Perfect Number Seven

Having to prepare a session which includes the Seven Deadly Sins has been quite a good reflection exercise for me this Lent. Going deeper into the meanings of Pride, Greed, Gluttony, Lust, Sloth, Envy and Anger has given me much fruit for thought with regard to my own relationship with God and with others.

I won't share my own discoveries and reflections here as that is not the intention of this post, but to encourage others to go and research on these Seven Deadly sins and reflect on them in your lives. Together with the corresponding Seven Virtues of Humility, Charity, Temperance, Chastity, Diligence, Kindness and Patience, it makes for a good spiritual exercise to go through this Lent. Maybe you can take one Sin & Virtue to reflect on each day of a week. Just Google "Seven Deadly Sins", and you will find a lot of information.

To add on to that spiritual exercise, there are Seven Penitential Psalms you might want to pray, one for each day. Although they are not directly related to any particular Deadly Sin, still they are good scriptural readings to reflect on our sinfulness and need for God. The Psalms are 6, 31(32), 37(38), 50(51), 101(102), 129(130) and 142(143) [Numbers in brackets depending on your bible]

Have a good week of reflection, not just on the Sins, but also on the Virtues, and pray for the grace to break out of the Sin and to cultivate the Virtues in your life. God Bless

Did You Pray For Grace?

Reflection from Word Among Us Lent 2009 Issue
As we are praying for healing, we also face a crucial question: If I am meant to embrace this cross, will I do it out of a “noble” position of faith or through an “empowered” position of faith? There is an important distinction here: A “noble” person who accepts a cross does so with good intentions, trying his or her best not to complain or give in to self-pity. While this is the right way to embrace the cross, if it is done solely out of our own noble intentions and human strength, there will likely be some degree of discouragement, anger, or self-blame attached. After all, some crosses are downright heavy, and their burdens are just too painful to bear on our own.

This is where the “empowered” position of faith comes in. God wants to give us his own divine grace to help us embrace the crosses of life. Jesus once told St. Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” These words so moved Paul that he was able to write: “I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong” ?(2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Embracing a cross with the help of God’s grace is quite different from nobly trying our best to accept a cross without grace. Those who embrace a cross through grace find themselves depending on God more and more each day. They find reserves of strength, trust, and surrender that they know are not their own but that come from a loving, merciful God. Rather than dwell on their own sufferings, they find themselves moved with compassion for other people, even as they themselves endure pain and difficulty. In short, they become more and more like Jesus.

This is the paradox of the cross: We accept suffering not because it is good and not because we like it but as part of our vocation as followers of Jesus Christ. These crosses can become opportunities for us to grow closer to Jesus and give him glory.

Saw this on my friend's blog and realised that it put across very nicely a point that I forgot to write down in the previous post due to the exciting discovery of the auntie walking through "walls".

The last two lines of the first paragraph sum up the feeling that I had when I attempted to keep my resolutions by my own strength and effort. Other than the realisation that these resolutions were to bring me closer to God. I also realised not to see my resolutions as means to reach an end, but as processes that I need God's graces to help me carry out to deepen my relationship with Him.

It brought to mind the question that my SD for my 8-day silent retreat kept asking me everyday. "Did you pray for Grace?"

Excuse me, are you an angel?

Lent this year has been a surprisingly new experience for me. Normally I would approach Lent like one going for chinese tuition class, dreading and dragging my feet. But I'm not sure why this year, Lent looks to me like a 40-day retreat. A time to really spend time with my Lord and renewing my relationship with Him.

Another different thing about lent for me this year were my resolutions, or more like how I was approaching the carrying out of my resolutions. Year after year, I would begin with hope of keeping all my resolutions for the whole 40 days, but along the way, a minor hiccup would throw it all into disarray. Disappointment sets in, doubts start to seep in, and I'll be convincing myself that I've set the standard too high, or that I just don't have the discipline to see it through. But this year my focus for my Lenten resolutions has been on the end which is Easter. My resolutions should be preparing me spiritually for Easter and beyond. Much like a retreat builds up and culminates on a high, these 40 days and what I do in this time was to help me reach that high in my relationship with God. And that is a gradual process, not one that I can expect right from the beginning.

