Can we recognise Jesus when he comes again?

In the Gospel today, Jesus warned us of false prophets who claims to be the "Second Coming". Now, are we prepared for the Second Coming, when Jesus really comes? How strong will our faith be, when Jesus comes? and will we be able to recognise Christ when he comes?

If we don't build that personal relationship with Jesus, if we don't consistently build our faith in God, if we are not strongly rooted in Christ, we can get lost easily and may not even recognise Christ when he comes again.

Today, during the Homily at the Church of the Holy Trinity, Fr. Kenson mentioned about two negative examples of Catholics:

1) Supermarket Catholics

2) Catholics for Convenience

Supermarket Catholics, Fr. Kenson said, are not true Catholics. They only choose what to believe in. They choose what is comfortable for them. If we are Catholics as we are called to be, we obey God, we listen to God, and the voice of God comes through the Church. Father then went on to ask everyone pick up a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and tells us that its teachings are very biblical.

For the second category, Catholics for Convenience, are Catholics who only choose to be Catholic when it's convenient for them.

Are we a Catholic, 24/7 ?

O how blessed are we, Catholics!

The Chinese has this saying, "身在福中不知幅 ” which is, "Living amidst blessings without knowing the blessings!"

I was asking Cara for the translation for the above and here's how she explains the chinese saying:

"It means that from young, you grew up in all blessings possible but you don't know and you neglect and fail to appreciate them. Not everybody has the same privilege as you do to have these blessings!"

Indeed!

Our dear Protestant brothers and sisters long for Jesus but cannot see him or experience the tangible presence of Jesus on earth. We, Catholics, get to opportunity to see him everyday in the Blessed Sacrament. What a great privilege! But often, we take this privilege for granted.

Jesus Christ, for the love of Mankind, died on the cross for us. At every Mass, Jesus humbled himself, into his tiny piece of host, we call, the Eucharist. Does Jesus, our Lord and God, need to do that? Of course he doesn't need to but he did that for the love of his people, the love of the human race. It's a gift that many times, we fail to appreciate.

He, who for the love of us, is willing to lock himself up, like a prisoner, in the tabernacle. The tabernacle which may even be left alone. We are leaving God, our creator alone?

He, who for the love of us, is willing to make himself present immediately at the words of consecration by a man, the Priest.

"What? Could you not watch one hour with me?" (St. Matthew 26:40)

This is Jesus, not just speaking to Peter but to everyone of us. Have we spent time with our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, lately? If Jesus is Singaporean, his "What?", pretty rude huh! =P

How awesome is it to bask not in the sun, but in the Holy Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament!

Personally, my two favourite adoration chapels are the one in the Carmelite Church of Sts. Peter and Paul and the one at Church of St. Mary of the Angels.

The one at St. Mary's is unique because the monstrance is enclosed within metal grilles in the middle of the adoration chapel and it always remind me of how Jesus en-prisoned himself for us.

St. Faustina to Jesus hidden in the Blessed Sacrament:

"I adore You, Lord and Creator, hidden in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I adore You for all the works of Your hands, that reveal to me so much wisdom, goodness and mercy, O Lord.

You have spread so much beauty over the earth and it tells me about Your beauty, even though these beautiful things are but a faint reflection of You, incomprehensible Beauty.

And although You have hidden Yourself and concealed your beauty, my eye, enlightened by faith, reaches You and my souls recognizes its Creator, its Highest Good, and my heart is completely immersed in prayer of adoration."

Where is Jesus in our lives?

Everyone of us has a Vocation, a common Vocation, a universal Vocation and that is the Vocation to Holiness.

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta told us that everyone of us are called to be Saints! It's a duty for you and me. But do not treat it like an obligation but do it out of love! We must never be afraid to be Holy and there's nothing wrong to be Holy. Only pride can stop us from being Holy for God.

Have we been a Jesus to others lately? We are all called to follow Jesus. Once, I was asked this question, "What do you think of when the name of Jesus is mentioned?" and I said, "I think of humility. The humble Jesus, who came, to serve." As followers of Christ, have we practiced enough humility? I always have this goal, which sometimes, I may forget about, and that is - that one day, when people look at me, they will think of Jesus, if they don't, then I need to work on improving my character, so that others may see the Jesus in me.

What exactly should be our priority? Often, we do not put Christ in the centre of our lives. We tend to focus on things so much that we forget the "Jesus Factor" in the things we do. We are all called to evangelisation, to be God's instrument in the salvation of souls.

Prima Lex Salus Animarum - The First Law is the Salvation of Souls

The Mission of all Christians is evangelisation and the best way to evangelise is to be a Jesus to others. If we want to save souls, there's no need to go to great lengths. When people around us witness the charitable, loving, humble character in us, they will want to be like us and of course it's because of Jesus. Conversion of Souls will take place.

Jesus tells us that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Everyone of us, if not, many of us, has this inner desire to seek for Truth because we want to be satisfied by that truth. In that process of searching for truth, we often forget charity.

For myself, I used to be a "Liturgical Police" at mass, pointing our liturgical abuses committed by priests. But, "Aren't we supposed to concentrate in Mass and the most august sacrifice on the altar? We become obsessed with the wrong things.

What we don't realised is that Jesus has already told us that HE is the truth. With Jesus, comes everything else. In everything we do, think Jesus, be Jesus.

