Today’s Reading

http://www.universalis.com/20111124/mass.htm

Reflections:
Will you be able to hold your head high when the Son of Man comes?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus prophesied the end of Jerusalem and the eventual end of the world. He speaks of great trials and tribulations that will overcome the earth then, but, He promises that as long as we have been living in the light, we can stand with our heads held high.

In good times, at Fides sessions, at Amplify Fridays, it’s easy to give praise to God, it’s easy to feel the love of God. But I guess the real test comes when we are in times of trial, cut off from our support groups. In these times, it is not easy to praise God, in fact, the temptation to be angry/shun him is much stronger. However it is in these difficult times that our worship and praise to God actually becomes valuable and means so much more. For if we can praise God even when we are feeling down, we can be sure that our worship is not just lip service. It is only when we persevere in prayer and strive to stay in the light, in the midst of difficult times, that our faith becomes stronger.

Within all of us, there is a darkness. For some of us this darkness is more deeply entrenched, and is much more overpowering. This darkness tells us that we should look out for ourselves first, satisfy our own needs. It tells us that we will never be worthy of God’s love, that we will never be able to break free from sin. It tells us that there is no hope. Each time we listen to it or let it take control, we are making it stronger. A sad but true fact is that for some, this darkness becomes so strong, it completely overwhelms them and they give up fighting it altogether.

Never lose hope however – it is one of the most powerful weapons that God has given to us. One of my favourite scripture verse reads, The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness can never extinguish it – John1:5. All it takes to pierce even the darkest of nights, is the smallest of lights. All of the darkness that you think you got inside you, all it takes is just a little bit of light to keep it at bay.

Surrender all things to God in prayer!

If you have time (try to make some!), Fr William’s insightful reflection can be found here: http://csctr.net/thursday-24-november-2011-34th-ordinary-week-cycle-1

Because there is no Fides Prayer Meet today due to the public holiday, this reflection will be to help you “Break the Word” for this Sunday’s readings.

Today’s Reading

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/103011.cfm

Reflections:
The common theme for the readings is: We must offer sacrifices that are pure and pleasing to God.

First Reading
In the First Reading, the Prophet Malachi warns the priests, the Levites, to end their corrupt practices. Though not mentioned within this passage itself, the priests here had been sacrificing imperfect animals to God. Instead of offering strong, healthy, valuable sacrifices, they had been offering lame, sickly, defective animals and keeping the healthy animals for themselves. The Lord in response, threatened to show His wrath. We often choose to ignore or explain away this righteous anger of God, but if we did, we would actually have an inaccurate understanding of who God is. God is a God of infinite love, but He is also a God of Justice – in the end we will all be held accountable for our actions! Then how do we reconcile these two seemingly contradicting characters of God? The First Reading itself provides the answer, God gave the corrupt priests a chance to change, saying “If you do not listen, if you do not lay it to heart…” Being a God of love, He knows that we have our weaknesses and we will fall, so He gives us chances to turn back to Him. Not forgetting also, He sent His only Son down to die for us – so that we could once again be reunited with Him!

Then, we must ask ourselves here, have we been offering impure sacrifices to God? For example by attending mass angry while still holding a grudge against someone else, or by being stingy with our donations, while spending much more on ourselves?

Second Reading
Here we have a prime example of how a role model should behave. Paul puts the needs of his community before his. We can see that Paul and the other preachers did not expect special treatment. They worked during the day just like anyone else (not supporting the community to support them), and probably preached the Gospel at night, sacrificing their rest time.

Though at times Paul might seem boastful or acting as though to seek approval, he is far from it. He speaks in a very direct, in your face approach, because of his strong conviction in the vocation Christ personally gave to him. He has no time for being politically correct or false humility, but very bluntly and honestly proclaims the word of God, and striving to be a living example for the early Christians.

This is an excellent reminder for us that as servants of God, we should expect no special treatment/thanks when we do God’s work. For if we did, then how can we consider what we have done a pure sacrifice? Would it not have been to gain prestige, favour or make someone else indebted to us? For our good works to be a pure and pleasing sacrifice to God, they must cost us – be it time, money, emotionally, etc. We must do God’s work without seeking any kind of earthly reward or impure intention. However we should not let impure intentions stop us from doing good altogether, but instead continue to do good works, but praying constantly for our intentions to be purified.

