The End!

I've decided that it's the end of this blog!
Blogspot is too painful and troublesome to update.
Anyway, go and check the blog http://catholicapologist.wordpress.com/

Wordpress so much better is than blogspot, I can assure you that!

Ciao all!

What if the Atheists are right?

Lifehouse - Everything 'Skit'

It brings tear to my eyes...

Jaguar!

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared . Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag’s side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.

The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting,“What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That’s a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?”

The young boy was apologetic. “Please, mister…please, I’m sorry but I didn’t know what else to do,” He pleaded. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop…” With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. “It’s my brother,” he said. “He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.”

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. “Thank you and may God bless you,” the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy! push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message:

“Don’t go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!” God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don’t have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It’s our choice to listen or not.

Thought for the Day:
If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.
If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring.
He sends you a sunrise every morning Face it, friend - He is crazy about you!
God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.
Read this line very slowly and let it sink in…
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Circus

Just now, I talked to my friend about my plan of writing a book. I told her that I want to write spirituality book about Circus and how we could learn from them. But she thought I was having fever! That was RUDE! Actually, I can't blame her, it sounds a little bit funny. I'll write an introduction in the next few paragraphs.

The whole idea about the Circus started when I listen to Don't Cry Out Loud by Diana DeGarmo.

Baby cried the day the circus came to town
'cause she didn't want parades just passin' by her
So she painted on a smile and took up with some clown
While she danced without a net upon the wire
I know a lot about her 'cause, you see
Baby is an awful lot like me

Don't cry out loud
Just keep it inside, learn how to hide your feelings
Fly high and proud
And if you should fall, remember you almost had it all

Baby saw that when they pulled that big top down
They left behind her dreams among the litter
The different kind of love she thought she'd found
There was nothin' left but sawdust and some glitter
But baby can't be broken 'cause you see
She had the finest teacher-that was me-I told her

I tried to reflect on the song and get to the scenario. It gives me a whole new perspective of Circus. I'm no longer the audience, but I am part of the troupe. I imagine them travel around as a community (a troupe) and they create larger community with the audience. So they are able to bring people together (to watch them perform) and when they perform they invite the audience to have the sense of unity through togetherness, laughters, applause, etc.

When we come back* to Mass, we might not know who the person sitting next to us but we come as a community of God's people. Singing/reciting in unison expresses the sense of unity in the Church. As we are amazed with the Circus, we should also be awed (correct verb?) with what happens on the altar. We are brought back to the Calvary! foot of the Cross! What happened 2000 years ago is happening again at Mass. I don't think anyone could understand fully how this happens. Not too worry, it's a mystery of faith. We shouldn't try to understand it with our brain. We should give our full attention to what happen; how the bread and wine change to body and blood of Christ during the consecration.

In the Circus, my favourite is Flying Trapeze. It's simple perfomance and yet elegant. They don't even need to talk when they do the acts, yet people still pay full attention to them. Well, they really need to work together, because there's a danger that the flyer could fall. So between the flyer and the catcher there must be trust. The flyer have to trust the catcher completely; that he will be able to catch, thus prevent him from falling. When there is mutual trust, the flyer could fly freely without being afraid that the catcher will fail to do his job.
Reflection: Can we trust God completely that he will be able to catch us when we fall? Do we still have doubt in mind when we 'fly'? Or we don't trust Him at all that we refuse to fly freely?

You might not be able to relate with the Flying Trapeze, don't worry, because there is always a clown! People love clown, probably because they could see themselves in him. A failure, a joker, you name it! The clown implicitly tells us that it's okay to fail, to make mistake, to laugh at ourselves. Actually, the clown doesn't do the perfomance alone. He needs audience (community) to support him, he'll be a BIG failure if he fails to bring smile and laughters to the audience. The audience is made up of different people who come for different reasons. There are people who come to laugh at the clown, but there are those who come to laugh with the clown because they could see themselves doing the foolish things that the clown does.

After writing so much, I don't know whether you can understand what I wrote. If you could understand half of it, then it's more than good already. =)

*I used the word 'come back' because we are sent out to the world in the Mass (Go...), thus when we attend Mass, we actually come back to Mass.

~The End~ (?)

I just finished posting my last entry to the BlogFest. Time flies! It has been a wonderful and frustrating 5 weeks. There were times I was so stressed up (Week 3!), but most of the time it's been great. I would like to quote Karl Keating, the founder of Catholic Answer, "To the extent any good comes from it, the credit is God's. To the extent any harm comes, the blame is [mine]. [I] hope there will be much good and little harm."

I wanna thank everyone, especially the people in-charge and fellow participants. I definitely enjoyed myself participating in this BlogFest. I learnt alot, especially about Catholicism and the art of blogging.

I may continue blogging here in the future as writing has been my passion since I was young. It's just, my handwriting isn't good so I didn't write a lot (because no one will read it!). However, technology changed everything. With Computer, Internet, and Weblog, I can share my thoughts easily with others. Thank you all! =)

God loves you,
Vincent

Week 5 #2: Response!

