Fr David Thexeira...A Blessed Life

Directions to Church of St Francis of Assisi

2008-12-08T15:28:00.005+08:00

Greetings,

Here are some information for anyone who wishes to attend the memorial mass and require some assistance in getting to the venue.

The address of the Church is:

Church of Saint Francis of Assisi

200 Boon Lay Avenue

Singapore 649964

If you are coming via:

Public transport:

- The nearest MRT station is Boon Lay (EW27)

- From the bus interchange there, take either bus services 174, 198 or 240.

- If you take service 240, once the bus leaves the interchange, count and alight at the 2nd bus stop. You should be able to see the church diagonally across the road.

- If you take service 174 or 198, once the bus leaves the interchange, count and alight at the 4th bus stop. You should be able to see the church diagonally across the road.

- If you are coming from other locations, the bus stop that is situation on the same side as the Church services Bus Service 99 (From Clementi Interchange), 174 (From New Bridge Road Interchange), 198 (From Bukit Merah Interchange) and Express 502 (From City Hall/Orchard area)

- See Map below for details.

Private transport:

- You may use PIE expressway and exit at Corporation Road.

- Upon exiting, you will hit a traffic T-junction. The landmark you'll see there is Jurong Junior College (JJC)

- Turn right at the junction and drive straight. You will see another traffic T-junction. Continue to drive straight and you'll see the Church on your right.

- Parking spaces at the Church might be limited. Should the carpark be full on that day, you may wish to park your vehicle at the nearby HDB car parks. Kindly note that the nearby car parks operate on a Cash Card payment system.

- See Map below for details.

1 year...

2008-12-05T23:47:00.002+08:00

Good day to all, we hope that everybody is doing fine. The Thexeira family would like to invite everyone who knew Father David Thexeira to commemorate the anniversary of his passing at a special mass on the 12th of December.

As we all know, Father David was called home to the Lord last year on the 13th of December and this year we remember his passing and we continue to pray for him endlessly.

Father David's anniversary mass will be held at St. Francis of the Assisi Church at Boon lay on the12th of December at 8p.m.

All are welcome.

Sincerely,
The Thexeiras.

2008-08-19T17:39:00.003+08:00

Hello everyone,
My apologies for not being able to update this blog as life has been busy,busy,busy.
I would like to thank everybody who takes the time to visit this blog and read all our posts.
There aren't any updates for me to post right now, but I would like to say
Thank You to everyone.
I'm sorry for not having any updates.

Love, Vanessa.

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

2008-07-06T10:33:00.000+08:00

Zec 9:9-10
Ps 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14
Rm 8:9, 11-13
Mt 11:25-30

Do you feel weighed down or lifted up by taking on the yoke — the servanthood, the ministry, the loving outreach — of Jesus?

We have so many personal struggles, so many crosses to carry, so many people needing our attention, that of course we feel weighed down and exhausted. Yet in this Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus tells us that his yoke is easy! The burdens that he asks us to carry are not heavy!

How can that be?

When the burdens of life wear us down and tire us out, it's usually because we've taken on more responsibility than God has given to us. Or else it's because we're expending energy trying to get rid of a cross after Jesus has yoked us to it. If the burden leads to burn-out, God lets us get tired, because he's warning us: Slow down! Simplify your life! Make a change! Spend more time in prayer! If it leads to anger and resentment, God's showing us that our selfish desire for an easier life is making our lives actually more difficult.

We have to take care of our own needs before we can be useful to Jesus while yoked to his ministry. The yoke of Christ is burdensome only if we continue to give out more to others than we allow Jesus to give to us. He will give us what we need so that in our partnership with him (the yoke), together we can give to others what they need. Then our anger and resentment disappear and we experience holy pleasure in our tasks, because we're yoked to the goodness and the energy and the strength of Jesus himself.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What are you doing that seems like a good idea but is wearing you out? Was it God's idea for you? At this time? This much of it? What can you do to slow down, simplify, make a change, and feel the strength of Jesus?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Become accountable for the answer to the above personal questions by sharing it with friends in your faith community: What changes ARE you going to make to allow Jesus to refresh and renew you? How do you think this will make a difference?

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Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Everyone has a favorite Bible passage. Today's Gospel is mine. The consoling words of Jesus are familiar: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened…."

I find it hard to say why I like this text so much. Perhaps it's because I've felt burdened at times in my life, or have known others who labor greatly under sorrow and suffering. I've heard these words addressed to myself, and in turn I've shared them with others in homilies at Mass, particularly at funerals.

But in addition to the Lord's encouragement that we come to him with our burdens, he invites us to "take up his yoke" and "learn from him." His meekness and humility show us a way to bear our burdens.

I've often marveled at the paradox in Christ's words: His yoke, his burden was the cross, and yet he calls it "easy and light." How does the heavy burden of the cross and suffering and death become "easy and light"?

Somehow, that transformation must happen in the act of surrender, in the "giving over" of our own daily labors, burdens and crosses to the Lord. Admitting to ourselves that we cannot carry them on our own, allowing Jesus to shoulder them with us; letting go of control—in that simple, childlike surrender, we discover the rest Jesus promises.

Scripture:

•See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he… (Zechariah 9:9)

•The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. (Psalm 145:8)

•If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies… (Romans 8:12)

•Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. (Matthew 11:30)

Reflection:

•What is the promise of Jesus to those who follow his ways unreservedly?

•Does your experience of God correspond with Psalm 145?

•How do you experience the spirit of God that dwells in you?

The most visible joy can only reveal itself to us when we’ve transformed it within. (Rainer Maria Rilke)

God in His nature is most simple and cannot admit of any duplicity. If we then should be conformed to Him, we should try to become by virtue what He is by nature. We should be simple in our affections, intentions, actions, and words; we should do what we find to do without artifice or guile, being on the outside what we are on the inside. (St. Vincent de Paul)

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles (A)

2008-06-29T23:46:00.001+08:00

Acts 12:1-11
Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18
Mt 16:13-19

This Sunday's Gospel reading describes the holy quality of "shepherding" that's required of those who are in Christian leadership. This includes not only our priests, but also lay ministers, parents, teachers, and so forth.

After Peter recognized Jesus as the Messiah, he was called and commissioned to shepherd others into the same realization. Today, every follower of Christ who is in any kind of leadership role still has this responsibility. We are to show those in our care what Jesus is really like. Being in charge of meetings, or directing clubs or choirs or religious education classes, or having positions of authority in parish or diocesan ministries — these are merely vehicles of the mission.

Paul suffered in his shepherd's ministry (as we see in the first reading), like Jesus did and like we do if we're involved enough to really make a difference for the kingdom of God. The good news is that the gates of the netherworld do not prevail against our efforts to help people escape from the destruction of sin. In Christ's Holy Spirit, we have the power and guidance to succeed. Christ goes ahead of us and his Spirit prepares the hearts of those whom we are called to reach.

A Christian leader who does not go into Satan's territory to rescue lost souls and who does nothing to protect his flock from wandering into danger is no follower of Christ, because this was Christ's entire mission.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

List the people who are under your care. Do they always see Jesus in you? Do they learn about Jesus from the way you treat them? What can you do to improve your shepherding this week?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Describe a time when someone shepherded you and brought you closer to Jesus. When you shepherd others, do they always know it's really Jesus who's leading them? When they fail to recognize Jesus in you despite your best efforts to be like him, how do you handle this?

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Visitors to Rome can see St. Peter's Basilica, the center of the Christian world, and the church of St. Paul Outside the Walls. These two great churches, honoring the saints we celebrate today, are immense structures—it is an overwhelming experience to visit them. The vast open spaces, towering pillars and sculptures, distant ceiling—all take visitors outside of themselves.

That's intentional.These churches are meant to lift us beyond ourselves to God—much like the Scriptures we read in today's liturgy. Although the readings relate episodes from the lives of Peter and Paul, the message isn't focused on the persons of these two apostles, but leads us back to God.

Peter's prison story—our first reading—stresses how God’s power freed him to return to the Church community. Paul's testimony in the second reading points likewise to how God stood by him during his ministry and rescued him from harm. The Gospel account relates Peter's confession of Christ as Messiah and Son of God.

We've no way of knowing how these two apostles would react to the great Roman basilicas dedicated to their memory.But my suspicion is that they would want to shift our focus from themselves to the God who gave them the strength to deliver their message. May we also discover the strength to let our lives reflect God's power.

Jesus, remember me...when I come into your kingdom...

2008-06-28T22:11:00.000+08:00

Merciful Savior, hear our humble prayer,

For all your servants passed beyond life's care;

Though sin has touched them, yet their weakness spare

O gentle Savior, Lamb for sinners slain,

Look on your brothers, cleanse their hearts of stain:

Your cross has won them everlasting gain.

Lord, at your passion love did conquer fear;

Now share that triumph with these souls so dear:

Banish their sorrows, let your light appear.

O grant them pardon, Jesus Savior blest,

And give their spirits light and endless rest.

---------------------------------------

Dedicated in memory to the late His Grace, Archbishop Emeritus Gregory Yong, who was called home this day; 28th June 2008 @ 1440hrs at St. Joseph's Home to receive his eternal reward.

Eternal Rest grant unto him, O Lord,
And let Perpetual Light shine upon him.
May the souls of the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God,
rest in peace.

Amen.

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

2008-06-15T00:00:00.000+08:00

Ex 19:2-6a
Ps 100:1-2, 3, 5
Rm 5:6-11
Mt 9:36--10:8

In this Sunday's Gospel reading, notice how strongly Jesus was moved by the needs of the people. His heart ached for them, because he knew they felt troubled and abandoned. What's surprising, however, is how he responded. Although he likened them to sheep without a shepherd, and elsewhere he describes himself as the Good Shepherd, instead of taking action as that shepherd, he immediately turned to his disciples and called them to do the work!

Today, there are many who suffer troubles and feel abandoned because not enough is being done to help them. So, when we see a parish lacking a pastor, or a ministry lacking a shepherd, or a need lacking a ministry, we do as Jesus tells us to do: We beg the master of the harvest to send forth more laborers. And Jesus taps us on the shoulder and says, "YOU do it."

We ask God to increase the number of priest vocations, because there are too few men entering the seminary. And Jesus says, "Don't just pray, get up and do some of the work! You have a vocation, too!"

The reason why many people feel that God hasn't answered their prayers (and has therefore abandoned them) is because Jesus responds to their needs through us — and too few of us are giving him a free hand to use. We don't have enough lay people assisting the priests we do have. We don't have enough Christians standing up against injustices and other evils, and so of course, to many who suffer, God seems distant and uncaring.

Jesus was one man serving a whole nation, and he accomplished much in only three years because of the apostles who assisted him. The harvest needs collaborators. There are a few things that only a priest-shepherd can do; everything else can be done by his assistants, under his guidance, so that all needs are met. This is how the Church is made whole and holy and effective in evangelization.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What has Jesus asked you to do as an extension of himself? Which of his gifts are you using to help in the work of his kingdom? Which gifts has he given you that you're not using? Why not?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

What would our Church be like if everyone became an extension of Jesus using the gifts and talents that God has given them? How would this change the face of your parish?

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Today's Scripture readings make today a kind of "vocation Sunday." The Gospel certainly fits such a theme. There, Jesus calls his 12 disciples, after he has witnessed the crowds, people who are troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. He gives the Twelve a call to proclaim the Kingdom.

What did these 12 men hear or see in Jesus that made them follow him? If we knew the answer, we'd have a better clue to our own response, perhaps—and be better able to respond to Christ today.

I see clues for motivation in today's first reading. Like other recent selections from the Hebrew Scriptures, it comes from the story of Israel in the desert. Moses has gathered the people at the foot of Mount Sinai, where God wants to offer them a covenant. God is looking for their response. The motivation God offers is: See how I freed you from the Egyptians? Remember what I did at the Red Sea, and how I got you this far, sustaining you on this desert journey?

In other words, take a good look at what God has done. Can we do the same as we're invited to a "vocational response" in today's liturgy? What has God done for you lately? As you attend Mass this weekend, take time to ponder that question—and then make your response to God's call.

Scripture:

•You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagle wings and brought you here to myself. (Exodus 19:4)

•The LORD is good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:5)

•Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)

•At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)

•“Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” (Matthew 10:7,8)

Reflection:

•As Jesus instructs the disciples to be evangelizers in Matthew, are we to take the same message to heart?

•Are the unchurched the “troubled and abandoned” of the 21st century? How can this group be reached? Is the soul reached through the body or the body reached through the soul?

•How can anyone claim to spread the work of God without helping the poor in material and the poor in spirit?

•“Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.” In this instance, may Jesus’ command to be taken both literally and figuratively? Explain this command to evangelization?

This is crucial: we must be converted—and we must continue to be converted! We must let the Holy Spirit change our lives! We must respond to Jesus Christ. And we must be open to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit who will continue to convert us as we follow Christ. If our faith is alive, it will be aroused again and again as we mature as disciples.

The fruits of evangelization are changed lives and a changed world—holiness and justice, spirituality and peace. The validity of our having accepted the Gospel does not only come from what we feel or what we know; it comes also from the way we serve others, especially the poorest, the most marginal, the most hurting, the most defenseless, and the least loved. An evangelization that stays inside ourselves is not an evangelization into the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Half Mile Marker

2008-06-13T00:00:00.000+08:00

The half mile marker has reached.....a twinkling glance transends time through the days and nights....

it looks like only yesterday.....yesterday when you said good bye.....on that thursday night.....dark but serene....

remembered and still loved by many.....especially by your beloved family

we hope you are in a place where's love a plenty.....

till we all meet again.....

memories will be our companions on this journey......

RIP....

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

2008-06-08T00:00:00.000+08:00

Hos 6:3-6
Ps 50:1, 8, 12-13, 14-15
Rm 4:18-25
Mt 9:9-13

In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, consider how we are called to be like Jesus and reach out to those whom others have rejected. Who are the marginalized and neglected in your parish? Who are uninvolved because no one invited them? Which people at work ask for your prayers and show an interest in God but don't go to church because they feel outcast? Which ones never get invited into social groupings at parish events because they are too different or too sinful or too this or too that?

These are the Matthews around us. Matthew followed Jesus after he was invited. Would he have joined the group of disciples who encircled Jesus if no one had reached out to him? Probably not, because as a Jew who collected taxes for the enemy, he was despised as lower than the lowest scum.

Often, the people we know who are not showing up at Mass or other parish functions are absent because they feel like they don't belong and no one has invited them. Even if it takes more than a few tries to convince them that they will be welcomed, we should never judge anyone as unworthy of our repeated attempts.

Evangelization is most effective when we walk with others, forming compassionate relationships with them. This doesn't mean that we have to make these people our close and frequent companions, but remember that Matthew ended up as one of the inner twelve who helped lead the growth of the early Church. Your invitations could have unimaginable impacts on a scale that you cannot foresee!

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Did you ever feel like a Matthew? Who's invited you to experience more of Christ's love? Who are the Matthews in your life? What are you doing about them?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

How has God taught you to reach out to those whom others reject? What difference did you make when you went out of your way to befriend someone or to talk about Jesus to someone who didn't fit the mold of normal church life?

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If you're lucky enough to be near a garden, and to walk there early in the morning, you'll understand today's first reading. The prophet Hosea talks about the dawn of the day, and the sun lighting the morning sky. If there's been a spring rain, the garden will be lush and green. The early morning clouds and the dew dampening the garden in the first part of the day quickly vanish.

These down-to-earth images describe both our God's life-giving presence, and our own human response. Where God brings certainty, truth and life, we so often respond with shallow piety, a religious fervor that's just talk, and superficial gestures, rather than a real sacrificial response of love.

Jesus is just as down-to-earth in the Gospel. In a scene that must have stunned those who witnessed it, he confronts Matthew the tax collector. Here was a man rejected by the so-called religious crowd, outcast because his profession was marked by collaboration with the Romans and easy temptation to greed and selfishness.

Jesus offers Matthew a call to loving service. In his call to Matthew, Jesus brings forgiveness and echoes the prophet Hosea's message from God: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."

We hear these words at Sunday Mass—a ritual action which can become superficial for us, if we do not make a loving response to what we've heard.

Scripture:

•…for it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts. (Hosea 6:6)
•…it was also for us, to whom it will be credited, who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over for our transgressions and was raised for our justification. (Romans 4:24,25)
•The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words,‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Matthew 9:11-13)

Reflection:

•Who does Jesus spend time with? Why?
•Who do you spend time with? Why?
•What does God desire?
•Does God or humankind impose conditions on salvation?