Gospel
In the Gospel, the Pharisees were said to “widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels” – the essence of these actions was for the Pharisees to demonstrate publicly, that they bore special reverence for the Law. In other words, they were attention seeking and wanted people to admire them. If you would like more details, you can check out this link: http://bible.cc/matthew/23-5.htm

One of the consequences of an impure sacrifice is hypocrisy. When we do good things without the right intentions, it is very easy to become hypocritical – because our good works are only an act to get approval from others. This is a trap that I can safely say all of us fall into from time to time. This is definitely an area I need to work at myself. So don’t worry, you are surely not alone. Jesus offers us a solution to hypocrisy: humility. When we are consciously aware of the fact that we are all equals in God’s eyes, we come to the realization that our good works do not make us any more superior to others – we are all still God’s children, equally and infinitely loved by our Creator.

How do we practice humility? A leader of the Amplify ministry shared that to prevent his head from getting too big, he would secretly perform menial labour – e.g. washing the toilets, picking up litter, cleaning the tables – while others were sleeping or occupied with other activities. By serving others in this humble way, he balanced out his very public role of being a speaker, consciously reminding himself that he was no more important than everyone else. I think this is an amazing lesson we can all learn!

Reflection Questions:
1. Have I been offering pure sacrifices? If not, how can I purify them?
2. Do I expect earthly rewards for my good works? If so, have I been praying for my intentions to be purified?
3. What are ways in which I can practice humility?

Prayer Intentions:
For Charmaine’s family, that they may be comforted. (Read the link below from the reflection “Deadlines and Masks” if you have not done so)
For those feeling unloved, that they may experience God’s love and joy
For the victims of the Thai floods and the Turkish earthquakes, that God bring them relief and comfort
For the sick and suffering, especially those dear to us, that God may heal their bodies and hearts
For the Project iLove3 leaders and team, that we may remember to rely on His strength through the many challenges that lie ahead
For the Fides Community, that God continue to help us grow together as one loving family
For those struggling with sin
And for all those out there who are in need of our prayers…we humbly pray.

God bless!

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102511.cfm

Reflections:
A mustard seed and yeast – we’ve probably heard these analogies for the Kingdom of God a million times over. But what implications do they have for us?

The mustard seed and the yeast, both seem so insignificant, and yet they have the POTENTIAL to become something so much greater. It’s a little confusing to try to picture the Kingdom of God that way – but when you remember that the Kingdom of God is not so much a physical place, but instead a state of mind, it makes much more sense. A state so full of ecstasy, joy, wonder and holiness; all coming from something so tiny.

That’s nice and all, but still, where is the relevance to us?

The relevance to us is this: Every small action, no matter how small it may seem, has the potential to work wonders – huge, marvellous, awesome wonders at that! Such is the power we all hold, if only we would realise it. A smile, an encouraging word, an affirmation, a compliment, a listening ear (and now I can say, a “tweet” haha)…all have the power to completely change someone else’s day. If you find this hard to believe, just think back on the past week or month. What were the things that made you really happy…were they not the smallest of gestures?

So the only question that remains is…how will you change someone’s day today?

God Bless!

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102411.cfm

Reflections:
In just a blink of an eye, it’s already the last week of October. Have you been so busy with work that you’ve let time pass by unnoticed?

Extract from the first reading
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a spirit of adoption,
through which we cry, “Abba, Father!”

Every day we struggle to meet deadlines, complete various assignments and tasks – and before we realize it, the day has come to an end. What’s worse, to help us cope, we put on various “masks” (acting differently toward different people or in different situations). In school, at work or with certain people, we put on masks; masks that conceal our true identity. In school I wear a mask of superiority and competitiveness. It’s so easy to get angry with group mates who don’t pull their weight, or with someone who is late for an appointment with us, etc. It’s hard to always remember that we are children of God. Masks may offer an easy way out to hide our vulnerability and inadequacies, but each time we put on our masks, we run the risk of turning into hypocrites (this always eats me up from inside) and losing a small part of our true selves.