Week 5!

Phew.. the topic was hard to write and even harder to response, a reason being is how should I response to people's relationship with God? But as I read the entries by the participants, there are things that I could relate to.

When I read Achillia's entry, there are phrases that caught my attention immediately.

"countless ups and downs"
I experience the ups and downs every a few months. In the past, I got discouraged easily when I had the 'downs' and thus I became distant from God. As I discovered more about God, I've learnt that God will allow the devil to tempt us and we must be able to depend on Him and ask Him to give us the graces, the strengths that we need to overcome the temptation. Well, it's either you make it or you break it.

We also need to remember when we have the 'ups' because these moments remind us what God has done in our life, hence we could regain our faith during the bad time. From here, we will know that God never leaves us. God never failed to save me when I was in the darkness.

"On the way to...a short conversation"
I know that I'm not the only one and now I have a proof. Yippie! =) I often talk to God also when I'm on the bus to school. Usually it starts like this "God, I have a plan to do ... today, do You think it's good? If no then please reveal to me Your plan" or just telling Him whatever I have in mind, since He knows everything. No point lying to God, right? =p

Recently, I learnt how to use a song to communicate with Him, it's even interesting, because I like to sing (but I don't have a good voice to be in choir =p) and the lyrics are beautiful. For example: "Angels among us" by Alabama. The chorus goes like this

Oh.. I believe there are angels among us,
sent down to us from somewhere up above.
They come to you and me in our darkest hours
to show us how to live, to teach us how to give
To guide us with the light of love.

Isn't it beautiful? I love to sing it when I feel down, then I'll start thinking of my guardian angels and all the 'angels' that I have encountered in my life. Sometimes, a sincere smile could bring happiness to others; it is the simplest act that 'angels' could do. Don't you want to be angels for others too?

"enjoy the beautiful moments"
Life in Singapore is very fast, sometimes I don't even know why I do things so quickly. When I was in sec 3, I was famous for eating my lunch in 3,5 minutes (my friend actually used stopwatch to measure it! -.-"). Because of the fast pace, we often forget to realise the beautiful things that God has given us. When we are too busy with life, let us remind ourselves to stop and smell the flower.

"I would just recite the official Our Father quickly"
There are times when we couldn't pray and just recite the common Catholic prayer; Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be. It's not wrong, especially when we encounter spiritual dryness and to pray is the most difficult thing to do. Well, don't forget to be on our knees and ask Him to help us to pray, to experince Him and His great love. Sounds weird, but it works.

(All photos are from personal collection)

~Extra~

As expected, a friend commented that I sound like a pharisee in the previous entry haha...

Well, if I read such entry, I will think the same, but I'm just telling the truth. =p

The past 1 year, I've lost almost all my friends whom I used to hang out with because we have nothing in common anymore. In fact, they could bring bad influences for me. However, God replaced them with many, many new friends in the Church. Well, I've known many friends (mostly Catholics) from different parishes, nationalities, interests, etc. I've even made friends with religious sisters/brothers and also missionary priests in other countries.

I learnt a lot from them, especially those who do not reside in Singapore. Many of them do not have the privilege that we have here, especially daily mass. An island near my hometown in Indonesia only have Mass once a month due to lack of priests, whereas in my parish in Indonesia, daily mass is only once a day; Monday, Wednesday and Saturday in the morning (5.30am) and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in the evening (6pm). Usually I can only attend the evening ones.

That's why I started attended daily mass here, so many Churches with different timing. I can choose to attend morning mass, lunch-time mass and evening mass, I've not heard any country like Singapore; 30 Churches islandwide and all have daily mass at least twice a day. What a blessing!

Attending daily mass is a way of saying thank you to God for the privilege that I have in Singapore. =)

Week 5 #1: My Relationship with God

I really had no idea what I should write this week. I could say it's the most difficult among the five! I thought about it from Monday to Thursday and still nothing. Yesterday, I was able to do self reflection about my relationship with Him and I was quite surprised to know that my relationship is better than I thought.

A few days ago, I talked to my friend that my relationship with God was like a rollercoaster. Up and down always, but I was wrong. My relationship with Him now is quite steady, BUT sometimes my emotion is like a rollercoaster, especially with the people around me. The reason is simply because I know that God won't let bad things happen to me, but people are imperfect and they could easily be deceived and tempted by satan, just like Eve in the book of Genesis, to harm to others.

Jesus commanded us to love God "with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind..." (Luke 10:27). Honestly, this is not difficult if you know God. However, Jesus commanded us to love our neighbour (Matthew 22:39) and also our enemy (Matthew 5:44), why? Probably because they are the same people! =p It won't make sense if I say that I love God and yet I don't love my enemies/friends.

