Love is complex, meaning that love involves many things. Classically speaking, our human faculties are made up of the mind, the will, and the affections. Using these, then, love is rooted in knowledge; love is exercised in willful decision; and love is experienced in the affections. To love someone involves all of this. To love someone means that you also love the things about someone. This is most true of our love for God. We love Him, and that leads us to love everything about Him. One of those things is His Word. To love God is to love his Word. As Psalm 119 says, "Oh how I love your law!" (v. 97). Because the Word is the means that God uses to speak to us, we need to love it and use it.

I am to love God by loving His Word. Therefore, it is my duty to read it. Just as we give presents because we love someone, and they open it in reciprocal love and gratitude, so too has God shown His love for His people by giving us the gift of His Word. Show him you love him by reading his Word. Scripture explains that we do this in three ways.

Publicly

We love God by loving His Word read publicly. This was done in the ancient Jewish synagogue, as evidenced by Jesus' entering the synagogue and performing the appointed reading from the prophet Isaiah (Luke 4:16–24). This was done in the ancient Christian church, as evidenced by Paul's words (1 Thess. 5:27; Col. 4:16). This continued in the ancient church. For example, Saint Justin Martyr said, "And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits" (First Apology, ch. 67). And Tertullian said, "We assemble to read our sacred writings … with the sacred words we nourish our faith, we animate our hope, we make our confidence more steadfast" (Apology, ch. 39).

As a Family

We love God by loving His Word read as a family, if the Lord provides us with a family. Moses exhorted Israel, saying, "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise" (Deut. 6:6–7). This practice of the covenant people was experienced by Timothy: "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings" (2 Tim. 3:14–15). Family Bible reading is necessary to propagate the Christian religion in our children. Is it any wonder when parents, especially fathers, are not taking the time to read the Word with their children? Ignorance of Scripture leads to ignorance of Christ.

Privately

We love God by loving His Word read privately. Psalm 1 speaks of the singular "man" (v. 1) who is blessed because "his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night" (v. 2). To read the Word and meditate upon the Word as a believer causes one to be like a well-watered and fruitful tree (v. 3). Psalm 119 is also the meditation of an individual believer: "Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day" (v. 97, emphasis mine). Meditating on the Word makes one wise (v. 98), makes one godly (v. 101), and gives us a spiritual delight as the Word is "sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (v. 103).

I am to love God by loving His Word. Therefore, it is my delight to receive it. Ten times in the great Psalm 119 we read of the psalmist praising the Lord for receiving the Lord's Word, saying he "delights" in the Word (Ps. 119:14, 16, 24, 35, 47, 70, 77, 92, 143, 174). Why? Because the Word is the living Word of the Lord to us, His people. The psalmist also describes his delight in the Word in comparison to other delightful things. He compares the Word to gold and silver, saying in verse 72, "The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces" (cf. v. 127). He compares the Word to honey, saying in verse 103, "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

If you love God, it is your duty to read the Word and your delight to receive it as the very Word of the true and living God.

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm.

My dear brothers and sisters, in today's Gospel we listen to a conversation between Peter and Jesus. Peter asks Jesus how often he must forgive others. This conversation is really a commentary on the fifth beatitude, which Jesus stated way back in Chapter 5 of St. Matthew's Gospel: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

Mercy goes against our fallen human nature. Automatically, we tend to play favorites, hold grudges, resent insults, demand our "rights," and care much more about our own hopes, plans, and problems than about others'.

When we do take an interest in other people, it's usually because we like them, and not because we view them as so valued by God that he sent his Son to die on the cross for them.

When we operate on this merely natural level, we always run into a limit in our ability to forgive those who offend or harm us. But Jesus is teaching us today that a Christian is called to be limitless in forgiveness: to be merciful as God is merciful.

We are glad that God is gentle and patient with us, always willing to forgive us, always showering us with his blessings, always there when we need him, always ready to understand us, always ready to sympathize with us before judging us… in short, we are glad that God is merciful with us, although we know we don't really deserve it.

And yet, we are often reluctant to be like that with others, just like the man in the parable.

If we don't let God help us overcome that reluctance, our hearts will become so closed that eventually Christ's mercy simply won't be able to get in.

If we do overcome it, they will open wider and wider, allowing the full flood of God's love to inundate them, making them an oasis for others who suffer, and a magnet for their kindness and generosity.

