of his province, and endeavored to make them walk in the perfect spirit of Christ, the prince of pastors. He established many monasteries and took particular care to enforce a strict observance of monastic discipline among them.

His zeal exasperated several lukewarm persons; and some of these, by misconstruing his actions, gave Pope St Leo a poor report of Hilary's character. His relationship with the Pope proved to be a trying one; it was a trial for the exercise of zeal in Hilary, and of patience in Leo, and it was a lesson for Hilary's sanctification, by means of humility, submission, and silence.

One incident brought St Hilary into a greater difficulty. When Projectus, a bishop of his province, fell ill, Hilary ordained a new bishop to take over Projectus' responsibilities. But eventually, Projectus recovered. There were now two bishops contending for the same see, and Hilary supported the last ordained. However Pope Leo rightly judged that Hilary's ordination of the new bishop irregular, liable to great inconveniences, and productive of schisms (divisions). Pope Leo stripped Hilary of any power to ordain any bishops for the future.

Death
Exhausted by austerities and labors, St Hilary passed to a better life on 5 May in the year 449, as a young 48-year-old. St Honoratus, the eloquent bishop of Marseilles, who has given us an abstract of his life, relates several miraculous cures wrought by the saint while he was living. His body lies in a subterraneous chapel, under the high altar, in the church of St Honoratus at Arles.

St Hilary, bishop of Arles (440-449)

Oh St Hilary, you were learned, but you used the education to bring you closer to God. Like us all, you struggled to release yourself from the ways of the world, which tempted you constantly with the promise of comfort and luxury. Yet, you were not closed to the love of Honoratus and his pure concern for you. Instead of shutting him out or patronising him, you listened with honesty and opened your heart to God, allowing Him to be your new comfort and life. Your ability to allow God to take care of you completely, and your desire to care for others around you, especially the poor, moves me to aspire the same.

Even though you desired to lead a life you had truly found to be holy, you always put God's plans ahead of yours. You desired to please God even if it meant you could not lead the life of solitude you preferred. You showed me what true obedience is: not just doing what is right, but doing what God wants. Your ability to speak to the learned and equal ability to simplify things for the ignorant is something I can only shamefully attempt to my abilities. Your willingness to practise what you preach inspires me to new heights, and your boldness to share with those in opposition to God's ways motivate me to the same.

St Hilary, your undertaking as bishop at an early age of 29 gives me hope that one is never too young to take on a responsibility that God gives, even if it means having to learn on the job. As I turn 29, I only hope I can obey God's voice as loyally as you have. Your obedience and patience with your obstacles calms my heart to the struggles I face in my own efforts to make a difference in the world. Thank you for showing me that silent obedience can also be an instrument of service. Even though you died at such a young age (48 or 49) you lived life to the fullest. If I am blessed to be granted more years than you, I only hope to live as fully as you have with your short time. I thank the Lord for you and glorify the Trinity, who is the giver of all good things. Praise and glory be to God, in the highest.

St Hilary, pray for me.

Before you celebrate victory over Osama

2011-05-02T21:52:00.000+08:00

Many of us may be tempted to jump for joy over news about the death of Osama bin Laden. For many who have seen the tragedies happening in the world attributed to this mastermind of violence and war, this is great news and a time to shout for joy.

But he was human. I know, maybe he didn’t come across that way, but Osama bin Laden was like us in many aspects. Of course, some will argue that he was a lot worse than most of us. But celebrating the death of another human being is never a humane thing to begin with. Celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden makes us, in some ways, just like the terrorist we long to rid the world of. Celebrating the death of another human being, lowering his value to something that is not even worthy of life, is the spirit of terrorism.

Perhaps, part of us should also set aside a moment to consider the true tragedy that he never repented of his ways (not in the public sphere at least). Osama’s death, like the death of all those he himself killed, is a tragedy. Before you make your next Tweet, or update your status on Facebook, about the death of Osama bin Laden, consider that he too was human. Pray for his soul. And pray that we ourselves would turn away from sin before death comes looking for us.

God, creator of Osama bin Laden,
who loved your creature on earth so much, even though he was closed to love,
who gave him life every day despite of all his evil deeds,
who laid your life down for his sake, without appreciation and gratitude,
Look on what we deserve
but show your divine mercy on us all,
Grant mercy to your child’s soul.

A day in the life of Benedict

2011-04-26T15:16:00.008+08:00

I read this mildly interesting article by La Stampa, an Italian daily paper. They got a glimpse of a typical day in the life of the Pope. I think there's at least a wise simplicity that we can all learn from the Vicar of Christ:

A typical "Benedictine" day:

The Pope's day begins at 7 a.m. with Mass; one hour later breakfast is served. At 9 a.m. the Pope goes into his private study, the one where he recites the Angelus prayer every Sunday, speaking from the window overlooking St. Peter's Square. He does his work in the study, where another consecrated laywoman, Birgit, helps him in her role as secretary and typist — she can read Benedict's tiny handwriting better than anyone else.

Following Birgit in the study is Gänswein, the Pope's secretary, to discuss the day's agenda. Typically, the Pontiff works until 11 a.m., when audiences, or meetings, begin. At 1:15 p.m. lunch is served, with the secretaries and the memores sitting at the table with Benedict.

After a brief stroll in the roof garden, the Pope rests, to return to his private study at 4 p.m. He says the rosary and then resumes his work. After a prayer, dinner is served at 7:30 p.m., in time to watch the 8 p.m. newscast on RAI, the Italian state broadcaster. An hour later, the Pope says good night and retires, though he works some more before going to sleep.

The people surrounding him are in effect a real family for the Pope. In his recent book, Light of the World, Benedict said he hardly ever watches TV, though he made an exception when he watched with his "family" old black-and-white movies of Don Camillo and Peppone, Italian comedies portraying the playful clashes between the communist mayor of a small town and the local priest in postwar Italy.

(You can see the full TIME article here.)

Needless to say, it would be hard for priests and pastors to live life like that, let alone working adults "out there in the world". But I think we can all still look at how Benedict spends his time, what his priorities are, and how he truly is living a "purpose driven life". Everything he does, he seems to do with purpose. Perhaps there are some things in our life that we should re-consider...

Actor Martin Sheen says his Catholic religion saved him

2011-04-25T23:11:00.004+08:00

Something of a trend is starting about Catholic celebrities declaring the value of their faith in God. Less than a month ago, it was Pierce Brosnan. And now Martin Sheen has spoken. whatever it is, it's a nice trend to see. I hope more Catholics and Christians come out and share, and go back to Holloywood to live the Christian life accordingly! I cut short Patrick Cooper's story very slightly. You can see the article here. Enjoy!

Charlie Sheen’s father Martin Sheen says his Catholic religion has taken him through very tough times.

Sheen, now 70, gave an interview about his upcoming film projects that appeared in last Saturday’s Irish Times.

Though he broke with the church for a while, Sheen says he came back into the fold after suffering a heart attack at the age of 40.

“It’s always a crisis that brings you back. And we begin to ask those two fundamental questions, if your gonna reflect on your life and take serious responsibility for it: who am I, and why am I here? And you reflect on those. I damn near died; I had the last rites,” he says.
“I started going to Mass again but it was out of fear and apprehension that I would die ... and so it was another four years that I actually committed to come back. I came back to the Church of Vatican II, which I didn’t have a clue had gone on in my absence.”

Perhaps Sheen was thinking of his son when he spoke about how Catholicism can provide a concrete and real way forward when other vices fail.

“We all yearn for the sacred, we are always looking for a transcendence; some people go about it with drugs or alcohol or sex or power or ego, whatever, and when they prove not satisfying and we come to our senses, we begin to realize that there’s another costly journey,” says Sheen.

“It has to cost you something; if something worthwhile doesn’t cost you something, you are left to question its worth. And so I decided to go on that journey and, you know, I’m still at it.”

“I was raised Catholic, my parents were devout Catholics,” Sheen told The Irish Times. “My mother had family rosary most nights in the house, I remember growing up. But when something is given to you, it’s not unusual to let it slip through ... I loved the church and the faith. But it wasn’t really something personal, it wasn’t costing me anything.”

Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, Twitter Style!

2011-04-25T12:51:00.002+08:00

Chanced upon this great video. I don't know who made it but it's some good work. Something nice to think about too. If they had Twitter some 2,000 years ago, how would the story of Jesus' ministry, death and resurrection have been spread?

Enjoy!

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

2011-04-21T08:29:00.004+08:00

He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

- Revelation 22:20-21

We end off our reflections on the Book of Revelation today as we reach the end of Lent. The liturgies in the Catholic Church commemorate the Last Supper this evening, starting a three-day period where we ponder on the mystery of our dear Lord's passion, death and resurrection.

If you’ve walked with me through the book, you would have seen much of the judgment and destruction that the world is getting all worried about. Nobody likes the gory description and the potential punishment. But few (if any at all) have brought up the promises of everlasting joy and the delivery of justice at the end of the judgment. Nobody talks about Jesus’ promises to us if we “conquer” and persevere. Could it be that we're afraid of the Justice to be delivered? Has the world has decided that we’ve been too caught up in sin and have already decided to turn from Christ?