I think my personal prayer life is not so bad. I TRY to do Liturgy of the Hours (LoTH) daily, sometimes I attend mass in parishes where the LoTH is done together to keep me motivated, such as in the Church of Holy Cross where it is done before morning and evening mass and in Immaculate Heart of Mary Church where the youths gather to pray the evening prayer (Vesper) after the evening Mass with a priest. Well, maybe we can have it in the Church of Risen Christ in the future.

Liturgy of The Hours is the prayer of the Church. The early Christians did it daily because Mass was celebrated only once a week. However, when Latin language was introduced, many people couldn't do it anymore, because Latin was the language for the rich people. Thus, people started to pray Rosary instead. Since Vatican II, the Church has been trying to get the laity to pray LoTH. It is not a devotional prayer (like Divine Mercy/Rosary), but it's the prayer of the Church and by right, every Catholics should pray it, just like Muslims pray 5 times a day.

I also try to pray Rosary and Divine Mercy chaplet daily although I often fail terribly when I’m lazy or deceived by the media (Internet!). Actually, I was inspired to do this by a priest who prays this every morning. He described it as if these were his breakfast. Therefore, I believe it would be good if I could do the same.

I try to have personal time in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament at least once a week, it is to keep me aware of the presence of God in my life; to talk to God personally about everything that's been going around in my life. In addition, I also try to attend daily Mass, so that I can listen to the Word of God and receive Jesus in the Sacrament of Eucharist. If I can't attend mass, I try to read the readings for the day (Subscribe to God is my oxygen, it's good!).

Another important aspect is Sacrament of Reconciliation. When I started to do it regularly, I thought receiving forgiveness from God, but as I read more and understand the meaning of it. This sacrament is to receive God's grace to overcome my weaknesses and to be aware of my sinfulness and unworthiness. I realised during the time when I was a lapsed Catholic, I didn't go confession for years, I wasn't aware of my sinfulness simply because it became a habit, such as the eight commandment; You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour, in short, gossiping. How many of us guilty of it? =p

In order to have a good relationship with God, I need to obey His commandments and to do things that will please Him. I used to have double life (just like a superhero!), let's called it the good and the bad. In Church, I could be an angel to everyone, but outside, I could be mean and inconsiderate person. I realised that God won't be pleased, so I TRY to be the good person all the time now. Well, I still fail every now and then.

I'm still striving for holiness, it's along way to go. Two years from now, I want to be a better person in every aspect. It will be tough, but not impossible. =)

This entry isn't to boast how holy I am, because I'm still a sinner and often fail in the journey, but I don't give up because I know that God loves me so much that He wants me to TRY my best to be closer to Him. Honestly, when I started to have personal relationship with God, I only pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and 1 Glory be in the evening, I couldn't even pray spontaneously (Now you know how terrible I was). I feel blessed and thankful that He led me to where I am now. If I can, why you can't?

Week 4 #2: Response!

(The passage about the woman who touched Jesus’ cloak can be found in Matthew 9:18-26, Mark 5:21-43 and Luke 8:40-56).

I was quite surprised when I read Alexis’s entries, simply because there are countless stories in the gospel where Jesus healed sick people and I used to think all of them are similar to each others. So how could a person be impressed with a story more than the others? However, when I read the passage closely, her favourite bible passage is different! Jesus did not heal the woman intentionally, but the woman had a strong faith that she was able to draw Jesus’ power by just touching his clothes, thus, she was healed immediately.

I disagree to say that she had a blind faith because she had a strong faith on what she did. She didn’t say “If I just touch his clothes, hopefully, I could be healed or I might be healed,” but she firmly believed that “If I just touch His clothes, I WILL get well” (Mark 5:28).

Her faith was definitely as big as a mustard seed (Luke 17:6), or even bigger! A faith with hope, not the ‘desperate hope’ like those people buying 4D and hoping to win (because they don’t know whether they will win), but the hope with confidence, such as our HOPE that Jesus will come again at the end of time. We must have confidence when we proclaim that Jesus will come again, as written in Acts of the Apostles 1:11 “…this Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go to heaven.”

After reading it a few times now, I’m amazed with the woman’s faith, because I really want a faith like hers. Honestly speaking, I had doubt and fear whether my prayer would be answered. Often time, I would start asking if Jesus would grant my petition, especially when I was alone in adoration chapel. I could just sit there for hours and questioning over and over again. Now I realised that it is because I have so little faith in Him.

The time is different now, we no longer see Jesus walking around to heal people literally, but we still can witness His healing power in every one of us, why? It is because He IS risen. At the Christ’s tomb, the apostles heard these words from the angel: “He’s not here” (Luke 24:5). Thus, the apostles’ faith came from the Resurrection. Nothing more concretely and conclusively proves Christ’s divinity than His resurrection. I don’t know whether the woman knew that Christ was God but we know that Jesus Christ is God and “…there is nothing that God cannot do” (Luke 1:37). Having said that, shouldn’t we have a stronger faith than the woman as we know that Christ IS risen?