Blessed indeed are the merciful, for showing mercy is the only way to attract it. 

Catholic Bibles are known to have more books than Protestant Bibles. The New Testament of the Bible is exactly the same between Catholics and Protestants. They both consist of exactly twenty-seven (27) books. What differs between Catholic Bibles and Protestant Bibles is the Old Testament. Catholics have forty-six (46) books in the Old Testament, while Protestants have only thirty-nine (39). Protestants also have shorter versions of the books of Daniel and Esther. The seven books in question are Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1st Maccabees, 2nd Maccabee.

Why do Catholic Bibles have a longer Old Testament than Protestant Bibles? Protestants have shorter Old Testaments because the leaders of the Protestant Reformation removed books from the Old Testament. Catholic Church never "added any books" to the Bible. The Protestant Reformers took them out.

When Martin Luther began the reformation and began to translate the bible into German, he wanted to go back to the original source. For the Old Testament, he assumed at the time that the oldest version would be in Hebrew, and that he should find it from the version used by the Jews. He discovered that the Jewish Torah has only 39 books and not the 46 books of the Catholic Church. The "extra" seven books were considered to be not trustworthy by the Jews. As a result, he omitted those seven books.

What he didn't know, and couldn't know at the time, was that at Jesus' time, there were actually several versions of the Torah, most written in Hebrew, but especially one written in Greek, the so-called Septuagint translation, or LXX. The most widely used version at Jesus' time was actually the LXX, which contains all 46 books. During the second century, when the Christian Church became more and more prominent and increasingly under persecution, the Jews and the Christians had a number of fallouts. The Jewish leaders decided to definitively separate themselves from any mis-identification with the Christians. And one of the things they did was to consolidate the use of the Torah to only one version, one that was most different from the Christian Old Testament. Since seven of the books did not have Hebrew versions, they decided to drop them. For the longest time, it was widely believed that those books were written in Greek and did not have Hebrew versions.

But since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in Qumran, this is proven to be false. Among the Qumran scrolls were found fragments of Tobit, Wisdom and other parts of these seven books, all written in Hebrew. Given the puritanical nature of the Qumran community, this is sufficient evidence to prove that those seven books were accepted as authentic by the Jews since before Jesus' time.

This proves that the Jews in the second century has made a mistake in dropping those seven books. And Martin Luther as a result has also made a mistake in trusting in the Jewish version, albeit inadvertently. Those seven books are authentic, inspired books that properly belong to the Old Testament.

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm. 

My dear brothers and sisters, there is something everyone talks about but few people think about. For example, FREEDOM.

Today, the Lord wants us to think about freedom. There are three types of freedom.

First, freedom from physical restraint.

Nazi concentration camps during World War II violated this type of freedom. People were unfairly forced to leave their homes and work to the death at forced labor.

The second type of freedom is freedom from psychological pressure.

If someone threatens to burn down your house unless you give him $10,000, he is doing psychological violence to you, forcing you to harm yourself in one way in order to avoid being harmed in a worse way. In healthy societies, both of these freedoms are protected by the rule of law.

But there is a third type of freedom, not a freedom from, but a freedom for.

This is called moral or spiritual freedom. This is an ability built into every human heart. If used well, it helps us become excellent human beings, wise and honorable. If we misuse it, we become self-centered, frustrated, and even destructive human beings.

This freedom matters most to Jesus. He wants us to use it well, to become what he created us to be. Christ's life, death, and resurrection were all designed to help us do that, by showing us the way and giving us grace to overcome our selfish tendencies and follow it.

The Church, like the watchmen in today's First Reading and the disciples in today's Gospel, continues his mission: patiently and tirelessly warning us against seductive dead-end roads, and inviting us to forge ahead on Christ's path of self-forgetful love.

The choices we make every day, in little things and big things, matter. Every one of them can bring us closer to God and our true purpose, or further away. That's the essence of spiritual freedom. 

St. Jerome famously said, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." That thought alone should send us all rushing for our Bibles! So, why should Catholics make regular Scripture reading and study part of their daily lives?

1. The Bible is the living Word of God. There are many ancient texts in the history of the world. They are all worthy of study, but what sets the Bible apart? It is the living Word of God. It has no equal, and it is as relevant today. Further, the Word of God is Christ: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. (Jn. 1:1 ) Thus, every encounter with Scripture is an encounter with Christ.