At the end of the Book, when Jesus proclaims that He is coming soon, John’s reaction is, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” – the news that Jesus is coming calls for rejoice, not dread! Is that your reaction too? For us who follow Christ, who struggle against sin and stand up for truth, we should call out gladly to Jesus as John did: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

As we went through Revelation, as we considered the end of the world, what were your immediate sentiments? A great joy in your heart that the Lord will be coming to offer eternal comfort and joy? Or is it a sad sigh that the world will have to face judgment? If it is the latter, perhaps Jesus is asking us to keep our chin up, and start turning to Him today. If we turn to Him today and strive to conquer sin in our lives, it won't be punishment that awaits us, but joy. Let us give up what is bad for our souls. For the times we’ve turned against Him in sin, let us be heartily sorry. Let us be wholly honest with God, look in the mirror and start making the necessary changes we know in our hearts that we must make – changes in the way we talk, the way we think, and the way we act.

Sure, in the coming of Easter Sunday, we know the end of the story, and many will say that because He is already risen (which is true), we should be celebrating in triumph. But there can be no resurrection without death. How are we to expect a resurrection to glory with God, without first deciding to die to our old selves? And what better occasion to die to sin once again, than this period before Easter, that we may have the privilege of leaving our sins at the foot of the cross of Jesus. It is at the cross that His great love for us became painfully most obvious, because there, He gave Himself up for us while we were still sinners.

May we all make the decision too, to die also for Him. Buried with him in baptism, may we also be raised with Him to a new us (cf Col 2:12).

If you have been walking with me through the past 40 days, thank you for walking with me, even though I’m sure at times I’ve been a drab! It’s been a tough journey for me, but fully worthwhile. I hope that in our walk together, you’ve learnt something about yourself, as I have. If you have any thoughts, do share them with me!

I will now be taking three days off the blog, in an effort to offer silence in honour of my Lord. I do hope that I will make a habit of putting up reflections regularly again (you may have been able to tell that I hadn’t posted in a very long time!). I hope you’ll continue walking with me even after this Lenten observance.

The seven Beatitudes of Revelation

2011-04-20T08:53:00.001+08:00

Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and every one who loves and practices falsehood. "I Jesus have sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star." The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let him who hears say, "Come." And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price. I warn every one who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if any one adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if any one takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

- Revelation 22:14-19

Today’s selection starts off with “Blessed are those who wash their robes”, the last of several times the term “Blessed” is used. Thanks to the Scott Hahn analysis of the Book of Revelation, I realized that there are seven occasions in the Book where the term is used. Of course, we remember the phrase from the famous sermon on the mount that started with the Beatitudes. It is easy to miss this point because every time someone talks about the Book of Revelation, the buzz words “end times”, “destruction” and “end of the world” cloud our view of the real message. But could the fact that there are seven occasions the word “Blessed” is used point to God’s ultimate goal to bless us fully, to fulfill us? Of course, seven is just a number and symbols are meant to be interpreted, so I’ll leave that open.

Here are the seven occasions where the word “Blessed” is used. They are, so to speak, the seven Beatitudes of Revelation:

Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near. (Rev 1:3)
And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!" (Rev 14:13)
"Lo, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who is awake, keeping his garments that he may not go naked and be seen exposed!" (Rev 16:15)
And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are true words of God." (Rev 19:9)
Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years. (Rev 20:6)
And behold, I am coming soon." Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. (Rev 22:7)
Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. (Rev 22:14)

Perhaps this calls for all of us to take a moment reflecting on each “Beatitude” and consider if we have lived the blessed life so far? If we haven’t it would be a great time to start making some changes, especially considering this week, we remember and commemorate all that Jesus went through for our sakes.

Six years ago today

2011-04-19T13:09:00.000+08:00

I know, I just blogged about him three days ago, but today's just as special for Pope Benedict XVI. Six years ago today, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected the 264th successor of Peter. Here's the first thing he said when he greeted the people for the first time as Pope:

"After the great Pope John Paul II, the Cardinals have elected me, a simple and humble labourer in the vineyard of the Lord. The fact that the Lord knows how to work and to act even with inadequate instruments comforts me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers. Let us move forward in the joy of the Risen Lord, confident of his unfailing help. The Lord will help us and Mary, his Most Holy Mother, will be on our side. Thank you."

May the Lord keep you healthy so you can continue to give of yourself to the Lord and His Church. God bless you Papa.

And here's the full story:

Cardinal Ratzinger, guardian of church doctrine, elected 265th pope
By John Thavis and Cindy Wooden (for Catholic News Service)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the 78-year-old guardian of the church's doctrine for the last 24 years, was elected the 265th pope and took the name Benedict XVI.

Appearing at the central window of St. Peter's Basilica April 19, the newly elected pope smiled as he was greeted by a cheering, flag-waving crowd of nearly 100,000 people.

"After the great John Paul II, the cardinals elected me, a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord," Pope Benedict said, in a brief talk broadcast around the world.

"I am consoled by the fact that the Lord can work and act even through insufficient instruments, and I especially entrust myself to your prayers," he said.

"In the joy of the risen Lord, and trusting in his permanent help, we go forward. The Lord will help us, and Mary his most holy mother is on our side. Thank you," he said.

Then Pope Benedict gave his blessing to the city of Rome and to the world. He stood and listened to the endless applause that followed, smiling and raising his hands above his head.

Among the few cardinals who joined him on the central balcony was U.S. Cardinal William W. Baum, the only voting cardinal besides the new pope to have participated in a previous conclave. From the side balconies of the basilica facade, other cardinals appeared, smiling and waving to the crowd.

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls announced that the solemn Mass for the new pope's installation would take place April 24. He also said Pope Benedict would dine with the cardinals at their Vatican residence the evening of his election, stay at the residence that night and celebrate Mass with them the next morning in the Sistine Chapel.

Pope Benedict was the first German pope since Pope Victor II, who reigned from 1055-1057. It was the second conclave in a row to elect a non-Italian pope, after Italians had held the papacy for more than 450 years.

The new pope was chosen by at least a two-thirds majority of 115 cardinals from 52 countries, who cast their ballots in secret in the Sistine Chapel.

The election came on the second day of the voting, presumably on the fourth ballot. It was a surprisingly quick conclusion of a conclave that began with many potential candidates and no clear favorite.

The day before, Cardinal Ratzinger had opened the conclave with a stern warning about moral relativism and ideological currents that had buffeted the church in recent decades.

"The small boat of thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves -- thrown from one extreme to the other: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism," he said.

"Every day new sects are created and what St. Paul says about human trickery comes true, with cunning which tries to draw people into error," he said. Having a clear faith today is often labeled "fundamentalism," he said.

As the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 1981, Pope Benedict was on the front lines of numerous theological and pastoral controversies. He was described by Vatican officials who worked with him as a kind and prayerful theologian and a gentler man than the one often portrayed in the media as an inquisitor.

He made the biggest headlines when his congregation silenced or excommunicated theologians, withdrew church approval of certain books, helped rewrite liturgical translations, set boundaries on ecumenical dialogues, took over the handling of cases of clergy sex abuse against minors, curbed the role of bishops' conferences and pressured religious orders to suspend wayward members.

Pope Benedict's election was announced in Latin to a waiting world from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. A massive crowd of young and old filled St. Peter's Square and welcomed the news with cheers and waves of applause.

White smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney at 5:49 p.m. signaling that the cardinals had chosen a successor to Pope John Paul II. At 6:04 p.m., the bells of St. Peter's Basilica began pealing continuously to confirm the election.

At 6:40 p.m., Chilean Cardinal Jorge Medina Estevez, the senior cardinal in the order of deacons, appeared at the basilica balcony and intoned to the crowd in Latin: "Dear brothers and sisters, I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope."

He continued: "The most eminent and reverend lordship, Lord Joseph Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church Ratzinger."

The crowd in the square burst into applause. Some jumped for joy, some knelt to pray and some simply stood and watched.

During their pre-conclave meetings, journalists tracked Cardinal Ratzinger's rising status among cardinal-electors, but most sources doubted he would obtain the 77 votes needed to win. He was seen as divisive by some in the church, and many thought the cardinals would choose someone with more pastoral experience.

In the end, the cardinals turned to a man who offered doctrinal firmness, a sharp intellect and a clear vision of the threats facing the church and the faith.

In the days before and after the pope's death, he emphasized his concerns about the urgent challenges facing the church.

In meditations written for the Way of the Cross at the Rome Colosseum on Good Friday, March 25, he said too many Catholics continue to scorn and scourge Jesus in his church.

"Christ suffers in his own church," he said. He described "the falling of many Christians away from Christ and into a godless secularism," but also the fall of those Catholics who abuse the sacraments or their positions in the church.

"How much filth there is in the church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to him," he wrote. He said the church often seems like "a boat about to sink, a boat taking in water on every side."

"The soiled garments and face of your church throw us into confusion. Yet it is we ourselves who have soiled them! It is we who betray you time and time again," he wrote.

"Have mercy on your church," he prayed. "When we fall, we drag you down to earth, and Satan laughs, for he hopes that you will not be able to rise from that fall; he hopes that being dragged down in the fall of your church, you will remain prostrate and overpowered."

At Pope John Paul's funeral, Cardinal Ratzinger spoke movingly of the late pontiff, telling a crowd of several hundred thousand: "We can be sure that our beloved pope is standing today at the window of the Father's house, that he sees us and blesses us."

