Gospel of John 9:1-41 (9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38)

Jesus and the Man born blind

As Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. He spat on the ground and made clay with saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” (which meant Sent). So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg? Some said, “It is!”, but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” He said, “I am.”

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, I washed, and now I can see.” So some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God because he does not keep the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” And there was division among them. So they said to the blind man again, “What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

They answered and said to him, “You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 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.” He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshipped him.

Reflection

How can a sinful man do such things?

We sometimes see the evil and bad things that happens in this world as God’ punishment for our sinfulness. AIDS, some say, is a punishment for our sexual promiscuity. Recession is a curse from God for our materialism.

No, please! We do not have a punisher or a strict policeman as God. The lesson is simple, I believe. God can speak to us even in the bad things that happen to us. Through AIDS, God may be reminding us to be faithful and to respect our sexuality. In global warming, God may be warning us to take better of our world; it is the only one we have. In times of recession, God could be shouting at us to go back to the basics and skip the luxuries. Evil does not come from God. But God redeems suffering rather than rescues us from it. When bad things happen, God uses even those unwelcome events to remind us of his love and presence, and our need of him.


Do one act of kindness today and do it secretly

Saint Anthony de Padua
Patron Saint of Lost things and the Poor



Life

Saint Anthony de Padua was born at Lisbon, Portugal in 1195. At 15, he joined the Augustinian Monks of Coimbra, where in due time he was ordained priest. In 1221, when the relics of five Franciscan martyrs were brought from Morocco to Porugal, he conceived an ardent desire to follow in their footsteps. He passed over to the Franciscan Order, and after some time was sent to Africa to preach to the Muslims. However, he was soon afflicted by a severe illness, and a few months later he had to return to Portugal. The ship in which he sailed was driven off course and landed in Sicily. From there Anthony went to Assisi, where he met St. Francis.

Appointed to a lonely hermitage near Forli, the Saint was assigned to wash up dishes. It happened some time later that an ordination was held in Forli for Franciscan and Dominican candidates. Through some misunderstanding none of the Dominicans had come prepared to deliver the homily, and St. Anthony was told to speak on their behalf.

His superiors were amazed by his eloquence, and thereafter sent him to preach throughout Italy and France. Wherever he went, crowds flocked to hear him, and many heretics were converted by his gentleness and superior knowledge of the Bible.


Saint Anthony was the first Franciscan who was allowed by St. Francis to teach Theology to his brethren, provided - he said - that such study does not quench the spirit of prayer and devotion.

St. Anthony spent the last years of his life at Padua, where he died at the age of 36. He was canonized the following year, and ever since is known as the Wonder-Worker for the innumerable miracles attributed to his intercession. He is usually presented with the Holy Infant in his arms, because one time he was seen holding the Child Jesus. He is also represented with a book, symbol of his exceptional knowledge of Holy Scripture, and a lily, symbol of his purity.

He is invoked to find lost articles because one day, when a novice ran away carrying off a Psalter, St. Anthony prayed for its recovery and the thief was compelled by an apparition to return it.

Prayer

Saint Anthony, we turn to thee
When troubles sore, distress
Sure of your love for you didst know,
The Child’s soft caress,
For you didst hear his gentle voice,
Didst clasp him to thy breast,
Didst feel his pretty cheek ‘gainst thine,
His arms about thee pressed.
O gentle Saint tell him our needs,
His children too are we,
O ask Him now to grant our pray’rs
And we at peace shall be
We would, O blessed Saint, with thee
The Holy Child adore
With hearts as pure as thine dear Saint,
Now and forever more.

Hosea

A beautiful song that suits the Lenten Season.

God bless



"Come back to me with all your heat!"

Saint Michael

Archangels
The archangels are spiritual beings of the highest rank created by God before the beginning of the world.
They have no material body and are immortal. Their name is given according to the mission they have received from God.

Background
Michael, whose name means Who-is-like-God, was assigned to fight the Devil.
He was appointed to cast Lucifer out of Paradise, for challenging the sovereignty of God.

(Revelations 12:7-8) Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon.
The dragon and his angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

(Revelations 20:10) Michael helps us in the daily struggle against Satan, who will be defeated in the apocalyptic war at the end of times.

Patron Saint: Grocers, mariners, paratroopers, police, and sickness


PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL

Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou O Prince of heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and the other evil spirits that prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.
(Pope Leo XIII 1878-1903)

In the Wilderness of Life

After a busy Sunday morning, Fr. Lee looked forward to resting easy and having a hearty midday meal. As he sat down at his desk, a knock on the door of the office was heard. Fr. Lee saw a gentleman standing at the doorway, asking if he could take a few minutes of the priest’s time. From his experience, Fr. Lee knew it was never just ‘a few minutes’, but he welcomed the man into his office all the same.

“My name is Nicholas, and I am from another parish. I just celebrated my fiftieth birthday last week, and I am the CEO of a company with an annual turnover of 40 million. I have a beautiful wife, a very loving marriage, and four healthy children. I was named Entrepreneur of the Year for 2009 and am successful in every business venture i go into”. Fr. Lee wondered where this was all going.

Nicholas appeared heavy hearted as he continued, “I have all this, yet I have not found happiness. I don’t know why.”

