The Feast of the Assumption of Mary

Why does Mary have such a preeminent place in heaven? (cf. YouCat, no:147)

When Pius XII defined the dogma of the Assumption on November 1^st, 1950, it was a cause of great joy throughout the Catholic world.The doctrine of the Assumption says that at the end of her life on earth Mary was assumed, body and soul, into heaven. Some people think Catholics believe Mary ‘ascended’ into heaven. That’s not correct. Christ, by his own power, ascended into heaven. Mary was ‘assumed’ or taken up into heaven by God. She didn’t do it under her own power.

Our Lady is brought to heaven to share in the glory and joy of her Son Jesus because of her unique role and because of her response in saying “Yes” to God’s call. It was the crowning grace of Mary’s friendship with God.

What Mary has experienced after death is also what we also look forward to. We look forward to what we profess in the profession of faith: “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”

The feast of the assumption tells us that Mary has completed her earthly pilgrimage and she was assumed - her body and soul went into heaven. We are not born for this earth but for heaven. We shall look forward to our resurrection on the last day where we shall experience the heavenly glory and enjoy the vision of God in heaven.

How Ready Are You?

"You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect," (Luke 12:40)

We are very good at thinking about the future. We prepare for many “what ifs” by the various insurance policies we hold: Life, Car, House, and other belongings as well.

We plan for retirement with various investments and funds.

We begin planning for the education of our children even though it may be nearly one or two decades away.

We save money for holidays or maybe even to purchase MATA fair or cheaper flights. High school students are beginning to think about their future colleges.

College and varsity students start accumulating resume data as soon as they enter college/university anticipating the days when they will be walking into interviews to show an impressive resume.

We are already good at thinking about the future.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tells us to be truly ready, in spite of all our efforts to build up our financial and material security. Jesus tells us today to be ready, to be ready when the Master comes.

There is absolutely no way we can know when or how the Master will come to call us. He says it will be like a thief in the middle of the night.

As life goes on we become increasingly aware of how short-lived it is. Life can be taken away from us in the twinkling of an eye.

Am I ready? Am I prepared?

Be a Friend of the Cross!

“Why are we too supposed to accept suffering in our lives and thus ‘take up our cross’ and thereby follow Jesus.” (YOUCAT no. 102)

In today’s reading Jesus said, “"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me...”  (Mt 16: 24-28).

There are many of us that are willing to be friends of Jesus ONLY in good times but there are very few of us that are true friends of Jesus who are willing to embrace the cross at all times, even in the bad. Of course, it is not easy to be a friend of the CROSS. 

We should not forget that our Christian lives are constant battles. We cannot escape from these realities. In faith we can accept our own suffering and also share the suffering of others. In this way human suffering becomes unites with the redeeming love of Christ and thus part of the divine power that changes the world for the better.

Lord, give me the courage to take up my cross and follow in your footsteps.

"It is Good to be Here...!"

Why was Christ transfigured on the mountain? (Question no. 93 – YOUCAT)

Today we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, (Lk 9:28-36). The Father wanted to reveal the divine glory of His Son even during Jesus’ earthly life. It was also to help the disciples later to understand His death and resurrection.

At Mount Tabor, Jesus begins to shine (is “transfigured”) before the eyes of His disciples. Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here,” (Lk 9:33).

During the feast of Sts Anne and Joachim, thousands of pilgrim were at the Church of St Anne, Bukit Mertajam and I am sure that they too felt “It is good to be here” at the mountaintop of the Shrine of St Anne.

About 3.5 million youths gathered at the World Youth Day in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. They too felt the same, “It is good to be here” at the mountaintop near the Statue of Holy Redeemer.

It is good for us to be here – here where all things shine with divine radiance, where there is joy and gladness, where there is nothing in our hearts but peace, serenity and stillness; where God is seen.

Pope Francis told the young people during the WYD, “It is good to follow Jesus… Jesus’ message is good; it’s good to get out of ourselves, to the peripheries of the world and of existence to take Jesus!” Christ needs us. He needs our young faith and our young enthusiasm. Thus, we are not just to feel good remaining in His presence but we need to listen and to follow Him.

It is time to awaken confidence and hope that we will be transfigured and transformed through our attitudes for a tomorrow filled with hope and light. Let the light of Jesus transfigure and transform you.

What is Given is Given!

 A short reflection on The Parable of the Rich Landowner, (LK 12: 13-21)

Do we want a life dependent on things of this world or a life close to God? Most people the main priority in life is to attain enough money in order to live a good life. Millions of people today are giving all of their time and energy to worldly things and are forgetting God.

The rich landowner of this parable was a farmer but he represents all human beings who are seduced by “all kinds of greed.” Greed arises when our heart loves material things and possessions in selfish and disordered ways. Possessions are necessary for life but possessions can assume such an importance in one’s life that they become obsessions.

 

In the light of what Jesus says, each of us has some hard thinking to do about our attitude towards possessions. We grab what we can and then hold on to it hard. Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.

God created “things” – material reality – for a purpose: to help us fulfill our mission in this life. Everything that belongs to God is ours when we desire to share it with others. Thus, our philosophy of life should be, “what is given is given, what is lost is lost.” What is given to others is not lost but it will be transformed into a treasure for eternity.

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.” (Mahatma Gandhi)