This Christ-centered love takes us out of ourselves and brings our newly found sense of independence into relationships that are not based on dependence, as many relationships tend to be, but that are based on Christ as their center. It enables one to work for others with great liberty of spirit because one is no longer seeking one’s own ego centered goals but responding to reality as it is. Divine love is not an attitude to put on like a cloak. It is rather the right way to respond to reality. It is the right relationship to being, including our own being. And that relationship is primarily one of receiving. No one has any degree of divine love except what one has received. An important part of the response to divine love, once it has been received, is to pass it on to our neighbor in a way that is appropriate in the present moment.¹

Nothing is obtained from God except by Love.

9th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

2008-06-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

Dt 11:18, 26-28, 32
Ps 31:2-3, 34, 17, 25
1 Rm 3:21-25, 28
Mt 7:21-27

In next Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus explains how to be a true disciple: DO the will of the Father. ACT upon what you've learned from Jesus. He's constantly speaking to us through the scriptures and the teachings of the Church. We cannot afford to be merely hearers of the Word; our salvation depends on being doers of the Word. If we claim to have faith in Jesus but we do not do what he has taught us to do, then we are merely saying "Lord, Lord" — we are not following our Lord to heaven.

As Jesus points out, if we take action, first by integrating the truths of God's kingdom into our daily lives and then by making a difference in the world, we will be able to withstand any storm, any persecution, and any trial, even when our actions stir up the storm. Why? Because we are living in Christ's death and resurrection, we are living in his power, and we are living in his strength, which overcame the world.

But if we fail to let the teachings of Jesus transform us, when our lives are flooded by troubles, they'll destroy us — they'll destroy our peace, our joy, our awareness that God is loving us, and probably much more. When we try to survive these storms the way our worldly training says we should, things only get worse or — at best — the calming influence of Christ's peace gets delayed.

And if we fail to take the teachings of Jesus into the world around us, the blowing winds of immorality and dysfunction and abuses will destroy others, and we will be contributing to their demise by our inaction. That's not the path to heaven! It's the mortal sin of apathy. This might sound harsh, but in order to be resurrected into heaven after we die, we have to first go to the cross with Jesus. We have to care enough about others to stand up against the evils that we witness.

Storms will rage because of what we do for Christ and with Christ, but we will not collapse. In fact, we will only grow stronger.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What storm are you living through right now? What is changing within you as a result of this storm? Is it leading you to greater holiness?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Describe a past storm in your life and explain how it changed you. How has this enhanced your life? How has it enhanced your ministry to others?

Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

2008-05-31T00:00:00.000+08:00

This is a fairly late feast, going back only to the 13th or 14th century. It was established widely throughout the Church to pray for unity. The present date of celebration was set in 1969 in order to follow the Annunciation of the Lord (March 25) and precede the Birthday of John the Baptist (June 24).

Like most feasts of Mary, it is closely connected with Jesus and his saving work. The more visible actors in the visitation drama (see Luke 1:39-45) are Mary and Elizabeth. However, Jesus and John the Baptist steal the scene in a hidden way. Jesus makes John leap with joy—the joy of messianic salvation. Elizabeth, in turn, is filled with the Holy Spirit and addresses words of praise to Mary—words that echo down through the ages.

It is helpful to recall that we do not have a journalist’s account of this meeting. Rather, Luke, speaking for the Church, gives a prayerful poet’s rendition of the scene. Elizabeth’s praise of Mary as “the mother of my Lord” can be viewed as the earliest Church’s devotion to Mary. As with all authentic devotion to Mary, Elizabeth’s (the Church’s) words first praise God for what God has done to Mary. Only secondly does she praise Mary for trusting God’s words.

Then comes the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). Here Mary herself (like the Church) traces all her greatness to God.

Comment:

One of the invocations in Mary’s litany is “Ark of the Covenant.” Like the Ark of the Covenant of old, Mary brings God’s presence into the lives of other people. As David danced before the Ark, John the Baptist leaps for joy. As the Ark helped to unite the 12 tribes of Israel by being placed in David’s capital, so Mary has the power to unite all Christians in her Son. At times, devotion to Mary may have occasioned some divisiveness, but we can hope that authentic devotion will lead all to Christ and therefore to one another.

Quote:

“Moved by charity, therefore, Mary goes to the house of her kinswoman.... While every word of Elizabeth’s is filled with meaning, her final words would seem to have a fundamental importance: ‘And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her from the Lord’ (Luke 1:45). These words can be linked with the title ‘full of grace’ of the angel’s greeting. Both of these texts reveal an essential Mariological content, namely the truth about Mary, who has become really present in the mystery of Christ precisely because she ‘has believed.’ The fullness of grace announced by the angel means the gift of God himself. Mary’s faith, proclaimed by Elizabeth at the visitation, indicates how the Virgin of Nazareth responded to this gift” (Pope John Paul II, The Mother of the Redeemer, 12).

Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (A)

2008-05-25T00:19:00.000+08:00

Dt 8:2-3, 14b-16a
Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
1 Cor 10:16-17
Jn 6:51-58

This Sunday we celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist and why we believe it is truly and physically the presence of Jesus.

We're reminded in the first reading that God our Father always provides the food and drink that we need for survival in the desert days of life's hardships. What he did for the Israelites, he does for us today in whatever ways we experience hot trials and dry faith. He provides what we need by giving us the True Presence of Christ, who comes to us not only in the Eucharist but also in his Holy Spirit, who lives within us because of our baptisms, to guide us and nourish our spiritual growth.

The Gospel passage tells us that the Eucharistic food and drink are truly Jesus himself, not a mere symbol of his love. Oh-my oh-my, how we need THIS food and drink to survive the serpents and scorpions and the parched and waterless ground of our desert experiences! Jesus literally fills us and quenches our thirsts. As we consume him, he consumes us. As we draw him into us, he draws us into himself. In this unity, we walk through our trials with all that we need for success.

The second reading tells us that the Eucharist increases our unity with Christ and with Christ's body on earth, the church community, through which he provides the various resources that we need. In this unity — when it's activated as it should be — no one lacks anything good because all necessary goods are shared. And ultimately in this unity, as Jesus said in the Gospel, we're assured of eternal life in heaven, where all needs are met perfectly and completely.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What are the "serpents and scorpions" in your life right now? In what ways do you feel parched, thirsty to the point of desperation? During Mass, imagine that you're walking through a desert to receive from Jesus what you need. How does it feel to approach Jesus this way?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

How has the Eucharist helped you through a difficult time? Why did it make a difference? I kiss the Host before placing it in my mouth; what do you do that helps make the presence of Christ in the Eucharist more real for your needs?

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Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.

As a friar, I've had the privilege to go on pilgrimage. Traveling to a holy place with other pilgrims is an experience of getting to know God, self and others.

An important part of pilgrimage, believe it or not, is the food. You may smile, wondering what pilgrimage meals have to do with spirituality. Well, I enjoyed some of my best spiritual experiences around the table with my fellow pilgrims. The meals on pilgrimage in Assisi, Italy, were, of course, wonderful! But my memory of those meals always includes the wonderful people with whom I shared the food. It nourished both body and spirit.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, and our first reading takes us into the desert, as God's people are completing their pilgrimage to the Promised Land. Moses recalls for them how they depended for forty years on the food God provided. They survived as free people, liberated from slavery, thanks to the manna in the desert, and the other food from God.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells the crowds that he himself will be true food and drink for them—a food that will surpass the manna in the desert. Jesus, the living bread, will give them eternal life. It is the ultimate pilgrimage meal, and we share it each Sunday at Eucharist.

Scripture:

•…who guided you through the vast and terrible desert with its seraph serpents and scorpions, its parched and waterless ground; who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock and fed you in the desert with manna, (Deuteronomy 8:15,16)

•…with the best of wheat he fills you. (Psalm 147:14)

•The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16)

•…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. (John 6:53)

•For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. (John 6:55)

Reflection:

•Have you journeyed through the desert of hard times or spiritual despair? Was God with you? Was a community with you?

•Do you journey alone or with a community?

•Is your community limited to those who are living now?

•Will you starve without the Lord’s presence in the Eucharist?

•Is the Eucharist an individual or community celebration?

We tend to think of individual human beings as unconnected until they choose to become connected either because it is useful or because of some natural attraction. But there is an important biblical alternative to this interpretation, in many ways countercultural. We are all children of the same God, with the same earth as our common home. We are inter-related and interdependent. We have no choice about whether we live in relationships. Our only choices are whether we tell the truth about our social existence and whether we live in ways that redeem the relational web that is always and forever the matrix of our becoming.

It (Body of Christ) is a way of being in the world with one another and with Christ because of who God is. The body of Jesus in life, the Body of Christ in the Easter event, the Body of Christ who we are, the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, and the Body of Christ that we become more fully in the resurrection of the body—all these belong together in Body’s (of Christ) total meaning.

Most Holy Trinity (A)

2008-05-18T00:10:00.000+08:00

Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9
Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
2 Cor 13:11-13
Jn 3:16-18

On the first Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate and honor God's character as the Most Holy Trinity.

The first reading shows us the Father, as he parented the baby nation of Israel. We see that he is "a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and faithfulness" — the Perfect Father. If we have difficulty seeing him this way, our spirits need healing. We have to mentally differentiate him from our human dads and other authority figures who've imperfectly modeled God.

The second reading shows us the entire Trinity: the grace of Jesus, the love of the Father, and our friendly partnership with the Holy Spirit. In this and because of this, we are to rejoice, mend our ways, and live in peace with one another.

In other words, because Jesus bore our sins as he died on the cross and then conquered death, he provides us with grace so that we can resist sin, and he provides us with the Father's love so that we can love one another no matter what, and he provides us with the Holy Spirit, who fellowships with us and empowers us so that we can continually live as holy Christians.

The Gospel reading shows us the depth of the Father's love. He doesn't condemn us for our sins; he gives us his Son to rescue us from condemnation. Our sins condemn us and sentence us to eternal death, but Jesus saves us from this by taking us to eternal life — IF we want him to!

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Which Person of the Trinity do you know the least? Or feel distant from? Or fear? How have human relationships interfered with feeling God's closeness?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Which Person of the Trinity do you feel you know the best? Why? How is the Trinity the perfect example of a good, loving, healthy relationship?

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Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for Trinity Sunday.

As a friar, it sometimes happens that when I've planned a trip by car that another member of my community asks to ride along. I confess it makes me stop and think: Do I want to spend hours in the car with that person? Traveling with another person means forming a relationship or building on one.

In today's first reading, Moses asks God to "come along in our company," to travel with the Israelites to the Promised Land. Moses admits they are "stiff-necked"—perhaps not the best traveling companions.

But in reality, it's God who's invited Israel on this trip. And God will supply what's needed to get them to their destination. Their relationship with God will be life-giving.

Today on Trinity Sunday, we celebrate a divine relationship—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Three divine persons, one God. Understanding how that relationship works may be more than we can comprehend. But understanding what that relationship means is essential.

Through the Trinity we have strength to live in relationship to one another. As today's second reading says: We're to encourage one another and live in peace—and the God of love and peace will, in effect, "come along in our company." Such a relationship is God's plan for us.

The Gospel tells us that in what is perhaps the New Testament's most famous quote, John 3:16—God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.

Scripture:

•“The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.” (Exodus 34:6)

•Blessed are you who look into the depths. (Daniel 3:55)

•The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. (2 Corinthians 13:13)

•God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Reflection:

•In your life who has always treated you with kindness and faithfulness?

•If you were able to look past the superficiality that is the world and peer into the depth that is your being what would you find residing in that place?

•What is the only way out of the inherent conflict that is the world? How did you find this way?

When I consent to the will and mercy of God as it comes to me in the events of life appealing to my inner self and awakening my faith, I break through the superficial exterior appearances that forms my routine vision of the world and my own self, and I find myself in the presence of hidden majesty. It may appear to me that this majesty and presence is something objective, “outside myself.”…Yet this is a majesty that we do not see with our eyes and it is within ourselves. It is the mission of the Word and Spirit, from the Father, in the depths of my own being. It is a majesty communicated to us, shared with us, so that our whole being is filled with the gift of glory and responds with adoration.

Pentecost (A)

2008-05-11T17:18:00.001+08:00

Acts 2:1-11
Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13
Jn 20:19-23

"Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth." This is our prayer in the responsorial Psalm for Pentecost. It's the reason the Church can exist and continues to exist. We live in the age of the Holy Spirit. Without the power and presence of the Spirit of Christ, Christianity would have been unable to change the world and sustain itself for 2000 years. Without the Spirit of Christ, we Christians would be unable to do what Christ did.

Pentecost Sunday re-lives the birthday of the Church, and as it does, it also re-lives our spiritual birthdays, i.e., our initiations as members of the Church. It's a community-wide celebration of the impact that our baptisms have had on our lives and it's a reaffirmation of the Sacrament of Confirmation when the bishop confirmed that we truly received the Holy Spirit during our baptism.

Pentecost reminds us that through these sacraments we received God's power and presence so that we can overcome sin, live in holiness, and change the world around us.

How does God "renew the face of the earth"? Through us! First, God the Father gave the Holy Spirit to Jesus so that he could successfully fulfill his calling on earth. Now, the Father has given his Spirit to us, so that we can continue the work of renewal that Jesus began.

If you feel inadequate for any holy task or any righting of a wrong or any victory over sin and unhealthiness, you're correct: You are inadequate. But the Spirit of God who dwells in you is more than adequate. Proceed forward trusting in this partnership!

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Are you making a difference on the earth because of the Holy Spirit living in you and working through you? What is the Holy Spirit doing — or wanting to do — through you? Make a list answering this, beginning with your home life, then your job, then your parish, then your recreational activities, in that order of priority.

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

How did you first discover that the Holy Spirit was making a difference in the lives of others through you? Describe a recent time when God partnered with you. How do feel about the Spirit renewing the world through you? What are your hopes and dreams for this?

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Shortly after Easter one year, a woman in a parish who had been received into the Church at the Easter Vigil shared that how welcomed she felt in the Catholic family. The sense of openness and tolerance she experienced was especially important to her.

It’s a characteristic of Catholicism to see God’s goodness in all of creation, in various human endeavors, and in the cultures and histories of human beings wherever the gospel is preached. While we haven’t always lived up to that ideal, it was happy that the new parishioner experienced something of that spirit.

That universal dimension is also one of the themes of Pentecost. The dramatic story of the descent of the Holy Spirit tells us how the Holy Spirit can break down walls we may put up between peoples, races, cultures. What we see as obstacles, the Spirit can use to create a new unity, a reversal of the Babel story in Genesis, when people let human arrogance lead to disunity, as one human language fractured into many different tongues.

Today, across our world, a myriad of voices, different languages, and many cultural expressions will celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. Let’s join our voices with that Pentecost chorus.

Scripture:

•And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit… (Acts 2:4)

•When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. (Psalm 104:30)

•For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13)

•Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19)

•And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22)

Reflection:

•Describe “filled with the Holy Spirit.”

•Explain “in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.”

•What is John saying when he writes, “he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’”?

The problem of forming Christ in us is not to be solved by our own efforts. It is not a matter of studying the Gospels and then working to put our ideas into practice, although we should try and do that too, but always under the guidance of grace, in complete subjection to the Holy Spirit.

For if we depend on our own ideas, our own judgment and our own efforts to reproduce the life of Christ, we will only act out some pious charade which will ultimately scare everybody we meet because it will be so stiff and artificial and so dead.

It is the Spirit of God that must teach us Who Christ is and form Christ in us and transform us into other Christs.

Seventh Sunday of Easter (A)

2008-05-04T00:14:00.000+08:00

Acts 1:12-14
Ps 27:1, 4, 7-8 or Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
1 Pt 4:13-16
Jn 17:1-11a

All the readings for this Sunday's Mass can be best enjoyed, understood and summed up by the message we proclaim in the responsorial Psalm. This should be a favorite scripture that we post at our desks or on our mirrors or anywhere we'll see it often, because it has the power to uplift us when we're experiencing the darkest of times and the most hopeless of situations: "I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living!" Oh yeah, alleluia!

Repeatedly, God used it to reaffirm that we can trust in his promises. It was going to be a long, painful time before the good things of the Lord that we were praying for would finally come to pass, and not all if it has come to full fruition yet, but this scripture kept our faith intact.

The Gospel reading shows us that Jesus recognized the good things of his Father in the land of the living. Notice how he appreciated the trust that his followers had placed in him. Isn't it delightful when the people we care about believe us and accept everything that we give to them as we offer them our faith!