The above realisation came to me one morning when I was in the adoration room (one of my resolutions to begin the day). The room was crowded, so there was no space for me to lean against the bench and face the Blessed Sacrament. So with my back to the side wall, I sat facing the door of the adoration room. While I was thinking through this issue with resolutions (obviously because I encountered a minor hiccup), one of the morning mass aunties got up and walked out, and what she did surprised and amazed me.

From the photo you can see that there is a curtain that shields the inside of the room from the eyes of people walking outside, forming something like a false wall. And almost everyone coming into the adoration room or going out would walk around it going through that small opening on the left, as if it was a real wall. But this auntie took the direct route to the door, walking to the right side where the curtain meets the wall, gently pulled it aside and walked "through" the "wall". This reminded me of the common phenomenon I observed in the church canteen. If there are two doors at the entrance, and one of it is open, everyone would walk out the open one, and nobody would open the closed one, even if it was crowded.

And it just occurred to me, that so often we see an obstacle in our spiritual journey, and we assume it to be a wall, or we fail to see that it is just a curtain and choose to go around it and avoid it. In actual fact the obstacle is not as difficult as it seems, but because there is the option of going around it, we choose it because it is easier.

I walked out of the adoration room, heart lightened, and encouraged to perservere on this Lenten journey. That night I was going for a meeting, and the girl who was to bring me to place of the meeting told me she went to the adoration room while waiting for me. So I decided to share with her this revelation that I had gotten in the morning. Her first reaction was "Oh my, are you an angel or something", because she had just been praying of some obstacles in her own life. That's the first time in my life that I've ever been called an Angel. Praise the Lord for sending me an Angel in the morning, and allowing me to be an Angel at night too.

Catholic News has a Sports Section

It is not often that you see Manchester United and Liverpool mentioned in the Catholic News, much less have a photo of a football stadium and a Liverpool player. So I thought that CN might be starting a sports section when I turned to page 8 of last weeks CN and saw the familiar red jersey and a photo of Fr John Bosco in the Standard Chartered marathon. But the heading at the top of the section was still "News".

What made it more interesting was the contrast between the anti-Catholic Red Devils fans and the Catholic faith of a Reds player and his mother. But I shall not hit a team while they are "down", moreover the team can't really control the actions and words of their fans.

I seriously doubt that CN would be able to sustain a regular sports section, unless they started to cover the Vatican Football League (Clericus Cup) or our local Archbishop's Cup. Though to their credit, I remember that they have featured articles in the past such as the Olympics. The problem is that the sporting world these days have given up their sportsmanship values, and stopped being role models for the youth. Instead it has been corrupted by money and greed, doping and bribery. Players are more interested in fame and glamour, money, partying, drinking, drugs and sex. Setting bad examples with their arrogance, infidelity and lifestyle. Which is why examples such as Jamie Carragher are hard to come by.

Not taking into account the recent "goal" he scored, Carra has been one of Liverpool's most consistent players. Maybe he is spared the temptations of fame and wealth because he is not attractive to girls like Beckham or because he's a central defender, not the most glamourous of positions. More importantly it is his behaviour both on and off the pitch that makes him a credible role model. He is not only involved in charities, but in various programs to help kids stay out of gangs through sports.

One can't help but think that his Catholic background as well as the love of his family, especially that of his mother has formed him to be the man, footballer and role model that he is.

'My book of Revelations begins with the most dramatic:
if my mum hadn't been a Roman Catholic,
I might have been aborted.

Paula Carragher was given the option of a termination
due to complications halfway through her pregnancy.
She was told I had spina-bifida- a birth defect that affects
the spinal cord. She was too religious to consider abortion,
no matter how disabled I'd be.

'Our Lord told me to have the baby', she still claims.
She's the rock on which my family is built.
I owe everything to that decision
she took thirty years ago'.

That being said, not all catholic footballers behave the same way. I used to be so proud when I see the new brazilian stars, making the sign of the cross when the entered the pitch and after they scored a goal. How they were able to use their public roles to show the importance of their faith in their lives even on the pitch and acknowledging God's role in their success. But then I also began to realise, that as fame and greatness got to their heads, the sign of the cross disappeared, replaced by fingers pointing to themselves.

