Life's Crosses

I suspect that many of us baptized Christians are not aware of the fundamental relationship that we are to have between us and our Creator, spelt out by the statement above in Rick Warren's book. It becomes a sorrowful tragedy when we totally ignore this relationship and think that we can do better than God. This usually leads to all kinds of unnecessary disappointments and sufferings in life which we then ungraciously blame God in return!

I used this pointer from that book when I presented the homily last weekend and from some of the responses I have gotten so far, they seem to indicate that it has made quite a few to sit up and pay attention. My point on the homily was about letting our lives be led or driven by God for his purposes, using precisely the Sunday readings on the call of Isaiah, Paul and Peter, showing how they accepted with great humility their own limitations which will be compensated by God's own power for the mission he calls them to.

Today, we are also called and missioned that way. Depending on what is at stake, we will be equipped accordingly and be given charge with a mission to carry out that befits our disposition and skills. The problem lies in our response to all this. Quiet often, the matter of humility - a senseof who I really am in relation to the Other, the Transcendent - is usually left out. This then gives rise to religious superiority or that level of arrogance and spiritual pride that one is better than the rest creeps in, breeding jealousy, hate, in-fighting, back stabbing and the lot, among individuals or groups in the church.

The matter of humility too raises another fundamental point that it is utterly wrong to suppose that we could ever be worthy of what God gives us and what folly to second-guess His freely-given love and blessings. God doesn't reward us by virtue of our personal achievement in doing things for Him. God just gives to us and gives us abundantly, period! That is what grace means - always unmerited and given unconditionally.

We work in a reward-punishment mentality so often that we end up applying this to God, as though he is to follow by our rules too. That is putting God in a box where he can be tamed and control. I don't know about you, but that is not the kind of God I want or choose to believe in!

It's not about you. The purpose of your life is far greater than your personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.

The Purpose Driven Life

So says the headline over at one of Britain's leading Catholic newspaper, The Catholic Herald.

In conjunction with World Communication Day, The Holy Father has issued a message and document on how the Church is encouraging her members and even her priests to use the technology of today to promote activities in the area of evangelisation. The Pope writes: "... Priests are thus challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources (images, videos, animated features, blogs, websites) which, alongside traditional means, can open up broad new vistas for dialogue, evangelisation and catechesis."

I have been blogging since my days in the seminary way back in 2001 and never stopped. That makes this my 9th year of engaging in the blogosphere. When the blog phenomenon first appeared sometime in August 1999, I wasn't yet aware of its influence and only got round of its presence when I had nothing to do one evening and did some surfing in the office of the St Anne's parish where I was doing my pastoral there then in 2001. It was then that I came across the Blogger website and decided to sign up (free) to become one of its already growing base of bloggers online. The rest, as they say, is history.

When I first started, I found it a useful tool and an outlet for me to express my thoughts concerning the journey I was going through as a seminarian then and to, sort of, catechise the general public what life in the Seminary was all about. Then the entries were mostly in text and links. Today, as you have already gathered, a blog entry can easily accomodate all kinds of visual stimuli and specialised links that can take a person on a portal ride to another universe!

It has been quite a ride since I started blogging and I have never once regretted taking this up. It certainly has been an instrument of evangelisation, with what little I have contributed so far, and a way of reaching out to readers of liked-minded inspiration or to those who just want to find out what goes on in the mind of a priest like myself. It is also humbling to note that my blog is listed in the Catholic Blog Directory under the 'L' section all this while, with a new addition recently of Fr Luke's one under 'R'...

So, if you haven't decided anything yet about blogging, maybe you would like to seriously considering this as your next project? Speaking of which, here's one which I managed to help put up after convincing these friends to put their passion for food into a light-hearted commentary on local culinary delights. How's that for putting in another 'soul to the fabric of the Web'...

I went to watch the most recent talked about movie with blue aliens and floating mountains - Avatar. That was about two weeks ago.

I watched it for the entertainment value that it offered and for some two and a half hours was bedazzled by the seamless reality it brought, in the midst of all the 3-D CGI, technical and camera wizardry that James Cameron is capable of and famous for.

I wasn't too caught up with whatever underlying messages in this movie that can make people sit up and pay attention to. I was just revelling in all the 3-D magic and the action, plus the storyline, that took the audience from one breathtaking, fantastical scene to the next, making you feel as if you were there and that such a place exists.

It didn't prevent some some quarters, however, and other groups of people, including some from high places to weigh in their strong feelings and thoughts about what Avatar can represent or had subtly implied.

The following, so far has transpired, since the movie made its round across the globe:

- The Chinese government banned Avatar

- a branch of the Russian communist party condemned it 

- other groups are endlessly debating its political meaning 

- the Vatican has weighed in on this too! (Fr John Barron suggests why here and highlights a certain attitude that is prevalent in the secular, entertainment world)

An article here has a few words to suggest why this movie may be causing some ripples in high places and you may have your own view to this too. Realism or not, Avatar certainly has evoked many deep seated feelings and emotions, somewhat like what Star Wars did eons earlier, but this time it took on the proportion of a political effect that stoke the disquiet of many with regards humanity and freedom of the person. The article goes with a view that perhaps all this is an over-reaction to what is, after all, a fictional story. I'd prefer to go its statement towards the end: "... Or maybe this film is a reminder that stories, when told realistically enough, can change people's minds and lives."

We could use more films like that...

I went over to the town of Segamat today to attend to the the funeral of my second aunt who passed away on Sunday. I went up by car with my godmother and the journey there took us about two and a half hours and close to RM50 for toll charges that came along the way. The funeral and all when well, and the celebrants were my uncle (Fr Joseph Pang) and myself, together with the family members whom my second aunt have lived with and brought up over the years.

Being in a place and situation like that have brought back many memories of my own days as a youngster in Segamat where I would spend my childhood holidays there with my cousins and relatives.

What I want to share here is the presence of an opportunity whereby I was made to realize that all that had transpired in the past and the influence of my second auntie in the family environment has brought about fruits and meaning that are, even now, unfolding with promises of exciting challenges for our current generation within the family.

My cousins whom I have spent holiday times when younger are now all grown up and with families and children of their own, the one on top of the list with the most being 5 kids! Our parents are getting older and some are already complaining about ache and pains in this and that joint. Sitting by the table and talking with 4th auntie, I see in her face and with her other remaining sister, features and resemblance that of my own mother, of whom this family she belongs.

All of us have been touched and graced by the presence of 2nd auntie during her living years and we never forgot her culinary speciality of 'choy pau pan', a savoury dumpling made with rice flour with vegetable mix on the inside.

The whole event this day, while undeniably sad, was still one that allowed the sense of hope of a future that has great promise and gratitude of what had been given for, to and through this family which I am a good part of. More importantly, it has help me appreciate my own family  (at right) and where I came from and what great treasures may lie ahead on our road towards a greater communion with one another and our God who always looks after His people (in ways sometimes beyond our understanding) with great love that surpasses all our expectation.

If you are free today afternoon and have a knack for taking pictures of the skies and other heavenly bodies (I mean astronomical objects!), do go on outside and have a ball with an event happening today between 3.00 p.m. and 5.00. p.m.!

Go here to find out what...