And when they don't? That's when we turn to Jesus and give to him the love that they've rejected. We accept his words, as revealed in scripture, understanding that he came from the Father, and thus we gain trust in the Father's plan. Jesus is praying for you. Eventually, you WILL INDEED see the good things of the Lord in the land of living!

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What are the good things of the Lord that you're waiting for? How do you feel about the wait? How strong is your trust in God's perfect timing? What is God asking YOU to do so that you will become more available to his blessings?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

Think of a time when you had to wait on God. What gave you hope? Which one of next Sunday's readings can you most closely identify with?

- Waiting in the Upper Room to receive the Holy Spirit, not knowing what will happen next (first reading).

- Sharing in the sufferings of Christ (second reading).

- Working hard in a job or ministry and trusting the Father for its outcome (Gospel reading).

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How often do we promise to pray for someone we care about? Did you know there’s a special prayer for each of us, prayed by Christ himself?

Today we read from John’s Gospel from what known as the “Last Discourse.” At the Last Supper, Jesus speaks to his disciples about his coming absence. Scripture scholar Raymond Brown tells us that Christ’s words, addressed to his intimate circle of followers, can also be understood as the Risen Jesus speaking from heaven to all those who will follow after him.

Today’s selection, near the end of the Discourse, is a prayer of Jesus, addressed to the Father. It sums up Christ’s work on earth. He’s revealed God to the disciples and they’ve entered into a relationship with God, in and through Jesus. Now, he prays for those who will remain “in the world,” after he has returned to the Father.

We’re the subjects of this prayer as much as the original disciples were. We remain “in the world.” We need support and affirmation to continue living out the word entrusted to us by Christ.

Elsewhere, the Lord assures us that the Spirit is his gift to us, providing the support we need. We pray for that gift as we approach next week’s Feast of Pentecost.

Scripture:

•After Jesus had been taken up to heaven the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. (Acts 1:12)

•Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks. (Psalm 27:8)

•If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. (1 Peter 4:14)

•Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. (John 17:3)

Reflection:

•How do you know Jesus the Son of God and how do you know God?

•What does your heart speak? Where does your glance seek?

•Is there any other way to be blessed by God except to be insulted in the name of Jesus Christ?

•How far can you travel on a Sabbath day’s journey? (Hint: How far do you travel when you receive the Eucharist and where do you arrive?)

The man who communicates loses himself in God like a drop of water in the ocean; it’s impossible to separate them anymore…. In these vast depths of love, there’s enough to lose yourself for eternity.

Sixth Sunday of Easter (A)

2008-04-27T23:53:00.000+08:00

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
Ps 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
1 Pt 3:15-18
Jn 14:15-21

In next Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit is our "Advocate". Some scholars translate the word to "Counselor". In the original Greek language, it means "called alongside". It's closely related to the verb "parakaleo" ("to call" or "summon") from which we get "Paraclete" as a name for the Holy Spirit. In ancient Greek society, it referred to a legal assistant, a courtroom advocate. Jesus is telling us that the Holy Spirit is our legal assistant who speaks up for us when we're accused, judged, or wrongly condemned.

Notice that Jesus refers to our Advocate as the "Spirit of truth". God always knows the truth about us, despite what people think of us and the wrong things they say about us. Remember: It's only his opinion of us that really matters. And his opinion of us is better than we think it is!

We judge ourselves more harshly than we should, and this is why we worry so much about how badly others might judge us. If we honestly examine our consciences, confessing our sins during the Penance Rite at Mass or in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and if we genuinely want to improve, then Jesus says to us what he said to other sinners: "I do not condemn you; go and sin no more."

Don't you sometimes wish that Jesus would come physically to your rescue when you're undergoing trials? He said that he will not leave us orphans — he will always be with us in the Spirit when we need to be defended.

To love him is to desire to keep his commandments, and when we fail, the Spirit of Truth says to the Father: "Look, this precious child really does want to be holy." To us, the Spirit says, "Let me teach you how to grow in holiness and avoid this sin." And to others, the Spirit says: "If you love me, love this precious friend of mine."

Questions for Personal Reflection:

How have you been unjustly accused and unfairly judged? Imagine what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Father about that. And to those who condemned you. What is he saying to you about you?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

Describe a time when God defended you. How did the Advocate manifest his help? Who learned more from it: you or your accusers?

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Have you ever been visited by representatives of a particular religion or Church, going door to door to evangelize? While most of probably have, I suspect the reverse is not true. Rarely do Catholics engage in such face-to-face faith-sharing. I know I’m very shy about approaching a total stranger with a request to consider learning about Jesus.

Today’s Scripture selections continue our Easter instructions for the newly baptized. The first reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, reflects how Christian witness might be received—persecution was a real threat for the Church in Jerusalem. The First Letter of Peter seems to reflect a similar harsh reality. Peter urges Christians to approach others, ready to explain who we are, but to do so with “gentleness and reverence.”

That reminds me of the advice St. Francis of Assisi gave his brothers who were thinking of being missionaries. He told them to “avoid quarrels or disputes and to be subject to every human creature for God’s sake.” Francis was quoting from the First Letter of Peter. The letter goes on to encourage those fearful of persecution to remember that Christ also suffered persecution. In the Gospel, Jesus himself assures us that we will not be alone; the Holy Spirit will be present with us, to support and guide us.

Scripture:

•Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:17)

•Shout joyfully to God, all the earth, sing praise to the glory of his name; proclaim his glorious praise. Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!…” (Psalm 66:2,3)

•Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18b)

•…and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him. But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you. (John 14:16,7)

Reflection:

•Jesus comes to those who love him. How do you love Jesus?

•How is the “Advocate,” the “Spirit of Truth,” alive in you?

•How is it that the world is not capable of receiving the Spirit? Are you in the world or in the spirit?

To come to possess all desire to possess nothing. To arrive at being all desire to be nothing.

The soul that journeys to God but does not shake off its cares and quiet its appetites is like one who drags a cart uphill.

Fifth Sunday of Easter (A)

2008-04-20T00:36:00.001+08:00

Acts 6:1-7
Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
1 Pt 2:4-9
Jn 14:1-12

This Sunday's Gospel reading ends with a very astounding verse: "Whoever believes in me will do the works I do, and greater far than these." What does he mean — how can we do the same — and bigger — supernatural miracles than Jesus did? The answer is found in the context of the entire chapter, as Jesus explains his close relationship with the Father, i.e., what he does for the Father and with the Father. Remember, Jesus was (and still is) both human and divine. We need to look at these verses with this in mind.

The "works I do" means what he did with his humanity FOR the Father. As a human, he did very human works, i.e., the same types of good deeds that you and I readily do in appreciation for the love that God the Father has for us.

As beloved children, we love others as he loves them, we teach what we've learned, we share what we've been given, we listen to those who need someone to understand them, we work hard on the job to our fullest potential, offering a helping hand when we see a need, etc. There's nothing supernatural about it. It's being who we are, human children of a loving Daddy-God.

The "greater" works are what Jesus did in his divinity WITH the Father. They are the miracles that the Father worked through Jesus, because the love of the Father and the love of the Son are one love.

When Jesus took upon himself the punishment for our sins and the Father raised him from the dead, Jesus gave us his divinity so that we can continue his works on earth. Because we've received God's divinity in our baptisms, the Father extends himself through us to the world. With him, we can love the unlovable after they've pushed us past our human limits, we can be instruments of miracles, we can hear God speak to us, and we can share his wisdom and comfort without knowing what to say. We can do everything that God asks of us, despite our inadequacies.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Make a list of your gifts and talents. Then reflect on how each of these are the human works of Jesus for the world today. How has the Father also worked through you supernaturally?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

Name some of the good works being done in your parish or group: How do these reflect the human nature of Jesus? Name some of the ways that your parish or group shows the Father's supernatural nature to the world. How can we become better able to do the "greater works" of the Father?

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Do you ever long with nostalgia for the “good old days”?

I wonder if the early Christians, after the excitement of the first Pentecost had worn off, longed for their own “good old days.” As they found themselves “in for the long haul,” trying to set up structures and institutions for the growing community, did they wish they were back when it was just Jesus and a little band of disciples?

The passage from the Last Supper in John’s Gospel today seems to anticipate that situation. Jesus reassures his troubled followers that he is going to prepare a place for them. When they want to know the “way” to this place, Jesus tells them he is “the way.” The disciples will go on to do Christ’s work—a mission to a wider world. Elsewhere in that Last Supper discourse, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will be present to remind them of all he’s said and done.

The spread of the gospel challenged the fledgling community as the Church grew, and encompassed other languages, cultures and regions. New structures and new ministries would be needed.

The same is true in our day. Facing a new millennium, we need to know the Holy Spirit, Christ’s gift to the Church, is present to teach us what’s needed today, and unite us to Christ, our way, our truth and our life.

Scripture:

•They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them. (Acts 6:6)

•He loves justice and right; of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full. (Psalm 33:5)

•Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4,5)

•”…Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.… Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:10,12)

Reflection:

•How are you a vessel of Jesus, “a living stone?”

•What are the greater works that those who believe in Jesus do?

•How are you a “spiritual house, a holy priesthood?”

The “return” is the end beyond all ends, and the beginning of beginnings. To “return to the Father” is not to “go back” in time, to roll up the scroll of history, or to reverse anything. It is a going forward, a going beyond, for merely to retrace one’s steps would be a vanity on top of vanity, a renewal of the same absurdity in reverse. Our destiny is to go on beyond everything, to leave everything, to press forward to the End and find in the End our Beginning, the ever-new beginning that has no end. To obey Him on the way, in order to reach Him in whom I have begun, who is the key and the end— because he is the beginning.

Fourth Sunday of Easter (A)

2008-04-13T23:06:00.000+08:00

Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
1 Pt 2:20b-25
Jn 10:1-10

Are you at an impasse in your spiritual growth or emotional healing or a difficult relationship? Do you need a breakthrough? Do you feel stuck behind a fence that's keeping you on the outside of peace, joy, satisfaction, or healing? This Sunday's Gospel reading tells us that Jesus is the gate in that fence. He helps us reach the heavenly side of the gate, outside the realm of earthly restrictions — not only when we die and enter eternal life, but also here and now in our earthly life, so that we might always "have life and have it more abundantly."

When our path seems blocked, we can only make progress by letting Jesus shepherd us around and through and over the obstacles. If people shut a door on something that God wants us to do, Jesus is still our open gate and no one can close him out of our lives. He will lead us into a new opportunity for accomplishing the plans of God. If he's given us a frustrated holy desire, a passion for which there seems to be no outlet, instead of complaining or quitting, we must look at Jesus and see him as a gate that opens into a direction or location.

And until we get all the way through this gate, we stick close to him like dumb sheep. There's a journey to take before we can reach the other side of the fence. The thief that comes to steal and slaughter can only reach us when we stray away from Jesus and we take our eyes off of him. Despair and worry are two common thieves, robbing us of peace, joy, satisfaction, and healing. But they're not as powerful as they pretend to be. They do not speak the truth about the destruction we fear. They are merely trying to make us forget that Jesus is our Good Shepherd safely guiding us into a life of abundant victory.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What breakthrough are you hoping for? What's frustrating you and seems hopeless? What's causing you to think that a problem you're facing might lead to disaster and destruction? What will you do this week to follow Jesus more closely so that you can get through this with more peace?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

Share the story of a time when you experienced obstacles and Jesus provided a breakthrough that led to victory.

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Are you ready to continue your “post-graduate” work as a Christian?

On the Sundays of Easter the liturgy offers instruction for the newly baptized. All of us are “enrolled” in that course along with them. Our “curriculum” comes from the First Letter of Peter, the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospels. They all suggest how a community rooted in Christ witnesses in the world, with the Spirit’s help.

Today we’re reminded again of the Jesus we follow. A sermon from Acts on the first Pentecost calls listeners to conversion. The second reading—perhaps drawn from an early baptismal instruction to Christian converts who were Roman slaves—presents Jesus as the Suffering Servant, a theme we heard in Holy Week. The instruction urges the newly baptized to identify with and follow Christ as “shepherd of our souls.”

It’s a metaphor found in John’s Gospel. Imagine a crowded sheepfold, noisy with milling flocks and the conflicting voices of shepherds calling their sheep. It’s a likely place for a thief to slip over the wall and do mischief. But the Good Shepherd enters boldly by the main gate, calls us by name, and we recognize him. With the voice of the Shepherd calling us, we continue our Easter celebration of Baptism.

Scripture:

•…and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, (Acts 2:38,9)

•The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. (Psalm 23)

•When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; (1 Peter 2:23)

•I am the gate for the sheep.…I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. (John 10:7b,9)

Reflection:

•Have you taken comfort in Psalm 23 when you were troubled or sad?

•Have you followed the example of Jesus (1 Peter) in not returning violence through acting with God’s grace?

•How is Jesus the “gate” in your life?

I call upon you to love one another as Jesus has commanded.
I call upon you to renew your efforts to appreciate and respect each others’ cultural diversity.
I call upon you to show special concern for the poor and those who are pushed to the margins of society.
I call upon you to work for a more just society, in which wealth will be more evenly divided and in which it will be possible for all to live a life in keeping with human dignity.
I call upon you, especially the young people, to respond to the Lord’s love and to share his joy with others.
I call upon you who are sick to offer your sufferings for the growth of the kingdom of God.
And I commend all of you to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the perfect example of dedication to the Lord, the Mother of him who says: “This is my commandment: Love one another as I have loved You.” Amen.

Third Sunday of Easter (A)

2008-04-06T23:59:00.000+08:00

Acts 2:14, 22-33
Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
1 Pt 1:17-21
Lk 24:13-35

The two disciples in next Sunday's Gospel reading did not recognize Jesus until after they heard him explain the scriptures and then broke bread with him. It was a two-part process. First, while listening to him teach about the scriptures, only their hearts recognized him ("Were not our hearts burning within us?"). Their eyes didn't become open to his true identity until Jesus took the bread of a shared meal, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them to eat.

When we celebrate Mass today, we're on a similar journey with Jesus. First, we have the Liturgy of the Word, during which we hear the scriptures and a homily that explains them. This is a time of listening with our hearts.

A well-trained reader will speak the words of scripture with meaning and emphasis so that our hearts can recognize Jesus. A well-trained priest or deacon will teach us about the scriptures so that our hearts on set on fire as if Jesus himself were teaching us. But even if the reader or homilist does a poor job, our hearts can tune in and hear what Jesus is saying to us.

Then we move into the Liturgy of the Eucharist. When the presiding priest consecrates the bread and wine, it is Jesus himself who is actually doing it, using the priest's hands and vocal chords. Jesus is doing for us what he did for those two disciples at Emmaus.

If we have opened our hearts to Jesus during the first part of Mass, and if we are still paying attention, we see much more than a wafer of bread and a chalice of wine. We see Jesus. We recognize him with our hearts AND our heads. We know beyond all doubt that the resurrected Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Where does Jesus seem to be absent from your life? Did you ever feel like he was missing? How can the Mass help you recognize Jesus and feel his closeness? What else can you do to discover the presence of Jesus where you otherwise have not been able to sense his nearness?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

When did you discover that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist? How do you know that the bread and wine change into the substance of Jesus while retaining their original form (which is called "transubstantiation")? Is it always easy for you to recognize Jesus in the Eucharist?

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In human life, there’s no substitute for daily, lived experience, no matter how much “book learning” you’ve had.

On these Sundays of Easter the Church teaches the newly baptized—and all of us—how to live Christian life day by day. Selections from the First Letter of Peter and the Acts of the Apostles stress our witness to Christ in the real world. The Easter Gospels highlight how the Holy Spirit supports and guides the Church in that task.

Today’s Gospel, perhaps the most powerful of the Resurrection stories, portrays what Christians have experienced in Eucharist since the beginning of the Church. Two disciples full of grief after the death of Jesus, flee Jerusalem to escape the tragic events of Good Friday.

On the road to Emmaus, the risen Lord meets them, explains the Scriptures, and they recognize him in the breaking of the bread.

Our experience, like Christians down through the ages, is identical. In the midst of human life—no matter where we find ourselves—Christians gather to share their common needs and gifts, strengths and weaknesses, fears and joys. We break open the Scriptures so that Jesus may teach us. We break the bread and recognize Christ present. From the Eucharistic table we go out as the Body of Christ, ready to witness.

In the Sundays that follow, our Scriptures will help us understand the consequences of that witness.

Scripture:

•God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured him forth, as you see and hear. (Acts 2:32,33)

•You will show me the path to life, abounding joy in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever. (Psalm 16:11)

•…who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:21)

•Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to
them in the breaking of bread. (Luke 24:35)

Reflection:

•Where do the two disciples experience of Jesus? How do they describe it?

