Passion and compassion

I attended the Episcopal Ordination of Monsignor William Goh last evening and it was a joyous occasion marked with the solemn beauty of Catholic tradition. I felt privileged to be among the 13,000 who had gathered at the Singapore Expo's Max Pavilion to witness this momentous event and to pray with and for our Coadjutor Archbishop.

This Roman Catholic Church is in transition whether at home or abroad, for change is inevitable in life. With the recent announcement of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, who officially steps down on February 28, the new pope will be in for rocky times for there are recent reports of sex scandals and blackmail in the Vatican.

Is the Church in crisis? Yes, for we are living in times of crises. One has only to look around to see the social fabric of nations being ripped apart by sexual infidelity, dishonesty, greed and violence daily.

Integrity, honour, virtue have fallen out of favour with humankind for we are living in a world caught in a miasma of secularism and relativism. How else can one explain when a group of high-ranking clergyman excuse and indulge in behaviour completely lacking in truth and purity, most unbefitting of the vows they made before God?

I am hoping the reports are fallacious but if they are true, do I lose heart when I see a canker festering within the Vatican? Do I leave the Church, disillusioned, angry and bitter? Now, more than ever, I am called to question how I can make a difference through my baptism: to be an agent of change and renewal for the good of all humankind and to help Mother Church heal, instead of walking away.

As Monsignor Eugene Vaz asked those present during a talk on baptism last Thursday, what is the quality of my faith during this period of Lent in the Year of Faith? Each of us who makes up the Church is called to a renewal and deepening of our faith during this special season.

The effects of baptism are manifold as he explained. First and foremost, I have been washed free of the guilt of original sin. I have a supernatural life and its attendant graces (if I choose to cooperate with the Holy Spirit that lives within me). I have been infused with supernatural powers that give rise to virtues, gifts and fruits of the Spirit.

I am also a member of the Church who is the universal sacrament of salvation and sanctification. And finally, I bear the indelible seal and character of Christ who is the vine I am been grafted onto and hence I enjoy a unique relationship with Him not found outside of baptism.

If I wish to fully experience the effects of my baptism so as to carry out the threefold office of priest, prophet and king with any measure of success, I must fully appreciate the ramifications of baptism and cultivate the gift of faith that is mine.

I must persevere beyond despair, and love beyond hurt and pain, for the trials and tribulations of life will certainly include suffering and persecution.

The hallmark of Monsignor William Goh's ministry is "Passion and Compassion", one I am appropriating for I don't ever wish to lose my passion for the truth of God's love and how I can live out that love, sharing it with others. And as truth without mercy can be harsh and unforgiving, compassion must be integral to everything I think, feel, say and do.

Through the upcoming storms, if we hold fast to the truth of faith and walk the distance with hope, defending it with love, we will see change for the better. Prayer will be the weapon of choice for it is only with and through prayer that we will be given the wisdom and heart to live and act with passion and compassion.

Thank you for your fiat, Monsignor William and your motto, Ut Vivant, That They May Live. I look forward to being part of an energized, evangelistic flock led by a dynamic and Spirited shepherd.

Upholding family tradition

I have survived another Lunar New Year clean and cook fest. While it has been exhausting, it is nice to be able to eat all the special dishes I enjoyed as a child, even if I have to cook them all by myself now.

The LNY brings back vivid memories of my grandmother and all the things she would do during this festive season. I find myself repeating her many rituals more to honour her memory (for they were important to her) than for the usual good luck.

As I cook, I get random memories of times past, when I was her helper, and later my dad's, and these memories are, for me, the highlight of the season for I get to capture the past, for a brief moment, and the mundane task of kitchen prep work is elevated and injected with meaning.

I catch a glimpse of my late grandmother and father, and it is as if I am cooking with them once again. They come alive in the sight, smell, texture and taste of each dish and I get to savour the goodness they put into LNY meals past today as I cook.

To the Chinese, food is important, not just for plain sustenance, but food has healing properties, and it is hugely symbolic of good fortune, prosperity and longevity during the LNY.

