Being Healthy...

I was away for the weekend, out of Singapore. It was a short respite from the haze and a chance to enjoy a slightly new setting. It was nothing that great really, but to be out from the familiar and doing something a little different was a small welcome.

Now that I am back, I see that the haze has cleared somewhat and certainly a far cry from the worst we had last week going into Saturday. That certainly is a blessing! The change in wind direction and some rains over at some hotspots in Sumatra have helped greatly. However, it is duly noted that this clear condition may not last and teh haze can still return. The situation in Muar, Johor is the worst yet that can occur at a PSI of 700+. That would be the worst case scenarion which can hit this city state.

Enhancing Lives

The semester break have started two weeks back and right off the bat, I was busily maneuvering through several Masses, EE meetings, some Spiritual Direction sessions, that I couldn't find the time to sit down to pen any thoughts - till now.

Even so, there are som any things going on and round my mind that it is rather difficult to focus on a particular topic to write on. What seem to be mostly on the top of my mind, however, is strangely nothing spiritual, but have a lot of implications for our faith lives nonetheless.

This came surprisingly from a very secular quarter and one that has inserted itself into the lives of all persons, whether subtly or major way, that in the now is seen as something of the norm and perhaps for many, which cannot be done without.

Any Change?...

'Tis less than a week away before we ramp up the activities a little, as we move into Holy Week and the great Easter celebrations.

At this juncture, I ask myself this well-worn and used question: have I changed for the better?

Having to look back, I have to see if the Lenten preparations and their great traditional practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving able to transform me into a better child of God, a much more responsible Catholic, a better priest after the very heart of Christ?

It is a tough question to answer as the results vary and have many different shades of nuances that do not necessary border of preciseness and clarity. In general, I see some level of improvement but the main journey is still tough and usually demands a deeper honesty and sacrifice which I don't always abide by. Nonetheless, this Lenten period has been meaningful and have shown or offered me several important insights that were learning experiences which speaks of the power (dunamis) of God's love and light.

How was it for you?....

David or Herod?

When you read up on the passages given for the mass celebration of Friday, 4th Week in Ordinary Times, of this month (February), we come across two men who have wielded great influence over their subjects or people's life but from opposing values between them.
 

One, David, though not a perfect human being, was always concerned about his relationship with God. He may not always got things right in his life as king of Israel but David understood acutely that God sees the heart. David understood that evil cannot be hidden from God. David chose ruthless honesty when he evaluates himself and begs God’s forgiveness for his wrongdoings and sins.

The other, Herod (Antipas), never understood what evil was in his life and allowed it to swallow him, through the many ruthless atrocities and engagements with people whom he labeled as enemies or threats. On one occasion, not wanting to lose face in front of his guests, he had a prophet beheaded.

We can learnt quite a lot from these two men. They can help us come to terms with what kind of life do we want. Is it a life that allows us to engage in the rubrics of happiness or is it that which oppresses us in the cycle of never ending rubrics of suspicion?

Today, more than ever, we need to come to terms with our own brokenness and like David, throw ourselves in God's embrace of healing love, so that all our fears can be cast away. We must learnt to allow God's grace to help us fight fear with faith and to actively use goodness and truth to overcome the temptation to compromise with wrongdoing and falsehood.

"... choose this day whom you will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24: 15)

Related articles

• David's Choice: Vengeance belongs to God (thoughtsonscripture.com)
• David, A Great King, Yet With a Critical Flaw. What is the Lesson for us Today? (adw.org)
• On Ordinary Time (acatholicdad.wordpress.com)
• The Demonic Jezebel Spirit and Its Rabid Hatred of God's Prophets (getrealchristianity.wordpress.com)

Mission Accomplished!

Image via Wikipedia

"Congratulations, you have done well..."

Those were the words that greeted me when one of my professors came out from the classroom after deliberating together for about 5 minutes on my lectio that Friday afternoon. They were words of great consolation after a gruelling hour and a half of presentation which was followed by some questionings later by three professors who were assessing me.

With that, I officially completed my entire Spirituality course (2 years in all) at the Pontifical University of St Thomas of Aquinas (also more commonly known as the Angelicum). It had been quite a journey and now this had ended and thankfully, it ended on a bright note!

Now I am free from all forms of studies (at least till I get back to S'pore) and savouring the mood that comes after finishing the exams. The whole body and mind now just seem to wind down a lot after the past weeks of adrenaline and stress-filled activity, that I feel exhausted, both mentally and physically.

However, it wasn't all that bad as I could still stay a little up-and-about during this night, earlier, to do some packing of my stuff which I am sending back by airfreight later. In the midst of it all, the feeling of satisfaction after finishing something as important as a licentiate studies like this, continues to pervade my senses. I thank you all for your prayers, support and encouragement during this while and my sojourn here in Rome. And I also know that I really, really would not be able to accomplish all this if not, in the final analysis, for the very grace of God...