•Where does the Psalmist find Jesus? How is it described?

•Where does Luke find Jesus? What is the experience like?

•Where did Mary of Magdala and the disciples find Jesus? What do they say about it?

•In the first few days after the resurrection, when the disciples are experiencing the resurrected Jesus first time, none know quite how to describe this new presence. Have you ever encountered this newness in experiencing Jesus again for the first time? What was it like? How are you like the disciples in trying to explain the experience?

Many men in the past have been loved with extreme intensity—Socrates by his disciples, Julius Caesar by his legionnaires, Napoleon by his soldiers. But today these men belong irrevocably to the past; not a heart beats at their memory. There is no one who would give their life or even their possessions for them even though their ideals are still being advocated. And when their ideals are opposed, no one ever thinks of cursing Socrates or Julius Caesar or Napoleon, because their personalities no longer have any influence; they are bygones. But not Jesus; Jesus is still loved and still cursed; men still renounce their possessions and even their lives both for love of him and out of hatred for him. No living being is as alive as Jesus.

Annunciation of the Lord

2008-03-31T21:35:00.001+08:00

The feast of the Annunciation goes back to the fourth or fifth century. Its central focus is the Incarnation: God has become one of us. From all eternity God had decided that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity should become human. Now, as Luke 1:26-38 tells us, the decision is being realized. The God-Man embraces all humanity, indeed all creation, to bring it to God in one great act of love. Because human beings have rejected God, Jesus will accept a life of suffering and an agonizing death: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

Mary has an important role to play in God’s plan. From all eternity God destined her to be the mother of Jesus and closely related to him in the creation and redemption of the world. We could say that God’s decrees of creation and redemption are joined in the decree of Incarnation. As Mary is God’s instrument in the Incarnation, she has a role to play with Jesus in creation and redemption. It is a God-given role. It is God’s grace from beginning to end. Mary becomes the eminent figure she is only by God’s grace. She is the empty space where God could act. Everything she is she owes to the Trinity.

She is the virgin-mother who fulfills Isaiah 7:14 in a way that Isaiah could not have imagined. She is united with her son in carrying out the will of God (Psalm 40:8-9; Hebrews 10:7-9; Luke 1:38).

Together with Jesus, the privileged and graced Mary is the link between heaven and earth. She is the human being who best, after Jesus, exemplifies the possibilities of human existence. She received into her lowliness the infinite love of God. She shows how an ordinary human being can reflect God in the ordinary circumstances of life. She exemplifies what the Church and every member of the Church is meant to become. She is the ultimate product of the creative and redemptive power of God. She manifests what the Incarnation is meant to accomplish for all of us.

Comment:

Sometimes spiritual writers are accused of putting Mary on a pedestal and thereby discouraging ordinary humans from imitating her. Perhaps such an observation is misguided. God did put Mary on a pedestal and has put all human beings on a pedestal. We have scarcely begun to realize the magnificence of divine grace, the wonder of God’s freely given love. The marvel of Mary—even in the midst of her very ordinary life—is God’s shout to us to wake up to the marvelous creatures that we all are by divine design.

Quote:

“Enriched from the first instant of her conception with the splendor of an entirely unique holiness, the virgin of Nazareth is hailed by the heralding angel, by divine command, as ‘full of grace’ (cf. Luke 1:28). To the heavenly messenger she replies: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word’ (Luke 1:38). Thus the daughter of Adam, Mary, consenting to the word of God, became the Mother of Jesus. Committing herself wholeheartedly and impeded by no sin to God’s saving will, she devoted herself totally, as a handmaid of the Lord, to the person and work of her Son, under and with him, serving the mystery of redemption, by the grace of Almighty God” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 56).

Why Catholics Celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday

2008-03-30T16:52:00.002+08:00

By Rev. Alfred McBride, O.Praem.

On the Second Sunday of Easter of the Jubilee Year 2000, at the Mass for the canonization of St. Faustina Kowalska, Pope John Paul II proclaimed to the world that “from now on throughout the Church this Sunday will be called Divine Mercy Sunday.”

Pope John Paul had actively promoted the message of St. Faustina. In his 1980 encyclical on God’s mercy, Rich in Mercy, he developed a scriptural and doctrinal basis for our faith in the mercy of God. By linking the revealed truth about God’s mercy to one of the most solemn Sundays after Easter itself, he illumined the fact that the liturgy already proclaimed the divine mercy. The truth has been embedded for two millennia in the worship of the Church. Once again we see an illustration of the ancient saying, “The law of faith is the law of prayer.”

On the Second Sunday of Easter, the responsorial psalm and Gospel for Cycles A, B and C center on the theme of mercy. In Psalm 118 we sing three times, “His mercy endures forever.” The Gospel, from John 20:19-31, begins with the risen Christ appearing to the apostles on Easter night. Jesus calms his disciples by saying and giving them “Peace.” He shows them the scars of his Passion, his wounded hands and side. His glorified body retains the evidence of his saving work through his suffering, death and resurrection.

He fills them with joy and again says to them—and produces in them—“Peace.” Then he breathes on them and explains what the divine breathing means with the words, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” He gives the apostles the power of God’s mercy for the sinner, the gift of forgiving sins from God’s treasury of mercy. The other texts speak of healing and give the assurance there is nothing to fear.

From Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday to the Eighth Day of Easter, the divine love song of mercy is chanted amid abundant alleluias. For centuries in liturgy the Church has proclaimed the mercy of God through the Word of God and the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. The tables of Word and Sacrament are heaped with the promises of Divine Mercy and its grand effect in the lives of millions. The liturgy is the storehouse of the wisdom of God and a treasure chest for all the worshipers.

‘I spoke as a brother’

A TIME magazine issue in 1984 presented a startling cover. It pictured a prison cell where two men sat on metal folding chairs. The young man wore a black turtleneck sweater, blue jeans and white running shoes. The older man was dressed in a white robe and had a white skullcap on his head. They sat facing one another, up close and personal. They spoke quietly so as to keep others from hearing the conversation. The young man was Mehmet Ali Agca, the pope’s attempted assassin; the other man was Pope John Paul II, the intended victim. The pope held the hand that had held the gun whose bullet tore into the pope’s body.

In the cell, unseen in the picture, were the pope’s secretary and two security agents, along with a still photographer and videographer. John Paul wanted this scene to be shown around a world filled with nuclear arsenals and unforgiving hatreds. The Church has always used paintings, sculpture and architecture to communicate spiritual meanings. This was a living icon of mercy.

The Church was celebrating the 1,950th anniversary of Christ’s death and Christian redemption. The pope had been preaching forgiveness and reconciliation constantly. His deed with Ali Agca spoke a thousand words. John Paul’s forgiveness was deeply Christian. He embraced his enemy and pardoned him. At the end of their 20-minute meeting, Ali Agca raised the pope’s hand to his forehead as a sign of respect. John Paul shook Ali Agca’s hand tenderly.

When the pope left the cell he said, “What we talked about must remain a secret between us. I spoke to him as a brother whom I have pardoned and who has my complete trust.” This is an example of God’s divine mercy, the same divine mercy whose message St. Faustina witnessed.

Ways to observe Divine Mercy Sunday

With a relatively new liturgical celebration like Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church will look among its members for ways to celebrate. When he was archbishop of St. Louis, in 1998, Cardinal Justin Rigali wrote a pastoral letter to his priests in which he urged them to preach on the mystery of the riches of God’s mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday:

I ask that each of our Archdiocesan parishes observe the Second Sunday of Easter as a celebration of Divine Mercy. . . . I ask that the principal focus of our observance be the Eucharistic Liturgy itself, with special attention given in the homily to preaching on Divine Mercy. The link between Divine Mercy and the Easter celebration, especially on the Second Sunday of Easter, exists on many levels . . . .The Scripture readings lend themselves to linking Easter and Divine Mercy since the texts highlight the forgiveness of sins.

The disposition of trust in God’s mercy is essential for receiving the graces God wants us to have. The time of preparation for the Divine Mercy Sunday is meant to strengthen our people’s trust in God’s mercy. Artwork or holy cards related to Divine Mercy can play an important role. There is one image of St. Faustina that speaks to many hearts in a way that is deeper than words. Like a good icon, it confronts the praying and worshiping person with the merciful love of Christ, and its inscription, “Jesus, I trust in you,” encourages the believer to respond to this invitation with greater confidence.

One way the Church celebrates God’s mercy throughout the year is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Cardinal Rigali notes, “This beautiful Sacrament was presented to the Church by Christ himself on the day of his Resurrection, hence this Sacrament of Mercy is supremely relevant also in this Easter season.” The cardinal also suggests that finding times for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is another good way to observe Divine Mercy.

St. Faustina Kowalska: Apostle of Divine Mercy

The story of St. Faustina Kowalska reveals the inspiration behind the Divine Mercy devotion. Helena Kowalska was born in Poland on August 25, 1905. She was the third child of a devout Catholic family. As a small child she reported seeing bright lights during her night prayers. At age 16 she went to work as a servant in a neighboring city. She soon resigned after a fainting spell, even though a doctor said she was healthy.

Helena told her parents that she wanted to enter religious life but failed to obtain her father’s permission because he felt she was too young. She took another post as a servant and made friends with a circle of young women. At a dance, she experienced a vision of Christ suffering that touched her conscience and revived her desire to be a nun. She soon left her job and sought entrance in a religious congregation.

In 1925, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, taking the name Faustina. She served as a cook, gardener and doorkeeper in Krakow and several other community convents. The sisters liked her but did not appreciate or understand her deep interior life, which included visions and prophecies. On February 22, 1931, Sister Faustina experienced a new and life-changing vision of Christ. She saw him wearing a white robe and raising his right hand in blessing with his left hand resting on his heart from which flowed two rays of light. Jesus told her, “Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the prayer, Jesus, I trust in you.”

Faustina could not paint, and struggled to convince her incredulous sisters about the truth of her vision. Ultimately she persuaded her spiritual director, Father Michael Sopocko, that the vision was real. He found an artist to create the painting that was named The Divine Mercy and shown to the world for the first time on April 28, 1935.

Father Sopocko advised Sister Faustina to record her visions in a diary. At one point she wrote that “Jesus said I was his secretary and an apostle of his divine mercy.” She devoted the rest of her life to spreading the message of divine mercy and the growth of popular devotion to it. Her mystical writings have been translated into many languages. She died of tuberculosis at age 33. Pope John Paul II canonized her on April 30, 2000.

The revelations experienced by St. Faustina were of a private nature, which are not essential to anyone’s acceptance of the Catholic faith. These types of visions and revelations are described in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “Throughout the ages, there have been so-called ‘private’ revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ’s definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history” (#67).

In another section, the Catechism describes popular piety, which helps us to put St. Faustina’s revelations into a broader context: “The religious sense of the Christian people has always found expression in various forms of piety surrounding the Church’s sacramental life, such as veneration of relics, visits to sanctuaries, pilgrimages, processions, the stations of the cross, religious dances, the rosary, medals, etc. These expressions of piety extend the liturgical life of the Church, but do not replace it....Pastoral discernment is needed to sustain and support popular piety” (#1674-76).

So we see that devotion to divine mercy in no way replaces any of our rich liturgical traditions. The Divine Mercy devotion fosters the virtue of trust in God’s mercy that finds its fulfillment in the liturgy of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist. Popular piety animates the faith attitudes that make participation in the sacraments more vital and fruitful.

Mercy in the midst of tragedy

The news is filled with illustrations of mercy—or the need for mercy—in our world. One of the most moving stories came to us on October 6, 2006, when an armed man entered an Amish schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. He chased out the little boys and lined up the 10 little girls in front of the blackboard. He shot all of them and then killed himself. Five of the girls died. After the medics and police left, the families of the fallen came and carried their slain children home. They removed their bloody clothes and washed the bodies. In each home they emptied a room of furniture except for a table and chairs. They sat for a time and mourned their beloved children.

After a while they walked to the home of the man who killed their children. They told his widow they forgave her husband for what he had done, and they consoled her for the loss of her spouse. They buried their anger before they buried their children.

On the wall of the local firehouse is a watercolor of the schoolyard painted by a local artist, Elsie Beiler. Its title is “Happier Days,” and it depicts the Amish children playing without a care before the shooting. Five birds, which some say represent the dead girls, circle the blue sky above.

Amish Christians teach us that forgiveness is central. They believe in a real sense that God’s forgiveness depends on their extending forgiveness to other people. That’s what the mercy of God is all about. That mercy is why we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday.

Rev. Alfred McBride, O.Praem., is a priest of the Norbertine Order and a widely known catechist via books, articles and TV programs. He holds a diploma in catechetics from Lumen Vitae, in Belgium, and a doctorate in religious education from the Catholic University of America.

Second Sunday of Easter (A) (also Divine Mercy Sunday)

2008-03-30T16:34:00.000+08:00

Acts 2:42-47
Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
1 Pt 1:3-9
Jn 20:19-31

What does it mean to live the Easter experience? We are an Easter people, because we know and celebrate that Jesus has risen from the dead. And yet, we're not always rejoicing and shouting "hallelujah". We don't always feel like celebrating – in Mass nor outside the church where our joy could influence people toward conversion.

We're not quite able find an end to the Good Friday experience of carrying our crosses.

This Sunday's second reading describes what the Easter experience should feel like: We rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy. But how?

An attitude of joy does not come from reaching the end of our cross-like burdens. Rather, it comes from knowing that Christ's death and resurrection is going to give us an inheritance of eternal life in God's abundant love and peace.

Our joy comes from knowing that this gift is "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading," and that Jesus is keeping it ready for us so that when we die, we won't lose the gift – it's being safeguarded by the power of God because by our faith we have accepted the gift in advance.

This joy-from-knowing is the true definition of "hope". Hope isn't wishful thinking. Hope means celebrating what is certainly going to happen BEFORE it happens.

Many Catholics fear that they might lose their salvation, because they don't trust themselves. They fear that maybe they will turn away from Jesus between now and the hour of their deaths. If you worry about this, let me ask you: During times of suffering, do you reject God or run to him?

Even when we get angry at him, we're actually very close to him. We're angry because we believe in him and trust him and he seems to be disappointing us, not because we have no faith in him. And thus our faith is purified by our trials. As an Easter people, we know that our sufferings are temporary and that someday we will enter into eternal joy. This is what we celebrate even while carrying our crosses.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

In what ways has God apparently disappointed you? What's he doing — or not doing — that's upsetting you? How is this increasing your closeness to him, even if it feels like he's silent and distant?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

Give an example of wishful thinking: What have you wished for in prayer? What have you been begging God to do? How is this wish based on hope (joy-from-knowing)? Even if your wish never comes true, what's your reason for a higher hope?

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“I’ll need to see some proof.” “How can you be certain?” Have you used one of those expressions today?

Influenced by the scientific mindset which greatly affects the way we look at our contemporary world, most of us are quick to call for proof for anything out of the ordinary, or beyond our experience. We don’t want to be “taken in” by extravagant claims or wild speculations.

So today’s Gospel, the story of “Doubting Thomas,” has a modern appeal. Thomas wants proof of the Resurrection. Scripture scholar Father Raymond Brown notes that Thomas’s story comes near the end of a string of stories that link faith to something concrete: the Beloved Disciple sees the burial cloths in the tomb, Mary Magdalene hears Christ’s voice, the disciples see the Risen Lord. So it’s natural for Thomas, in turn, to ask for proof to answer his doubts.

But Father Brown notes that the evangelist and Jesus are looking for a different reaction: What about those who believe without any physical evidence? Clearly, John wants his readers to make that act of faith, for Jesus calls such believers “blessed.”

When we hear this Gospel proclaimed in our local parish this weekend, let’s look around and take heart from our fellow believers. When my faith wavers, I gain strength from the Holy Spirit, at work in the community of faith.

Scripture:

•They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. (Acts 2:42)

•The LORD, my strength and might, came to me as savior. (Psalm 118:14)

•Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you (1 Peter 1:3,4)

•Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy (1 Peter 1:8)

•Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (John 20:21)

Reflection:

•How important is the Eucharist and prayer to your spiritual life?
a) Can take it or leave it.
b) More important when I am troubled or in a crisis.
c) Feel better when I take the time to pray and receive the Eucharist.
d) Can’t survive without daily prayer and more than weekly Eucharist.

•Describe your feeling of joy for prayer and the sacraments.
a) Don’t see a need.
b) Feel good about participating.
c) Daily practice and central to my life.
d) Overwhelming presence that is central to my sense of well-being.