2. Sunday isn't enough. Indeed, the Mass is full of Scripture. We hear the Word proclaimed from the Old and New Testaments, the Psalms, and the Gospel. We hear the Word sung in our hymns. The prayers at Mass are full of Scriptural quotes and references. And yet … it's not enough. It's easy to miss parts of the Word as it's proclaimed as Mass: we get distracted, the Word is not proclaimed well, we don't quite hear it. In order to prepare well for Mass, we should "read ahead:" find the readings for Mass and read them prior to Mass. How are they connected? What is God's message for His people today?

3. God's Word keeps us grounded. It is very easy, in the midst of our busy, stress-filled days, to lose touch with who we are: God's children. Taking time to read Scripture every day keeps us grounded, reminds us of who we are. Reading Scripture helps us to recall, every day, that Christ is with us – even in the busy-ness, the stress.

4. Scripture reminds us of God's covenant. God made a promise to our forefathers in faith. He told them, "I will be your God, and you will be my people." Even though we did many things that should have destroyed that covenant, God's promise is eternal. A covenant is unbreakable, because it is God's truth. Then, with the coming of Christ, we received a new covenant: "This is My Body and this is My Blood. Whoever eats and drinks of it shall have eternal life." The Bible, from start to finish, is the story of God's unbreakable promise to us.

5. Reading Scripture helps us to pray better. Every one of us needs to pray better. Prayer is our lifeline to God. Scripture can help us to pray better. We see ourselves reflected in the sorrow, pain and faithfulness of Job. We understand Jonah's reluctance to do the job God has set before him. We rejoice, laugh, cry and challenge God with the psalmist. We understand the shame of the woman about to be stoned. We tremble with fear, abandoning Christ, just as most of the Apostles did when He most needed them.

To enter into God's word helps us to see, hear, feel and understand basic human responses and then do better. We rise above our fears, our sorrows, our shame, because we know God is with us. Always. He never abandons us. Scripture is the story of God's eternal love and faithfulness.

St. Jerome knew all this. He understood that Scripture is the living word of God, as relevant to us as it was to the Jews in their many triumphs and struggles, as it was to the earliest Christians during St. Jerome's life, and now, in a world where we have so much information at our fingertips. Do not be ignorant of this word, lest you be ignorant of Christ.

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm.

The Music Ministry is sad to say goodbye to Pat Kozyra, our Saturday evening cantor.  After living in Hong Kong for 20 years, Pat and her husband, Taras, will be returning to Canada at the end of September.  Many, many thanks to Pat for offering her beautiful voice and giving many years of dedication and service to St. Anne's.  In the event that public church services are still closed in September and you do not get a chance to say goodbye to Pat in person, you can email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We wish her all the best in her move back home.

In today's Gospel Peter balks at the thought that Christ must deny himself and take up his cross. Last week Our Lord was praising Peter's faith; this week he is condemning his worldly outlook.

In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us that the cross is a part of our life whether we want it or not, and what matters is how we face it and why we face it. He also encourages us to practice self-detachment and to remember that everything we have comes from God.

No matter how often we try to accumulate things and ensure comfort, something prevents it from happening. Some people are wealthy, or healthy, or in charge of their lives, yet they feel something is missing.

All things that God has created only serve us to the degree that they help us and others draw closer to God. Sometimes we lose sight of that: we want a life that does not involve self-denial and the Cross, a life where we own everything we could want, not just everything we need.

We seek financial security, comfort, and control, and we convince ourselves that we'll be satisfied with having more money, more comfort, more control.

The things of this world are fleeting, and we've all experienced that after one bill comes another, that we can't always enjoy the health or comfort we crave, no matter how hard we try, and that there are many things that will always be beyond our control.

When we get obsessed about achieving the impossible in this world–unlimited wealth (the latest and greatest and a big nest egg), complete comfort (no aches and pains, nothing unpleasant), and total control (everything arranged to our satisfaction) –those things that God created for our good become obstacles to drawing closer to him, and throw up obstacles for others as well.

Our Lord reminds us today that we can have the whole world, but not possess what is truly important: an enduring and fulfilled life. That enduring and fulfilled life doesn't exist in this world, yet this world is the path to it. It depends on how we live in this world.