Born in Marktl am Inn April 16, 1927, his priestly studies began early but were interrupted by World War II.

While he was a seminarian, school officials enrolled him in the Hitler Youth program, but he soon stopped going to meetings. After being drafted in 1943 he served for a year on an anti-aircraft unit that tracked Allied bombardments. At the end of the war he spent time in a U.S. prisoner-of-war camp before being released.

Ordained in 1951, he received a doctorate and a licentiate in theology from the University of Munich, where he studied until 1957. He taught dogma and fundamental theology at the University of Freising in 1958-59, then lectured at the University of Bonn, 1959-1969, at Munster, 1963-66, and at Tubingen from 1966 to 1969. In 1969 he was appointed professor of dogma and of the history of dogmas at the University of Regensburg, where he also served as vice president until 1977.

A theological consultant to West German Cardinal Joseph Frings, he attended the Second Vatican Council as an expert or "peritus." At the council, he was said to have played an influential role in discussions among the German-speaking participants and gained a reputation as a progressive theologian.

He was named a member of the International Theological Commission in 1969. Pope Paul VI appointed him archbishop of Munich and Freising in 1977 and named him a cardinal later that year.

What will He find you doing when He comes?

2011-04-19T08:14:00.012+08:00

And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. And behold, I am coming soon." Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. I John am he who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me; but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God." And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy." "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay every one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

- Revelation 22:6-13

Today’s passage reaffirms the second coming of Jesus. We do not know when, and the Lord only tells us it’s “soon” (v 7). We have to be content with that and make our decisions based on that. A gambling person may continue to live life as if God does not exist, but it would be sensible to live a godly life now, simply because the consequences are real. An eternity away from Happiness is never worth exchanging for a few years of “fun”.

That, by no means, say that the Lord will stop us from doing what we want. Quite the opposite, as the angel reveals: “Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy” (v 11). He loves us enough to let us make our own decisions.

Too many people take this instruction the wrong way; some would say, “See! God lets them do what they want to do. Who are we to stop them?” We find excuses to not tell our fellow brothers and sisters about their lingering in sin or poor Christian behaviour. On the reverse, many are also closed to correction. We don’t seem to take kind warnings well, and we’d rather get angry with the person encouraging us to do good, and cutting off all forms of communication with them. We use the age-old excuse “I am only human” or “I admit that I’m a sinner”, not as a reason to turn back to God but to stay in our sinful state.

To be sure, we can struggle with sin. John, as we see in the reading, once again bows to the angel in worship (v 8), just as he did in chapter 19. He is reprimanded by the angel in the same way as when he first made that mistake. Even the Saint chosen to see Heaven revealed to him, even he struggled to stay holy. What more for you and I? And still, we are to focus not on his constant falls but his constant struggle to get up each time he falls.

Jesus loves us. Unconditionally. But that does not mean that Heaven is a sure capture. He would do anything for us (I suspect, even die on the cross again if He had to), but it has also been made clear that entrance to Heaven is our decision. Still, He continues to urge us to turn to Him. For us who are closed up, He does not water down the message: repent. We are to be the same. If it means us getting hated or discriminated against, we are still obliged to urge our friends to turn to God (if we truly treat them as friends). Likewise, we must remain open in humility to listen when others bring to us a message of repentance and change, even if it sounds displeasing to our egos.

At the end of the day, we are all decision makers, God, our Creator, forces nothing on us; He lets us do what we want. When the end comes, what will He find you doing?

Promises

2011-04-18T08:36:00.004+08:00

Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There shall no more be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall worship him; they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads. And night shall be no more; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they shall reign for ever and ever.

- Revelation 22:1-5

We’re fast approaching the end of Lent, and correspondingly, the end of the last Book of the Bible. So far, we’ve seen judgment and curses throughout the Book; it can be quite distracting for us when we focus on the possible punishment for not repenting of our sinfulness. But if we do that, we may be missing the point. The thing that should drive us to conversion and love, are the promises Christ made in John’s vision, to those who “conquer”.

We started off with letters to the seven churches, to whom messages of judgment and reward were mentioned. If we looked at the promises Jesus made, and paid attention to the text in the final chapters, we see several connections. Jesus said “to him who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life” (2:7) and in today’s selection the tree of life is planted on either side of the river (v 2). Then He promises that “he who conquers” will never go out of God’s temple, “the New Jerusalem”, and that God’s name would be written on the Saints (3:12); John sees in chapter 21 the New Jerusalem, and in today’s selection, His Name on the foreheads of the Saints (v 4). “He who conquers … I will not blot his name out of the book of life” (3:5) – we’ve seen that fulfilled in chapter 21 too. Jesus promised “he who conquers … power over the nations”, ruling with Jesus (2:26-27), and sharing a seat on Jesus’ throne (3:21); verse 5 from today’s reading tells us “they shall reign”. Examples are littered all over the Book.

What is the point? The point is that Jesus keeps all His promises. They may not come true at our appointed time, but they will happen in His appointed time. We cannot control when Jesus’ promises will come to pass. Trust is a key factor if we choose to believe His promises. And that trust is not only believing that is will happen, but also accepting His time for when it will happen.

Some promises we dare not hold – after all, who knows if it’s a promise we put in Jesus mouth by a biased reading of His Word, or that we received in a dream because we were obsessed by the desire of something? But there are important promises that we must cling on to. Promises that whatever we do here, the Father sees and acknowledges; promises that if we cooperate with His grace and live according to His love, we will see Him face to face; promises that there is life after bodily death and life with Him is the completion of happiness. These promises are the most important, and as we live our lives, we must cling to these promises.

This week, we remember Jesus dying on the cross for us. Three days later, He will rise again. That resurrection is also a fulfillment of a promise He made to His disciples. Knowledge of that fact gives us hope to struggle on against evil and sin in our lives. Because He will rose again, I know I can put my trust in Him. No addiction is too much for us to conquer. No evil colleague or classmate will do enough to turn us away from our goal. No confusion will deter us from finding Truth in it’s whole. With hope, anything can happen. We trust that Jesus’ promises will come to pass.

What about us? At our baptism and/or confirmation, we made promises too. In Catholic baptismal rites, we answer ‘yes’ to three particularly ~~important~~ life-changing questions: “Do you renounce Satan?” “And all his works?” “And all his empty promises?” Have we kept our promises to Him? If we haven’t perhaps that’s a reason we dare not hope in His promises to us.

Rehearsing for Heaven

2011-04-17T08:47:00.000+08:00

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light shall the nations walk; and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it, and its gates shall never be shut by day--and there shall be no night there; they shall bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean shall enter it, nor any one who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

- Revelation 21:22-27

Today we reach the end of chapter 21, and John remarks that there is no temple in the New Jerusalem. This is because God Himself is the temple. On earth, the temple or the church is an important representation of God’s dwelling place. In Catholic Churches all around the world, people find a sense of solace and comfort when they enter a church – mostly Catholic Christians, but every now and then, I hear the testimony of people from other faith traditions, who have by chance, or by a prompting during a dark moment, been prompted to walk into a church and have found a peace that cannot be described. Many don’t realise, that it’s because Christ Himself is there in the tabernacle. Without knowing it, they had entered in the God’s presence – a glimpse (albeit a very small glimpse) of Heaven.

But in Heaven, there will be no more need for a tabernacle, and no more need for even a church building, because God is the Temple we will constantly be in His presence. There will be no need for light because He will be our light.

Are we far from Heaven? Actually, I would propose that we’re not. Heaven is living in God’s presence. It is, in Jesus’ words, “abiding in” Him, being one with Him. Heaven is really being in God’s glorious presence for eternity. Can’t we do that now, wherever we are, in whatever situation we are in? It is possible to let God’s light shine on us because He desires to be with us. Heaven is a possibility today if we “remain in Him”. If we are to prepare for the day we will see Him face to face, we can start practicing His presence today. We can find ways to remind ourselves that He is present, and that we must choose to behave rightly for Him. If we can spare one minute each hour just doing something in honour of God’s presence, it would help. Keep totally silent, repeat His name, say the prayer He taught us, read one verse in the Gospel, the list goes on. If we do any of these for a full-minute each hour, I think many of our lives will take a sharp turn for the better.

“Nothing unclean shall enter [Heaven]” (v 27), John declares, and so, it is right that we, with the grace and help of our Lord, purify ourselves through our actions, practice His presence, and keep close to Him during our short stint here. May you start preparing for life in Heaven today in the little ways you can.

A birthday greeting

2011-04-16T08:01:00.004+08:00

If I had half the theological mind as you,
it would help me love my God more.
Learning from you has given me that half.
So thank you for sharing with me all that you've learnt.

If I had half the energy and enthusiasm about my own faith as you still do,
it would push me beyond boundaries and barriers.
Seeing the way you've lived your life has given me that half.
So thank you for showing me that enthusiasm and energy does not belong to any age group.

If I had half the humility and patience as you,
it would make me a better ambassador of our faith.
Watching your willingness to be silent in storms of uncharitable abuse,
and your unceasing patience toward unbelievers, has given me that half.
So thank you for assuring me that it is still possible to live in quiet trust.