•What does Jesus mean, “As the father has sent me so I send you.”
a) I don’t understand what is expected.
b) I live a Christian life of loving my family and friends.
c) I find ways to help the poor and marginalized.
d) I find ways to build the community of the faithful by participating in the Eucharist and being the Eucharist to others.

The more you pray, the more you want to pray…It’s like a fish that starts by swimming near the surface of the water, then plunges and goes on swimming deeper and deeper. The soul plunges, is swallowed up, loses itself in the delights of the conversation with God.¹

(In the quote above replace the word “pray” with “love”, “act kindly” or “give generously.”)

Easter Sunday (A)

2008-03-24T00:05:00.001+08:00

Acts 10:34a, 37-43
Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Col 3:1-4 or 1 Cor 5:6b-8
Jn 20:1-9

Are you ready to proclaim the Good News about how Jesus has helped you? Or do you hesitate because don't yet understand how the deaths in your life have been resurrected into new life, how the tragedies and other difficulties have led you into triumphs and great blessings?

This was the mental state of the disciples on the first Easter morning, as depicted in the Gospel of John.

The attitude of Peter in the reading from Acts is quite a contrast! The disciples now know their calling: They were commissioned to testify and to teach that Jesus is the Savior, and they fully embraced this vocation.

To “testify” means to share the truth based on your own experiences. Peter specifically proclaimed that everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins. Of course! Peter knew first-hand what it's like to need and then receive God's forgiveness.

We will not understand how our sufferings lead us to new life until we start talking about it. The first inklings of insight awaken when we discuss it within our close, holy friendships, like Mary of Magdala did when she ran to Peter and John after discovering the empty tomb. They, in turn, told the other disciples. It was while they were together, in community, that Jesus appeared and revealed the full truth to them. Later, with the help of the Holy Spirit, they evangelized the world by sharing their experiences with anyone willing to listen.

Reflect & Discuss:

1. The empty tomb doesn't immediately make sense. What has been confusing to you during your faith journey? What has caused you to feel empty and frightened? Where might Jesus be in this?

2. How have your own experiences of being forgiven enabled you to feel more compassionate toward others? Does that change the way you talk to them about God and church and other spiritual or moral issues?

3. What is the biggest change that Jesus has brought into your life? What were you like before this change? How did God intervene? What were the results? This is your testimony. Practice sharing it by telling the story to your small Christian community.

“There is no tale ever told,” author J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote in an essay on storytelling, that people “would rather find was true.” The Catholic author of the The Lord of the Rings was speaking of the story of Jesus. Today, as we accompany Peter and the Beloved Disciple, making their way to the tomb, we might echo Tolkien’s comment.

Our faith, as St. Paul tells the Corinthians, rests on the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. We base everything on the truth of the story. But establishing that truth is not a matter of science, history or archaeology. Rather, as we seek to grow in faith, we call upon the Holy Spirit, who lives within the Christian community. In the Easter Gospels, we hear the witness of the first followers of Jesus: Jesus was risen; they had experienced him, alive in their midst. Their testimony in the Spirit moves us to a faith-filled “Alleluia.”

It’s true that we live in a skeptical age. And yet in his essay, J.R.R. Tolkien pays tribute to the power of the Christian proclamation. He notes that there is no other story which so many skeptics “have accepted as true on its own merits.”

Our Easter Gospel is a story of living faith, in which we are participants, and to which we are now witnesses. The Spirit of the living Christ has called us to testify to its truth.

Scripture:

•They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God raised on the third day (Acts 10:39b,40a)

•The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. (Psalm 118:22,23)

•For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)

•On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. (John 20:1)

Reflection:

But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary remained sitting there, facing the tomb. (Matthew 27:61) (Palm Sunday Liturgy)

Mary of Magdala, awake before dawn,
not waiting light.
Seeks the tomb,
quiet dark emptiness,
specter stone moved.
Heart quickens,
frees Peter’s grief,
after mourning denial.
Mary’s breath running lost,
tomb of emptied death.
Jesus echoes mind,
“After three days—raised up?”
Peter reprieves sleep again,
enters stone void.
Where is the Lord risen from the dead?

Good Friday

2008-03-21T00:15:00.000+08:00

Celebration of the Lord's Passion

Today's Readings:
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Ps 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25
Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1--19:42

http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/032108.shtml

What did Jesus do for you?

When we read today's Gospel story, we can ask ourselves: Has Jesus done enough for me? Do I have any prayer requests that have either gone unanswered or are not being answered satisfactorily? Do I suppose it's because he doesn't care? Have I been hurt and broken-hearted without getting enough healing and hope from him? Has Jesus done too little to make me happy? Do I feel like the reason why I've been treated unfairly is because Jesus likes someone else more than me?

Let's be honest. From time to time, we all fall victim to the mistaken assumption that life doesn't go the way it "should" because of God: He's being mean or uncaring or distant. Maybe we're not always conscious of this, but it's there, under the surface, affecting our behaviors and our level of faith.

The key to getting out of this self-imposed prison is to meditate upon what Jesus did for you on the original Good Friday. Since he was willing to do THAT for you, is he not also willing to do everything else that's good for you?

Everything else is easy for him in comparison to the cross, which he endured for your sake! Take very personally what he went through: For you he suffered abuses. For you he endured ridicule and torture. For you he accepted an excruciating death.

Of course he cares about you! Of course he wants to provide for you and give to you everything that you need, from the smallest blessing to the biggest healing (which is the healing of your soul).

By attending the Good Friday services in church and by listening to the Passion of Christ while looking at the cross, we can remind ourselves — and let Jesus himself remind us — that we really do matter to him, and enormously so!

In fact, he cares about us so much that he refuses to take short cuts and halfway measures or to settle for second best, so that he can fill all our needs, even the ones we're not aware of, and resolve all of our problems by implementing the best possible plan, even if we don't understand it for awhile.

Holy Thursday

2008-03-20T00:15:00.000+08:00

Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper

Today's Readings:
Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14
Ps 116:12-13, 15-18
1 Cor 11:23-26
John 13:1-15

http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/032008.shtml

Finding Jesus in dirty feet

Why did Jesus wash the feet of his disciples in tonight's Gospel reading? Not because they were too lazy to handle their own hygiene and as their servant he would make life easy for them! Rather, he gave them (and us) a model to imitate.

We want Jesus to make our lives easier. Isn't that the purpose behind many of our prayers? Well, we get what we ask for, but maybe not the way we're hoping. When we imitate Jesus, it's the way we cope with the difficulties of life that becomes easier.

Have you washed anyone's feet lately? Maybe you haven't literally soaped up a friend's smelly feet as a sign of your unconditional love, but I'm sure you have given of yourself in a foot-washing way.

To wash the feet of others is to love them even when they don't deserve your love.

To wash the feet of others is to do good to them even if they don't return the favor.

To wash the feet of others is to consider their needs as important as your own.

To wash the feet of others is to forgive them even if they don't say, "I'm sorry."

To wash the feet of others is to serve them even when the task is unpleasant.

To wash the feet of others is to let them know you care when they feel downtrodden or burdened.

To wash the feet of others is to be generous with what you have.

To wash the feet of others is to turn the cheek instead of retaliating when you're treated unfairly.

To wash the feet of others is to make adjustments in your plans to serve their needs.

To wash the feet of others is to serve them with humility and not with any hope of reward.

Notice the posture of Jesus. He knelt. Imagine Jesus kneeling in front of you now, lowering himself to the level of your feet and tenderly ministering to your needs. He is in fact doing this, right now, today. And he does it again and again, every day!

He is asking you to go and do likewise: Be the hands of Jesus that wash the feet of the people around you.

By serving others, we gain understanding of what Jesus did for us 2000 years ago — and we become more observant of how he's ministering to us right now. We meet Jesus in the dirty feet that we lower ourselves to clean.

Holy Week - March 17th 2008

2008-03-18T15:09:00.003+08:00

Good afternoon all,

It's been 3 months last Thursday since my dearest brother left us so suddenly. Now it's Holy Week, Lent is almost over and this season has been hard, harder than even Christmas. It's hard
to imagine that the one that you love is not around anymore, anyone who has lost someone can
attest to that, the pain has not lessened in fact it's getting harder to bear. The finality is so unbearable but to be strong is what is expected of everyone and what is expected of me....

I have spoken to so many people who have said things that provide some measure of comfort but it still does not lessen the pain. I guess this cross will be something that we have to bear though some may disagree and say we should let go because he is in heaven and he is a saint and he is watching over us, but to these dear people who mean well you can never know how difficult and how painful it is to let someone you love so dearly go.....

Dear Lord, I hope you can understand and forgive this selfishness that I am going through to want my dear brother back but I am only human. Dear David, only you can know now how much I miss you and wish I had that one chance to tell you how much I love you and how proud I am of you. I pray for strength and I pray for peace in my mind and in my heart and I know you are happy where you are so Godspeed and till we meet again. I remain,

Your loving sister always.

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion (A)

2008-03-16T00:02:00.004+08:00

Is 50:4-7
Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24
Phil 2:6-11
Mt 26:14--27:66 or Mt 27:11-54

The word "passion" has powerful implications. Theologically, we use it to describe the suffering love that Jesus had for each of us when he was beaten, mocked and crucified.

The world counterfeits this word by applying it to strong feelings of romantic, even lustful, attraction.

We also use it to refer to a strong motivation to do something that we enjoy or greatly care about, and this is why we can say that Jesus cared "passionately" about us while enduring The Passion.

The strong love that Jesus exhibited in his ministry and on Good Friday is a lesson on what it means to have "compassion" for others: We walk with them in their sufferings, we "suffer with". It's passionate love in it's holiest form.

Read the scriptures for Passion Sunday with an eye on how much they reveal Jesus' passionate love for you.

See yourself in the passion of the people who enthusiastically welcomed Jesus and in those who rejected and denied him.

Consider how much compassion Jesus must have had for you when he willingly subjected himself to the excruciating pains of his final hours, despite how much you've hurt him.

Reflect & Discuss:

1. Looking at the reading from Isaiah, how have you beaten on Jesus, plucked his beard, and spit on him, even while he was ministering to you?

2. How does your answer to #1 explain why Jesus emptied himself for you, as the reading from Philippians describes?

3. Identify the ways you've emptied yourself for others. In what ways does the Passion of Jesus minister to you in your own sufferings?

Question for the Journey:

For participating in the Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the quiet tomb of Holy Saturday), bring to mind the most painful way you are suffering compassionately with someone else. Connect this to what Jesus did and to his sufferings. How does this help you feel more intimately involved with God's salvation plan? How does it make your life a modern Gospel?

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Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, with the "Sunday Soundbite" for Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion.

Some years ago, I saw an exhibit of paintings by Monet. Seeing a lifetime of work by that artist, rather than viewing one isolated painting, helped me appreciate the larger context of Monet's artistry.

And this Sunday context is important at Mass as we hear Matthew's account of the passion of Jesus. Matthew wrote for both Jewish and Gentile converts to Christianity, and drew on the Old Testament for his story of Jesus the Suffering Servant. His audience would understand the larger context: Jesus fulfills the promises God made to the chosen people.

Unfortunately, some Christians in later centuries used Matthew's words as a reason to charge all the Jews of Christ's time, or even Jews of later generations, with his death. Matthew's language often doesn't help, for example, when the crowds ask that Jesus' "blood be upon us and our children." This antagonistic tone may reflect a real hostility between Matthew's community (living 40 or 50 years after Christ), and the Jewish community of the time which did not accept Jesus.

But there's no excuse for anti-Semitism. Pope John Paul has urged an end to the hatred and misunderstanding between Christians and Jews. You and I can help foster such reconciliation by a careful—and prayerful—reading of the passion narratives.

Scripture:

•:The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame. (Isaiah 50:7)

•:Indeed, many dogs surround me, a pack of evildoers closes in upon me; They have pierced my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones. (Psalm 22:17,18)

•:Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:7,8)

•:Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.…” (Matthew 26:27,8)

Reflection:

Only a few more days and Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter are here. Take some time before the Triduum begins to consider your Lenten experience. Consider how it started and how it ended and your Lenten journey. You have changed but in what way? It may be subtle but often a subtle difference in prayer, meditation or outlook may be the most profound. Take this small change and consider how to grow with it. Take some time to share in the liturgies on Thursday and Friday. Then take some time on Saturday before the Easter Liturgies are celebrated. Nothing happens on Saturday until the Easter Vigil. The sanctuary is empty. Take this last opportunity to stay in the emptiness of Lent to meditate one last time on your Lenten journey. Give the Lord the empty time to speak to you. Afterwards await the fullness of the resurrection and the Easter season where a different growth occurs.

Prayer:

God has created me to do Him some definite service: He has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission—I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told of it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good. I shall do his work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I but keep His commandments. Therefore I will trust in God.

Fifth Sunday of Lent (A)

2008-03-09T23:31:00.001+08:00

Ez 37:12-14
Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
Rm 8:8-11
Jn 11:1-45 or Jn 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45

Lent is not about suffering and sacrifice. It's a corridor to new life. Good Friday is not about evil and pain and death. It's the door that Jesus opens to invite us into that new life.

Yes, suffering is part of the Lenten journey (and it can be experienced at any time of the year). Yes, Lent includes the sacrifices of fasting and abstinence, alms-giving and extra time in church. But these are just tools for the trip.

God uses our sufferings (if we let him) to help us grow in compassion, persistence, and ministry. We use our sacrifices to help us learn discipline (which is discipleship) so that we can purify our will and grow stronger in holiness. But the trip is not the destination.

Lent is all about reaching the resurrection: renewed faith, a new life free of old sins, reconciled relationships, and living in the Spirit of God more than ever before.

Which day is more important to your faith: Good Friday or Easter Sunday? That horrid day on Calvary was absolutely necessary for Easter, but we are living in the resurrection! Catholics are an Easter people. This means that nothing bad can ever happen to us that will not be transformed into blessings if Jesus is the Lord of our lives.

He proved himself to be the Resurrection and the Life we need by displaying his power over life and death. Now he wants to prove it again — to you and those who are watching you.

Reflect & Discuss:

1. We can personalize the first reading by understanding that God will open our graves (whatever is dead inside of us) and will place his Spirit of Life within us. How does the Holy Spirit help us discover healing and hope amidst our daily sufferings and dyings?

2. In the scripture from Romans, we are reminded again of the Holy Spirit within us. Since the Spirit is alive in you, what affect does this have on your Lenten preparations for Easter? What is being purified, strengthened, and renewed?

3. In the Gospel, Jesus proves his power over death just before he enters Jerusalem and heads toward Calvary. How does this prove to you that your own sufferings and sacrifices will not lead to permanent disaster?

Question for the Journey:

What needs to be resurrected in your life? What will you do this week to accept the death of what has ended so that you can prepare for the new life that Jesus is preparing for you?

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Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, with the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Fifth Sunday of Lent.

Some years ago in a homily, I told of standing at the bedside of a priest-friend who was dying, and wrestling with one of the questions that naturally arise at such a moment: What really awaits us after death?

One of my parishioners wondered if I doubted the resurrection of the body. I reassured him that I did believe in life after death, but was simply being honest about what I felt as my friend was dying.

Today's Gospel of the raising of Lazarus is the last of the three stories we use to prepare candidates (catechumens) for Baptism at Easter and it's the most dramatic. Jesus calls Lazarus from the tomb, still tightly wrapped in his burial bands. "Untie him," Jesus commands, "and let him go free."

We speak of "being buried" in the waters of Baptism. Scripture scholar Raymond Brown suggests that Lazarus represents the ultimate challenge for those who are baptized in Christ: the encounter with death itself.

As I stood at the bedside of my dying colleague, I saw a look of peace on his face. Though he could not speak, he was testifying that he had faced the test and was ready to meet the Lord.

May each of us hear the voice of Jesus in our final moments of life, inviting us to come forth, and be set free.

Scripture:

•I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; (Ezekiel 37:14a)

•I wait with longing for the LORD, my soul waits for his word. (Psalm 130:5)

•…the One who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit dwelling in you. (Romans 8:11)

•She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” (John 11:27)

Reflection:

•Who do you trust?

•How does the Spirit act in your life?

•Is Jesus the center of your life?

You, Lord, were within me, while I was outside. It was there that I sought you. I rushed headlong upon these things of beauty that you had made. You were with me, but I was not with you. They kept me far from you, those fair things which, if they were not in you, would not exist at all! You called, you cried out, you shattered my deafness: you flashed, you shone, you scattered my blindness: you breathed perfume, and I drew in my breath and I pant for you: I tasted, and I am hungry and thirsty: you touched me an I burned for your peace.