Father God,
Let the splendour of the resurrection
Light up our hearts and minds.
And in your kindness increase your gifts of grace within us,
so that fervent in faith, hope and love,
we will be the witness of the risen Christ
especially to those who do not know You yet.
Amen.

(Pictures are courtesy of One Year Bible Reading and personal collection)

Week 4 #1b: My Favourite Bible Passage

As mentioned in the previous entry, my favourite Bible passage is the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38).

This passage is about Mary's vocation to be the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.

She was about 15 years old when the Angel Gabriel came to her. As a young girl, I believe Mary had a dream (as many other girls do!). Since she was betrothed Joseph, it was likely that her dream was to have family with Joseph. You know, get married, have children, be a good wife and mother, grow old and die peacefully. Just the typical life cycle of human being.

However, God had other plan for her. An extremely special plan that He sent His Angel Gabriel to deliver the message personally, can you imagine that? It was the Angel Gabriel, not just any other angel, that was sent to tell Mary the news.

Last week, I was contemplating this passage when it struck me that Mary was probably confused and sad when she heard the message. When I was 15, I remember I had a big dream of becoming a successful actor, earns lots of money and lives in a luxurious condominium. If an angel were to appear and tell me that God has other plan for me, I would be freak out; I might reject His plan!

After she listened to the news, there was a doubt whether it was real from God. So she asked "I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?"
This is so understandable. After all, it was miraculous event. She might not know it whether it was truly from God. Ladies, try to imagine if an angel comes to you and say that you would become pregnant and give birth to the son of God. Will you believe it?

However, God prepared everything perfectly. He knows that Mary would ask for proof, so He gave an evident of His great power. It was Elizabeth's pregnancy. Mary knew that her cousin was barren, so only by God's power that she could get pregnant in her old age. It showed that there is nothing that God cannot do. Having heard this, Mary submitted herself fully to God, without even thinking of her own plan (Not even asking Joseph!).

Mary is a model for us when we answer God's calling in our life;
1. She was troubled by the message; the Angel Gabriel explained it clearly
2. She had doubt; The Angel replied by telling about Elizabeth's pregnancy
3. She accepted it; be submissive to God's will for her
4. She confirmed it; by visiting Elizabeth (she stayed 90 miles away from Mary). Have you ever thought that the visitation was to confirm the Angel Gabriel's message that her cousin was pregnant?

I learnt that I have to be ready whenever God calls me, whether to priesthood/religious life, married life or single life. I believe each vocation is unique thus none is superior than the others. A priest told me that if I don't accept the vocation that God gives me, there'll be something missing in my life. So I've been discerning where God is leading me and praying that I have a heart like Mary that I'll be able to accept my vocation with all my heart.
(Pictures are courtesy of Catholic Source)

Week 4 #1a: Favourite Bible Passage

I'm glad to know this week topic (Glad it came out this week, not last week!), I just attended a recollection last week and there was a bible passage that really touched me deeply. It's Luke 1:26-38, the Annunciation. Since the passage is quite long, so I divided this week entry into two; the first one is the Bible passage and the second post will be the discussion.
Let's read the bible passage first:

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth. 27 He had a message for a young woman promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of king David. Her name was Mary. 28 The angel came to her and said "Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you!"

29 Mary was deeply troubled by the angel's message, and she wondered what his words meant 30 The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you. 31 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God wll make him a king, as his ancestor David was, 33 and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!"

34 Mary said to the angel, "I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?"
35 The angel answered,"The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God's power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God. 36 Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said that she cannot have children, but she herself is now six months pregnant, even though she is very old. 37 For there is nothing that God cannot do."

38 "I am the Lord's sevant," said Mary; "may it happen to me as you have said." And the angel left her.
(taken from Good News Bible)

A Tribute to Priests

A few priests celebrated their anniversaries of ordination recently. So I think it will be appropriate if I make an entry for them, since they have given up their life for us. Without them, we will not be able to receive sacraments, especially Eucharist and Reconciliation. Can you imagine if there is no priests around to celebrate sacraments for us? Well, let's pray for more vocation to the priesthood and religious life. God bless you.

To live in the midst of the world without wishing its pleasure;

To be a member of each family, yet belonging to none;

To share all sufferings; to penetrate all secrets;

To heal all wounds;

To go from men to God and offer Him their prayers;

To return from God to men to bring pardon and hope;

To have a heart of fire for charity and

a heart of bronze for chastity;

To teach and to pardon, console and bless always.

My God, what a life!

And it is yours, Priest of Jesus Christ!

Jean Baptiste Henri Lacordaire(French Dominican priest, 1802-1861)

Take a Break, listen to this song!

While many songs and albums have stories behind them, Al Denson's 1997 release Take Me to the Cross literally has a tale that is linked to the title song. It is the story of a lost little girl, unaware of the way home. A man and his wife stop to help the young girl; however, being three years old, she does not even know her last name or her phone number. Finally she tells them that if she sees a cross that sits on top of an old church near her residence, she can find her way home.

This story is the allegorical message of Denson's album, which points to the cross of Calvary as the way home.

