tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853204965986587589.post4985004749801339540..comments2024-03-17T22:48:00.427+08:00Comments on Reflections and Ruminations: Why we need to participate at Mass weeklyFr Luke Fonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03079016104331055895noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853204965986587589.post-61867572822514648322010-04-15T16:31:37.425+08:002010-04-15T16:31:37.425+08:00Dear Fr Luke
Throughout my Catholic life, I have ...Dear Fr Luke<br /><br />Throughout my Catholic life, I have had occasions to take a break from church. Whatever, the reason, when I come back I come back fully present.<br /><br />Once, after mass, feeling empty and lost, I strayed to door of Father's office. He saw me, and asked "What are you looking for? For GOD?"<br /><br />I have forgiven him. I realised now, that HE is not outside of us. He is WITHIN, we need only acknowledge and be, and act as he wants us to.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853204965986587589.post-25785389634329645182010-04-12T22:25:27.714+08:002010-04-12T22:25:27.714+08:00Yes frLuke, the word is participate. Only when on...Yes frLuke, the word is participate. Only when one participates fully, will the Mass comes alive. <br /><br />When i listen attentively and respond to each prayer offered/said by the celebrant, it is my conversation with the Lord. Hmmm so there are times i could not respond with an AMEN because i have not lived the prayer!<br /><br />Attending Mass is therefore no longer an obligation but a date i look forward to and if coupled with good homilies, i am in heaven:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853204965986587589.post-5070914961542637632010-04-12T21:54:05.578+08:002010-04-12T21:54:05.578+08:00There must be good reasons why one needs to go to ...There must be good reasons why one needs to go to another parish just for the sake of good homilies. I can understand if you have a stronger bond of friends in another parish, or that you are a member of some church ministry in that parish, but just for the sake of good homilies may be a very weak reason for extricating yourselves from the parish community that you are living in. <br /><br />But having said that, this is one of the wonderful things about our Catholicity. If we truly understand that the Mass is not just something that we 'attend', but that it is something that we 'become', then one can even overlook the 'hopping' to another parish to participate in the Eucharist, so long as after that, one is very willing to BECOME eucharist back in the parish in which one belongs. My concern would be we may only be interested in going for Mass, and hardly spare a thought about being Mass. That's why the last line uttered by the Celebrant becomes our mission - to go in the peace of Christ. Go where? Back to our communities to break ourselves for each other in service and in love. That would be the more important part of the lived Mass. <br /><br />God bless you<br /><br />Fr LukeFr Luke Fonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03079016104331055895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853204965986587589.post-28893986174268990072010-04-12T21:24:05.206+08:002010-04-12T21:24:05.206+08:00Would you consider it a selfish act if I left the...Would you consider it a selfish act if I left the original parish church and "move" to another church for mass just for the sake of good homilies? If so, does it mean I ought to stay at the original parish church and with the original community?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853204965986587589.post-52320891987467064282010-04-12T17:26:17.086+08:002010-04-12T17:26:17.086+08:00I don’t think that we consciously put ourselves at...I don’t think that we consciously put ourselves at the centre of the universe when we make our plans and our agenda the focal point of our actions. That’s probably because the ego itself is so deceptive and deceitful, it has to mask itself by projecting the blame on to others and anything else outside of itself. The conscious self does want to make that effort to live more meaningfully, but if it is not trained in the discipline of self examination and deeper reflection, most of the time it will be a knee-jerk reaction rather than a well thought-through and meditated-upon act. At the heart of all our inspired and most altruistic actions and decisions, what we should strive to do is to be able to reach that level of love, where, as the Angelic Doctor St Thomas Aquinas defines real love as “willing the good of the other”. But this is a life-long task. We wish it were something that could happen overnight for most of us, but since when is love a ‘finished’ task? Thanks for the comment.<br /><br />Fr LukeFr Luke Fonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03079016104331055895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7853204965986587589.post-16243676597983640202010-04-12T15:39:28.351+08:002010-04-12T15:39:28.351+08:00There are times when we question ourselves as to w...There are times when we question ourselves as to why we are doing certain things, especially. the rationale behind our actions. We take stock. I don't think we are really putting ourselves "in the heart of the universe", but rather we are making an effort to live more meaningfully 'this'moment of time. So if we come to the honest conclusion that a particular action has become mere routine, does not impart relevance or does not enhance or develop us spiritually, we may decide to do without it. Is that a selfish thing to do, or isn't that an act of integrity to self ? tessaTessahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04211998984286520369noreply@blogger.com