Fourth Sunday of Lent (A)

2008-03-02T03:35:00.002+08:00

1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Eph 5:8-14
Jn 9:1-41 or Jn 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38

Conversion to Christ is a process. The blind man in today's Gospel reading exemplifies this journey into faith. Notice that at first he did not run to Jesus. Jesus came to him. The man responded by waiting to see what would happen and then by obeying Jesus.

Conversion begins when Jesus seeks us out and we make ourselves available to his touch. He then opens our eyes to the truth, but we don't immediately understand.

When the man's neighbors asked about his cure, he did not yet understand who Jesus was; he thought of him as just a man. Then, under the pressure of listening to the Pharisees argue about who Jesus was, he had to give it more thought. He concluded that Jesus must be a prophet, which for the Jews was a highly esteemed, holy vocation.

Next, as the Pharisees treated him more roughly and raised the possibility of expelling him from the synagogue if he claimed that Jesus was the Christ, he had to wonder if what they feared might be true. Their reasons for hating Jesus became the eye-openers that cured his spiritual blindness.

Finally, Jesus sought him out again, this time to minister to him in response to the mistreatment he had suffered from the Pharisees. In this act of caring, the man could see who Jesus really was. Conversion — the purification of our spiritual vision — takes place in the fire of our sufferings as we recognize the love and concern that God has for us.

Reflect & Discuss:

1. In the first reading, God makes it clear that he sees what we cannot see when we're focused on external evidence. Think of a time when you looked deeper or beyond the obvious. How did that change you?

2. In Ephesians 5, we read that we have become light in the Lord. Name some of the good fruits that come from the ability to see what Jesus is doing in your life.

3. The Gospel reading illustrates that those who think they can see the truth very often are blind, and those who acknowledge their blindness become able to see clearly. Why does this happen? Has it happened to you?

Question for the Journey:

Think of an area of your life where there is confusion from a lack of understanding. Perhaps you're having a hard time seeing the good in someone. Maybe you're worried about the future. What will you do this week that will help you see it from God's perspective?

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Three great stories in the Gospel of John have, for centuries, served as Scriptural instructions for those preparing for Baptism. Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, and this is the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Fourth Sunday of Lent.

Last week we heard the story of the Samaritan woman; next week that of Lazarus. Today, the "man born blind" takes center stage. In Catholic parishes today, candidates for Baptism stand before us, perhaps picturing themselves as the man in the story.

For the early Church, "illumination" was a theme of Baptism. Saint Augustine suggested that the man born blind stood for the whole human race, needing to see the light of Christ. The late Scripture scholar Father Raymond Brown notes that the man undergoes testing or questioning by various individuals after he is "enlightened." His witness develops until he finally encounters Jesus a second time and professes his faith. It's symbolic of how our faith grows through choices we make in life.

Father Brown also notes how those around the man are affected by his initial encounter with Jesus. Some come to faith; others are hardened in their rejection of Jesus. No one remains indifferent, it seems.

How do we witness to Jesus? Can people detect the light of Christ shining in us? If not, perhaps part of our Lenten activity might involve a self-scrutiny, and some steps toward enlightenment.

Scripture:

•“…Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b)

•Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side (Psalm 23:4)

•“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” (Ephesians 5:14b)

•He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” (John 9:36,7)

Reflection:

•Where do you find Jesus? What are you doing this Lent to find Jesus?

•Lent calls for prayer, fasting and giving alms (sacrificing). How does this bring you closer to Jesus?

•Through your Lenten activities have you changed your routine and have you found Jesus in any ways not possible before?

•How does the blind man find Jesus?

For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. (St. Francis of Assisi)

Third Sunday of Lent (A)

2008-02-24T00:55:00.000+08:00

Ex 17:3-7
Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
Rm 5:1-2, 5-8
Jn 4:5-42 or Jn 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42

What are you thirsty for? Thirst is what happens when we lack something vital. Water is essential for our physical survival, and our bodies signal us when it's time to drink fluids to stay healthy.

Likewise, water is necessary for our spiritual survival, albeit a different sort of water – the LIVING water, the baptismal water that purifies us for eternal life, the holy water that enables us to have abundant life in Christ now.

The Holy Spirit is the Giver of Life. One of the biblical symbols that represents the presence of God's Spirit is life-giving water. Therefore, we can surmise that Jesus wanted to give the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Samaritan woman. Why? It would still be a while before the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost.

She needed the truth; the Holy Spirit IS Truth, and Jesus wanted to give her whatever she needed to repent and receive salvation and then share this new life with the people around her.

We only get thirsty when we haven't had enough to drink. Spiritual thirst comes in many forms: loneliness, despair, frustration, self-indulgence – any feeling or behavior that's caused by lacking something we need or want.

And why would we lack anything spiritually? Because, like the woman at the well, we are sinners and need to healing from God as he pours his love into us in all sufficiency.

Reflect & Discuss:

1. In the first reading, why did a physical thirst turn into a sin? How does this still happen today?

2. In Romans 5, grace and hope are mentioned as gifts we receive when we have been “justified by faith” (i.e., when we've repented of our sins and sought forgiveness through Jesus). How do grace and hope quench our thirsts? How do they help us resist sin? How is this a result of God's love being poured into our hearts?

3. The woman at the well eagerly received what Jesus said. Even though he confronted her about her sins, she drank it all in and then, without shame, excitedly told others about her encounter with the Messiah. What need was filled by the truth? What does this teach about how we can help others hear the truth?

Question for the Journey:

What sin or unhealthy habit do you need to overcome so that he is free to quench your thirsts? What will you do this week to hand it over to Christ?

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Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, and this is the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Third Sunday of Lent.

For my hometown of Cincinnati, the Ohio River is an ever-present reality: the river brings commerce, recreation, drinking water. It also brings destructive floods.

Water is a powerful sign; that's why it's used in Baptism, symbolizing our entry into the life and death of Jesus.

Our Lenten readings today relate to Baptism. We hear a story from Exodus, where the people complain because they have run out of water. God, through Moses, responds with a life-giving stream of water. From John's Gospel we have the drama of Jesus and the woman at the well. The early Church used this story in its Lenten liturgy.

The woman at the well represents a believer who reluctantly comes to faith. She needs Jesus, his insights into her life, and his promise of "living water," to slowly win her over.

But isn't that the way it is for most of us? We need time to be convinced; we face contradictions and faulty choices in our lives. Nevertheless we thirst for what God offers us. And, in the end, when we've tasted new life in Christ, we just have to tell others about it. Believers become apostles.

Our Lenten journey may find us thirsty for living water. Let's listen closely to the Lord's invitation.

Scripture:

•Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock? (Exodus 17:3b)
•Harden not your hearts (Psalm 95:8a)

•For Christ, while we were still helpless, died at the appointed time for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)

•Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:34)

Reflection:

•Does every person have a spiritual hunger/thirst that needs to be filled? Does everyone have a longing to know God’s love that must be satisfied?

•If thirst for God’s love is not filled, then is it possible to turn to sinful pursuits in an attempt to fill this hunger?

•Is the food that Jesus speaks of, the spiritual food of doing God’s will?

•Is dying on the cross for unbelievers the ultimate spiritual act?

•Is the spiritual search the need to give and receive eternal love?

It is love which must determine man’s actions, love which must give unity to what is divided. Love is the synthesis of contemplation and action, the meeting point between heaven and earth, between God and man. I have known the satisfaction of unrestrained action and the joy of the contemplative life in the desert, and I repeat again St. Augustine’s words: “Love and do as you will.” Do not worry what you ought to do. Worry about loving. Do not interrogate heaven repeatedly and uselessly saying, “What course of action should I pursue?” Concentrate on loving instead.

Prayer for Church Leaders

2008-02-22T02:38:00.000+08:00

Lord Jesus Christ, You gave Saint Peter his name to signify that he was the rock upon which You would build Your Church. I ask him to pray for our pope, bishops, priests, deacons, religious brothers and sisters, ministers, and laity who are in positions of Church leadership.

Help them to grow in holiness, shepherding their flocks in humility and generosity as You did. Teach us to be rocks of faith like Saint Peter. Give us a strong love and a compassionate heart. Protect us from the temptations of legalism, power and status. Anoint us to be servants of Your love, in everything we do.

Saint Peter, pray for us. Amen.

Chair of Peter the Apostle

2008-02-22T02:32:00.002+08:00

This feast commemorates Christ’s choosing Peter to sit in his place as the servant-authority of the whole Church (see June 29).

After the “lost weekend” of pain, doubt and self-torment, Peter hears the Good News. Angels at the tomb say to Magdalene, “The Lord has risen! Go, tell his disciples and Peter.” John relates that when he and Peter ran to the tomb, the younger outraced the older, then waited for him. Peter entered, saw the wrappings on the ground, the headpiece rolled up in a place by itself. John saw and believed. But he adds a reminder: “..[T]hey did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead” (John 20:9). They went home. There the slowly exploding, impossible idea became reality. Jesus appeared to them as they waited fearfully behind locked doors. “Peace be with you,” he said (John 20:21b), and they rejoiced.

The Pentecost event completed Peter’s experience of the risen Christ. “...[T]hey were all filled with the holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4a) and began to express themselves in foreign tongues and make bold proclamation as the Spirit prompted them.

Only then can Peter fulfill the task Jesus had given him: “... [O]nce you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32). He at once becomes the spokesman for the Twelve about their experience of the Holy Spirit—before the civil authorities who wished to quash their preaching, before the council of Jerusalem, for the community in the problem of Ananias and Sapphira. He is the first to preach the Good News to the Gentiles. The healing power of Jesus in him is well attested: the raising of Tabitha from the dead, the cure of the crippled beggar. People carry the sick into the streets so that when Peter passed his shadow might fall on them.

Even a saint experiences difficulty in Christian living. When Peter stopped eating with Gentile converts because he did not want to wound the sensibilities of Jewish Christians, Paul says, “...I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.... [T]hey were not on the right road in line with the truth of the gospel...” (Galatians 2:11b, 14a).

At the end of John’s Gospel, Jesus says to Peter, “Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go” (John 21:18). What Jesus said indicated the sort of death by which Peter was to glorify God. On Vatican Hill, in Rome, during the reign of Nero, Peter did glorify his Lord with a martyr’s death, probably in the company of many Christians.

Comment:

Like the committee chair, this chair refers to the occupant, not the furniture. Its first occupant stumbled a bit, denying Jesus three times and hesitating to welcome gentiles into the new Church. Some of its later occupants have also stumbled a bit, sometimes even failed scandalously. As individuals, we may sometimes think a particular pope has let us down. Still, the office endures as a sign of the long tradition we cherish and as a focus for the universal Church.

Quote:

Peter described our Christian calling in the opening of his First Letter, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...” (1 Peter 1:3a).

Second Sunday of Lent (A)

2008-02-17T00:20:00.001+08:00

Gn 12:1-4a
Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22
2 Tm 1:8b-10
Mt 17:1-9

Atop Mount Tabor, the pure light of Christ was revealed, as seen in next Sunday's Gospel reading. The Father said, "This is my beloved Son; LISTEN TO HIM." The transfiguration is repeated every time we listen to him and allow our faith to be enlightened. However, now it is WE who are transfigured.

During Lent, as we repent of our sinfulness, we let his light consume the darkness within us. Then, the people around us will see Jesus when they look at us. We will shine with him.

By Christ's transfiguration, we are transformed into OUR true identity. What is our true identity? It's our innermost being, which was created in the image of God!

Jesus left his mountaintop experience to enter into his ministry of suffering. When we are transfigured by the light of Christ, we leave our mountaintops to reveal him to the world. Although there is, as the reading from Timothy points out, hardship in sharing the gospel, we are comforted by the fact that after every Calvary there is always an Easter.

First, we have to spend time on the mountain. We need to stay there long enough to pray and receive "the strength that comes from God." Up there, we are prepared, we are encouraged, and we are restored, so that we can deal with the hardships in the valley.

Listen. Can you hear what God's saying about you? It's the same words he spoke about Jesus on Mount Tabor: "This is my beloved child; listen to him/her." Some folks will listen, some will not, but our ability to shine with the love of Jesus is not based on how many will listen to us. We are transfigured because Jesus saved us and has called us to a holy life.

Reflect & Discuss:

1. As you read the passage from Genesis, how does it feel to think that others could "find a blessing in you"? How does Jesus bless others through you?

2. Timothy reminds us of our holiness. Recall a time when you were enlightened by a new understanding of the faith. How did that change your behavior? How did this make you shine like Jesus?

3. In the Gospel story, because the Father was so pleased with his Son, he affirmed him publicly. How do you know when the Father is pleased with you?

Question for the Journey:

Name one area of your life that you would like Jesus to transfigure. What will you do this week to expose it to Jesus' healing light?

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Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, and this is the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Second Sunday of Lent.

One of the most dramatic scenes in Catholic liturgy comes at the Easter Vigil when adults are baptized, come up out of the water, dripping wet, and after leaving to change re-enter the church in their white baptismal robes.

Now, in my parish, the baptismal moment at the Easter Vigil is a lot less dramatic, but I always like to look at the faces of the newly baptized. There's always a special glow seemingly inside as well as out as these new Christians experience the transformation that comes to them.

Only later, I suspect, do they begin to realize all the implications of that change. Perhaps that's why our liturgy gives us today's first reading, the story of the call of Abraham, to leave his homeland and his family, and set out for a promised land. Abraham's response transformed his whole life. He began a long journey perhaps leading him at times to wonder if he was on the right path.

In Baptism we, too, say yes to God, a choice that transforms our lives, setting us on a journey of faith that continues to this day. As we "journey" through this Lent, let’s recall our baptismal commitment and let it reflect in our words and deeds and even in our faces at times.

Scripture:

•“…All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you.” (Genesis 12:3b)

•Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield. (Psalm 33:20)

•…through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (2 Timothy 1:10)

•…Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; (Matthew 17:1,2)

•…they saw no one else but Jesus alone. (Matthew 17:8b)

Reflection:

•Why does Jesus bring the disciples to the mountaintop to see Him transformed?

•What is the disciples’ experience of Jesus before and after the transfiguration?

•How does the transfiguration prefigure the crucifixion of Jesus?

•How do you experience Jesus in the transfiguration?

Christ’s humility, which is love, brought him to descend toward the lowly, not because the lowly had some special value, but to look for the one who was lost in order to help raise himself up. Let us therefore avoid indulging ourselves with dreams of grandeur, but rather enter willingly into humble thoughts. The Holy Spirit brings us to understand all these things, and this can break the chains that bind us. The spirit is freedom, and we are still held captive by many bonds that freeze in us the spontaneity of the gift of love. We ask Our Lord to free us a little more from all forms of slavery, so that the gift of ourselves, the gift of love for God and for others, may, according to Christ and his example, develop in us more freely, more spontaneously, and more generously.

First Sunday of Lent (A)

2008-02-10T00:00:00.000+08:00

Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7
Ps 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17
Rm 5:12-19 or 5:12, 17-19
Mt 4:1-11

How do you deal with temptation? That's the personal challenge given to us by the Word of God on the first Sunday of Lent. And so we begin our journey with Jesus, traveling to the holiest place we can reach at this point in our lives.

This Lent is like no other Lent. Last year, you had different needs, different areas of growth, different levels of insight and understanding. Much has happened since then, and all of it is a preparation for what the Lord is going to do in your life now.

What victory do you need this year? What needs to be resurrected? To get there, your path will lead through the cross, into the tomb, and out into God's light where his love provides healing and new life.

During Lent – and every time we make sacrifices and connect our sufferings to the Passion of Christ – we follow Jesus to the cross and to resurrection. This requires accepting and embracing our own crosses, for the Calvary Road is the only way to reach the victorious new life that we yearn to experience.

If we want Easter to be more than just a holiday of pretty eggs, chocolate bunnies and big dinners, we have to make Lent more than just 40 days of enduring an annoying, obligatory sacrifice, eating meatless pizza on Fridays, and going to an occasional extra event at church. If we want to experience the power of resurrection, we have to experience the power of mourning and repenting from our sinfulness. In other words, we have to experience the powerlessness of death – the death of our selfishness, the death of our worldliness, the death of our behaviors that are not Christ-like.

Reflect & Discuss:

1. In the story from Genesis, what did Adam and Eve need to die to (let go of, put aside, reject) in order to resist the Original Sin? Why didn't they?

2. In the reading from Romans, we hear about the abundant grace and the gift of justification that Jesus provided to each of us when he died on the cross. How does this grace and justification give us life? In other words, how does God help us to resist sin?