Today, I chanced upon this Yahoo! News story: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/s-pore-girl-dies-after-long-battle-with-cancer.html
Do read it if you have time, it will definitely help you put things in perspective.

Yes, we all have responsibilities to fulfil, but we must always remember to make time for God and loved ones. We must resist the temptation to put on our masks, so that no matter what we do, we will do as children of God. Some tips on how to do this:

1. Remind yourself – Set your phone, laptop, desktop wallpaper to a bible verse or relevant quote so that each time you look you will be reminded of your true identity.
2. Read the daily readings in the morning – get an app that displays the daily readings, or simply bookmark/favourite the page on your web browser
3. Set aside time – set aside a fixed amount of time, or better yet, a fixed time of the day, to do some short personal reflection before delving back into work

Offer up your deadlines and assignments, and trust that God will give you what you need to overcome them!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
But in all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

God Bless!

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102311.cfm

Reflections:
Sometimes, all we need to feel alive, is a simple love.

This week’s Gospel and readings simply remind us that God loves us, no matter who we are: alien or neighbour, poor or rich. The best way to show this and to reciprocate God’s love, is through our actions – by keeping our promises, living with integrity, and being compassionate to all among many other things. In fact, as the hymn goes, “they’ll know we are Christians by our love”. And that’s the simple yet rich message that I took away this week.

Last night, a friend and I were sharing our exchange experiences since leaving Singapore and she brought up her faith journey. She’d found a community in London that met every week for bible sharing with their chaplain. It was something she’d never expected herself to participate in, since she wasn’t big on the bible. Nonetheless, she found a calling to be with this community and she ended off saying, “Now I know why God took me out of Singapore.”

It got me thinking about my own faith journey since coming to Europe. I hadn’t joined any Catholic communities since setting foot in Belgium, I wasn’t active in the church I was attending and at best, I felt like a Sunday Catholic. But as I started thinking about my whole Europe experience, I realised I’ve fallen more in love with God.

Living in a foreign land where I can’t really understand the people around me, makes me feel alien, all the time. For a very Catholic country, it also hasn’t been easy for me to find a church to attend mass in. So finding an English speaking, Franciscan community was truly a blessing! Every week, It takes me 4 hours to travel back and forth to get to mass but it’s the one thing I’m really excited about. Going through all sorts of trials here has also taught me to always give thanks for especially the small things because these are reminders and gestures of love from God when I’m feeling particularly unloved and useless.

Love doesn’t need to be grand to be powerful; God didn’t specify how to show our love in the two greatest commandments, He simply asked us to love – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind”, and in the same way, “love your neighbour as yourself”. These are commandments of simple love; how we act reflects how much love we are willing to invest in God, others and ourselves.  Jesus’ sacrifice was the epitome of love and these two commandments put into action – He died on the cross because He loved God and He loved us.

Love can’t be seen, physically touched or heard, yet we all know how much it means to love and to be loved. So don’t underestimate the power in a simple smile or that little ‘thank you’ – all these are gestures and reminders to someone that they matter cos that’s how God’s love reaches out to the rest of the world – through you. J

Today’s Reading
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/100911.cfm

Reflections:
In today’s Gospel, Matthew uses the imagery of a banquet to remind us how God’s call comes to us in many different ways and at many different levels. However, this invitation sometimes goes unheeded, or we need to be reminded time and again that God has extended the invitation to each of us. According to custom in the olden days, anyone who attended a wedding had to put on a wedding garment, which was easily available. The man without the wedding garment was silent because he did not have an excuse not to be wearing one. In the same way, Matthew was warning the people that they should not get too comfortable just because they proclaimed they were Christian; many are called but few are chosen and with this reminder, remember that the kingdom of God is growing inside each and every one of us and we have that duty to bring into fruition the gifts of the wedding banquet – faith, hope and love.

Using the same imagery, Jesus is calling us into intimacy with Himself through the banquet, He is calling us into community and communion with one another at this banquet and at death, He will call us into eternal life. When we accept His invitation, we are admitting our need. Jesus said, “Woe to you who are full now, for you will go hungry. But blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.” Sometimes, a sense of something missing in our lives is not a curse but a blessing. A spiritual hunger is God’s way of inviting us to His banquet. So continue to pray and find God in the quiet, pray together and find God in the community.