Our Lord teaches us today that the only way to achieve what we truly desire is to take up our cross for the sake of a higher cause: his cause.

Our Lord was ravaged on the cross, but not defeated, and from that Tree of Life an enduring and fulfilling life is made possible if we take up his cause and imitate him.

The alternative is a ravaged world: the more we seek fleeting things, the more we flee from our crosses, the more we'll suffer lasting misery, because if we put our stock only in the things of this world, they will, sooner or later, pass away.

Let's ask Our Lord today to help us see our crosses not as burdens, but as opportunities to help construct a better world in his name. Through our crosses, in his service, we can achieve a better life for ourselves and others.

Let's take up our cross and take up the cause of Christ. 

Many protestants think that Catholics do not read the bible. They often think that the Catholic Church even discourages reading the bible. In more extreme cases, some people think that the Church tries to hide biblical truths from lay Catholics.

Catholics Read the Bible at Mass

Did you know that the Catholic Church reads the entire Bible to her congregation over the span of three years? The Bible is read during the first part of the Catholic Mass: 3 readings on Sundays and 2 readings Monday through Saturday, also known as daily Mass. At each weekend Mass Catholics hear an Old Testament reading, a New Testament reading, and a Gospel reading, all relating to a central theme. Then the priest gives a homily typically on that theme or sometimes directly regarding one or more of the Scripture readings. At daily Masses is typically one Old Testament reading and a Gospel reading. Catholics also sing the Scriptures during the Responsorial Psalm which takes place between the first and second readings, and Scripture is also sung throughout the hymns which are primarily based on the Bible.

Catholics Read the Bible at Home

While it is true that many, many Catholics never really read the bible on their own, that is not the case for all Catholics. It is also not true that the Church discourages it! In fact, Saint Jerome said "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." That was back in the 5th century!

Catholics are certainly encouraged to read the Bible for personal devotion and study outside of Mass. Additionally, there are many excellent Bible studies held at parishes around the world.

Not only do Catholics read the Bible, they experience the Bible like no other Christians in the Mass. Sprinkled throughout the Mass, in the prayers the priest prays or the responses from the congregation, are rituals and quotes directly from the Bible. You see, the Catholic Church celebrates, lives, and teaches everything through the Scriptures. The Catholic Church is the most biblical church in all of Christianity.

Why the Misunderstanding?

So why is it, then, that so many protestants think that Catholics don't read the bible? It's probably because many of them have met Catholics who don't know much about the bible. This is a sad, but true reality. All people, including Catholics, should read the bible more, we can all agree on that!

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm.

The most memorable words from today's Gospel passage are "rock" and "keys." "Rock" refers to the unshakable foundation he has given to his Church: the papacy.

"Keys" refer to the divinely guaranteed guidance and authority that the papacy will steadily provide about what we should believe and how we should live - faith and morals.

As St Augustine said: "Ubi Petrus, ibi ecclesia", where Peter [the papacy] is, there the Church is. This is why we call the pope Christ's Vicar on earth, the visible head of the Church.

This is also why it is hypocritical for Catholics to criticize, contradict, and disobey the pope and his official teaching. A "Pro-Choice Catholic," for example, is a contradiction in terms.

It's a Catholic who doesn't believe that God is guiding the Church through the popes and the bishops in communion with them, who have taught consistently and clearly that abortion is the killing of an innocent human life and can never be a legitimate choice.

Throughout history, some popes have been corrupt, weak, and sinful, but Jesus kept his promise. Those bad popes never dismantled the pure teaching of the Gospel, nor did they interrupt the flow of grace that the Holy Spirit continues to send through the sacraments.

But there is also a third memorable image in today's Gospel. After talking about the rock and the keys, Jesus says that "the gates of the netherworld" will not prevail against his Church.

The rock and the keys tell us how the Church is structured, but this phrase tells us what the Church does: it overthrows the kingdom of the devil, breaking down the gates of evil that closed upon the world after original sin.

The Church is no passive organization, no religious or social club; it has a mission. Being Catholic means being part of a spiritual army called and equipped by God to fight and conquer sin and evil.

In human life, signs and symbols occupy an important place. As a being at once body and spirit, man expresses and perceives spiritual realities through physical signs and symbols. Inasmuch as they are creatures, these perceptible realities can become means of expressing the action of God who sanctifies men, and the action of men who offer worship to God. This sacramental principle is the consistent belief of the Church throughout history. In Liturgy, we use words, gestures, signs and symbols to proclaim Christ's presence and to reply with our worship and praise.

