Be like Christ

The phrase “you are what you eat” is usually used as dietary warning. In other words, eat unhealthily and expect your body to protest at some point with health problems (sometimes fatal) or weight gain.

This took on a deeper meaning for me last Sunday, being Corpus Christi.

If I eat the body and drink the blood of Christ, the Eucharist, I will be nourished and healed. For I am transformed as I allow the real presence of Jesus into my body, and consequently into my heart and my life.

I will become more like Him as I die to my worldly self. Yet how often do I really take advantage of the power of the Paschal Mystery?

Do I allow myself to be who I eat? My glib response is yes, as long as no one crosses my path or rains on my parade.

It's hard to remain mindful and to practise virtue when sometimes it seems as if everyone (hates me) and everything (is too difficult) is out to get me.

Nobody appreciates, understands or cares for me.

When the world is a harsh, alien and hostile place and in the words of five-year-old Brian, "I don't like it!."

This is where it's important to lead a Eucharistic life, to have faith and believe that we can rise above our troubles and ourselves by walking closely with the Father, by becoming like Christ.

Jesus came to show us that the impossible is nothing (to quote the Adidas ad campaign) and He left us with two very powerful weapons in our fight against our own foibles - the Holy Spirit and the Eucharist.

And God gave us His son, the Word made flesh, flesh to become the sacrificial lamb who would bring redemption and hope to the world.

So when I am unable to make it to weekday mass to get my Eucharistic boost, I rely on the written Word to remind me of who I am and what I must do.

"When your words came, I devoured them: your word was my delight and the joy of my heart; for I was called by your name, Lord, God of Sabaoth." Jer 15:16

Sup well today.

Mother's Day

I was telling my mother just yesterday that I did not realize today is Mother's Day. I had to be reminded by A.

We both laughed and I went on to say to her, tongue in cheek, that it was because to me, every day is Mother's Day.

It was a promise I made to myself when Dad passed on to treat my Mum specially every single day.

Dad used to say to us, "When I am gone, you all will bully your mother." It would tick me off for I did not see myself as a bully, much less a mother bully.

Upon reflection, I found a kernel of truth in what he said.

Mum is a total sweetheart and she is the most easy-going person in the world. If I were to treat her badly, she would stomach it without saying a word.

So the potential to bully is very high.

In many ways, Mum reminds me of Mother Mary: her gentleness, her meek acceptance of life and her unending patience. I like to think I have inherited some of these traits despite having my Dad's trigger temper.

Friends, do tell me if I am deluded or not?

When people tell me I am a good daughter, I always say I am blessed with a good mother. Mum makes it easy for me to be a good daughter for she is so accepting of my flaws and she eats whatever I put in front of her, good and bad.

Because of her I have learned to be capable, resilient and independent.

I have learned to be in touch with my girly side.

I have learned that gentleness is a strength.

I have learned to laugh and delight in life, be content with what I have.

I have learned to be able to tell a phalaenopsis from a cattelaya and appreciate the beauty of both.



I thank the Lord for the gift of my mother and I pray she will be around for a long time still, for she is one of my anchors in life.

Spirit light

Photo of Halema`uma`u Crater

Source: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

When molten lava is over 900 degrees C hot, it glows a bright orangey yellow, giving off light that can be seen from a distance.

I spent this Pentecost weekend attending a Life in the Spirit Seminar (LISS) facilitated by "Alex Loo Sdn Bhd" as Fr. Arro called the team.

Having attended one previously in 2003, I was not very keen on attending another except it happened to be in my parish. So to support the efforts of my parish community, I decided to attend.

Plus, what better way to spend Pentecost than to experience the Holy Spirit in a seminar that recognized and celebrated His power?

It was a spirit-full event and I came away with the Spirit burning even brighter in my heart, much like molten lava.

I am even more convinced of how much Jesus loves me and I feel truly blessed to have experienced that knowledge in my heart and soul, and not just merely in my mind.

What made it especially wonderful was that my cousin and her husband had attended the seminar as well. And it is very cool to witness a family member you love experience the power of the Holy Spirit for the very first time and be on fire. I feel like a proud mama!