3. Looking at the Gospel passage, what did Jesus have to die to in the desert so that he could say no to temptation?

Question for the Journey:

Name one thing you can do this week to die to self. How does that make it easier to resist sin? For example, think of good deed you can do that's the opposite of what your selfishness wants you to do.

*************************************

Do you recall comedian Flip Wilson's famous phrase: "The devil made me do it!"? That line hits home because human beings often make excuses when we give in to temptation. But in reality, no one "makes" us sin we choose it, just as we freely choose to do good.

Today's Scriptures present Adam and Eve, faced with a choice for good or evil: They choose to reject God and give in to the temptation to "be like God"—in the words of the serpent-tempter.

Another temptation scene comes in the Gospel. This time, Jesus, facing the choice to accomplish his ministry in selfish, power-hungry ways, rejects the temptation and affirms his true identity as God's Son.

Our Christian identity is a choice we affirmed (or which was affirmed for us) at our Baptism. But we must re-affirm that choice again and again in the face of temptation.

It's fitting that the temptation scene in the Gospel is set in the desert. In the Bible, the desert is often a place of testing, of choices. The season of Lent is like a "spiritual desert" where we hope to rediscover our identification with Christ, leading to a renewal of Baptism at Easter. Let our choices this Lent be directed by the example of Jesus in the face of temptation.

Scripture:

•But the serpent said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil.” (Genesis 3:4b,5)

•For if by that one person’s transgression the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one person Jesus Christ overflow for the many. (Romans 5:15)

•Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God…” (Matthew 4:1-3a)

Reflection:

•How are you tempted?

•The seven deadly sins are pride, envy, anger, sloth, avarice (greed), gluttony and lust. Is anyone injured by these “deadly sins?”

•How are these sins different from the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes?

•Do these sins deaden the spirit to receive the gifts of God’s love?

For each person the movement away from the threat of enslavement to the capital sins will involve growth in some basic virtues: humility that recognizes God as the basic healer; patience with one’s own gradual but steady journey towards holiness; and compassion for the weakness of others. Although the complex reality that is sin cannot easily be fit into seven specific categories, the survival of capital sins as a spiritual theme points to the presence of patterns of evil that threaten to dissipate life in any age.

Lent- 2008

2008-02-07T00:40:00.000+08:00

Today was the celebration of Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent - the next 40 days will be our test as Christians to accept what has come to pass and to transcend all that God
has put on us.

God did not take David away to test our faith, our strength, our love. He took David away because it was his time. Our time will come too, maybe not today or tomorrow, but it will come. Our test now is acceptance, not to question but to give in and to grow in our faith and our love.

It will be hard as we go through this period of Lent without David, it was hard when we went through Christmas and the New Year and it will be hard when Easter comes but acceptance is something we have to pray for.

I thank God for the blessing of David in our lives, though brief, I thank God for the memories and the countless blessings we will receive through our brother's ministering.

Thank you God for the gift of David.

God bless and have a blessed Lenten season all.

Ash Wednesday

2008-02-06T19:11:00.000+08:00

Today's Readings:

Joel 2:12-18
Ps 51:3-6, 12-14, 17
2 Cor 5:20 -- 6:2
Matt 6:1-6, 16-18
http://www.usccb.org/nab/020608.shtml

How healing will your Lent be this year?

What victory do you need? What needs to be resurrected?

For Easter to be more than just a day of colored eggs, chocolates and big dinners, Lent needs to be more than just 40 days of obligatory sacri-fices like meatless pizza on Fridays. To experience the power of resurrection, we have to experience the power of mourning and repentance. We have to experience the powerlessness of death: the death of our selfishness, the death of our worldliness, the death of our behaviors that are not Christ-like.

In today's first reading, God beckons: "Return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning." Fasting is powerful only if it improves our self-discipline so that we can resist sin and grow in holiness. We're hypocrites, like Jesus describes in the Gospel reading, if fasting produces no inner changes.

What are you doing for Lent that will promote your spiritual growth? Here's a suggestion: Identify one fault — just one — and choose an activity or an abstinence for the duration of Lent that will help you overcome it.

God is beckoning: "Return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning."

Both the reading from Joel and Psalm 51 remind us that God is merciful toward those who recognize their sinfulness and regret it so much that they're truly motivated to change. Dealing with our need to change can feel overwhelming and shameful, but if we keep our eyes on God's mercy, we feel helped, healed, and resurrected.

By identifying and working on just one sinful tendency (especially one that's been difficult to overcome), choosing one selfish behavior or one fear or one flaw or one unloving habit as our Lenten project, we can give it to Jesus, nail it to his cross, and hear him offer it up to God as he cries out, "Father forgive them ....!" It will die with Jesus, and we'll be resurrected to a new life, a new level of holiness with Jesus.

Today as we receive and wear our ashes, let us do it fully awake and aware of our sinfulness, with the goal of overcoming a significant sin by Easter. Why do we keep the black smudges on our foreheads all day? Not to win the approval or acceptance or admiration of others. It's a sign that we know we need to change! But if we have even a tiny bit of a desire to be noticed, we should do as Jesus said: "When you fast, see to it that you ... wash your face" so that no one but God will know what you are doing.

Wishing everyone a blessed and fruitful season of Lent. May we journey this season sincerely so as to celebrate the glorious resurrection of Jesus with much joy in the coming Easter!

My Hero, My Brother

2008-02-02T21:06:00.000+08:00

Good evening all,

Today is 2 months since that dreadful day when David collapsed in Bangkok....time is going so slowly and the pain has not eased. Since that day we have heard countless good things about my dearest brother and it has calmed the tempest in my heart somewhat but it still feels as if my
broken heart will never heal.

I would like to share a story that has helped me to marvel at this man who has touched so many people and still continue to do so daily...

I visited my brother's grave a couple of weeks ago with a dear friend of mind and we shared our quiet reflection at her mother's grave and then David's grave, as we were leaving CCK, we chanced upon someone who was reading the papers under a tree and she said that this man was someone I should meet.

We approached him and we were introduced and I explained to him that I needed to have my brother's tombstone constructed in a couple of months time. He has his own company and he constructed my friend's mother's beautiful tombstone. As we were talking he asked me who my brother was and I told him Fr David and he said he knew him! It was so amazing....he said this priest was so nice and he was the one they always called when they needed a priest to say the funeral rites at the grave and he would never say no. He was also at my brother's funeral and he said he had never seen so many people attend a funeral at the cemetery before. Needless to say, we will be using him to construct David's tombstone....

I really don't know how long this pain will cease to be and today my little one James asked me why God was so cruel to take Uncle David away...I have asked myself that too sometimes but then my faith in our Lord brings me back to what's real and inevitable, I answered my son in a way that I have had so many people tell me..God needed him more than we did and we had to let him go.

Rest in peace dear David and ease this pain in our hearts.

Love always,
Dad, Mummy, Michael, Robert and Christine

2008-01-15T21:36:00.000+08:00

“To give my life to God is not to deprive myself of anything. In fact I have received much more than I’ve ever wanted in my life”

- Rev. Father David Thexeira

Reflections...

2008-01-14T10:27:00.000+08:00

It seems unreal, everything that has happened and yet it is real. Life goes on, people are caught up in their daily routine and we must move on.....it is not easy.

Yesterday, we celebrated a memorial mass at Holy Trinity with Fr Timothy Yeo who was David's best buddy from St Bernadette days. It was good to have this final passage so to speak, we will have to come to terms with our loss sooner or later, but it is hard to come to terms with this because our brother was larger than life.

He kept us from going adrift, he was our anchor and he was the one who was supposed to look after us, all of us, he was our Saviour. So much burden on one person.....it's ok brother dearest, you rest now, it's our turn.

The following is another article that David wrote for 'Dovetail', it gives meaning to our suffering...so appropriate..thank you my dearest David you keep answering my prayers everyday..read and enjoy.

"Humanity is called to joy and a happy life, but everyday we experience many forms of pain, and illness is the most common expression of human suffering."

In the face of it all we spontaneously wonder: Why do we suffer? Can physical or moral pain be a positive experience?

Suffering cannot be transformed by external grace, but from within and often this internal rocess varies. Christ does not answer us directly or in the abstract. In order to hear His saving answer, the one who suffers needs to gradually also share in Christ's sufferings.

The answer that comes through this sharing is a call, "Follow me! Come! Take part through your suffering in this work of saving the world, a salvation achieved through my suffering, through my Cross!"

This is why when faced with the enigma of suffering, as Christians we can proclaim, "Your will be done, Lord" and repeat with Jesus, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." (Matt 26:39)

Seen in this way, illness and the darker moments of life acquire a profound dimension, even one of Hope. We are never alone with our suffering. Christ, who gives meaning to Life is always with us. With Christ everything has meaning. Without Him, nothing can be fully explained, not even the legitimate pleasures God has joined to the various moments of human life.

With these thoughts, I wish to inspire in each of you, the sentiments that enable us to undergo our present trials, seeing them as an opportunity to discover God among the shadows and doubts and to glimpse the broad horizons that can only be seen from the height of our daily crosses.

May the Lords peace be yours always, Fr David.

He was always with David when he collapsed in Bangkok, when he was at death's door for 11 days, when he took that fateful flight back home in the air ambulance and when he passed away,
he was not alone, He was with him...we can take comfort in that.

God bless everyone of you and please continue to lift our David in prayer.

Poem by Helen Steiner Rice

2008-01-07T10:18:00.000+08:00

I read this last night to try to fine some solace, some meaning in all of this and still I can't. But praying has helped ease some of the pain and sense of disbelief that David is gone. It is so final when you say that.

Growing up, he was the one who always was not around. Be it on his sailing days, then his trips when he went on holiday while working in Sats, then when he joined the seminary he was away for 11 years.

We really hardly saw him, but when we did it was quality time, either it was birthdays or occasions especially Mother's Day, it was tradition in our family that only the ladies would go out on Mother's Day without the men and children but somehow we could not do it without David around, it has been like that for the last few years since he came back. I treasure those times that we spent together and it is locked away in my heart forever. I just wish we had more time together.....

When life has lost it's lustre
and it's filled with dull routine
When you long to run away from it
seeking pastures new and green
Remember, no one runs away from life
without finding when they do
You can't escape the thoughts you think
that are pressing down on you
For though the scenery may be different
it's the same old heart and mind
And the same old restless longings
that you tried to leave behind.
So when your heart is heavy
and your day is dull with care
Instead of trying to escape
why not withdraw to prayer
For in prayer there is renewal
of the spirit, mind and heart
For everything is lifted up
in which God has a part.

This Sunday is David's 1 month anniversary since he left us. Fr Timothy will be celebrating mass for David at Holy Trinity Church in Tampines at 12.30pm.

Please take this as an invitation from the family to come and celebrate mass and lift my brother in prayer. This will be followed by fellowship and lunch in the parish hall.

God bless every single one of you for your prayers.

The Thexeira Family

A New Year's reflection...

2008-01-01T22:20:00.000+08:00

Wishing all a Happy New Year 2008!

As we ponder on some key events of 2007, we all have much to thank God for, regardless of the pains, disappointments, joys and happiness that we had experienced during the year. Without God, our lives would not only be worse; but also would be empty of its meaning, purpose and joy.

Let us ponder on the truth of this insight and at the same time, humbly ask the Lord to shower us with his blessings and necessary graces in this new year.

May the Holy Spirit guide our lives so that we might be salt of the earth; proclaiming and bringing God's love to the people around us.

A Blessed 2008 to all

2008-01-01T13:19:00.000+08:00

Time flies and it is almost a month since David has gone.

From the family we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all whom we have had the privilege of meeting during the time when our dearest brother first took ill and the subsequent days in hospital followed by the wake, funeral and till today we still get letters and calls from wonderful people who knew our David and loved him as a priest, as a friend and just for being the special person that we know and love.

We visited SFA last Sunday and it felt good to be there in the church my brother served for 11 months and the impact is so evident and we are indeed blessed by him.

Take care all, family, friends, new and old, and may 2008 bring you all peace, happiness, good health and above all a new appreciation of the people around you. That much I have learnt from
my brother and I know his legacy will live on.

God bless,

Christine & Family

Photos from the Funeral Service

2007-12-29T21:45:00.000+08:00

Pictures from the day of Fr David's Funeral

Eulogy for David - Michael, Robert and Christine

2007-12-29T20:56:00.000+08:00

This was read out by Fr David's sister Christine during the funeral mass on 18th December 2007...

"Three words to describe my brother - quiet determination, love and kindness.....

18 years ago when my brother told us he wanted to become a priest, it came as a shock to us.
But we knew in our hearts that if he wanted to do something then it was meant to be. That's the
way I will always remember my brother. Someone with quiet determination, integrity, and strong beliefs. When he put his mind to something you know he would carry it through. He started his priesthood journey in New York 17 years ago and he never told us about his hardship and suffering during those early days. We found out through his preachings and through his friends.

The Neo-Catechumenal way was something new to us back then but it was work he loved to do and he persevered because of his love for God. Love is another trait of my brother that I will always remember. His love for my parents is so evident in everything that he did. He would rush from St Francis of Assisi after morning mass everyday to buy breakfast for my parents
who live in Simei and then drive back to Boon Lay, doing the monthly grocery shopping and just being the good son that he was above all else.

A lot of you might know this already but my brother was a stickler for detail with an eye for beauty. He was the one who bought the live Christmas tree every year and decorated it himself at home, and it is so true here when I see the beautiful flowers done so lovingly by the wonderful ladies of the flower ministry in Holy Spirit Church over the last few days at the wake for my brother.

Lastly, kindness is something we realise is so intrinsic to his nature, he gave of himself unselfishly to his parishioners, family, friends and even to complete strangers. He did it so quietly and as a matter of fact, that you didn't even see it coming and he never expected a big fanfare or thank you. The legacy he leaves behind is great as can be seen from the mass outpouring of love, care and concern shown to us during this very terrible time we are all going through but I know he is at peace now, smiling down at us and saying let's get a move on, no more tears or we'll be late. I love you and miss you my dearest brother."

My First Christmas in Heaven

2007-12-28T22:14:00.000+08:00

I see the countless Christmas trees around the world below ,
With tiny lights like heavens stars reflecting on the snow.
The sight is so spectacular, please, wipe away the tear,
For I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs that people hold so dear,
But the sound of music can't compare with the Christmas Choir up here.
I have no words to tell you the Joy their voices bring,
For it is is beyond description to hear the angels sing.
I know how much you miss me, I see the pain inside your heart,
But I am not far away, we really aren't apart.

So be happy for me dear ones, you know I hold you dear, and be glad,
That I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year,
I send you each a special gift from my heavenly home above,
I send you each a memory of my undying love,
After all, Love is a gift more precious than gold,
It always was most important in the stories Jesus told.

Please love and keep each other as my Father said to do,
For I can't count His blessings that He has for each of you,
Do have a Merry Christmas and wipe away that tear,
Remember, I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

From the Community Group of St. Jerome's Parish, Spearwood Australia

An insight to a humble man destined for greatness

2007-12-26T00:22:00.000+08:00

This excerpt was taken from an issue of 'Dovetail' during Fr David's early days at Holy Spirit Church in November of 2002.....

"In my school days when I went for catechism classes in IHM, Fr Loiseau asked me if I wanted to be a priest and I told him 'no way' and that was it. After my studies I began working in the airlines and was in a relationship and thinking of marriage. Somehow this did not happen even though this desire to get married was in the minds of both my girlfriend and I. This experience made me close myself up and forget about love if it brings hurt.

My family and friends encouraged me to open up again and to see above all, God's love for me as I am and this is something that helped me to be open to His plan. Every now and then there was this urge to join the priesthood which I dismissed whenever it probed me. This continued for three years and I always dismissed it saying this is not for me.

There were many reasons for evading this call, three come to mind, I was unable to leave my family, my job and my country. But still God was calling me so I asked Him to give me the strength to leave my securities and enter into his will. I submitted my resignation with God's help and never regretted it. I left for a retreat in Rome and then was sent to join a seminary in New Jersey for four years. In 1994 I was transferred to Perth to complete my studies in Notre Dame University.

With God's grace I graduated with a Bachelor in Theology in 1998 and was ordained a deacon that same year. My ordination to the priesthood was in 1999 at IHM. I then returned to Perth and was assigned to the parish of St Jerome's in Spearwood.

I have now been a priest for three years and not regretted a day. It is not a bed of roses, there are joys and difficulties that I feel at the end of the day is a great consolation even in my tiredness and frustrations.