Happy 84th Birthday Papa Benedictus. Thank you for giving me us all your time, mind, service and life. May the Lord bless you abundantly and shower you with good health to continue leading us to Him. Your life is truly a great gift to humanity, because you decided to make this life first, a gift to God.

Glory to God in the highest.

If you saw your name in Heaven

2011-04-16T07:22:00.002+08:00

Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb." And in the Spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed; on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked to me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its breadth; and he measured the city with his rod, twelve thousand stadia; its length and breadth and height are equal. He also measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits by a man's measure, that is, an angel's. The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every jewel; the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.

- Revelation 21:9-21

If you’re not into architecture or don’t like numbers, you won’t like the description of Heaven here in Revelation 21. Me too. I appreciate the vision and its similarity to the prophecies of Ezekiel, the emphasis on the number 12, and the familiar tone in which it is described as an opposite of the whore of Babylon (in Revelation 17-18). Perhaps we would enjoy it more if we were more familiar with what the symbols here represent.

Let’s take a step back though and remember that John is the person witnessing all this. And the angel shows him the 12 gates, and the 12 foundations. And on the 12 foundations, we find the names of the Apostles of the Lamb. John, in his vision, sees his name inscribed on the walls of the final city – God’s city! How he got distracted by the harlot earlier in chapter 17 and not get excited about seeing his name on the foundations of the New Jerusalem is beyond me. Perhaps I will save that question for him if I see him there one day! I would imagine that seeing his name would be enough for any or all the sufferings he’s endured for Christ and for the good of His people.

Maybe we find the measurements of the place boring and almost meaningless. But what will never change is that it will not matter how the place looks. It will matter that that’s where God wants us all to be, and longs for us all to be at. If our names are to be found in Heaven, let us remember that it takes two things here in our earthly lives to get there: God’s grace, and our cooperation. Let’s work with Him and within the means He has given us, and may we find true comfort in Him, whose name is greater than any of ours.

He makes all things new

2011-04-15T07:14:00.002+08:00

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away." And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment. He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death."

- Revelation 21:1-8

In my reflection yesterday, we talked about the idea of eternal life and its seeming inability to attract most people in the world today. Based on our experience of pain and suffering on earth now, not many would want to live forever. Yet there have been moments that we receive love or have some form of fulfillment or gratification (some experience these moments more than others do); these are the moments we wish would last forever.

Good news. That can actually happen. From the beginning of Revelation we see one requirement for the eternal happiness: conquer. He who conquers will receive this. Needless to say, we are asked to persevere and overcome evil in our lives. And when we do, God’s promise to us is that we will have eternal life with Him, and we would actually want it! Any painful experience we have, any bad memory we’ve gone through, all these will be gone. In His own Word it’s made clear: “[God] will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.” Change the perception of life as you know it here on earth: remove any pain and suffering. Now, living forever looks like a different proposition.

I suppose the only thing left now, is to conquer. Not that it’s an easy task – far from it! But let’s look at it this way. Jesus is the difference between life on earth and life in Heaven. Could He not be the difference here in our life on earth? "Behold, I make all things new," He says (v5). It is possible to live life here with Jesus. It is possible for us to let go of all the chains that hold us down. We can’t renew ourselves, but He can. If we give Him our lives and consciously live for Him, He can change things around. He can make us new.

The thing about eternal life...

2011-04-14T08:35:00.004+08:00

Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it; from his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead in them, and all were judged by what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; and if any one's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

- Revelation 20-11-15

One of the most common “mistake” in evangelisation that many people make is to ask “do you want eternal life” or to say that “Jesus can give you eternal life”. I call this a “mistake” (quote-marks and all) is because for people who don’t know God and who find life meaningless, “eternal life” does not sound like a good idea. Many people dread their own lives, wake up miserable and live as if there’s no tomorrow. As it is, they can’t wait for their days to come to an end. We have made our lives here on earth such a torture we wouldn’t mind not having a forever.

Actually, the more sound question to ask is “do you want to spend your eternal life in happiness or in misery?” Because eternal life, in fact, will be a reality for all of us. Our bodies will break down, but our souls will remain. And I don't think the concept of eternal life is solely a Christian idea. Look around all religions and faith beliefs and we’ll see that many (if not all) have an idea of undying souls. They don’t just disappear, they go somewhere. Some souls find peace and others don’t. This is a fact that has made a few dollars for the likes of Russell Lee (of True Singapore Ghost Stories fame) and the many makers of horror films and TV series. We actually don’t get to decide if we want to have eternal life. We will get it. The only difference will be weather this eternal life will be in happiness (Jesus claims to give fullness of joy) or in misery – this is particularly true for those who buy into the devil’s lame attempts to convince us that there’s no eternal life: “live for today!”, “Enjoy today, for tomorrow you may die and lose the chance to enjoy!” Ultimately, we are lured into believing that there’s no consequence for neither goodness or evil at the end of the day. And since good is always less fun than evil, there’s no point in being good. The only problem with that is that if we discover that there is indeed eternal life, it will smack us right in the face.

If we, Christians, are to believe the Bible as truth, then we can believe enough that there is a greater glimpse into this eternal life. The “book of life” in verse 12 of today’s selection may or may not be literal, but what needs no interpretation is the fact that we will have to be held accountable for all our actions. We need to be prepared for that day. And it’s probably true that we’d be lost for words when the time comes for us to explain ourselves in front of the all mighty God. Knowing that this God is all-knowing and sees through all our excuses, how are we to even begin to explain? Perhaps it is with this sense of worry that we are not too hot about meeting God face-to-face.

But there is another perspective to this. Perhaps the Father may not even be looking for an explanation. Perhaps He wouldn’t care too much. The famous parable about the wasteful son hints at this: the son is truly repentant for all that he’s done and for the way he’s treated his father. He makes his way home scripting his lines. But his father comes to him and does not even want to hear his explanations. God is greater than that father.

Of course, this is not a theological take on the matter, but why would God care so much for us to explain ourselves? He already knows everything we’ve ever done, and He knows the true reasons for our doing so. He needs no explanation from us who have truly turned our hearts completely to Him! But from those who had refused to change and preferred to feign ignorance, it would make sense that God would demand an explanation: so that it becomes clear that He is not the one who condemns us, but in all those actions, we condemned ourselves.

Are we ready to face Jesus if we take our last breath today? Where have we offended God and His creation, and are we truly sorry for those offences? The good news for you and I is that you’re reading this because you still have a chance to repent. As I write, I have a chance to repent. What we will be doing on the day of judgment, anxiously hoping to find our names in the Book of life, God is already doing now. Right now, He’s hoping we put our names down, and commit to a life of good. He’s made His pleas, will we listen?

Who let the [devil] out?

2011-04-13T08:47:00.007+08:00

Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be loosed from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth, that is, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city; but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

- Revelation 20:6-10

A natural question that comes along with these four verses above is if God reigns already, why does He let the devil loose to deceive the nations? Why even let him deceive the nations in the first place?

The answer is love.

The devil is nothing but an option. He gives us an option – usually something more tempting than the option God has proposed – and hopes that we take the bait. God does not remove that option, because that option is a reality. It is a real choice that can be made. Removing that choice would be an untruth. And if God is Truth itself, then He does not take away negative options. From this, it’s easier to see why the devil is “the untruth”. He gives us an option that is only seemingly more seductive, but in actuality is empty. Further, he makes us think we have “no other options” (haven’t we all used that excuse before?). But there is always an option. Always. The decision we make is always the turning point. It either brings us closer to God, or it takes us away from God. The devil would have us think that he is not involved, but he is the deceiver. He is always, always, at the other end of the line.

The way the devil can be released to “come out to deceive the nations” (v 8) is when we Christians, who have been born into God’s family, decide to act against our true identity. Jerusalem was like that. They were chosen to be the centre of worship for God’s people. They had to be the first and best example to the rest of the world – the firstborn. But when they failed, the rest of the nations, because of Jerusalem’s poor demonstration, fall into confusion. We’re the same now. The devil is let loose when we have no clear stand on our behavior in the public realm, when we have no clear stand against homosexuality (wrong even from a logical and objective point of view), when we make no qualms about sex before marriage and worst, abortion. The devil is let loose every time we sprout a vulgarity or act contrary to our faith, or when we make fun of our God – the God whom we at the very same time call an all mighty Creator. When we act contrary to our identity, we cut the chains loose on the devil, and allow him to go round deceiving the nations. The devil is cut loose because God loves us enough to allow us to release the devil into the world.

To assist him in his bid to make us falter, the devil has helpers. A quick google of “Gog” and “Magog” leads us to Ezekiel 38-39, where we see that the two cities are enemies of God’s people. They – enemies of God – still exist. And they will spare no effort against us. Yet, our passage today assures us that if we continue to battle against them, God will come to our rescue: Gog and Magog will approach our camp but God will consume them before they get to us.

We all have temptations, for sure. The devil tempts us and tries to make us fall. But every time we say no to Satan, we make a clear stand and give those around us a clearer picture of God and of our faith. It is certain that these challenges continue to come up against us. The devil lures us and his workers, the Gogs and Magogs in our lives and in our society, will continue to wage war against us. We must cling to our God and confidently approach the enemies with the assurance that victory has been won.