Saint Augustine's experience when it teaches that the music and song of the liturgy "participate in the purpose of the liturgical words and actions: the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful." He adhered to the older proverb: "Whoever sings well prays twice over."

God has bestowed upon his people the gift of song. God dwells within each human person, in the place where music takes its source. Indeed, God, the giver of song, is present whenever his people sing his praises.

In the Bible a lot of joy and gratitude gets expressed in random acts of music. "Sing to the Lord a new song!" the psalmists say. Many of the big players have a song to sing, especially the women: Miriam at the Red Sea rescue; Hannah at the birth of her child; Deborah after her battleground victory achieved with the help of another woman, Jael; Judith after defeating Holofernes; and Mary when she visits Elizabeth and shares her annunciation. King David himself wrote music, played, and danced in front of the nation. Saint Paul advocated that believers sing "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God" (Colossians 3:16).

A cry from deep within our being, music is a way for God to lead us to the realm of higher things. As St. Augustine says, "Singing is for the one who loves." Music is therefore a sign of God's love for us and of our love for him. In this sense, it is very personal. But unless music sounds, it is not music, and whenever it sounds, it is accessible to others. By its very nature song has both an individual and a communal dimension. Thus, it is no wonder that singing together in church expresses so well the sacramental presence of God to his people.

Obedient to Christ and to the Church, we gather in liturgical assembly, week after week. As our predecessors did, we find ourselves singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in our hearts to God. This common, sung expression of faith within liturgical celebrations strengthens our faith when it grows weak and draws us into the divinely inspired voice of the Church at prayer. Faith grows when it is well expressed in celebration. Good celebrations can foster and nourish faith. Good music makes the liturgical prayers of the Christian community more alive and fervent so that everyone can praise and beseech the Triune God more powerfully, more intently and more effectively.

The primordial song of the Liturgy is the canticle of victory over sin and death. It is the song of the saints, standing beside "the sea of glass": They were holding God's harps, and they sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. Liturgical singing is established in the midst of this great historical tension. For Israel, the event of salvation in the Red Sea will always be the main reason for praising God, the basic theme of the songs it sings before God. For Christians, the Resurrection of Christ is the true Exodus. The definitively new song has been intoned.

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm. 

The heart of God can be moved, because God is a person, not a force. This Christian truth shines through in today's Gospel.

Jesus had a particular mission to accomplish during his earthly lifetime. He was to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies and lay the foundation of the Catholic Church. The parameters of this mission did not include Canaanites (ancestral enemies of the Israelites).

And yet, Jesus makes an exception to these parameters after his encounter with the Canaanite woman.

She touched his heart because she had what Christ's heart most yearns for: love, faith, and humility.

Her love comes across in her self-forgetfulness.

She was so concerned for her daughter, then she was even willing to make a humiliating spectacle out of herself, tagging along behind a Jewish rabbi in public, screaming to get his attention.

Her faith comes across in how she addresses Jesus. She calls him "Lord" and "Son of David." This shows that although she was a Canaanite; she knew about the Jewish religion and accepted God's promise to send a Messiah.

And when he finally stops to listen to her, she falls on her knees and does him homage - she knows she is in God's presence. She believed in Jesus, so much so, in fact, that Jesus himself compliments her on her faith!

Her humility comes across in the way she makes her request. She didn't come to him burning with anger at God for allowing her innocent daughter to be tormented by demons.

She understood that miracles were undeserved gifts from God, just like existence itself. This humble attitude strengthened her, enabling her to absorb the Lord's initial rejection, and then come right back with another petition.

Love, faith, and humility: these are the ingredients for prayer that moves the heart of God - a heart that can be moved, because God is a person, not a force. 

Let us ask why is gratitude necessary.

Cicero, the famous Roman senator and orator once wrote, "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others." Gratitude is a rare virtue indeed. It's part of a healthy spiritual life. It's everywhere in the Bible, from the Psalms 100:4"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!" Psalm, to the Gospel of Luke (17:1-19) where Jesus cured the 10 lepers — and only one returned to thank him and praise God.