I give thanks to God for this call and most of all I ask Him to keep me faithful in His service and in unrestrained service to you my brothers and sisters in Christ. Please pray for me."

Your loving sister

Merry CHRISTmas

2007-12-25T04:54:00.000+08:00

When we celebrate Christmas we are reminded of Christ's birth in Bethlehem to be the light of the world to dispel the darkness of sin and evil.

To celebrate Christmas, let us invite Christ into our hearts so that we can radiate his light to those around us.

To invite Christ into our hearts, we must be filled with love. "Where there is love there is God" as St John says.

The family prays that Christmas will truly be CHRISTmas for everyone. May Christ dwell in everyone's hearts during this season and all the days of everyone's life.

A BLESSED CHRISTMAS to all.

Tribute to a wonderful brother

2007-12-21T14:20:00.000+08:00

It has been hard to put my thoughts down as this past few weeks has been a terrible time for all of us. It started with the dreaded call that no one should ever have to get. That your loved one has collapsed in a foreign country and that you have to give consent to operate as a matter of life and death.

This was the hardest decision my mother had to make and we prayed to God to have mercy and to help my brother. It has been a nightmare ever since and we are still trying to come to terms with the loss.

Flying in to Bangkok and seeing someone you love lying helplessly with tubes supporting this big, vibrant man is just something you want to erase from your mind but I can't, it is imprinted in my mind forever, I close my eyes and I see him and you wish you can take the pain and suffering away, you will it away and you pray it will go away and he will open his eyes and smile but it was not meant to be.....it's God's will, he has gone to a better place, God only takes the good ones, we know all that but it just doesn't take the pain away...how to deal with the loss of the dearest brother anyone could have?

It is difficult and we are trying to move on but it will take time, I know this. I will continue to keep my brother's candle burning because that is what he was, a light for may people. He was goodness, kindness, faith, hope and love for everyone he touched with his preachings, his way and his guidance.

Rest now dear brother, your earthly work is done, you are now enjoying the fruits of your labour in heaven and maybe you will smile down at us and ease this pain in our hearts.

Your loving sister.

We are still around...

2007-12-21T01:22:00.001+08:00

Even though Padre David is no longer physically with us. We know and believe by faith that he is back home, a place much better than anything this earth can offer. He has left us with so much memories to ponder and reminisce about.

This humble web blog will still be maintained and updated as and when possible, to serve as a dedication in memory of Padre David, a great son, godfather and of course, priest who has been a dear friend to many.

Day 4 of Wake...

2007-12-17T00:36:00.000+08:00

Its the 4th day of the wake and we are nearing the day of the funeral.
Thank you to all the communities,friends and parishioners for coming to pay their last respects.
A big "THANK YOU" to all who donated generously,the money will be going to various charities.

Thank you once again to all who have taken time to visit the wake and pay their last respects.

In a chance moment whilst talking about Fr David returning home to be with the Lord,a song titled "Home" by Daughtry started playing,the lyrics click well with what we were talking about.

HOME by Daughtry

I'm staring out into the night,
Trying to hide the pain.
I'm going to the place where love
And feeling good don't ever cost a thing.
And the pain you feel’s a different kind of pain.

Well I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.

I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old,
So I'm going home.
Well I'm going home.

The miles are getting longer, it seems,
The closer I get to you.
I've not always been the best man or friend for you.
But your love remains true,
And I don't know why.
You always seem to give me another try.

So I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.

I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old,
So I'm going home.
I'm going home.

Be careful what you wish for,
'Cause you just might get it all.
You just might get it all,
And then some you don't want.
Be careful what you wish for,
'Cause you just might get it all.
You just might get it all, yeah.

Oh, well I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old.
I said these places and these faces are getting old,
So I'm going home.
I'm going home.

Thousands Were Listening To The Stories Of One Man...

2007-12-15T04:35:00.000+08:00

Last night Fr David went home to be with Jesus in heaven at 11.45pm,he said he was going home on the 14 of December,but he was early,as he always is.I will forever love and cherish my moments spent with Fr David(my godpa) and I will miss him dearly,but all is well now because he is in the safest hands there is,God's hands.

Not much needs to be said about Father David.His actions have shown us all what defines him.He was humble,reserved,loving and caring.He has truly done everything for God,his family and his friends in his wholesome 51 years of living and 8 years of priesthood.Such a short span of time I must say,but he did many great things in that time,many many great things that have left an enormous impact on countless lives.

Like many have commented,Father David is a man of few words,but these few words have touched many lives.I believe them.He was very reserved,and said meaningful things,he never wanted popularity but got it from his powerful homilies.Many of his parishioners have commented on his sermons being very passionate and enjoyable,even though Fr David was not a priest at my church I have been blessed to have heard his sermons,be it at Holy Spirit Church or at school when he came for mass,i agree that his sermons are mighty powerful.

Although Father David has passed on,I believe that he is in a better place and is now with Jesus(whom he has taught many about)and is in paradise.To me,i have lost a dear person,my Godpa,and I'll miss calling him that,we will all miss him,and he will never be forgotten,nor will his good deeds.I will miss the times when Fr David will play with his youngest niece and nephew and playfully tease his younger brother,Michael, by squeezing his hand whenever they greet each other.Those memories will be cherished and kept in our hearts.He will be missed by many,parishioners and friends alike,for different reasons.One thing is for sure,we will all miss the wonderful priest that he was.

I would like to thank all the parishioners,friends and priests for their support and concern during the period of time spent worrying in Mount Alvernia's Critical Condition Unit.It has been a very trying time,but with all your support we have gotten through it.

I would also like to thank all the visitors to this blog who have left comforting comments,you helped us get through too.

This blog will still be maintained by myself and SFA's Altar Server Jacob.
Do keep viewing and commenting.Thank you once again,we are truly appreciative.

vanessa

Day 1 of wake....

2007-12-15T04:33:00.001+08:00

It has been a day since Padre David left us.

The voluminous turn out for his wake, the love, support, care and concern shown to the family is indeed generous.

The family is deeply touched and appreciates all these charitable gestures from people everywhere.

We would like to thank everyone who has taken time off to come and pay respects to our beloved Padre David.

May God bless you all.

A farewell message for Padre David Thexeira

2007-12-14T12:51:00.000+08:00

Stairway to heaven:

A man of few words, many have said
A priest who was as good as bread
Padre David had so much to give
Chosen by God, a meaningful life he lived

He carried out his priestly duties with dedication
In doing so, Padre David helped build healthy relations
He was dynamic whenever he preached at each mass
Padre David, your teachings in our hearts will forever last

As a priest, he had compassion for the sick and the poor
And whenever anyone saw him, he would help, that’s for sure
On earth, Padre David did the best he can
But God had, for this kind-hearted priest, another plan
For the Good Lord wants him to serve in the Holy Land

My wife and I fully understand the sadness of the family
For the tears in your eyes, we can clearly see
And as you come to terms with his loss,
I urge all his family members to be strong
We will pray for you during this difficult period
So that your sorrow does not remain long
Be comforted that Padre David is with Jesus
A special feeling that perhaps, only pleases

Sincerely,

Raymond Anthony Fernando

Padre David has gone home...

2007-12-14T00:39:00.000+08:00

Dearest brothers and sisters/friends,

Padre David Thexeira was called home to be with the Lord on Thursday, 13th December 2007 at 2340hrs.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let Perpetual Light shine upon him.

May he rest in peace.

The family humbly requests for everyone's continued prayers for Padre David's soul and for comfort and peace to be upon the family.

Thank you and God Bless.

Please stop these rumors...

2007-12-13T20:00:00.000+08:00

There has been rumors spreading around that our Beloved Padre David Thexeira has passed away.

The family would like to officially state that Padre David is still fighting for survival in the CCU of Mount Alvernia Hospital.

His condition however, has worsened and he is deteriorating.

The family would like to take this opportunity to strongly urge everyone not to speculate news about Father's condition as this would cause much unnecessary unrest and distress. Any updates on his condition will be officially posted in this blog.

The family deeply appreciates the continuous prayers and support given and humbly asks that it be continued.

Padre David today...

2007-12-13T14:40:00.000+08:00

Father David's condition has worsened and he is deteriorating.

The family humbly asks for everyone's continous prayers.

Follow up of Padre David's Condition...

2007-12-12T23:08:00.000+08:00

Doctors have reviewed Father David this evening. His prognosis is still grave BUT condition stable otherwise.

The family deeply appreciates the continuous prayers and support given and humbly asks that it be continued.

A get well message for Padre David...

2007-12-12T18:56:00.000+08:00

In the midst of uncertainty

I are deeply sorry to hear that your are sick
But with the doctors and nurses care,
I am sure your recovery will be quick
When I heard that there was bleeding in your brain
Like the hundreds of Catholics, I felt your pain
Be comforted that our love for you, Father David
Will not waver, but will always remain the same

For in the midst of uncertainty,
The Lord will be there for you and your family
For sure, your struggles, HE can see
The Lord will help you and your family cope
And bring forth to all of you, renewed hope
Love from your parishioners will help you get well
And Jesus has compassion and that is a virtue, I can foretell

My wife will always remember your kindness
As you prayed for her before her knee operation
She believes that as a human being, Father David
You are one of the finest
We will pray for you each day at 3pm
Asking the Lord to let you have a speedy recovery
And when you are back on your feet again, Father David
Wouldn’t that be lovely?

Sincerely,

Raymond Anthony Fernando

Inside Room 7

2007-12-12T17:06:00.000+08:00

As the hospital authorities have decided to restrict visitors to Father David in the CCU. The family empathises the sentiments of many who will want to have an insight into the situation.

Hence, this photo gives everyone an opportunity to be by his bedside

(photo circa 12/12/2007 1608hrs); person inside the photo is a close relative of Father David.

Statement by the family...

2007-12-12T14:23:00.000+08:00

Doctors have assessed Father David this morning and have discovered that the sodium level in his body is high. Medication has been administered to address the problem. Doctors will review his condition again this evening.

His prognosis remains grave BUT his condition is currently stable.

There have been vast amounts of love, care and concern for Father David. This can be clearly seen from the overwhelming visits from people everywhere.

However, the Critical Care Unit (CCU) houses critically ill patients whose immunity is most likely to be weak and are at high risk of acquiring infections. The patients need rest and medical workers need to spend their time at the bedside caring for the patients.

The high influx of visitors streaming in and out of the unit is detrimental to the sterility of the unit and places the patients inside with higher risks of developing infections and complications. In addition, this high influx will impede the medical workers from doing their best to provide the highest standard of medical care to the patients.

Hence with immediate effect, the hospital authorities have decided to restrict visitors to Father David in the CCU. Only close family members will be allowed into the CCU to see Father David.

Friends/parishioners/well wishers are still welcomed by the family to the hospital to pray, support and journey with them in the waiting lounge. However, it should be noted that there will be strictly no access into the CCU to visit Father David.

There has also been rumors that Father David is brain dead. The family would like to inform everyone that Father David is NOT brain dead. This has been confirmed by the doctors.

The family would like to take this opportunity to urge everyone not to speculate news about Father's condition as this would cause much unnecessary unrest and distress. Any updates on his condition will be officially posted in this blog.

The family deeply appreciates the continuous prayers and support given and humbly asks that it be continued.

Thank you and God bless.

Padre's latest condition

2007-12-12T00:42:00.001+08:00

Doctors have indicated that Father David's current prognosis is very grave.

However the family remains hopeful

The family requests for the continued prayers of everyone.

A Message From The Family...

2007-12-11T21:20:00.000+08:00

NIECES & NEPHEWS

Russell,14- Thank you everyone for praying for my uncle. Please continue to do so as we all wish to see him again.

James,10- Thank you everyone for praying for my uncle david.please pray more or pray the rosary as we want to see his happy face and see him serve as the celebrant in mass again.

Rachael,9- Please pray for our uncle david and help him to get better.

Vanessa,15-A big thank you to all who have posted comments on this blog,thank you for all the prayers,it is really appreciated,let us continue to constantly pray for him to wake up once more.

Timothy,17-Thank you for all the support for my uncle david, please help him to get better soon.

Ariel & Tristen,2 & 4-Wake up Uncle David!

Kenneth,19- Thank you to each and every one of you who have taken the time to spare a thought and a prayer for Father David,the family is sincerely grateful to all of you.Lets continue praying,hoping and never giving up faith in the fact that God can and will work miracles.

After the CT Angiogram

2007-12-11T16:25:00.000+08:00

Father David underwent the CT Angiogram this morning. From the scan, doctors have found out that though the bleeding in his brain has stopped, the swelling remains.

In addition, it has been discovered that the sodium level in his body is too high. This could cause a side effect of the medications that were being administered to him. Doctors are deeply concerned about this situation and are currently doing their best to address it.

The family continues to seek everyone's charity in praying for Father David's well being.

The story so far..

2007-12-10T21:20:00.000+08:00

After night's observation, doctors today have noted in the morning that Father David's blood pressure has stablised.

It was observed however that Father David is expelling a higher than usual amount of bodily fluids. Medication was hence administered to address the problem.

By the afternoon, nurses have observed that the medication was effective in reducing the amount of bodily fluid from being expelled.

However, doctors are concerned with the condition (i.e. cerebral fluid drainage) of his brain. Hence, they will be performing a CT Angiogram tomorrow (11th December 2007) at 0830hrs to more insights into his actual condition.

Overall, doctors have commented that he has shown slight improvement in his condition as compared to yesterday. His condition remains stable but critical.

The family requests for the continued prayers of everyone.

Prayer to the Star of David

2007-12-10T19:01:00.000+08:00

We invite all to pray this prayer for Father David.

Dear Lord,

We ask your kindness to look upon Padre David Thexeira.
We ask you to HEAL Padre David:

(a) Continue to NORMALISE his blood pressure;
(b) RESTORE him to good sound health;
(c) REGAIN his Strength, Fortified to do Your Divine Will.

We ask you Dear Lord, to wake him when he has Sufficient Rest.

We INVOKE the Nine Choirs of Angels:

Seraphs!
Cherubs!
Thrones!
Dominations!
Virtues!
Powers!
Principalities!
Archangels!
Angels!

Hear our prayer!

All Saints,
All Holy Men and Women,

Pray for us!

All of creation, BLESS THE LORD!

Deo Gratias!

Thank you Jesus, for answering our Prayer.

Our Lady of the Way, Pray for us sinners!

Caritas Christi Urget Nos!

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says Yahweh, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end." ~ Jer 29:11

What happened actually...

2007-12-10T01:35:00.000+08:00

Father David Thexeira is known and loved by many.
He is a loving son to Rita and Lewis,elder brother to Michael, Christine and Robert,uncle to 7 nephews/nieces, friend to countless far and wide,unfortunately
he is lying in Mt Alvernia Hospital in critical condition!
He was flown back, on the 9th of Dec from Bangkok onboard an air ambulance
to seek neurological treatment from one of Singapore's renowned neurosurgeons, Associate Professor Doctor Keith Goh.

On the 2nd of December 2007,
Fr. David flew to Bangkok for a short stopover to visit some friends of the church, upon his arrival at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport at approximately 1930hrs he felt dizzy and collapsed after clearing immigration.

He was subsequently taken to Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital for attention, at the hospital, he was still conscious and had told the attending doctor that he felt nauseous, blacked out then collapsed!

Upon wheeling to the treatment table for observation Fr.David began to vomit and shortly after collapsed once again only this time to fall into a deep coma that has lasted till now.

An emergency operation was carried out, to stop the massive bleeding in his brain due to a suspected aneurysm (bursting of blood vessel), in order to save his life.

His distraught mother and brother Michael immediately packed their bags and took the first flight out of Changi to be by his bedside and thus began a week long vigil of constant prayer for his recovery.Fr. David's sister Christine, spouse Roger, brother Robert and wife Jenny would also fly down to be by his side. What shock awaited them to see their beloved brother/bro-in-law, once a man of such stature and an imposing physical presence, now befallen with this unexpected near fatal condition, looking frail, helpless and a shadow of the man they remember.

We are now keeping vigil at Mt.Alvernia hospital hoping and praying that he survives the treatment and operations that will follow in the coming days.
We now look forward till the time he opens his eyes and sees all those who love and care for him by his bedside. Till then, he is under the capable hands of neurosurgeons Associcate Professor Doctor Keith Goh and Doctor Tang Kok Kee

Many a tears would have fallen and many a heart will be broken, but we will persevere and our faith will not be broken.

Fr.David's family wishes to thank all his parishioner's, relatives and friends for their constant prayers.