~Ashleigh Kittle, All Music Guide

Al Denson - Take Me to the Cross

She's daddy's little girl, only three years old
All dressed up in her Sunday clothes
He held her hand on bended knee
He said, "I need to show you how
To find your way home"

As they walked along, how sweet the sound
Church bells ringin', people gathered 'round
Remember this church and the cross way up there,
"Sweetheart, if you ever get lost say...

Take me to the cross, high upon a steeple
The one where Jesus died for all the lost people
If you can't find home, know you're not alone
Take me to the cross

As the years went by, daddy's little girl
Lost herself out in a big, big world
And the day her daddy died
She said, "I need to know why"

Take me to the cross, high upon a steeple
The one where Jesus died for hurting people
If you can't find home, know you're not alone
Take me to the cross

Now that same little girl, thirty years gone by
She still knows her daddy's by her side
She raises her little boy in her father's way
And she smiles when she hears her son say
"Hey, mom...

Take me to the cross, high upon a steeple
The one where Jesus died for all the lost people
If you can't find home, know you're not alone

Remember the cross, high upon a steeple
The one where Jesus died for all the lost people
If you can't find home, know you're not alone
Take me to the cross, Mama,
Take me to the cross
Take me to the cross

Week 3 #2: Response!

This week is definitely the hardest so far, because the participants have quite similar points and there is not much diversity in the first entry of the week. Therefore, it's difficult to choose one and response. In addition, there are not many participants posting their entries for this week makes it even tougher. Well, I shall be committed and post an entry. =)

I would like to response to Cassandra's entry. It's true that no Catholic Churches in Singapore allow female altar servers, it's because our Archbishop Nicholas Chia does not allow it. I'm not sure why, but I think it's because there is still no demand for female altar servers at the moment. As Cassandra mentioned, there is no shortage of male altar servers.

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree that altar servers represent the apostles, who were all male. As she mentioned that there are increasing numbers of female altar servers in certain countries now, does that mean female could be his Apostles too if Jesus would come today instead of 2,000 years ago? The answer is no.

The apostles were actually chosen by Jesus to continue his ministry on Earth when He ascended to Heaven. They were the Pope and the Bishops. Saint Peter was our first Pope (who was bishop or Rome) and the other apostles were bishops too. So it is incorrect to say that they are represented by altar servers today. Btw, isn't it amazing how we still could trace back Apostolic Successcor all the way to the first Pope? Pope Benedict XVI is the 265th pope. I believe there is no other religion that have the successfor from their first leader. Another reason to be proud that I'm a Catholic.

"we cannot argue that as in the past, women were treated like slaves and were considered unimportant. They had to be submissive and the care giver of the family...Women were considered lower than men and had to learn where they stood in society. This was the culture in the past, and thus, Jesus had males as His apostles, and NOT females."

Another interesting paragraph. In Genesis 3:16 God told Eve what her 'punishment' would be "I will increase the your trouble in pregnancy and your pain in giving birth. In spite of this, you will still have desire for your husband , yet you will be subject to him."

And the punishment for Adam was 3 verses long!! O.o (Okay, I just realised it now). It's in Genesis 3:17-19, "You listened to your wife and ate the fruit which I told you not to eat. Because of what you have done, the ground will be under a curse. You will have to work hard all your life to make it produce enough food for you. It will produce weeds and thorns, and you will have to eat wild plants. You will have to work hard and sweat to make the soil produce anything, until you go back to the soil from which you were formed. You were made from soil, and you will become soil again."

So it's clear here than the Adam had to work to support the family whereas Eve had to givebirth and obey her husband. So God was the one who gave the role to man being the head of the family, who need to work and provide food for his family and Eve was told that she would give birth and obey his husband. Looking at the world today, this is no longer the case, especially in the developed countries where both parents need to work in order to provide financial resources to the family. However, it's difficult to point finger at anyone, especially in countries like Singapore where the living cost is very high.

That is a reason why we have Family Life Society in the Church today, which is to remind people the importance of keeping the family together as the basic unit of the Church. For the second part of the paragraph, I explained already, Jesus chose only males because of the requirement for Sacrament of Holy Order.

(Pictures are courtesy of Punch Stock Photography, Art.com, and picture of Pope Benedict is in my hard disk and I couldn't locate the source. If you know the source, please let me know so that I can give appropriate credit).

Week 3: Female Altar Servers? Hm...

I started to be an altar server when I was in primary 4. For ordinary Sunday usually only 6 altar servers were needed at that time. So the altar servers were divided into group of 6 and I was 'fortunate' to be the only male in my group, because I got to do all the works that were supposed to be done only by male, it made me work... harder! =p

From the time I was involved in the altar server ministry, there were more female altar servers and it still continues until now. Nowadays, when I attend mass in my parish in Indonesia, it is strange if I don't see female altar servers. It's likely that they are no longer exception, but it has become a norm.

