We are back in Singapore for a short visit to surprise Angie's mum on her birthday in a few days time. It has been quite a week sorting things out at home that this was a welcome break. At the same time, we were able to drop by the LISS retreat which was in progress...
It was amazing being involved in the outpouring session, witnessing the mighty Hand of God moving within the participants and all in the service team. It brought back memories of my involvement in past seminars and once again affirmed me of God's abiding presence in the community and in our midst. After the session, we were treated with testimonies from participants and service team people alike and it re-affirmed God's greatness and generosity. Mass followed and the homily of Father Tom Curran provided a reality check for everyone that we will still have our daily cross to bear. It may be at work, at home or wherever God has placed us. Even Jesus, in all His divinity, had His cross to bear when He began His ministry, being rejected by the people of Samaria when He and the disciples were looking for a place to rest there.
This was a gentle reminder to me that in spite of all the good things that God has done and is doing, we will still be faced with our cross to carry. It struck me even more deeply when Father mentioned that parents have the cross of caring for their babies, waking in the middle of the night to feed them. I looked at myself and pondered if I would have the capacity to carry this particular cross when the time comes. It just seemed too heavy a cross for me... But I'm consoled by the fact that God will always provide the strength we need when we need it.
Help me carry my daily cross O Lord, though I might not feel that I am up to it.
Today is a momentuous day for us. We will be officially shifting to our new place. I was quite excited and was up even before my alarm rang...
We had a nice quaint breakfast at Hungry Jacks (aka Burger King :) nearby and off to mass we went. Another enlightening time at mass for me and renewed strength to face the week ahead. Father shared about 2 main points to reflect upon from the Gospel passage, which opened my eyes and my heart once again.
Firstly, Who is Jesus to us? The disciples were post this question by Jesus: "Who do you say I am?". Jesus is asking this same question to us. This question will ultimately return to us as who we see ourselves. It is not what we do but rather who we are as a person. Something to ponder on this coming week...
Secondly, Are we willing to carry our crosses and follow Christ? Father shared a story, which some of you might have heard before. There was this guy who asked God for a lighter cross as the one he had was too overbearing for him. God directed him to a room full of crosses and instructed him to choose one which pleases him. He finally found one which he felt was right for him and happily went to God with it. He was asked to look at the back of the cross and on it was his name inscribed on it. He had chosen the very cross which he was carrying all these years.
God knows us and will not give us a cross which we cannot carry. We all have our crosses to carry but Christ has assured us that He will help us carry our cross. He has died for us and there is nothing He cannot do for us. It then dawned upon me that I have been too focused on my own burdens and feeling crushed by the cross I am carrying. But everyone has their crosses to carry and we are not the only ones with crosses to carry. Suddenly, the many problems I face at work seem so small compared to bigger problems others may face. The best part is that Christ will help us bear our crosses for He has promised us that His yoke is easy and His burden light.
Do not be discouraged by the burdens you might be facing in life now, for Christ is always there with a helping hand. Thank you Lord for this comforting assurance.
What an awesome time at mass today. There was a group of physically and intellectually challenged people in the congregation today and there I was so inspired by their strength and tenacity.
It was a healing time for me as the words of the song Power of your Love was sang at communion. I felt that God was renewing my whole being and teaching me to communicate love to those around me, especially those close to my heart. Father shared that in the gospel today, the sinner came uninvited to the house of the pharisee who had Jesus over for a meal. She cleaned His feet with water, kissed His feet and poured expensive perfume on His feet. She communicated love through her actions. Unlike the pharisee who did not offer Jesus a drink when He came, no water to wash his hands and feet, and face, and certainly no oilment to refresh and cure the aches from His journey. Apparently, in the middle east, when a guest visits, it is a custom to offer a drink for your guest, as a sign of acceptance. It is also customary to provide water for your guest to clean up after the journey to your place as well as oilment to soothe any aches and cover any stench from the journey. "Interesting..."
I reflected on my week and I felt that I have been too focused on tasks I had to do and failed to communicate with people, especially with my dearie Angie. It's more the unspoken language rather than the words, something which I had a taste of myself in Ikea just yesterday. I was enquiring about stuff at the customer service counter and the lady behind the counter was actually replying me with her eyes glued to the computer screen apparently working on something and at the same time attending to me. I think I now know how it feels when I sometimes reply Angie without looking at her while I am working on something...
Teach me Lord the importance of human relationship and the need to communicate love through unspoken language instead of the common language of words.
Today is Corpus Christi and we went to mass as usual. It wasn't until we got to church did we realise that it was the feast of Corpus Christi.
As I pondered about the meaning of this feast to our present situation, God had the uncanny way of replying through Father's sermon. A somewhat gentle reminder I must say...