As Lent draws to a close in a little more than a week, let us bear that victory in our hearts, and know that every sacrifice we make, every act of self-denial, has been made acts of merit by Jesus, who’s own death and resurrection holds every merit needed for us. Victory has been won – let’s act like it.

Headless? But full of heart!

2011-04-12T14:44:00.003+08:00

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. After that he must be loosed for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life, and reigned with Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.

- Revelation 20:1-5

In the whole of Revelation, this is one of those difficult passages many people find hard to reconcile. The “thousand years” can really get people confused and distracted from the key messages of the Book. Let’s remember that this Book contains much symbolism, so a literal counting o a thousand years is extremely unlikely. But like I’ve said several times, discussing the real meaning of the “thousand years” is not the purpose of this journey.

The thing that is quite striking from this short selection is the image of “the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God” (v 4). Without contact, one would imagine this to be a more fitting image of hell. But it isn’t. These Saints have paid a great price to enter Heaven. They literally put their heads on the chopping board (You would imagine Paul to be one of these, since he himself was beheaded).

If your road to Heaven is a dust-free and painless way, I’d suggest you check the road signs along the way; chances are, you’re not on the right road. The way to Heaven is long, winding, and challenging. Jesus said many times in the Gospels that it would not be easy being a disciple. Some Christian denominations out there take one verse here and another verse there, and stake a claim that “Jesus wants you to be wealthy and have all the things you want!” Of course, by “all the things you want”, the preacher does not refer to the cross or suffering. Yes, we never find Jesus saying these things. In fact, he demands that those who wish to be His disciples should pick up their cross and follow Him – daily. Every day.

Following Christ is a daily decision. It is for us to wake up each morning and decide that the day belongs to Him, to decide that we belong to Him, and we will act on His behalf. It is not enough to say it one time, because you and I both know how forgetful our poor human hearts are.

The best thing about this journey is that despite the difficulty, it will be a joy-filled one, as long as we approach it with the right attitude. If we go forward in confidence, knowing full well that God is our guide and protector, even the worst torture can be borne with joy. Of course, you can’t take my word for it. I haven’t died a martyr’s death (I hope not to be put to the test!). If you read the countless holy people who have died for their faith, you will see the witness (with little comprehension) of these people expressing utter joy even unto death. They’re not crazy, they’re just sure – of their faith, of their God and of their love for Him.

Against Him, evil stands no chance

2011-04-11T07:00:00.001+08:00

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, "Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great." And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who sits upon the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. And the rest were slain by the sword of him who sits upon the horse, the sword that issues from his mouth; and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

- Revelation 19:17-21

The close of chapter 19 brings us back to the wicked and their judgment. Every single soul that refuses to repent and return to God will be judged as promised by God. We can see these are the truly unrepentant because they once again gather to make war against Jesus and His army.

This is a picture all too familiar in our own lives. We want to destroy sin in our lives, we in ourselves do not want to go against God, but those evils, those sins that hold us back, they gather together and make war with our King and brother. That’s spiritual warfare for you. A battle takes place in our hearts each time we resolve to turn away from a particular form of sin that we’ve been chained to.

Every time we try to be judge, and every time we take the battle into our own hands, we fail terribly. But the verses we are given assurance that when Jesus takes over the battle, we gain victory. Evil stands no chance against the Lord, and when we recognise that we are not our own, we are better able to freely give ourselves to God and cooperate with his grace. This is what Baptism allows us to do; it makes us part of His family and under His care.

As Easter draws near, let’s turn ourselves to God. Let’s learn to see that we do not belong to ourselves, but to God, and thus join Him in the spiritual battle against the evils in our lives.

Born to be prophets

2011-04-10T09:14:00.002+08:00

And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are true words of God." Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God." For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed which no one knows but himself. He is clad in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, followed him on white horses. From his mouth issues a sharp sword with which to smite the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, King of kings and Lord of lords.

- Revelation 19:9-16

As we progress further into Revelation 19, we see John kind of fluff his lines again. First he was mesmerised by the sight of the harlot. Now, John becomes so nervous, he fell at the feet of the angel and worshiped him, failing to recognise that while their natures differed, both were mere creatures, and both would worship God together. It’s a good reminder for all who elevate their honour and respect for the great people of our faith, to a level of worship.

It is true that outside our Catholic faith, there are too many people who do not understand that we do not worship our great Saints (especially Mary) – there are perfectly good theological reasons for our honour of these great souls. But I think there is also some within the faith, who sometimes allow their devotion to our Saints to trickle into worship territory (many unconsciously, to be fair). Like everything else, if Jesus it taken out of the picture, we run that risk. Thankfully, Mary and all our Saints are all about Jesus. They are where they are because they were connected to Jesus. Glory and praise to our Lord for giving us such fine examples and brothers and sisters we can turn to for motivation and encouragement. Nonetheless, we never worship creatures, and like the angel, they would warn us to draw the line too. They too, would say, “I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren … Worship God” (v 10).

The next line is a prelude to the following vision of Heaven opening and Jesus coming on a white horse. The angel proclaims: “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (v 10b). The prophets in the Old Testament spoke as God had told them, perhaps not even know who they were referring to; perhaps not even knowing if their prophecies would come true in their lifetime. But the angel now proclaims that all they had prophesied pointed to Jesus. They, knowingly or unknowingly, testified to Jesus. but a more important point to me is that this may be gives us a new way of thinking about prophecy. Prophecy is not about predicting the future, and prophets do not primarily predict the future. In fact, most of the Old Testament prophets stated the need for the people to repent and turn away from sinful lives. Their prediction of the future was only a result of a failure to repent.

Prophecy is primarily a speaking of truth. And, as the angel said, prophecy is testifying to Jesus. We are all called to be prophets: voices for truth, voices for God. We don’t have to predict when the world will end, or if today’s going to be a rainy day. With our lives we can prophecy by speaking and acting in truth. We can prophecy by sharing with our friends that God loves us and that Jesus became man and willing took the penalty for all our sins. All these lead to the same plea the prophets made in their time: “Repent. Turn to God.” We ought to all be compelled to do this. It is only natural if all these factors are true: First, you truly believe that there is a God who created the universe who loves all His creatures, and is the most important thing to know; second, you care for your friends and family and want the best for them. If we both of these truths are constantly in our consciousness, would we not naturally become prophets?

In this sense, Mary and the Saints, through the ages, are precisely prophets with their lives. Sure, most of them made no predictions, but they all spoke the truth, and they all testified to Jesus. We are all called to be like them.

Christ is coming. There’s no question about that. He will keep His Word and fulfill all that he has warned us about. He does not make idle promises. We know that is true when we see the similarities in the first three chapters of Revelation again – they match the description of Revelation 19:11-15: he is the “faithful and true” witness (Rev 3:14), his eyes “like flame and fire” (1:14), a name which “no one knows” but Himself (2:17), his mouth issues a sword (1:16), and He rules the nations with an iron rod (2:27). What described Jesus prior to His warnings to the seven churches, He is carrying out in Revelation 19. God does not make idle promises. He is not a god who makes threats just to hope we will change. Because He is Truth itself, He cannot lie. Think of one person who really needs to know His love. Do what you were born to do: be a prophet to that person.

Here comes the bride

2011-04-09T09:15:00.001+08:00

After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; he has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants." Once more they cried, "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever." And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who is seated on the throne, saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!" And from the throne came a voice crying, "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great." Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure" – for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

- Revelation 19:1-9

The scene in Revelation 19 is one of victory and rejoicing. The saints in Heaven are not so much happy that the wicked have suffered their dues, but more that justice is carried out. By now, they would have known that anyone who would have repented would have done so by now, so there is reason to rejoice.

Verse 7 announces that “the marriage … has come”. This is one of the references we used to describe our covenant with God. Marriage sees two becoming one. And in Heaven, at the end of the world, the marriage ceremony is complete: all of God’s people, the Church united, become the Bride, and Christ shines as the Bridegroom. By now, both would have given to one another – Christ, by coming to earth and dying on the cross, the Church, by her faithful witness to the Word of God.

My attention was caught by verse 8, that “’… it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure’ – for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints”. It contrasts the image of the harlot just two chapters back: “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication” (Rev 17:4), and John himself marveled at her. Here in chapter 19, the bride of Christ is also pictured to be beautiful. Both are beautiful, but one’s beauty is kin-deep, superficial. One that provides instant gratification and pleasure, but under the surface are impurities. The other is simpler on the outside, just fine linen, but the fine linen itself is righteousness, willingness to give herself completely.

We come to the obvious point of reflection that now lies before us: which truly attracts us more? We would be quick to say that the bride is more beautiful than the harlot. I think it’s because we’re all naturally drawn to goodness, true beauty. When it’s all plain and visible, the choices are simple. We’d prefer to be the bride than the harlot.

Unfortunately, not everything is always visible to the human eye. Our eyes have adjusted our expectations in life, and have influenced us that we no longer desire what we can not see. Isn’t that why although we find the bride more beautiful, we turn into a harlot so often? It is such a hurdle, when we are offered things to build our egos, heighten our pride and make us powerful. I’m not talking about killing your boss for his position, but things as simple as gossip: these subtler things (“not as evil”, we may say) make us feel powerful without much guilt. Our attraction for such things are truly worth lamenting over.