We often ironically condemn the Protestants for their: "I love you Jesus!" or "Praise Jesus! Praise the Lord!" That's what we are all supposed to do! And then we start to admire them for having a lot of members in their small groups. Why should we be surprised?

It's never too late to start having Jesus in all things, like Ignatius of Loyola's vision of finding God in all things!

Remember the common saying of, "What would Jesus do?" I've learnt that throughout the day, popping this question in our minds, help us to make better decisions and helps us in our relationship with the people around us.

Only in Jesus (through Mary), can we find the consolation that lasts.

Examination Mass

Hi brothers and sisters in Christ,

There will be a combined poly examination mass coming up during the holidays!

Celebrant: Rev. Fr. Alex Chua

Date: 18 August 2010 Wednesday 3.00 to 5.00pm

Venue: Classroom T1754
The classroom is located at Block T17, Level 5, Classroom 4.
(When you walk all the way straight from Dover MRT, that block is T16)

Who are invited: All Polytechnic Students/Lecturers

Organised by SP Catholic Students' Society


Contact details: Lowell @ 92353929/lowell.c92@gmail.com

Food for Thought

Then Jesus said to them: "Amen, amen, I say unto you: unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I will raise him up in the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father has sent me and I live by the Father: so he that eats me, the same also shall live by me.This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers ate manna and are dead. He that eats this bread shall live for ever."

Gospel of St.John 6: 53-58

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Recently, during the Corpus Christi Mass, my Bishop in his sermon made a very interesting point regarding the Eucharist. He said, "When we go up and receive Holy Communion it is not just us who are receiving Christ into our body but rather also Christ who is receiving us into His."

Now if we think about it in a more down to earth manner, if we in receiving Christ are being received into His body should we not be as clean ourselves as we would like when we receive our own food?

If you ever noticed; most of the time before our food is taken into ourselves it is cleansed first with water and then over a fire (or heat).

It is the same with us and Christ, before we let ourselves enter in union with Christs' body we should first receive absolution through the sacrament of confession( cleansing by water) and then followed by penance for our sins ( fire). In this way we will make good supplements in Christs' body and not end up as cancerous cells that causes nothing but hurt to our sweet Jesus.

Also in my observation and contemplations I cannot bear but wonder at the unsound judgment of Catholics these days. Why is it that when the Eucharist is exposed in the monstrance we show such reverence but when Christ is exposed before us during Holy Communion we treat Him so superficially? What is the difference between the contents of the monstrance and the communion bread?

Before I end I would like to also give you a little something to think about. Whenever you receive the Eucharist in Holy Communion just imagine yourself as a tabernacle, a monstrance, that is now housing the Blessed Sacrament. How we adore the Eucharist when it is exposed to us, should we not treat our own bodies in the same holiness and reverence? (How we dress: do we protect our modesty? How we speak: do we speak using foul, reckless and uncouth language? What we think and watch: are we constantly being filled with impurities in thought by what we watch or read? etc.)

St. Thomas Aquinas and St.Gemma Galgani Ora Pro Nobis.

Ad Jesum per Mariam

BBQ Session

Hello dear brothers and sisters in Christ! Hope u guys are enjoying your holidays now. :)

Just to let you guys know there will be a bbq session on the 17th of June.Which is this coming thursday.

Location: Janice's place ( Somewhere in CCK)
Meeting place: Keat Hong Control station (LRT)
Time:2pm
Day:Thursday
Purpose:Bonding session
BBQ time start:5 to 5.30pm
Estimated time end:10pm
Attire: Anything.lol. If u guys want swim or what just bring extra clothes) :)
Price: Keep in view (Maybe ard 10 to 15 dollars)


Hope u guys would come! Especially freshies, its a good time to have fun,relax and get to know one another more! Hope to see u guys soon! :)

Any questions feel free to contact any of the ex-co members or leave a message at the tagboard. :)

God bless u!
Leonard

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Feast of the Corpus Christi

Solemnity of Corpus Christi. This feast is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. However this is a movable feast. For places that do not have the Feast of Corpus Christi as a day of obligation, it is celebrated on the Sunday after Trinity Sunday.

May our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored and loved, with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time!

O Sacrament most holy! O Sacrament Divine!

All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!

The indulgenced ejaculations express admirably the scope and the purpose of the present Feast, i.e. to glorify the Blessed Sacrament, and to bring souls to the feet of Jesus, the Divine Lover of souls.

Collect from the 2002 Roman Missal

Lord Jesus Christ, You gave us the Eucharist as the memorial of Your suffering and death. May our worship of this sacrament of Your Body and Blood help us to experience the salvation You won for us and the peace of the kingdom where you live with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect from the 1962 Roman Missal

O God, who under a wonder Sacrament has left us a memorial of your passion: grant us, we beseech you, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood that we may ever feel within us the fruits of your redemption. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.

Do you all find the collect (a.k.a opening prayer) from the 1962 Roman Missal familiar? =P

The Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Eucharist

1324 The Eucharist is "source and summit of the Christian life." "The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch."

1325 "The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both of God's action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit."

1326 Finally, by the Eucharistic Celebration we already unite ourselves with the heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all.

1327 In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith: "Our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking."

Below is the Pange Lingua, written by St. Thomas Aquinas, who was given the task of composing hymns for the celebration of Corpus Christi, by Pope Urban IV. The better known Tantum Ergo (Down in adoration falling) actually forms the last two verses of the Pange Lingua.