Keeping everyone in my prayers and when the going gets too tough, remember the words of St Paul in the second reading, “There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength”.

God Bless!

Today’s Reading

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/091911.cfm

Reflections:
Just like the candle, we too have been created and designed to keep God’s light shining in the world!

You know that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you do something nice for someone else? Whether you realise it or not, our true purpose is to serve God and others – we were programmed that way!

Being a candle is not easy, for it requires us to die to ourselves; to sacrifice our own wants for the sake of those around us. We are called to share God’s love and teachings with those around us through our actions.

We are called to be candles not in the brightness of day, but in the darkness of night:

When there seems to be no hope, we are called to bring hope to those around us
Where there seems to be no joy, we are called to share ours with those around us
When there seems to be only hatred, we are called to love

Yes, we are called to be candles on Mondays too J

Reflection Song:
What better way to start the week than with a song of praise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt3XvQPGtY8

Hillsong
Free To Dance

This song in my heart
This song in my soul
This song I was born to sing
It’s Your song of freedom
Now I’m free to dance again

I’ll sing in the darkness
I’ll laugh in the rain
Rejoice in Your love again
It’s Your song of freedom
Now I’m free to dance again

Your spirit brings me liberty
Your breath of life has set me free

This song in my heart
This song in my soul
This song I was born to sing
It’s Your song of freedom
Now I’m free to dance again

I’ll sing in the darkness
I’ll laugh in the rain
Rejoice in Your love again
It’s Your song of freedom
Now I’m free to dance again

Your spirit brings me liberty
Your breath of life has set me free
Jesus Your love, it lifts me high
Gives me reason to run this race with joy
This song within me
Lord will bless Your Holy name
Jesus, I’ll dance before Your throne
Bring this heavenly sound to You alone

This song within me
Lord will bless Your Holy name

This song in my heart
This song in my soul
This song I was born to sing
It’s Your song of freedom
Now I’m free to dance again

I’ll sing in the darkness
I’ll laugh in the rain
Rejoice in Your love again
It’s Your song of freedom
Now I’m free to dance again

Your spirit brings me liberty
Your breath of life has set me free

Jesus Your love, it lifts me high
Gives me reason to run this race with joy
This song within me Lord will bless Your Holy name
Jesus, I’ll dance before Your throne
Bring this heavenly sound to You alone
This song within me Lord, will bless Your Holy name

Jesus Your love, it lifts me high
Gives me reason to run this race with joy
This song within me Lord will bless Your Holy name
Jesus, I’ll dance before Your throne
Bring this heavenly sound to You alone
This song within me Lord will bless Your Holy name

 Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/h/hillsong/free_to_dance.html

May we sing in the darkness, and dance in the rain!

God Bless!

Today’s Reading

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/091811.cfm

Reflections:
I can imagine that such a Gospel might stir up feelings of injustice, anger and possibly even disbelief.

It just doesn’t quite seem fair when others who worked less get to enjoy the same reward – the group mate who skived off and yet enjoyed a good grade, the colleague who only pretended to work when the boss was around, was promoted at the same time as I, etc. How could God possibly work on the same system? Is He not a just God?

The phrase that caught my attention in particular was: Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.  It definitely does seem ridiculously unfair until you ask yourself these two questions:

1. Why were the first, well the first in the first place?
2. Why do the first have to be last?

Firstly. why were the first, first?
Read the Gospel again closely and you’ll see why. It was not because these workers were stronger or more hardworking or more skilful – they were hired first simply because the vineyard owner CALLED them first! This metaphor applies to us today as well. God revealed Himself to some of us earlier than others. Not because of who we are, but because God simply called to us in that order. So being a Catholic does not entitle us to any special privilege over non-believers or those of other faiths – the Lord will call on them when He sees fit. We should keep this in mind always whenever we feel the urge to judge others/look down upon them. After all, how can we lay blame on someone who didn’t know better? They are simply living as the world taught them to live – to look after one’s own interests. As Catholics who have the privilege of having God’s teachings revealed to us, we should understand our true calling: to love Him and our neighbours.