I would imagine it to be a much greater challenge for one who is suddenly blind, than one who was born blind, and never had the privilege to see. The one born blind has not lost anything, in actuality. But the one who has gotten used to perceiving by means of seeing risks being caught up by visuals. Perhaps this is a reminder for us that it’s better not to “experience” things that are against God. Better to be blind to these things, than to take a peek and be attracted by them.

This is why we have to acknowledge a second way of “seeing” – not with the eyes, but at a deeper, spiritual level. Our minds and our hearts provide eyes for that. The comparison between the bride and the harlot show us that goodness is not always seen clearly, yet it is much more beautiful than sin. Sin, although not as beautiful, is more visible. The natural sight we have attracts us to the skin-deep beauty. But the supernatural sight brings us to a higher state; it helps us make things clearer.

We who are sinners, let us ask God for Wisdom and supernatural sight, to see beyond the surface. If we can make the choices we make not by what we see at the lowest possible level, but see beauty for what it truly is, perhaps we will start to see how ugly some temptations are. Think about your last conversation about someone. Was it a positive one or a negative one? Look at your last tweet or your last status/message on Facebook, was it one that gave life, or one that killed? These simple things reveal which form of beauty really attracts us. More importantly, it tells us if we’re acting like the bride or like the harlot. And if we’ve been acting like a harlot, the call now is to return. You are made to be God’s Bride: beautiful, radiant and pure.

The Groom is waiting; “the marriage of the Lamb has come”. It is time for the Bride to make herself ready (cf v 7). Every marriage comes with lots of preparation. This one is no different. Time for us, the bride of Christ, to adorn ourselves with the “fine linen” of righteousness.

False friends and true Friend

2011-04-08T07:01:00.003+08:00

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor. And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt of every foul and hateful bird; for all nations have drunk the wine of her impure passion, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich with the wealth of her wantonness." Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her as she herself has rendered, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double draught for her in the cup she mixed. As she glorified herself and played the wanton, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning. Since in her heart she says, 'A queen I sit, I am no widow, mourning I shall never see,' so shall her plagues come in a single day, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she shall be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her."

- Revelation 18:1-8

We often hope that we can get away with a smaller punishment for something we’ve been caught doing. Sometimes, we get a dose of leniency, but at the final judgment, God’s punishment will fit the crime. Babylon destroyed Jerusalem’s temple long ago, and it was destroyed. Now Jerusalem killed the True Temple, and now it will be destroyed. In this sense, Jesus warning to us to do unto other what we want others to do unto us, rings true.

It’s easy to see this when it comes to the “big sins” like murder. But it’s less apparent and we are less alert to this when it comes to the “small sins”. Who likes to hear gossip about themselves? Who wants their picture taken by a stranger and posted on the net when they are doing something stupid? Who likes to be humiliated? We’ll be judged the way we act: it will be “rendered to [us] as [we ourselves have] rendered” (v. 6). If we hear Jesus’ warning, we’d heed it; a good reflection on this would help us realise this is the way to being a good Christian.

And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and were wanton with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning; they will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, "Alas! alas! thou great city, thou mighty city, Babylon! In one hour has thy judgment come." And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo any more, cargo of gold, silver, jewels and pearls, fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, all articles of ivory, all articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls. "The fruit for which thy soul longed has gone from thee, and all thy dainties and thy splendor are lost to thee, never to be found again!" The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, "Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, bedecked with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! In one hour all this wealth has been laid waste." And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, "What city was like the great city?" And they threw dust on their heads, as they wept and mourned, crying out, "Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! In one hour she has been laid waste.

- Revelation 18:9-24

In 10 verses (9-19), we see three groups of people mourning over the destruction of Jerusalem: the kings (v. 9), the merchants (v. 11) and the sailors (v. 17). But look at them carefully: they’re not mourning for Jerusalem. They’re mourning in anguish for themselves. The kings mourn because they now have to look for something else to commit their adultery with – they can no longer make use of Jerusalem. The merchants and the sailors both mourn because they had made Jerusalem a cash cow. They have both lost money. So is it with sin. We’ve talked about how evil turns against evil yesterday, and today we see an evidence of that. The devil only cares for you as long as he has a use for you. And just as the kings, merchants and sailors knew that judgment for Jerusalem was coming (they all say “alas, alas” in verses 10, 16 and 19), the devil knows our judgment is coming – he won’t say a word. And just as the kings, merchants and sailors “stand far off” (vv. 10, 15, 17) during judgment, the evil one stands far off during judgment. Here, we see the kind of friend we really don’t want to have. Yet, many of us stick to sin.

On the other hand, as judgment is about to be delivered, we see God still calling His people: “Come out of her … lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues” (v. 4). Just as God’s people were pled to “flee Babylon” (Jer 51:6), and as God’s people we led to “come out of” Egypt, God now shows the same commitment. He still cares, and He still wants to bring us out of sin. Unlike the love of the kings, merchants and sailors, God’s love is everlasting. False friends love you only because you join them in sin; God loves you in spite of you joining them in sin. False friends love you until you stop joining them in sin; God loves you still, even after you’ve rejected Him.

We have false friends and we have true friends; and above all, one truest Friend, the only One we really need. The challenge in our lives is to recognise objectively which are the true ones, and which are the false ones. The difficulty is not something outside, but within. We have to be honest with ourselves before we even see more clearly who the real friends are: those who never encourage you in evil ways, those who push you in the right direction even if it’s difficult. I hope you find true friends, I hope you find a true friend in me, and I hope you’ll look to the one, truest Friend you’ll ever need.

Evil turns against evil

2011-04-07T11:11:00.004+08:00

And he said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the harlot is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot; they will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and giving over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman that you saw is the great city which has dominion over the kings of the earth."

- Revelation 17:15-18

Chapter 17 describes the partnership between the harlot and the beast. At first the harlot rides on the beast and sells herself in order to make use of his powers. The beast is happy to provide for the harlot.

But what happens at the end of the chapter is the beast turning against the harlot. Almost without recollection of their previous relationship, he now joins forces with other enemies and aim to “make her desolate the naked”, and to “devour her flesh and burn her up in fire”.

God allows the devil to tempt us, and He allows us to make choices for or against Him. Out of His great and absolute love for His creatures, God gives us total freedom to make choices. He makes extra efforts to tell us the consequence of our choices. The natural consequence for sin is death, the natural consequence for obedience is life. We see here that evil will eventually turn against evil. They do not stand together because they have separate agendas.

When evil contends with evil, it becomes a battle of power of the two sides. One will be victorious over the other. And the greater evil will not stop at victory, but will pile on humiliation upon humiliation: nakedness, eating of flesh, burning in fire. The devil is not on our side. He makes use of us the same way we make use of him when we sin. But he is more powerful than us as individuals, so in this battle of evil against evil, who will win? Yes, the greater evil. That’s precisely why we need God on our side.

Let’s not be confused with verse 17, “for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and giving over their royal power to the beast”. In truth, God is Love and only Love. His way can only be of love. But just as the same sun that lights a room also melts a candle, God’s ways causes friction among the evil.

Hell is a lot simpler than many of us make. A popular perspective is that God sends us one way or another. A less popular (but more accurate one, as I argued in an older post) is that we send ourselves one way or another. Perhaps I could offer a third perspective – not theologically accurate, but an interesting thought: Is it not possible that at the end of life, God sends us all to the same place, and that place is with him, forever. If one loves God and true goodness, he spends eternity in that goodness, with God. If one hates God and hates goodness, and prefers to go against God, he spends eternity in goodness too. But because he cannot stand goodness, it’s effectively hell.

Think of it as a worship service: one who loves God, and loves to sing and dance and praise Him, it would be an enjoyable time. But for one who truly in his/her heart does not believe in God, it would be understandably sickening for him/her to be at the very same place. If you hate goodness now, you can’t possibly enjoy Heaven, goodness eternal?

Let’s form ourselves according to Him. He is the Creator, and He knows what it’s like there. And He says we will be happy there. Otherwise Jesus would not lament over souls ending up in hell. Let’s trust Him in His Word, and mould our lives according to Him. At least we know he’s always on our side.

Pierce Brosnan talks about his faith

2011-04-06T17:03:00.003+08:00

Pierce Brosnan says his faith sustained him through major crises. I thought it was nice that a celebrity would step forward and talk about his faith. Of course, I don't know enough if he is in good standing with the Church, but presuming he is, it's a nice touch you don't often see in Hollywood. Parts of the story written by Debbie McGoldrick (Irish Voice Editor) has been cut short by me (you can see the full article here). Enjoy the short read!

Pierce Brosnan admits that he might not have learned all he needed to know about math from the Christian Brothers in Ireland, but the teachers imparted one thing that has stayed with him to this day – his Catholic faith.

Brosnan credits the power of prayer with guiding him through life’s ups and downs. "(Prayer) helped me with the loss of my wife to cancer and with a child who had fallen on tough times. Now prayer helps me to be a father, to be an actor and to be a man,” Brosnan said.
“It always helps to have a bit of prayer in your back pocket. At the end of the day, you have to have something and for me that is God, Jesus, my Catholic upbringing, my faith.”

Pierce’s first wife, Cassandra Harris, died of ovarian cancer 20 years ago. The son they had together, Sean, was in a serious car crash a few years back in California, but luckily he survived and is thriving again.

