Tuesday, January 22, 2008
its me again!
homily today struck me.
went to church after a dismal interview, it really disheartened me because hopes of me getting into hotel school were dented. i be truthful, one half of me wants to go overseas and experience it. the other half strongly says no, i want to stay in Singapore to be with my family, friends and LOGGERS =). the options in Singapore are also very attractive you see. but more often than not, i find myself missing the whole point. eventually i wan to contribute to the world, earn money and do my part for the less fortunate. so as long i reach there eventually, any path will do and it is where the Lord will lead me.
so first reading. samuel was supposed to annoit God's chosen one, one of Jesse's sons. Jesse had 8 sons but he only presented 7 to samuel. God told Samuel that the 7 weren't the ones he chose. So Samuel asked Jesse whether he had another son. Jesse said yes, he was out in the fields, shepherding sheep. So Jesse sent for him, and he was David, the chosen one. After which David became king and all and as you go down the family line, to Mary which then conceived Jesus! So such a plan is so complex and so complete. ok it reinforced my belief that God plans well for us, we just gotta have faith.
then gospel, was another case of how the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus on a Sabbath day. It was indeed ironic that on a Sabbath, a day of rest, the Pharisees were doing something (trailing Jesus) and trying to trap him, and then accuse Jesus of violating the rules of the Sabbath. Mark's gospel then mentions Jesus proclaiming his authority and gives a new insight. He says that the Sabbath is made for men and not men made for the Sabbath so the priority of men comes before the Sabbath. on top of that, Jesus, the Son of man is above the Sabbath. As we infer through this passage, we replace the Sabbath with days, with the world. The world is made FOR men, for us to experience all kinds of emotions, trials so much so that at the end of the day, if we still have faith in the Lord, we are rewarded with eternity with Him in heaven. So men should not try to conform to the world, be chained to the needs of the world and the expectations. Only God sees us truly and judges us. God is above the world because he is the creator.
Picture this. you bring yourself into a third person perspective looking at yourself, your actions, your intentions and your thoughts. You will know the person you are observing (yourself) through and through. This is how judgement will be.
so combining both the first reading and the gospel, we how the whole BIG plan God has made. The world is made for us. Yesterday's final hymn was thank you Lord. I loved that song because of its lyrics. Of how we thank the Lord for the trials and how we grow from these trials. We learn to trust and to find patience. Human nature forbids us to let the Spirit guide but as long as we step back and take a wider perspective we will see where the Spirit is guiding us.
thank you Lord
Mark
its me again!
homily today struck me.
went to church after a dismal interview, it really disheartened me because hopes of me getting into hotel school were dented. i be truthful, one half of me wants to go overseas and experience it. the other half strongly says no, i want to stay in Singapore to be with my family, friends and LOGGERS =). the options in Singapore are also very attractive you see. but more often than not, i find myself missing the whole point. eventually i wan to contribute to the world, earn money and do my part for the less fortunate. so as long i reach there eventually, any path will do and it is where the Lord will lead me.
so first reading. samuel was supposed to annoit God's chosen one, one of Jesse's sons. Jesse had 8 sons but he only presented 7 to samuel. God told Samuel that the 7 weren't the ones he chose. So Samuel asked Jesse whether he had another son. Jesse said yes, he was out in the fields, shepherding sheep. So Jesse sent for him, and he was David, the chosen one. After which David became king and all and as you go down the family line, to Mary which then conceived Jesus! So such a plan is so complex and so complete. ok it reinforced my belief that God plans well for us, we just gotta have faith.
then gospel, was another case of how the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus on a Sabbath day. It was indeed ironic that on a Sabbath, a day of rest, the Pharisees were doing something (trailing Jesus) and trying to trap him, and then accuse Jesus of violating the rules of the Sabbath. Mark's gospel then mentions Jesus proclaiming his authority and gives a new insight. He says that the Sabbath is made for men and not men made for the Sabbath so the priority of men comes before the Sabbath. on top of that, Jesus, the Son of man is above the Sabbath. As we infer through this passage, we replace the Sabbath with days, with the world. The world is made FOR men, for us to experience all kinds of emotions, trials so much so that at the end of the day, if we still have faith in the Lord, we are rewarded with eternity with Him in heaven. So men should not try to conform to the world, be chained to the needs of the world and the expectations. Only God sees us truly and judges us. God is above the world because he is the creator.
Picture this. you bring yourself into a third person perspective looking at yourself, your actions, your intentions and your thoughts. You will know the person you are observing (yourself) through and through. This is how judgement will be.
so combining both the first reading and the gospel, we how the whole BIG plan God has made. The world is made for us. Yesterday's final hymn was thank you Lord. I loved that song because of its lyrics. Of how we thank the Lord for the trials and how we grow from these trials. We learn to trust and to find patience. Human nature forbids us to let the Spirit guide but as long as we step back and take a wider perspective we will see where the Spirit is guiding us.
thank you Lord
Mark