Related articles by Zemanta

• St. Thomas Aquinas' biblical commentaries on five Pauline letters now online (vivificat1.blogspot.com)
• The Vatican claims Darwin's theory of evolution is compatible with Christianity (telegraph.co.uk)

Lucky Stars?...

After a session of about 5 days of retreat followed by the resumption of the classes two days ago, I am back into the midst of an academic endeavour to finish revising whatever I can before the exams come marching in during the last weeks of January. This is also in the midst of the usual classes that continue on unrelentingly.

The only consolation here is that, I am getting closer to the time when I will finish all this and head back for Singapore. This is not much to ask for or bask in, when one considers all the other sufferings and tragedies that are currently besieging the world today. When you consider youself within those who are fortunate to be in a relatively safe and peaceful country of abode, you might say that you are 'lucky'. This got me thinking....

At the recent Angelus (on Jan 1) and the homily during a Mass (Jan 6) in St. Peter's Basilica that celebrated the magi of the east (who arrived to Bethlehem following a star), Pope Benedict XVI mentioned two significant elements which have deep influences in the ordinariness of people's lives that are mostly overlooked.

Firstly, it is this 'lucky' business. The Pontiff had expressed his "fervent best wishes for peace and every good thing, with the grace of God". He stressed that only with this, i.e. grace of God, "we can always hope anew that the future will be better than the past." This simply means that Benedict XVI has rightly affirmed that hope, our hopes for the future, or in whatever useful we are undertaking or going to do, is not based on good luck or the "secrets of the markets," but instead in "we ourselves making the effort to be a little better and more responsible, so as to be able to count on the Lord's benevolence." He goes on to say that, "In Jesus Christ, he has shown to all people the path of salvation, which is above all a spiritual redemption, but which takes in everything human, also including the social and historical dimension." So, if you are in any reason to use 'good luck' in any of your wishes to anyone, just note that how poor and impoverish that greeting is, compared to what God's providence can already give.

Secondly, Benedict XVI affirms that the universe is not governed by a blind force, but by love, and people are not meant to be slaves to the cosmos. The Holy Father noted that 2009 marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first observations by telescope. This anniversary has also motivated UNESCO to proclaim 2009 an International Year of Astronomy. In his homily that Tuesday, the Holy Father has rightly placed the science of astronomy in its proper understanding and give askance to the nonsense that is astrology. Benedict XVI emphatically says that "... cosmic elements shouldn't be divinized, but on the contrary, in everything and above everything, there is a personal will, the Spirit of God, who in Christ revealed himself as love," affirming that people are not slaves of cosmic elements, "but are free, that is, they are capable of relating themselves with the creative liberty of God." So, next time you seriously read and follow diligently some horoscope or dwelve into some silly astrology mumbo jumbo, note that how totally impoverish you are compared to the superabundant power of God's grace that is already offered to you.

Whenever we are tempted to 'count on our lucky stars' why don't start to count on God's providence and abundant graces instead...

(thanks to lynette for the final link...)

Sheer Grace

A star (the one that twinkles in the skies...) once said: I know a lot about love... seen centuries and centuries of it. The only thing that made watching your world bearable, in all those wars, the pain, lies, hate, made me want to turn away, never to look down again. But, to see the way mankind loves.. I mean, you could search the furthest reachest of the universe and you'll never see anything more beautiful. Yes, so, I know that love is unconditional, but I also know it can be unpredictable, unexpected, uncontrollable, unbearable and strangely easy to mistake for loathing... my heart, it feels like my chest can barely contain it, like it doesn't belong to me anymore. It belongs to you! And if you wanted it I wish for nothing in exchange. No gifts, no goods, no demonstration of devotions, nothing but knowing that you love me too. Just your heart... in exchange for mine.

Over some friendly exchange of news concerning the happenings in Singapore over a well known Internet messaging service, a friend mentioned that her good friend is getting married soon. And in St Mary's, no less! :-) This couple who is going to celebrate their wedding, have only met and decided to get married all within a year or so. I told her that I wonder if her friend knows what she is getting herself into. She said she thinks they would be alright together. I replied saying that time will tell...

I've had my fair share of celebrating marriages and sending couples off onto their new life during my stint as priest in a parish that has the holiest of family to bless anyone that come under their roof. However, I know love is not unconditional unless it is truly given away to the other with nothing asked in return. I also know that I have one couple whose marriage I celebrated in church, some years earlier, did not turned out with a 'happy ending'. This was despite all the preparations, EE, etc that were put in to prevent such a thing from happening. I will always carry this sad burden of mine as a reminder that perfection, or at least human perfection that we so desperately search for, has too high a price to pay.

Turning to what the star mentioned earlier on its head, I see a twist in seeing just who really is saying that to the beloved. It happened more than 2000 years ago and continues to do so even today. If you are quiet enough and can remain still for just a moment, you might just capture that 'sheer grace' which wants to impinge upon your life to change it, so that you can truly love like he does - unconditionally...