Brosnan and his mother left his hometown of Navan, Co. Meath in 1964, when he was 12 years old, for greener pastures in London. His father left the family when he was only two, so times were tough.

"In a way (my life) all leads back to a little boy in Navan, my home town on the banks of the Boyne.

Sometimes, it has been painted in melodramatic tones but it was a fantastic way to be brought up. The Catholicism and the Christian brothers, those are deep-rooted images and the foundation for a person of some acting skill,” he says.

"God has been good to me. My faith has been good to me in the moments of deepest suffering, doubt and fear. It is a constant, the language of prayer ... I might not have got my sums right from the Christian Brothers or might not have got the greatest learning of literature from them but I certainly got a strapping amount of faith."

Brosnan also feels that faith will help the Irish people escape the gloom and doom of recession.

"But there is one thing that the people of Ireland know how to do and that is to survive. You have to keep your faith and stay optimistic,” he feels.

How to overcome evil

2011-04-06T09:04:00.002+08:00

As I said yesterday, in this fourth day looking at Revelation 17, I would be sharing another point in the same passage as yesterday's reflection. Yesterday, the striking point we reflected on was verse 7, seeing how John too, needed help interpreting his vision. John, an Apostle, and at the point of writing, a Bishop zealous enough to be exiled "on account of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus" (Rev 1:9), needed assistance in understanding.

Today, we're focused on the next verse:

The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to perdition ... it was and is not and is to come.

- Revelation 17:8

On an immediate level, we'd recall that In chapter 1 and chapter 4 Jesus is given the opposite title: "who is and who was and who is to come" (1:8; 4:8). This is a clear effort to portray the devil as the direct opposite of Jesus. But it isn't just that. It is not so much an opposition on the devil's part, as it is a lack of something. Christ "is", the devil "is not". I think this gives us good ground on at least taking a step in removing sin in our lives.

It would be most common to understand evil as the opposite of good, but if we take it just below the skin of it, we can see that pure evil is not just an opposite of pure good. I mean, it is, but its state of opposition comes from a lack of goodness – it comes because it "is not".

Isn't that what evil really is, at the end of the day? Evil, sin, is a lack of good. Hate is a lack of love; chaos is a lack of peace, greed is a lack of charity. If we can see this, then we're a step closer to overcoming sin in our lives.

When I was much younger –and I think many of my own friends would share the same – the faith was about restrictions. The 10 Commandments, we cannot do this, and I cannot do that. From a purely neutral standpoint, this is crazy. It potentially keeps you from actually "living life". That was the precise criticism some of my friends had on my going to church every weekend when we were at the ripe old, discerning, wise age of 14. I was blessed to recognise that if it's God's commandments, it must be for my good. I stuck to them as best I could.

But the authentic Christian life is not one that focuses on cutting off things. It's about adding on. The more good things you add on, the more naturally the bad things dissolve into nothingness. Take the commandments for example. We'd remember that there were 10, because we've seen movies emphasising on the 10, and that's about all we've dug into. But in reality, the whole Torah (the first five Books of the Old Testament) contain over 600 laws! Still, if one could live out the 10 main laws, you didn't have to worry about the other 600. Similarly, if you look at the 10 commandments, they can be broken down quite easily.

We would do well to focus on the do not kills and the do not steals. But the first three are the key: they are about God: No no other gods before Him, to not take His Name in vain, and to keep the Sabbath holy. You could get a sense that if you could do the first three whole-heartedly, the other seven would be a no-brainer. Even better, it is the first commandment that is the winner of them all: "You shall have no other gods before me" (Ex 20:3). In other words, nothing rises to the level of your worship and love for the one God. Anything that takes priority of God, becomes a god for you.

If we fill ourselves with love for God, if our focus is on nothing else but Him, there's no worry about any other commandment. It covers them all. Adding more of God makes cutting off this sin or that sin away more natural. So, remove greed by adding in abundance generosity, remove lust by adding an abundance of love (true love), remove lie by adding in abundance truth.

The more we focus on adding good, the more easily (and naturally) the bad fats get burned off. This is not to say it's easy to do so. But maybe we could all do with a little more focus on what's truly good. That would make the Christian life a really fulfilling one. Christ, after all, came not to destroy, but to fulfill.

We need authority

2011-04-05T14:11:00.002+08:00

Friend, thank you for following me on my walk through Revelation. As you can tell, my reflection today, came a little late. I try to do it first thing upon waking up, and no I didn’t wake up at 2pm today. I was just rushing a project for a client and just got my hands off it.

I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to perdition; and the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will marvel to behold the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to perdition. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind and give over their power and authority to the beast; they will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful."

- Revelation 17:7b-14

The third installment of Revelation 17 sees the angel interpreting for John what he sees. As with the other descriptions so far, these symbols match the happenings of the fall of Jerusalem in AD70. There’s no need to make guesses about who’s who, because that seems to have been settled already, by serious Bible exegetes. More importantly, it isn’t the purpose of this journey. But there are still a couple of things I think we can take home from these next seven verses (I included part of verse 7 again to give a little bit of context).

I think it’s noteworthy that John is seeing many images and having to write down what he sees. The angel, here, interprets for him, telling him what this meant and what that represented. Without it, one could certainly risk twisting an image in more ways than one. This is the same for our faith. Reading the scriptures and interpreting the Bible is key in a good Christian life, yet it can get confusing. Here, there is another reason to be thankful for the Catholic Church to give us guidelines in interpreting scripture. We don’t simply rely on our imagination to consider a message; we don’t even rely on some smart scholar who has read the same passages a thousand times. It would be childish – not childlike – for us to say the Bible came from God, and never think about its origin on earth. God didn’t throw us a compilations of the Best of Christianity when He left us. In fact, a full 60 years after Jesus Ascension, there was not such thing as a Bible. Yet the faith community grew. We must ask ourselves why. Because the answer leads us to an even better appreciation of the Bible.

Here’s a piece of reality: when Jesus was about to ascend into Heaven, He left no book. He told His Apostles to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them … teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Mt 28:19-20). He did not write anything. He did not give a lesson plan to the Apostles. So the Apostles had to make do what they had: experience. They could not have taught Sola Scriptura, “Scripture Alone”, because there wasn’t even a Bible to begin with! And when the Bible did get put together, it didn’t just come together, complete with a Table of Content. Councils deliberated and argued over which books should be considered Sacred Scripture, and which books should not. The Bible came by the Authority of Christ’s Church. It takes a childlike person to humbly accept that the Bible came from men, inspired by God, instructed by God. It takes humility to see that Jesus gave men authority in His Church. That’s a stumbling block for many people, because many don’t like to follow what the authority says. With that humility, Augustine, one of the greatest Christian teachers ever, said, “I would not believe in the Gospels were it not for the authority of the Catholic Church.”

There’s an argument that the Fathers could have been wrong – and I agree. There have been wrong teaching all through the life of the Church. But that should not be a deterrence. In fact, it should help us realize that if those Churchmen, who were much, much closer to the source, who learned from the Apostles and the Disciples of the Apostles, if they could get it wrong, but makes Mr BibleSpeakerToday any more accurate in interpreting the Word of God? All the more we need to turn to Church teaching for guidance. No one would prefer to look at a Math Textbook to speaking with the person who compiled the textbook.

This is not the say that the Church has to interpret what every line says; it certainly does not mean that every line or every word has only one interpretation, but reading Scripture with Church teachings, go hand in hand, making Christian Living a more complete experience. For that reason, I’m not reflecting on Revelation with the view of the end of the world. A reading of Revelation without any idea of the background of the Church and the teaching of the Church, leads to an obviously gloomy Book. But if you’re Catholic and if you’ve journeyed with me thus far, you would have realized how Revelation presents the Heavenly Liturgy. Those things that people say are old fashioned and meaningless, those are found in the Bible! We’ve got the consider: if John, one of the 12 who did everything with Jesus, needed help interpreting the signs, so do we.

We’ll on this same passage again tomorrow because there is one more thing in these verses that I think is particularly striking. In the mean time, perhaps today we should consider the value of authority. Do you take it seriously? Parents, teachers, bosses, pastors. If God gives them to us, our love for Him should motivate us to humble obedience.

The little harlots...

2011-04-04T07:00:00.009+08:00

And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication; and on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earth's abominations." And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her I marveled greatly. But the angel said to me, "Why marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her.

- Revelation 17:3-7

Yesterday, I thought about the sense where we, baptised Christians, followers and indeed children and spouses of God, acted like prostitutes, selling our souls to other gods. The next four verses turn the table around, and the harlot is now portrayed as not just us, it is another. Here, we are not the harlots, rather, now we keep harlots in our lives. And the harlot in in the four verses is not described as something ugly. In fact, the harlot captures John’s attention.

It’s true that many sins are obvious and leads us to a form of disgust. We disagree with it, we don’t like it. But is it really because we’re standing up to God’s value system, or is it because those particular “harlots” don’t attract us personally? How else can we explain that some sins, some “harlots”, do attract us? You know, those sins that are “not so bad”. Yeah, the ones we are attracted to and cannot let go of. It’s true that gossip doesn’t stand anywhere near murder in the sin list. But the smaller sins are the ones we have to be on guard against. Most of us would never murder, but most of us would be attracted by slander, unkindness, lust, vulagarities, greed. They still lead us to sin. THEY ARE STILL HARLOTS.

