The 4th Sunday of Easter is also called Vocation Sunday. In the Gospel Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd which lends itself to the theme of vocations. In general, it is a chance to promote vocations but in particular, the spotlight falls on the idea of priesthood in the Catholic Church. Even though I am a Religious, it is an opportune moment to draw attention to the call to be a priest. To better understand the Sacrament of Holy Orders and its relevance in the life of the Church, we need to ask two questions. Firstly, what is the Church? Secondly, what does Christ have in mind for His Ch ..read more

We continue with the appearances of Jesus to His disciples. However, the post-Resurrection experiences of the disciples is reminiscence of Deborah Kerr in The King and I, singing “Getting to know you”. In each encounter with Jesus, there is a feeling as if the disciples do know Him but they are still getting to know more about Him and to know Him intimately. Today, the Gospel is the aftermath of the encounter of the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus where they, while at table, recognised Jesus at the Breaking of Bread. In these post-Resurrection experiences, they are often startled or terr ..read more

Jesus Christ is Risen and yet the Gospel describes a situation we can resonate with. It is the experience of uncertainty. Ambiguity, confusion and doubt can corrode the mind and imprison the soul in fear. Issues of health and wealth, freedom and security continue to sow unsettling doubts in our minds. A concrete example is the fear of the Ringgit dipping below 4.00 vis-a-vis the Singdollar which devalues one’s savings. The same startling scenario applies to the Disciples hiding in the Upper Room. They were afraid and unsure for they had left everything behind to follow this compelling leader ..read more

Thrillers capture our imagination because they skirt at the edge of excitement. How about visualising this dramatic and cinematic scene? A man or a woman buried alive in a coffin. And the police and the loved ones are frantically trying to locate the trapped victim before the oxygen runs out for the buried person. Hell is that buried coffin with souls trapped within. Souls held captive in hell’s bowels have no chance of escape until now. When Christ was brought down from the Cross on Good Friday and His Body ritually prepared to be entombed, we might think that He was laid in the sepulchre ..read more

There are three parts in this one long service today. The first part is the Liturgy of the Word where we endure an excruciating enactment of Christ’s agony in Gethsemane, His dramatic arrest and shameful trial, culminating with His passion and death on the Cross. The second part centres on the veneration of the instrument of salvation and not of death. The third part is the distribution of Holy Communion. The English-speaking world calls today Good Friday. In Slavic countries, it is the Great Friday. For the Hispanic or Francophones, it is Holy Friday. Rightly so because at the heart of “Goo ..read more

There are two Holy Thursdays. Or better yet, there are two Corpus Christi celebrations. The first is this evening. The second should be 2 months later. The English title Maundy Thursday, derived from Latin “mandatum” highlights specifically that at the start of the Easter Triduum, Christ instituted the most sublime of all Sacraments. Yet, the liturgy this evening shines a spotlight on another aspect of THE Sacrament of Sacraments. The focus lands on service. We are accustomed to preachings about Christ’s humble service as a model for us. After all, He bent low to wash the feet of His discipl ..read more

Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy Week. It could be the “whole” Holy Week itself because of the two Gospel passages. One is read earlier before the Procession. The other narrates the Passion of the Christ. Together, they encompass the entire drama of our Holy Week journey where we begin with a cheering and end with a condemnation. We mark the triumphal entry into the capital and end with the tragic execution on Calvary. The placement of the ase two Gospels is rather jarring but the readings can help us appreciate what we are celebrating today. We are actually proclaiming the Kingship of Ch ..read more

From Laetare Sunday, the pace will now quicken toward the solemnity of Easter Triduum. Last week, we covered the topic of God’s love for us. A profound recognition of our sinfulness is a necessary prelude to appreciating the salvation brought about by God’s only Son, Jesus Christ. If salvation is free but not cheap, then, the more aware we are, the more we may be able to cherish this hard-earned redemption. To better appreciate salvation, we need to ingrain into our consciousness that to approach Easter, we go through Good Friday. In other words, we reach the Resurrection by going through Ca ..read more

The colour rose is up again at this mid-point of the season of Lent. It is an anticipation, a sort of looking forward to the salvation that Easter will bring. What can the readings teach us? Central to these readings is the Gospel of the Gospel, according to Martin Luther. “For God so loved the world that He gave us His Son so that anyone who believes in Him may not be lost but have eternal life”. John 3:16 is the Gospel in miniature. The principal message to humanity is God’s love which is cause of our rejoicing. How should we rejoice when the Readings are taken from the Book of Chronicle ..read more

Last Sunday, at Tabor, Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke to Christ. Today, the 1st Reading provides an account of Moses giving the Law to Israel. The event on Tabor indicates that the Law and the Prophets who embodied the spirit of the Law find their highest and fullest expression in Christ. This is confirmed in the 2nd Reading, but not in the way the world perceives nobility and excellence. Christ crucified is indeed a stumbling block for those seeking proof of His divine pedigree and foolishness for those seeking wisdom. They have ears but do not hear. They have eyes but do not see. In a ..read more