There are three pillars of the Catholic Church; Sacred Scripture, Traditions and Magisterium. Since altar servers cannot be found directly from the Sacred Scripture, we need to find out what Traditions and Magisterium have to say about it.

What did the Magisterium say?
In 1970, Pope Paul VI said in Liturgicae Instaurationes, “In conformity with norms traditional in the Church, women (single, married, religious), whether in churches, homes, convents, schools, or institutions for women, are barred from serving the priest at the altar.” And in 1980, Pope John Paul II stated in Inaestimabile Donum, “There are, of course, various roles that women can perform in the liturgical assembly: these include reading of the Word of God and proclaiming the intentions of the Prayer of the Faithful. Women are not, however, permitted to act as altar servers” (source).

However, the Magisterium has finally approved the female altar servers on July 11, 1992 (source), but why doesn't the Holy Father allow female altar servers in his own diocese of Rome? =p
I'll leave it up to you to guess...

Let's have a look at the history.
In the Old Testament, God created male and female, so they are equal but they are not the same because God created them for different purposes.

In New Testament, Jesus came and chose 12 apostles, all male (btw, the apostles were all male because they represented the Pope, Bishop and Priests today, which is another discussion about why only male can be ordained to the priesthood). Does it mean that God discrimated women?

It's definitely no, because from the very beginning, He specifically chose Mary to be the Mother of Jesus. So we know that a woman is equally important as men and has a part in our salvation history. If you want to see the biblical proof, it's in Genesis 3:15 "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel." This is the only time in the Bible, where it mentioned about the offspring of a woman. We all know that He was referring to Mary.

Men are different from women in their thinking and spiritual growth. They need other men to lead them into the ways of mature manhood, especially on spiritual level. Being an altar server was like a 'right of passage,' a masculine activity that led young men into the closeness of the liturgy that was reserved only for Holy Orders. Just like my little sister who like to act as the mother of her dolls, the role of altar server is a pre-formation and also discernment period for young men to the priesthood.


Some may argue that by becoming altar servers, young women could also discern their vocation
to the religious life. Unfortunately, this is an incorrect view (source).

We do see the religious sisters in retreat house, hospital, old folks home, erm.. on television (Mother Angelica!) doing works of mercy, whereas the religious nuns are cloistered, which mean they stay in their monastery and don't usually meet people, such as the Carmelite nuns. During Mass, usually we only see them sit on the pew, not standing around the altar to assist the celebrant priest. So being an altar server would not help young women in their discernment to the religious life. If the female altar servers are poorly cathecized, soon they may forget their place and aspire to be priests also, which could be a threat to the Church.

Looking back now, I wish that my bishop (in Indonesia) did not allow female altar servers in the first place, because it reduces the importance of being altar servers; to foster vocation to the priesthood. Of course, we didn't get good faith formation also, which was a reason why I didn't know the meaning of becoming an altar server. Back then, altar server was just a trend for students. Well, it's more about getting more friends and It wasn't much about serving God.

Nowadays, I don't see many male altar servers or even young boy sitting on the pew. One of the reason was because "... easier to ask the girls to go to the Church." So, the parents usually encourage the girls to be altar servers and leave the boys at home. I do hope it won't happen in Singapore, because the Catholic Church here is so wonderful. If everyone, male and female, wants to be an altar server... who will do other ministries, such as the Mustard Seed? =)

(Pictures are courtesy of Te Deum Laudamus, Michael Weinberg Photography, Hestoff photography)

Spiderman 2!

A scene from Spiderman 2 that I like. Btw, I'm sure you all know this but just in case.
Peter is the Spiderman =p
Aunt May is his aunt definitely, and
Henry is their neighbour.

Henry Jackson: Hi, Peter!

Peter Parker: Hey, Henry! You've grown tall.

May Parker: You'll never guess who he wants to be... Spider-Man!

Peter Parker: Why?

May Parker: He knows a hero when he sees one. Too few characters out there, flying around like that, saving old girls like me. And Lord knows, kids like Henry need a hero. Courageous, self-sacrificing people. Setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero. People line up for them, cheer them, scream their names. And years later, they'll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them how to hold on a second longer. I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams.

Week 2 #2: Response!

This week, Ruth's post really caught my attention, but I disagree when she said "...the word 'hero' & the image of a strong, handsome man usually in a cape/uniform comes to mind..." Because when I heard the word hero, 'Hiro Nakamura' will comes straight to mind' well, he's short and chubby, but His naive and over-eager characteristic really impressed me haha... ok, that's a bit lame.. =p

Joking aside, I really like about Ruth's post because she talked about her own family member, her father. How many young people will admit that they admire their parents? Talking from experience, not many. My mum's friends often praise me when they see me attend mass with my mum and my little sister, because they said that their children refuse to go to Church together as a family. So when they see a family attend mass together is extraordinary. Well, it is a sad fact, because it's supposed to be normal for a family go to Church together. I firmly believe that "Family who prays together, stays together."