Of course there was the drama of people resting in the Spirit, dropping like nine pins, a sea of healing tears and the heady rush of joy of a crowd 250-strong on a mutual spiritual high.

While being able to feel such elation and inner joy is great, faith is not merely emotion-driven.

For me, the most important message was in the final talk by Fr. Arro on how to grow in the Spirit.

He gave four simple ways on how we can continue to chart spiritual progress in our lives:

1) An eagerness and fidelity to prayer - switching to God's channel every day for some "quiet time" is vital for unless we give ourselves the chance to listen to God, we will not be able to know Him intimately and build a relationship full of vitality.

"Prayer is not magic," Fr. Arro reminded us. It should not be used as a means to get answers to questions in life. Rather prayer gives us the freedom to hear and love Him, to answer God's call, and consequently, know how to serve Him. Able to do the will of the Father, just like Jesus.

By starting the day with a question to the Father - "Show me how to love today?" - we will be better equipped to accomplish our mission daily, which is to sow seeds of love everywhere we go.

2) An eagerness and fidelity to reading and meditating on the Bible - Fr. A said the Bible should be our "best friend" and one we should look forward to spending time with, instead of viewing it as a chore we feel duty-bound to perform.

He encouraged us to use good Bible commentaries and attend Bible study courses to gain a better understanding.

While we may not understand everything, we must persist in reading consistently and systematically. In bite-sized pieces so as not to feel overwhelmed.

And the best starting point is to begin with is one of the four gospels.

3) To serve eagerly - with an open heart, we do whatever the Lord asks of us.

If we seek to be kingdom-builders, signs of God's love in the world, then we must see what is needed and do our best to fulfil the needs of the community by serving in the capacity we are called to by Jesus.

Always remember, it's not doing what I want to do, but doing what He wants me to do, whether I like it or not (and I won't like it much at times).

4) Accept that the process of forgiving and healing is a life-long one - there is no silver bullet or instant cure. Healing takes time, mostly a lifetime to achieve.

Even as we choose to forgive someone for hurting us, we may not have experienced healing.

And when healing does take place, we do not simply forget for "there is a duty of memory". However, if we can remember the past without bitterness, anger and a desire for revenge, then it is a sign of the presence of the Spirit within us.

We were reminded to avail ourselves of the power of the Eucharist in continuing the healing process.

Today I was given new heart, a new life in the Spirit. May the light shine bright always.

High fidelity

Audiophiles and avid photographers all seek perfection in music or photography. They spend tens of thousands of dollars on equipment that will reproduce sound or image that is as close to the real thing as possible.

This predilection for seeking perfection is completely human. Made in the image and likeness of God, we ourselves are closest to perfection when we strive to be like Jesus and when we are completely guided by the Holy Spirit.

However, when we get distracted by "noise" like fortune, fame, power and other worldly values, or when we have a distorted view of the world around us, we are unable to transcend our own fears, needs and values and we are hampered in our endeavours to be "perfect", selfless, like Jesus.

How do we rise out of our concupiscence, this desire for worldly things and the tendency to sin? How can we seek perfection and find it on this earth?

As is revealed in the readings this Ascension Day, we will receive power from the Holy Spirit to restore the kingdom - for it is through the spirit of wisdom and perception that we can hope in what we have been called to do and see the glories we stand to inherit through answering the call.

However, having the power but not exercising it is useless. This happens when we seek perfection in things that cannot last - perfection of the body, mind and material things instead of spiritual perfection. Or we ignore the call.

Seeking spiritual perfection does not mean we eschew pleasure and all things worldly. It does not mean we are called to live in the desert, away from all humankind.

Seeking spiritual perfection means we live by and in the Spirit by seeking the presence of God in our lives and surrendering our will to Him on a daily basis. It means answering the call to serve in the way we are each called to serve.

This requires work and fidelity of the highest order.

As St Paul exhorted the Romans:

"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

So make it a perfect day. Stay faithful.


Note: High fidelity equipment enables minimal noise or distortion and produces sound that is pure.