Luckily there was one professional footballer, Chase Hilgenbrinck, who discovered his calling while playing for the MLS team New England Revolution, and "retired" to join the seminary.

Lastly, the Church itself also is in strong support of sports, with the Pontifical Council for the Laity organising a seminar on sports and mission, and stressing the responsibility of sports stars.

Look Here Look There

While meditating on this morning's readings, one phrase from the Gospel caught my attention.

"Look here it is, look there it is

Lk 17:21

It reminded me of the time that I went on my graduation holiday to central australia with my friends from COSDU. We were out in the cold at night to look at the stars, and to keep my friend company as he was taking his photos of the stars.

The above picture was the outcome of us freezing out butts off, and must say it was quite worth it. On top of that, we also happened to be in the right place and time to witness a meteor shower. So there were shooting stars flying through the sky. So there were these bunch of crazy nuts in the open huddled together in our sleeping bags, shouting "there, did you see it", "over there". But of course by the time we responded to the other person's shout, the shooting star had vanished. So I realised that to catch the shooting stars, I had to keep my eyes focused on the sky, and not be distracted by the "here and there" shouts of my friends. And I would say I saw my fair share of shooting stars that night.

I guess that's pretty much how we should be looking for the kingdom of God too. It is present in our lives, and if we are focused in seeking it, God will reveal it to us. Let us not be distracted by the "here and there" shouts of others.

Thanks Kenneth for the photo, not too sure how the creative commons things work, so shall just credit you here for the photo ;Þ

Prayer - B.A.P.T.I.S.M

Recently I came across this post in a blog by a seminarian in Miami. He managed to come up with an acronym, that he uses in his catechism classes to teach the different kinds of prayer.

What I've learnt in the past was that there were prayer could be classified into 4 main categories. Praise, Adoration, Intercession and Thanksgiving. But looking at his acronym B.A.P.T.I.S.M sounds like quite a good way to remember, with the few additions.

B = Blessing (to invoke God’s power for a person, place or activity)
A = Adoration (the “created” before the Creator)
P = Praise (glorify God)
T = Thanksgiving (gratitude)
I = Intercession (I ask God for OTHERS) + Petition (I ask God for ME)
S = “Sorry” (ask for forgiveness)
M = Mass (Eucharist source and summit of our faith)

I changed the "M" from Meditation to Mass, as I've always learnt that the Eucharist/Mass is the highest form of prayer.

Its great to see creative ways of making the faith easier to understand and remember. And also to make it more interesting to teach the faith. I remember doing one for a confirmation retreat, on Christian living using the acronym S.A.C.R.A.M.E.N.T. But can't really recall what each stands for. Must go and find if I still have the session notes stored somewhere.

Get Behind Me & A Confederate Soldier's Prayer

Yesterday at mass, the priest mentioned an example that gave me new insight into the the phrase "Get behind me satan" (Mt 16:23) I used to understand it along the lines of "get lost", a reprimand of Peter, in contrast to the "you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church" in vs18.

The priest gave the example of another time that someone wouls use the words 'get behind me' was a kindergarten teacher asking her students to get behind her and to follow her. The priest also said that the meaning of satan was the tempter. So putting both together, Jesus was telling Peter, to stop tempting him to go on a path different from that which the Father had set out for him, and to 'get behind' Jesus and follow Jesus in the path which is God's will.

Maybe that's the attitude that we should have when fighting with our temptations. Not just to battle with the temptation, but always with the mind of following the Father's will. Or when we have fallen to temptation or become the tempter ourselves, Jesus is giving us this constant command "get behind me".

Actually considering that the subsequent verses Jesus is telling his disciples to pick up their cross and following Him, its surprising that I've never seen the link between "get behind me" and the "follow me".

The priest also ended off his sermon with this poem/prayer which I have heard of before, but never recorded it down before.

Prayer by an Unknown Confederate Soldier

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve,
I was made weak, that I might humbly obey.
I asked for health, that I might do greater things,
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be happy,
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life,
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among all men, most richly blessed.

Praise God for his priests and their ministry of preaching that helps us to understand and enlighten us on God's Word in our lives.