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta said that "Love Starts at home and lasts at home. The home is each person's first field of loving, devotion and service... Love begins in the family. Peace begins in the family. Where there is love, there is unity, peace and joy." From Ruth's writing, I feel that her father is an example of a person who fulfil his vocation so faithfully as a Christian father.

Besides that, He represents a wonderful image of God the Father. Ruth said that "...dont have to save lives to be a hero..." but her father actually 'saves' the family all along. By doing his duty as a father, he saves his family when "He's always the first one to walk out...But somehow he's also always the first to come back with open arms & all ready to forgive." His selflessness and forgiveness brings peace, love, joy and unity to the family.

Lastly, I just want to remind everyone that "It is easy to love people far away. It is easier to give a cup of rice than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in your own home." ~Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Let's spread Christ's peace and love in our own family! =D

Cardinal Newman said...

When I typed my previous post about St. Francis de Sales, I feel recharged in my service to Him. It's been a pleasure to know such a wonderful Saint, who served the Lord so faithfully. As what Cardinal Newman said

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 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 do but keep His commandment.

Therefore, I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away.
If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him;
in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him;
if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.
He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about.
He may take away my friends.
He may throw me among strangers.
He may make me feel desolate,
make my spirit sink,
hide my future from me -
still He knows what He is about.

Week 2 #1: Hero in My Life

I was glad when I read the topic for this week, because it was what I expected. I know so many Saints, they are my extended family members and of course role models for me to be more Christ-like. However, It's difficult for me to just pick one now.

Should I write about:
St. Francis of Assisi because he was a humble man,
St. Joseph of Cupertino for always interceding for me during my examination (If you don't know yet, he's the patron Saint for students taking examination),
St. Francis de Sales because he converted 60,000 anti-Catholic Calvinists through his writings, or St. Paul my patron saint, whom I can relate to?

I think St. Francis de Sales is the right one for this post! =)

I always have the desire in writing and last year, I really have strong passion to learn and write about Catholicism, because I realised that there are many people who don't know the Catholic Faith, even many Catholics don't know the proper Catholic teachings. I'm not so comfortable giving talk in public, so writing is the best option for me.

As what the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen once wrote: "There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Roman Catholic Church; there are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church." An easy example is that many people believe that Catholics worship Mary, which is not true. I even had a free-thinker friend telling me that the Catholic Goddess was a lady, he was referring to Mary! Then I explained to him that Mary is not Goddess and who is the real God.

St. Francis de Sales is the patron Saint for Journalists and writers because He won people's hearts through his writings and he was actually a good writer himself (I've read his famous book; Introduction to the Devout Life, it is great book for spiritual growth!).

He had such a heart and the love for Jesus Christ and His Church that he volunteered himself to go on a mission to the area where 60,000 Catholics were converted to Calvinism by John Calvin 60 years before. When he arrived, the people were pretty much anti-Catholics, so St. Francis often travelled by night, even in harsh weather. Getting soaked, chilled, and even chased away became a way of life for him. He actually spent one night secured by his belt to a tree branch, safely out of reach of a pack of dogs that had been set on him by an anti-Catholic farmer.

St. Francis' ministry was very challenging. Only few people would gather to listen to his sermons and his Masses were poorly attended; no one was willing to listen to his arguments in favour of Catholicism. Most priests that came before him, left because they were defeated by their inability to get through the people.

He realised that peer pressure was a reason why people didn't want to listen to his sermons. So he wrote his sermons and slipped his tracts under the door of each home. He really persevered in his mission. After just four years, through St. Francis de Sales's personal sanctity, preaching, writing and reaching out to those around him with unselfish charity and genuine Christ-like love, miracles happened. Within few years, 60,000 protestants had converted to the Catholic Church through the efforts of St. Francis de Sales!

I truly admire his perseverance and his trust & love for Christ. If he didn't have deep trust and love for God, he would have left the place and go to a place where he would be respected. But he obeyed God and believed that God would use him to be His instrument. He is a good example that I need to have a deep faith, love and perseverance in the mission to spread the Gospel. God will never fail his people and Jesus promised us that He'll be with us until the end of time!

When I read about him, I was inspired to have a blog about Catholicism, because it could be read by other people and at the same time it helps to organise my knowledge of Catholicism. I hope that it would bring the readers closer to God. If St. Francis still lives today, probably he would blog non-stop to spread the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is definitely more convenient than writing using pen and paper! =)

Father God,

Grant that in the service of our fellow-men

we may always reflect your own gentleness and love,

and so imitate St. Francis de Sales,

whom you made all things to all men

for the saving of souls.

We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Amen.

(picture is courtesy of 2 Hearts Network)

Week 1 #2: Response!

I agree to certain extent with Eric that the Legion of Mary (LoM) is a Church group that is in the 'mature' stage. Well, The Legion of Mary is almost 86 years old!