Why did the first become the last?
Shouldn’t we be rewarded for living according the God’s teachings? The truth is if we are doing good deeds for the sake of being rewarded, we must examine our motivations; could they possibly be impure? The ironic thing about a relationship with God is that the closer we are to Him, the more unworthy we feel of His love! We understand better how insignificant we are and how amazing He is. The spirit of humility which comes with such a relationship with God will allow us to realise that we are indeed only mere servants; servants who deserve none but the lowliest places. So really, it is the first who will make themselves last!

Prayer Intentions:
For the Project iLove3 leaders and team, that we may remember to rely on His strength through the many challenges that lie ahead
For the Fides Community, that God continue to help us grow together as one loving family
For those struggling with sin
And for all those out there who are in need of our prayers…we humbly pray.

God Bless!

Today’s Reading

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/091211.cfm

Note: A centurion is a senior officer in the Roman Army who commands 83 men (some sources say 100); suffice to say he was a very powerful and wealthy individual.

Reflections:

Photo By Getty Images

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/photos/9-11-memorial-anniversary-1315745030-slideshow/york-city-prepares-10th-anniversary-20110911-044652-702.html

Robert Peraza, who lost his son Robert David Peraza, pauses at his son’s name
at the North Pool of the 9/11 Memorial during tenth anniversary ceremonies
at the site of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2011, in New York City

(Click on the link above to view the photograph)

I chanced upon this photograph while looking through Yahoo! News. For me, this image really puts things into perspective and reminds me of just what really matters in life. Not the tests, not the presentations, nor the assignments – no doubt all these matter, but there should always be time for loved ones…there should also always be time for prayer. So for all of you out there feeling the pressures of school, or work and even family, let us learn to have the quiet humble faith of the centurion in today’s Gospel – whose words are forever immortalized in the Mass: Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof, but say the word and let my soul be healed.

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lr5hafdDDo1qhmhdfo1_500.jpg

Prayer Intentions:
For the those who lost have loved ones to senseless violence
For the Project iLove3 leaders and team, that we may remember to rely on His strength through the many challenges that lie ahead
For the Fides Community, that God continue to help us grow together as one loving family
For those struggling with sin
And for all those out there who are in need of our prayers…we humbly pray.

God Bless!

Today’s Reading
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/091011.cfm

Note: The First Reading, taken from “1 Timothy” is part of a letter written by Paul to his assistant Timothy (and not letters written by Timothy).

Reflections:
Today’s readings speak not only of the need to put our faith into practice – they are also meant to instil us with a gentle sense of hope!

The first reading simply brims with hope. Here Paul shares that despite initially being a persecutor of Christians (many of which lost their lives because of him), God’s abundant mercy was so powerful that it completely turned his life around. From being a slayer of Christians, Paul became their fervent guardian, constantly instilling them with hope and strength.

What does this mean for us? It is simply this – that no matter how deep our sin seems to be, God’s mercy is deeper still, and far more powerful!

The Gospel reading calls us to action. Faith alone is not enough; for if we truly believed, we would act on the teachings Jesus so lovingly left for us. In His beautiful metaphor of the house, Jesus does not promise that we will be free from danger. On the contrary, floods will come and river will “burst” upon us. Is it easy being a Catholic? Definitely not, for the trials and struggles will be many. Look carefully however, and you will see that when we put our faith in Christ, He will be a solid foundation for us, our anchor to rely on for when the floods and rivers come. And when the floodwaters finally subside, we will be standing unharmed and victorious!

Reflection Song:
I love sharing great songs. This one matches the message of today’s readings, listen carefully!
I know you’ll come to love it too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSVqHcdhXQ

Laura Story
Blessings

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel you near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if each promise from Your Word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win, we know
That pain reminds this hearts,
That this is not, this is not our home…..
It’s not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

What if my greatest disappointments,
Or the aching of this life,
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy.
What if trials of this life,
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise?

Prayer Intentions:
For the success of the Humanitarian Forum and Fair to be held at Catholic Junior College today, that God may continue to bless and inspire those involved in mission work
For the Project iLove3 leaders and team, that we may remember to rely on His strength through the many challenges that lie ahead
For the Fides Community, that God continue to help us grow together as one loving family
For those struggling with sin
And for all those out there who are in need of our prayers…we humbly pray.

God Bless!