Opinion

I remember having read in college a story written by Leo Tolstoy, entitled “How Much Land Does a Man Need?”. It was a standard classic example of a short story (in 66 pages!) recommended for our reading.The story tells of a peasant who enters into an agreement with the owner of a vast track of land. He can have all the land he can cover from sunrise to sunset for 1,000 rubles. Early the next day, the peasant immediately starts his trek as soon as the sun rises. By midday, he covers a sizeable amount of land and is about to return when he notices that the land ahead is so much greener and more fertile. He proceeds to cover also that part of the land. By midafternoon, he knows he needed to return. Seeing that he has gone too far, he musters all his remaining strength and runs as fast as ...

“Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find…” This is certainly among the most reassuring verses from the gospel. Yet, we cannot help but doubt at times when we do not immediately get what we pray for.Today, Jesus teaches us what to pray for and how to pray. He tells us not to give up in prayer and to put our trust in God. God always answers our prayers. Maybe not today, but certainly one day, in his own time. Likewise, God grants our every petition in his own way, not necessarily in the way we expect. Often, we ask God for what we want, and he gives us what we need. For “what father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for fish?”I once came across this lovely prayer which is commonly attributed to an unknown confederate soldier.I asked for strength that I mi...

In today’s gospel, a scribe stands up to test Jesus and asks, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Aware of the scribe’s malicious intent, Jesus throws back the question at him. “You are a scholar of the law, what does it say?” “Love God with all your heart… and your neighbor as yourself.” “Correct, now do it and you will live.”Perhaps embarrassed and wanting to justify himself, the scholar presses on, “And who is my neighbor?”Jesus does not give a direct answer but simply tells a story. A man is travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho and falls in the hands of robbers. He is left on the road, half-naked and half-dead. A priest passes by, sees the victim and passes on the opposite side. Later, a Levite appears in the scene and likewise takes the opposite side.Finally...

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, pillars of the universal Church and founders of the See of Rome. Saint Peter, once a humble fisherman, was chosen by Christ to be the rock upon which the Church was built and became the first Pope, a symbol of stability in the Church. Saint Paul, once a fierce persecutor of Christians, underwent a dramatic conversion and became the Apostle to the Gentiles. He dedicated his life to proclaiming the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles alike, breaking down divisions and striving to unite all believers in Christ. Though vastly different in background and temperament, both were martyred in Rome and are venerated together as faithful disciples of the Lord.As we look around at the troubled state of the world today, with its wars, division...

Corpus ChristiSometime last year, a pastor came to inquire how he could join the Catholic Church. When I asked him the reason why he wanted to become a Catholic, his answer was - the Eucharist.A Baptist pastor for 37 years, he said that every time he read the discourse on the Bread of Life in chapter 6 of John, he became more and more convinced that Jesus truly meant his words, “I am the Bread of life… the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world… unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” (Our Protestant brethren maintain that Jesus did not mean these words literally but only symbolically.)The pastor’s conviction eventually turned into a deep desire and hunger for the Eucharist. He would secretly sneak ...

A missionary priest was once commissioned by the bishop to prepare a catechism book for an indigenous tribe. After the priest submitted his work for approval, the bishop found out that there was no mention of the Holy Trinity in the book at all. When confronted about the gross omission, the author replied that he had left out the doctrine of the Trinity because he thought it was too abstract and complicated for the local people to understand. Besides, he believed it had no practical bearing on their lives.What a gross omission indeed, and an even more gross misunderstanding! The Holy Trinity is not only the fundamental truth of our Christian faith. It constitutes the core dynamic of our Christian life. More than a dogma to believe in, the Trinity is a mystery to be lived.In my homi...

Saying goodbye is always hard and painful. Yet we know that some goodbyes are necessary if we are to gain something greater than what we leave behind. No pain, no gain. We see this in the goodbyes of children who leave home to pursue higher education, or of parents who go abroad to find a better work and provide a better future for their family.I remember the deep sadness of my father when he grudgingly allowed me to enter the seminary. He had other plans for me, being the eldest of his children. He was somehow “forced” to accede to my request after a priest-friend of our family succeeded in persuading him to allow me to pursue my vocation.Fast forward. Fifteen years later, my father came for my priestly ordination and assisted me in putting on the chasuble during the Mass. My moth...

As Jesus was about to leave this world, he bade farewell to his apostles gathered at the upper room. His parting words to them were, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.”Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead and visited his apostles gathered in the same room and greeted them, “Peace be with you!”Peace was Jesus’ parting word to his apostles before his death and his first word to them after his resurrection.Two weeks ago, people gathered at St. Peter’s Square and eagerly waited to see the new Pope. When he finally emerged from the loggia, he greeted the Church and the world with the same greetings of the risen Lord.“Peace be with you all! These are the first words spoken by the risen Christ. I would like this greet...

Today’s short gospel marks the beginning of Jesus’ long farewell discourse given at the last supper. He tells his apostles, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.”Why does Jesus call it a new commandment? Is it not essentially the same as the “old” commandment written in Leviticus 19:18, which speaks of loving one’s neighbor as oneself? In substance, they are the same: love your neighbor. What is new is the standard of love. Jesus asks his disciples to love one another, not just as they love themselves, but as he loves them.On that evening, Jesus demonstrates his love by kneeling in front of his disciples and washing their feet. The following day, he shows the extent of his love by giving up his life for them. The ...

“Dominus est.” (It is the Lord) These are the words uttered by the apostle John when he sees the resurrected Christ standing on the shore of Lake Tiberias. He and the other six disciples have spent the whole night fishing at sea without catching anything. At early dawn they return to shore and Jesus appears to them. But they do not realize it is Jesus. Why is it that only John recognizes the Lord? I can only think of two possible reasons: John’s simplicity of heart and love for Jesus.Jesus proclaims the pure of heart blessed because they shall see God. (Mt 5:8) John is the youngest of the apostles, and hence the more innocent and perhaps the least corrupted? He is often referred to as the virgin apostle. But more than bodily continence, purity of heart here refers to the honesty of a p...