I can truly understand if youths could be bored easily with the LoM meeting because it's been like this since more than 85 years ago. If you attend any of the LoM meeting today, it is identical to the meeting that Frank Duff (the founder) and friends had on 7 September 1921. It was only 3 years after the Great War (World War I). So the situation was very different from today.

Napoleon said "there are no bad soldiers, only bad officers." It's unfortunate that there are bad officers in some of the LoM praesidiums, who probably don't really know how to communicate and do their duties well. Thus, the praesidium could be poorly orientated. Once, I was in a Church ministry that I didn't enjoy at all, because of the people in-charge. I was very frustrated and it deteriorated my spirituality. Something is definitely wrong if we don't enjoy being in a Church group, because it's supposed to be fun and enjoyable! =D How could we grow spiritually if we don't even enjoy being there? One may want to find out where is the root of the problem; is it the people? or it just doesn't suit me?

"...if Church groups want to reach out to specific age groups, they might have to take in mind the maturity of its participants, and their spiritual level."
I disagree with Eric's statement. Being young doesn't always mean immature and old isn't a guarantee that the person is mature. No doubt, a person can grow wiser as he experiences life, but it doesn't always happen. I've met a young boy who is very wise and has a deep understanding of Catholic Faith. He's way too mature for a person of his age, of course it's a rare case. Well, my point is that LoM is definitely for the youths also because it could help them grow in holiness.

Catholic Church is perfect, but the people in it are sinners, so we always need to strive for holiness. If our motive in joining a Church group is sincere and good, God will definitely give all the things that we need and help us to persevere.

Lord God,
in your wisdom you created us,
by your providence you rule us:
penetrate our inmost being with your holy light,
so that our way of life may always be one of faithful service to you.
We make our prayer through our Lord, Jesus Christ, your son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Week 1: Church groups for you and me

When I read the first topic, I was nervous and also relieved. I belong only to a Church group, Legion of Mary. Therefore, I don't have any option, but to write about it. Although Legion of Mary is not very popular among the youth, but if I didn't join the Legion of Mary, I may still be a Catetaria Catholic or even lapsed Catholic. So here you find my journey of faith in the Legion of Mary.

My dad was murdered in 1998. Not long after that, I became a lapsed Catholic; I went clubbing weekly, didn't go to church, didn't pray, I was even doubting the existence of God, because the suffering I experienced in my early life.

One night in June 2003, I dreamt about something that changed my life forever. In my dream, I was given a Rosary, so it's very specific calling to me; I had to find my way back to the Catholic Church. I was 18 years old, no Catholic friends and I've never been to a Catholic Church in Singapore, what should I do?

When God calls you, He will help you to answer His calling. A little research on the Internet, I was able to find the Indonesian Community in Singapore. Three months later I was in the Legion of Mary. As I mentioned above, I felt that I was called by the Blessed Virgin Mary to return to the Church, so the Legion of Mary could be the perfect Church group for me.

The legionaries are given allocated works weekly. Usually we go in pairs. My praesidium's priority is for Indonesian Catholic patients who come to Singapore for medication. At first, it was so difficult for me to go, because we have to do spontaneous prayer. You all know that I was just returned to the Church, so I couldn't pray at all. I remember once, my partner wanted me to pray after him. So after he finished his part, he waited for me to continue. I was stubborn enough not to say a single word for few minutes! I always cringe whenever I remember that moment.

In the past, I always thought that I was the smartest and the most efficient and effective legionary in my praesidium and often looked down on other members who couldn't do better than me. I didn't realise that I was blinded by pride. One day, I read a quotation by Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

...when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, He will not ask, "How many good things have you done in your life?," rather He will ask, "How much love did you put into what you did?"

It was a slap on my face, because all this time, I felt good that I could do so much good thing, God must be proud of me. I was wrong! I changed the way I do things. I no longer look for efficiency and effectiveness in the Church ministry, but how much love I put into everything that I do. I learnt to respect other people, not because of what they can do, but as God's children. I became a better person and more loving towards others. My prayer life is improving tremendously. I think another reason why my praesidium is very strong because we have excellent officers who really put their heart and soul into it. They are the leaders but they have the heart of servants. Thus, they are the role models for other members.

I'm finally able to understand the different between Church ministry and social work. I do Church ministry because I experience God's amazing love in my life, hence I want others to feel His love also.

There are many Church groups; Youth ministry, Media ministry, Family Life, etc. These are to cater to different people. God calls us to serve His kingdom and He has given us the specific charisms for that; some people are gifted with beautiful voices, thus they can serve better as choirs. Some people are IT savvy, which enable them to do better in the media ministry. All of us have different calling, we should not feel discourage if we have different talents from our friends. Honestly, if I were to join the choir, I will definitely be uncomfortable because I will be an embarrassment to the choir group and I think many parishioners will avoid the mass that I'm in, because I'm just not gifted with a decent voice!

We must remember that, despite many Church groups, there is only one goal for all the Church groups, which is to glorify God by doing what Jesus commanded the disciples 2,000 years ago, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age" (Matt 28:19-20).