John “marveled greatly” at the sight of the harlot can tell us something. But let’s not forget that this happened as he was being shown a vision of God’s judgment by an angel. Let’s not forget that in the first two verses of chapter 17, the angel already said that that harlot was subject to a heavy judgment: “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot … with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication”. The fact that John marveled greatly is a reminder of a constant fact: we are attracted to sin. Even we who are in church ministry, even we who dive into the Word of God, even we who have an earnest desire to serve and love God, and who yearn for nothing else but Him – even we are attracted to sin.

Because we’re all looking for Goodness. And some things look good visually, that tempt us to consider if this “good feeling” is good enough. They tempt us to think that the true Good is unattainable, and that it’s better to settle for a more immediate satisfaction.

We need reminders to wake us up. The angel reprimanded John: “Why marvel?” (v 7). For that reason, it’s important for each of us to have a confidant to journey with. Not someone who will always encourage us in the wrong direction, but someone who truly cares and loves us enough, to tell us in our face: “Why marvel at such things?” We need someone to tell us not to allow ourselves to mingle with all those little harlots. And we, for our part, must be willing to listen and act correctly in the face of such reminders.

What kind of harlots attract you? What sin binds you up from reaching God? We need to accept the fact that some things that are ultimately not good, will always attract us. So it’s important to exercise some discipline in our lives, to be able to say no to some desires (even if they are good). Lent is this great period in the Church where we are encouraged to go through conscious self-discipline. When we learn to say no to things that are good for us, we also show ourselves that we can say no, we can survive without being attached to our desires. We remind ourselves that we were baptized into the family of God, and that in our baptism, we have the true, eternal Good in our lives.

A plea to an unfaithful spouse

2011-04-03T08:09:00.003+08:00

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who is seated upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the dwellers on earth have become drunk."

- Revelation 17:1-2

Today we are introduced to a harlot – a great whore – and a beast. Of course, harlot, whore or prostitution, for a more updated word, is never put up in a good light. It makes us sit up and pay attention. So that's what I'll do today. Sit up, and consider the harlot.

A prostitute is someone who sells his or her body in exchange for something. That is never a good thing. Of course, I am not getting into a debate over reasons people get into prostitution these days; it is clear that prostitution in and of itself, is objectively wrong, since our bodies, our beings, belong to God in a relationship covenant – like marriage. Jerusalem, the wicked city, is called a harlot here because as we have spoken of before, she has gotten herself into idolatry, had turned away from God.

This is nothing new for the people of God. From the beginning, Israel has always turned on God. This is why this vision of a harlot is nothing new. Isaiah (1:21), Ezekiel (16:15) and much of Hosea’s prophecies compared Israel to a harlot or a prostitute. They had betrayed the trust of their covenantal spouse, God, and they had sold themselves to others, in exchange for goods or pleasure.

Today, the picture is the same, every time we sin, we are prostituting ourselves to someone or something else. It is a blunt way of putting things that makes us really uncomfortable. If someone called your wife, girlfriend, sister or mother a prostitute, you would expect it to be extremely offensive. And it is. That’s exactly how extremely offensive sin is to God. It is a betrayal of a love covenant. We get disturbed when a wife gets involved with another man, or when a man cheats on his wife, but do we get upset when we cheat on our Eternal Spouse? Do we feel as heated when we are in that situation of unfaithfulness? Or have we become drunk in sin?

Sin is the wine that makes us drunk. Sin darkens intellect. It actually makes us stupid. The more we allow ourselves to live in sin, the more we find ourselves finding an excuse to justify that sin (even though objectively it is wrong). Eventually, the mixture of good and evil blur the lines and we aren’t sure anymore how to tell good from evil. If we know we’re living in sin, we must take an honest look at ourselves, and get out of it. It will be a painful process, but a worthwhile one, since we know that our Eternal Spouse is a loving Father who never says no to a repenting heart backed up by action (it would be pointless to say “I’m sorry” but still live in the very sin you are sorry for).

If you are a baptised Christian, you’re in a covenant relationship with God. It is a special relationship that is really life and death, as I mentioned briefly in the first two paragraphs of an older post. God honours that covenant. If you are living like a harlot, selling your soul away for another person, entity or power, come back to Him. Hosea, on God’s behalf, tells Israel: “Return … to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity … say to him, "Take away all iniquity” (Hos 14:1-2). That plea from God comes to us today, to turn away from unfaithfulness, back to Him who loves us completely.

And He patiently waits

2011-04-02T08:09:00.002+08:00

The seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, "It is done!" And there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as had never been since men were on the earth, so great was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered great Babylon, to make her drain the cup of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found; and great hailstones, heavy as a hundred-weight, dropped on men from heaven, till men cursed God for the plague of the hail, so fearful was that plague.

- Revelation 16:17-21

Today we look at the seventh angel with the bowl of God’s wrath, and it is declared that “it is done!”

We’ve seen God’s judgments coming with the seven seals, and then the seven trumpets. The seven bowls of wrath are the last. God gives us ample time to repent and come back to Him. Breaking them down, we can easily see that God gave at least 21 chances to return, even at the “last judgment”. Let’s not forget, that prior to the “last” chance, there were the seven letters telling us to repent. There was no Bible then, but the Apostles had striven to spread the news of repentance, Good News indeed. Yet, there was a stubborn refusal to repent. And Jerusalem paid the price of it in AD70, as predicted (and forewarned) by Jesus Himself in the Gospels.

Of note is the declaration that “the great city was split into three parts” (v 19). Zechariah also predicted an earthquake that would divide Jerusalem (Zech 14:4-5), and Ezekiel prophesied with detail that Jerusalem would be split into three parts (Ezek 5:12). The reason for their destruction: “Because you are more turbulent than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes or kept my ordinances, but have acted according to the ordinances of the nations that are round about you” (Ezek 5:7).

Historians of course, attest that the descriptions in Revelation match the happenings of AD70. But it does not remove its meaning in our own lives – in fact, I argued in a previous post that it should have an even stronger effect in our lives than it Revelation was merely a prediction about the end of the world. God gives us warnings too, in our lives. Jerusalem had the history of their fathers in Egypt to learn from. Likewise, we have the history of Jerusalem to learn from.

If we spend a moment and consider how we’ve acted like Jerusalem – the ways which we have rejected God’s love, the ways we have acted like those around us who are godless, or even the ways we have been “more turbulent”, more sinful than those around us – we can see how we, in so many ways like Israel, have not only failed to show our non-believing friends the love of God, but have in fact brought them further away by being influenced by them, or even influencing them to a sinful life.

And still, God patiently waits.

When we reject God’s love for mere visible and immediate gratification, we show ourselves are cowards, refusing to follow God because of what everyone else thinks. We then become divided ourselves because we then live in two different ways: coming to church on Sunday and leading a life unbecoming of a disciple for the next six days. If God’s Word does not inspire us to change, if there is no decision made to live in His ways, we will only give in to sin more and more. In our baptism, we were called to death with Christ. As we walk slowly to the passion and death of Jesus, let us allow God’s Word to take effect in our lives, and may the seed planted in our hearts grow and bring us to a resurrection come Easter.

Fighting fire with fire does not put out the fire

2011-04-01T07:36:00.006+08:00

The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphra'tes, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 13 And I saw, issuing from the mouth of the dragon and from the mouth of the beast and from the mouth of the false prophet, three foul spirits like frogs; 14 for they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. 15 ("Lo, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who is awake, keeping his garments that he may not go naked and be seen exposed!") 16 And they assembled them at the place which is called in Hebrew Armaged'don.

- Revelation 16:12-16

Today’s verses focus on the sixth angel with a bowl of God’s wrath. The result is the water drying up and making way for the kings of the east to come in. Again, Egypt is recalled ; the same God who raised the waters for Israel to escape evil, now does the same to allow judgment to come in. It would be helpful now to take stock and see how it has become clearer with each chapter and verse that these judgments are issued on the enemies of God. The good people suffer because of the actions of the wicked, but it is the wicked who are on the receiving end of God’s judgments.

Bearing that in mind, we consider the dragon, the beast and the false prophet issuing frogs, demonic spirits. Frogs were unclean in the Levitical law (Lev 11). The devil influences the people to remain unclean, and brings spiritual unclean-ness to its climax. Perhaps this is how the idea of "fighting fire with fire" came about. But fighting fire with fire only adds to more fire – it doesn't put it out.

When one is devoid of God, devoid of hope, the evil one pours in silly ideas into our heads. Have there been times where you’ve let one sin cause another? Have you fallen deeper and deeper in trouble because you refused to return to God once and for all? Every time pride takes over and keeps us from going to God in humility, we allow the devil to work in our lives – and the devil is more than happy to take God’s place in one’s heart.

The advice in verse 15, a reminder from chapter three to “keep awake”, is apt, especially in times of trouble. If we have done something wrong, we must remain alert to the situation, humble ourselves, and quickly turn back to God, resolving not to do it again. The devil hates reconciliation, especially when it’s between you and God. And that’s exactly the thing that will start you on a journey back to Him.