Several questions later, Fr. Lee realized that this man had spent his entire life pursuing wealth to build his own world. The priest convinced Nicholas to understand that true fulfillment comes from doing God’s will, otherwise God becomes just one of the many things that revolve around ourselves.

Reflection Question

Identify an area of your life where you ‘build your own world’ without asking for God’s guidance.

Meeting the Lord in the Word

We listen to a proclamation from the Gospel according to Luke 4:1-11

Filled with the holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry.

The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."
Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'"

Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him, "I shall give to you all this power and their glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me."
Jesus said to him in reply, "It is written: 'You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.'"

Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,
for it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,'
and: 'With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"
Jesus said to him in reply, "It also says, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.'"

When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.

Towards Waters of Life

At various times in our lives, we will face temptation that Jesus faced in the wilderness. Each of these temptations is an invitation to self-centeredness. No matter what our background, all of us share in a common tendency, and that is to promote, protect, and to give power to ourselves. This is so even when one does not have a good self-image or is full of negativity about the self. It is still self-obsession, only of another kind.

The first temptation was to make one’s comfort and basic needs the most important thing. When our basic needs are not met, it certainly is hard to think of God. We would imagine that Singaporeans would be godly people because our basic needs are met. But rarely do we ever think we have enough. We keep wanting more, until our wants become needs, so we are never satisfied that we have enough. Can God be at the center if we go on like this?

The second temptation is to make God prove His love for us. Many have left the Church on the basis that God did not answer their prayers. We are told that being baptized, we are God’s beloved children. However, many think that membership in God’s family means that God should grant us favors. Some even pray to God as if God should do our will! Jesus’ obedience to the Father shows us that it is in fact the other way round. We need to pray for strength to do God’s will.

The third temptation makes us think that our ultimate happiness comes from what this world has to offer. Nicholas in the story thought so too. But he was honest enough with himself to admit that those things that are prized highly by the world had not given him real happiness.

Closing Prayer

Lord, it is easy to fall into temptations in life. We want to thank you for this reminder that we need to keep you as the center of our lives. Help us to remember this every day of our lives.

Amen.

The reflection was taken from, “From Wilderness to the Waters of Life” - Lenten Reflections 2011

Patron Saint

Animals and ecology

Life

Saint Francis is one who took the gospel literally by following everything Jesus said and did.

Saint Francis was the son of a rich merchant, he spent his youth pursuing worldly pleasures and military glory. At age 25, as he was praying in the Church of Saint Damien, Jesus spoke to him from the crucifix, “Francis, go and repair my Church, which you see is falling into ruins.”

Thereafter, he began restoring the chapel and giving money and clothes to the poor. His father was furious and demanded his property back. Francis, in front of the Bishop’s palace, stripped himself of his clothes and said, “These clothes are also yours. I have called you father on earth; but now I say; our Father who are in heaven. Barefoot and ragged, he bag a life of penance and prayer, which attracted many followers.

Francis, then ordained a deacon, performed countless miracles and reformed the Church with the example of evangelical poverty and love. To fight the temptations of the flesh, he used to cast himself naked into a thorny bush on summer, and on heaps of snow on winter.

He died at the age of 44 in the Portiuncola, having said to his friars: I have done my part; may Christ teach you to do yours.

Saint Francis’ Prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
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.

Amen.

Song Title: Hosanna
Artist: Hillsong United
Album: All of the Above



"Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!"

In the Wilderness of Life

There are times when we tend to take comfort only in what our senses tell us, to the extent that makes us unable to sense what is beyond. Let us hear this story:

Twins, a sister and brother were talking to each other in the womb. The girl said to the boy, “I believe that there is life after birth!” Her brother protested, “No, no this is all there is! This is a nice and cozy place, and we must cling on to the cord that feeds us.” But the little girl insisted, “There must be something more that this dark place, there must be another place where there is light and freedom to move.”

Still she could not convince her twin brother. After some silence, she said hesitantly, “I am afraid you won’t believe this either, but I think there is a mother!” Her little brother now became irritated, “What are you talking about? I have never seen a mother and neither have you. How did you get that idea in your head? This place is all we have, so let’s be content.”

In this tale, the boy did not believe that there was anything beyond what he could see, hear and touch, while his sister believed that there was. This parable points to certain kind of thinking present in our society: there is no need to hope for anything beyond what modern science and technology can give us.

Reflection Question

What is my own response to people who say that there is nothing beyond this life?

Inviting others to the Waters of Life

Faith in a life after this present one is a gift from God. It is impossible to convey faith in words or reasoning alone. However, we can choose to become God’s instruments, so that by our speech and actions, God can use us to plant in people’s harts the seed of faith.

Let us spend the remaining time together to each name one way of helping people around us to catch a ‘glimpse’ of God through our lives.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for this time together. Help us to be mindful that we are part of the bigger plan and every time we put others before us, we are moving closer to the kingdom of God. We make this prayer in your name.

Amen.

Weekly verse

“I can do all things in Him that strengthens me.”

Philippians 4:13 (ASV)

This passage was taken from the give out during mass for the lenten season, "From Wilderness to the Waters of Life"

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