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By Michael Hii in Evangelising
22 December 2011 at 15:31
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Saturday
7 July 2012 at 21 seconds ago
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Travelling LIGHT
Written by Fr Anselm Phang, OCD
This Article was published in the SPP
weekly bulletin “The Apostles” on 3 April 2011, Fourth Sunday of Lent,
Year A.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900 -1944), the author of ‘The
Little Prince’, once noted “He who would travel happily must travel
light.”
So, just as we passed the midpoint of Lent, we should be
happy with the progress we have made on our Lenten journey. That is why we
celebrate Laetare Sunday today. Laetare means “Rejoice” in Latin and traditionally,
we see rose vestments being worn to encourage each other as we continue on our
pilgrims’ progress. Our spiritual advance can only be achieved through lots of selfdenial: intense prayer; focused fasting; and selfless
almsgiving.
If we wish to travel happy, then we must travel light.
Baggage - they seem to fasten themselves onto us, don’t they?
Much as we do not wish to carry too much baggage, it has
become too much a part of us for us to shake it off. What about my emotional baggage?
And is our baggage indispensible?
Baggage Number One: our indiscreet judgment.
“Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty
stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because man
sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) I think
while it is difficult to stay objective and produce a prudent perspective to
life all the time, our selfdenial, especially of
fasting, will train us to judge wisely the things that entrap us.
Baggage Number Two: our compromising disposition.
“You were once darkness, but now you are light in the
Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and
righteousness and truth. Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part
in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, for it is shameful even
to mention the things done by them in secret; but everything exposed by the
light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore,
it says: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give
you light.’ ” (Ephesians 5:8-14)
I have included the entire Second Reading here because
this is the frequent story of many a Christian baggage. How can we allow light
and darkness to co-exist mutually in us?
“The early Christians never exhibited any signs of
adoration nor appeasement to inhabiting spirits (in their homes) like having
food offerings and the like. They knew very well who these spirits were that
were causing trouble. Consequently, they also never reserved any place in their
houses where spirits could dwell in.” (Exorcism – Fr
Jose Syquia, Director of Archdiocese of Manila Office
of Exorcism)
I get so many people asking me to bless their statues,
holy pictures and medals. But the best way to witness for God is by keeping
their souls open to Jesus.
Jesus declares to us, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
(John 8:12) Jesus desires to shepherd us to be with him forever. For us to
follow him in light, we need to leave our lives of darkness and follow him. (cf Psalm 23).
The Preface in today’s liturgy says it well,
“He came among us as a man, to lead mankind from darkness
into the light of faith. Through Adam’s fall, we were born as slaves of sin,
but now through baptism in Christ, we are reborn as your adopted children.” (Preface of Fourth Sunday of Lent)
“The LORD preceded them, in the daytime by means of a
column of cloud to show them the way, and at night by means of a column of fire
to give them light. Thus they could travel both day and night. Neither the
column of cloud by day nor the column of fire by night ever left its place in
front of the
people.” (Exodus 13:21-22)
Lord Jesus Christ, you are the
travelling light, shine on me, shepherd me.
This Article was published in the SPP
weekly bulletin “The Apostles” on 3 April 2011, Fourth Sunday of Lent,
Year A.
o
Audrey Olivia
likes this.
*************
7
July 2012