In my family, food is all that and more. Food is love, made visible in the painstaking prepwork, to the final culinary creation, and the act of eating together at the table, sampling with pleasure each bite as we share our lives with one another.

There is nothing more important than eating together as a family for that is what binds us and keeps us close. And there is something sacred about honouring tradition, the handing down of family recipes for each new generation to enjoy, as every recipe re-created is a labour of love.

Despite the tiredness and dishpan hands, I am glad I cooked this new year for I got a chance to thank both my grandmother and father for all those wonderful feasts they cooked for me and the rest of the family in the past. They would have lauded my current efforts, even if I lacked their culinary skills.

That the first day of the Lunar New Year fell on a Sunday made it all the more special for the Gospel from Luke 5:1-11 is about putting out into the deep, and catching more than just fish. The call of the first disciples by Jesus; a call that is still relevant today.

It is a call to remember where I come from, to know who I am today and to have the courage to embrace my future as a fisher of men. It is a call that both my maternal and paternal grandparents, and my parents answered. And, it is a call that I choose to answer as well.

Although family tradition may involve time, effort and even sacrifice, it is worthwhile for when it comes to love, there is no price too high to pay. Jesus Himself showed us that by becoming bread and wine for us all in the sacrifice of His own body and blood, a feast we partake of in the Eucharistic celebration every time.

I am grateful for the opportunity to uphold family tradition this year as I give thanks that it is but once a year.   

Good enough

Many of my friends ask me what is the secret of my mother's youthful appearance. Just seven weeks shy of her 80th birthday, she rarely gets mistaken for a senior citizen.

While my tongue-in-cheek response is daily afternoon naps, I believe the true reason why my mother looks and feels young, apart from her excellent genetic pedigree, is her attitude to life.

She is grateful and content with her life, has always been, and in the words of Psalm 23, she does not want. She does not hanker for things or experiences, she does not yearn for what she cannot get, therefore the simple pleasures in life satisfy her and make her happy.

Her attitude goes counter to current social norms where nothing is ever enough, where more means better. More material wealth, more love, more of everything equals happiness and therefore all ends justify the means taken to attain them.

Innate in us all are desires and dreams that push us to survive and flourish in life, that's our biology. But spiritually, we are built for transcendence, to go beyond ourselves and be more; to strive toward goodness, toward God.

Unfortunately, we now live in a world that emphasizes taking and not giving, using instead of serving, thus we remain stuck at the bottom of Maslow's pyramid, never moving up to self-actualization.

We focus so much on our own benefit that we become rabidly acquisitive, degenerating into greedy and selfish beings. We even fight and kill, commit unspeakable crimes in order to gain power, territory, wealth and love, whatever we want or desire.

We forget that true, lasting happiness comes from within, not without, and when we aspire toward goodness, we are well on the way to finding happiness as we most value it. Happiness is so not a Lamborghini Miura or a crocodile Birkin with gold and diamond hardware, lust-worthy as they are.

In past Sunday's Gospel (Luke 4:21-30), Jesus made the townspeople furious when He intimated that God's word and blessings were for everyone and not just the Chosen People.

As Father Stephen pointed out in his homily, the truth is "we, who are the Church, already have enough of God’s blessings.  In fact we are the ones who should be giving thanks and gratitude to God, and we should teach others to do likewise."

He could be talking about my mother for she teaches me this life lesson every day, that the joys and sorrows, achievements and failures, gains and losses of each day are enough, as long as we share in the joys and sorrows, achievements and failures, gains and losses of those around us, and we give thanks to God for being there with us every step of the way.

To me, she exemplifies love as it is defined in the second reading of 1 Corinthians 13 for she is patient, kind and truthful; not envious, boastful, proud or self-seeking; but trusting, full of hope and persevering. I can only aspire to love as she loves, not demanding more out of life.

Although Mum has had her fair share of tough times and is a breast cancer survivor, her lack of bitterness, regret or anger and her lack of demands keep her young at heart, and in mind and body.

For life, as it is, is good enough.