Sharing in the Abundance

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Each of the readings this weekend reminds us of an important aspect of our Eucharistic Celebration. While all the accounts identify the meal as integral to the event, the reading from Genesis speaks of the priestly offering of bread and wine as Melchizedek professes his faith in the prayer of blessing.

In the Second Reading from Corinthians, we reflect on the words of the institution of the Eucharist: “this is my body,,...this cup is the new covenant in my blood.” They point to the sacrificial element in a Celebration that anticipates the second coming of Christ.

In Luke’s account of the feeding of the five thousand on the Mount, the generosity of the Lord extends to the physical and spiritual needs of people who eat of the loaves and the fish. In our case the Lord feeds and sustains us with the bread of life and wine when we partake of the Eucharist.

The Eucharistic celebration is truly a sacrificial meal in which the body of Christ is broken for us. It is also a celebration of the intimate union of all believers with the Lord and with one another as the body of Christ as Church because we share in the one bread and drink of the one cup. Likewise, it is an action we continue together as a community of believers, remembering the Lord and strengthening our resolve to live as his disciples.

We only comprehend in faith our integral and intimate union with Christ and with one another as his body. We are urged to reflect on our faith in the Lord in the Eucharist. However this faith extends itself to the whole community’s understanding and appreciation of itself as the body of Christ, its willingness to share in the sacrifice of Christ, and its response to the gift of the Lord.

The imagery in the readings also stimulates reflection: bread, wine, meat, feeding Body and Blood. These images are part of our daily lives. Likewise, they are personal, dynamic and essential to our very existence. The images while representing biblical tradition, reside within the experience of every family and community.

The celebration of the Body of Christ occurs not only in the Eucharist, but we also celebrate our union with the Lord in the ordinary circumstances of our lives. Furthermore, a connection exists between our appreciation of the Eucharist and our appreciation of the Church as a community.

Finally, the readings urge us to consider our responsibility of feeding others as did the apostles and the other disciples. The Lord uses his followers and the Church to witness his presence in our world. As a community, we can do for others what people cannot do for themselves.

We can provide for the physical and spiritual needs of others, nourishing them with his word. Just as the readings suggest the continued abundance of the Lord, we might explore and put into practice ways of sharing in the abundance we may have with others. It may be time spent with the aged, the sick and the lonely. It may financial or material resources to feed the hungry and the destitute. It may be prayers said with and for them. There are many varied and creative ways of reaching out to others.

We want to do this because we share in the intimacy with Christ in the Eucharist because we are the Church, his Body.

Taken from the bulletin of St Francis Xavier Serangoon

Second Sunday of Advent - We Hope in Jesus

Image via WikipediaThis is the Second Sunday of Advent and our reading this week are as follows:
[Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11] [2 Peter 3:8-14] [Mark 1:1-8]

In this week’s reading, we are offered the message of hope with the coming of Jesus Christ. We are called to dedicate our life to God and we are all exhorted to be holy.

In this difficult period of time facing many due to the economy recession and financial melt-down, we can place our hope in our Shepherd to carry us through our difficulties and to restore us with His tender love and care.

Just as John the Baptist has preached for repentance from sins to prepare ourselves for a new life to herald the arrival of Jesus, this season of Advent is a good time for us to reflect on our lives. Can we take stock of our short-coming and sins and do something about it to prepare ourselves to receive the coming of Jesus Christ?

Can we do something to “Make a straight highway for our God across the wastelands” (Is40:3) and “Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be levelled, every cliff become a plateau, every escarpment a plain” (Is40:4) – “then the glory of Yahweh will be revealed and all humanity will see it together” (Is40:5)

All the valley are what we lack perhaps in our love, virtues and goodness and we should pray o the Lord to help us have more of that to fill the valley….

And every mountain are like our sins – obstacles to the Kingdom of God and we pray to the Lord to help us over-come our sins such as addictions, bad habits etc.. so that the mountains of sins will be leveled.

Let’s not get discouraged because of what we have done or failed to do but asked God for help so that we too can build this straight highway to God - bit by bit knowing that “The Lord is not being slow in carrying out his promises, as some people think he is; rather is he being patient with you, wanting nobody to be lost and everybody to be brought to repentance.” (MK1:9)

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• First Sunday of Advent

God is LOVE!

Image by freestone via FlickrThe action of anti-Christ was a real shame and leaving some non-Christians friends having the wrong impression that Christianity is evil. However, the truth is - God is Love (Jn 4:16). Christianity is about faith, hope and love and nothing is greater than love. I will tell you why.

This is what the often quoted John 3:16 said : “For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

So who did Jesus die on the Cross for?

Even the blind knows that Jesus died on the Cross for the entire human race “as for God loved the world” – not Christians only but everybody including people from ALL other faith.

Did God create only Christians? Of course NOT….ALL human are created by God and ALL human regardless of race and religions are God’s creation and God’s children.

Most of us are converts and if God is kind only to Christians, there will be no conversions since we are non-Christians first (and God hate us first). The truth is exactly opposite as it was God who love us first – not hate.

As I mentioned many times, Jesus said (in MT 22:37-40): 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets too.'

So again, Jesus NEVER teaches us to treat others differently but to love. And throughout the gospel, Jesus is telling us how much God love us and why we must be obedient to God and follow His teachings I.E. to love one another as how I love you.

At Novena services, we see how people from all walks of life come to pray and how God answer their prayers through the petitions of our Blessed Mother. It was God’s grace that people (regardless of faith) have their prayers answered . It was such grace by God that many (non-Christians) was converted because they know and felt the love of God. This is undeniable fact from the amount of thanks giving letters and many more petitions received.

Therefore, any claims that Christians are different from others will NEVER stand. 1Jn 4:8 says "Whoever fails to love does not know God, because God is love."

To put God in a bad light by claiming that it was God’s idea to treat people without love (such as cursing, swearing, wild allegations and treat people of other faith differently) can only be work of Satan and his disciples.

Anti-Christ is alive and lurking around us.