Father started with the history of how we came to celebrate this feast, which was meant to be celebrated on Maundy Thursday when Jesus instituted the Eucharist. However, due to the overshadowing of the passion and ressurection of Christ, it was decided by the church to celebrate it 60 days after Easter instead.
The real meat came when Father shared the three components of Corpus Christi. The first being the celebration of Christ's physical presence in our world some 2000 years ago. The second being the celebration of Christ's spiritual presence in the church community in our world today. The last and probably the most striking to me is the celebration of Christ's real presence in the Eucharist. This last component, as mentioned by Father is very often neglected but really is essential to our faith. Something that cannot be explained by science and reasoning. He said this that reminded me of how God is beyond our understanding, "Faith begins when reasoning ends." Such simple words but they carry so much meaning.
As I reflected on my year thus far, I begin to see God's gentle reminder to me, that He was and is present among us, especially in the Eucharist. I realised that it has been a long while since I just spent time in front of the Eucharist. I know that He is there in the Eucharist ready to meet us as long as we are willing to come meet Him.
Let us remember Him always as we live each day, be it good or bad, beautiful or horrible, know that God was and is present among us. We odd to acknowledge that in our every waking moment.
Thank you Lord for your gentle reminder.
Today is Trinity Sunday. We got up alittle later, deciding to sleep in abit. The cold morning gave us that added incentive. Soon, we were up for breakfast and off to St John and Paul Church for Mass.
Father shared a very enlightening story of how a little boy, after a lesson on the Holy Trinity, asked him if God as three persons in one can be liken to his hand, five fingers in one hand. It is such a simple yet profound analogy. To think many theologians try to explain this mystery without much success. What followed simply gave me a whole new meaning to the sign of the cross we make so often but belittle it's significiance, or rather not giving it due recognition.
Father explained that the sign of the cross is a powerful symbol of faith. He gave examples of sports people acknowledging God in their presence through the sign of the cross before the start of a game and at the end as well. I'm sure we would have seen that in soccer matches ever so often. When we place our fingers on our forehead, it reminds us that God is our creator who made us. As we move to our lower chest, it signifies that Jesus has redeemed us, and as we move our hand from our left shoulder to the right, it means that we will go from darkness into light, death into life. As I sat there listening to this, I felt overwhelmed by the information. It brought new meaning to the reason we sign ourselves every time we begin our prayer, our work, our studies, and anything we do.
If you are going through a rough time right now, remember that God is with us. He created us, sent His Son to redeem us and will bring us out of our darkness into His marvelous Light. Let every sign of the cross you make be that reminder for you. New hope is radiating within me as I ponder about what this life holds for me. With every struggle and obstacle I face, at my workplace and within me, I know deep down that God is with me and He will bring me out into His glorious Light.
Thank you God and I pray that I will always be reminded of your presence and the reason we sign ourselves every time I make the sign of the cross. May I live out my faith in this world every single day of my life.
How time flies, it seemed like yesterday that my dad, brother and bernie was here with us. It was such an incredible time that it's still etched in my memory. Since then, life has been "Bang Bang!", on the "Go Go Go...". Now, it's coming to the end of May.
Looking back, much has changed. We managed to put in an offer for a place we really liked, though we tried to negotiate for a better price, the sellers were not willing to budge much, in the end we settled close to their asking price. No regrets though, it's a nice place in a quiet neighbourhood, so we're happy! :) Praying hard that our loan application will be smooth and easy.
Just before we embarked on our house viewings which would lead to the successful agreement on the price of our future home, Auntie broke the news to us that she would need us to vacate our present place by September this year. Indeed, God's providence is so timely.
Today being the feast of the Pentecost, I was enlightened by what was said by the visiting priest at the Church of St John and Paul. It kind of changed my perspective of my understanding of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. All along, I always prayed that the Holy Spirit would guide us in our decisions, in our daily living and in our actions. Not that it's wrong, but I never seem to be able to be aware that the Holy Spirit is guiding me every step of the way.
This new perspective that I hear re-enforces the concept of the Holy Spirit's guidance in our lives but instead of being aware of His presence working in our daily lives at the present, our reflection of what the Holy Spirit has done for us helps us chart our path ahead such that the sign post that He has been showing us along the way points towards where He wants to lead us. It all makes sense to me in this context how do we discern the Holy Spirit's guide in our lives.
Now as I reflect on the events that has happened the past few months, I'm beginning to wonder if God is leading me to the field of acadamia. It seems frightening but I will continue to reflect on His perfect call for me. Be with me Lord as I contemplate on your workings in my life to progress ahead in the right path.
It has been quite a week. The recent hail storm that hit Perth caused much damage to cars and property, and our car was not spared. However, we are thankful that we are both safe and our place is still around with electricity available.
The news reported that 7000 homes and businesses were affected by the storm and did not have access to electricity. Western Power was working overtime to address the problems and until today, some homes are still without electricity.
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