Gratitude is the ability to express our thankful appreciation in word or deed, to the person whose words or actions have benefited us in some way. The truly humble and noble person will always be grateful for the benefits received. Ingratitude is an ugly sin.

How can the virtue of gratitude be acquired?

Fundamentally, cultivating the spirit of gratitude requires us to develop humility. We need to understand that everything that we have and everything that we are is a gift.

Let us making a list of all of the wonderful gifts that we receive each day of our entire life. We could start with life. We have been given the gift of life. Consider the air that we breathe. We take such things as air, water and even good health all for granted. We need to consider our families, the houses that we live in, the food that we eat each day, our education, our jobs, and the fact that we live in a free country.

Once we consider the obvious gifts that we have received, we can go deeper. Take into consideration all that God has done for us. He loves us unconditionally. We have the Catholic Church, the Bible and the Sacraments. We can all remember how a Catholic priest inspired us in a homily, gave us an encouraging word in Confession.

We need to understand that we have received so much. Should we not always be grateful? The virtue of gratitude can be expressed in very simple ways. We should always express our gratitude. The phrase "thank you" should be a common part of our daily vocabulary.

The French philosopher Jacques Maritain once said that "Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy." He is correct and it is important that we acquire good manners and social graces. The loss of morals and common decency has caused the gentleman and the lady to be something of the past.

The virtue of gratitude is very important. However, it is equally important that we serve others with a spirit of detachment. We must not look for recognition or earthly glory. We must continue to love others without seeking anything in return. Let us remember what Jesus teaches us in the Sermon on the Mount: "your left hand must not know what your right hand is doing" (Matthew 6: 3). Nevertheless, the Gospel calls us to give of ourselves unconditionally and seek as our only reward eternal life in heaven. This is true Christianity. The standard of greatness for Christianity is not earthly glory, but the Cross of Jesus Christ.

Gratitude is a rare virtue indeed. We need to be filled always with gratitude for God's unconditional love. We need to always thank all those who serve us and love us with their generous service. The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what He is sending us every day in His goodness." (St. Gianna Beretta Molla)

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm. 

In today's Gospel, Peter shows both his impulsiveness and his inconstancy - two characteristics that make him easy to relate to.

It's around 3 o'clock in the morning as the Apostles battle against a stormy sea, and Jesus comes walking across the lake towards the boat. The Apostles are scared stiff - they think they are seeing a ghost.

Even Jesus' reassurance doesn't allay their fears, so Peter takes the matter into his own hands and challenges the ghost to do something that only Christ could do - enable him to walk on the stormy water. And he does - for a few steps. But then Peter takes his eyes off Christ; he looks around at the waves and the storm, and he starts to sink.

As long as Peter kept his eyes on Christ, he was able to walk unhindered through the stormy sea. As soon as he let his eyes wander away from Christ to examine the intimidating waves, he began to sink.

Just so, as we strive to make our way through the stormy temptations and challenges of life in a fallen world, only focusing on Christ can keep us afloat.

Christ is always close to us in our storms, asking us to believe in him.

In his words to Peter, tinged with disappointment, we see how much he longs for us to trust him: "Why did you doubt?"

As soon as Jesus steps into the boat, the storm gives way to peace and calm. Christ wants to be our peace, our strength, and the solution to life's troubles.

St Peter didn't learn this lesson right away, but he learned it well; in his First Letter he put it like this: "cast all your anxieties on him [Christ], for he cares about you" (1 Peter 5:7).

As a closing I like to quote word from St. Augustine:

"If I try by myself to swim across the ocean of this world, the waves will certainly engulf me. In order to survive I must climb aboard a ship made of wood; this wood is the Cross of Christ. Of course, even on board the ship there will be dangerous tempests and perils from the sea of this world. But God will help me remain on board the ship and arrive safely at the harbor of eternal life." 

Didn't God say, "Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods: I am the Lord your God"?(Leviticus 19:4).

Yet Catholics persist in decorating their churches with numerous statues. Why is that?Does it go against everything that God laid down in the Bible?

During a plague of serpents sent to punish the Israelites during the exodus, God told Moses to "make [a statue of] a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it shall live. So, Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live" (Num. 21:8–9).

One had to look at the bronze statue of the serpent to be healed, which shows that statues could be used ritually, not merely as religious decorations.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains, "in the Old Testament, God ordained or permitted the making of images that pointed symbolically toward salvation by the incarnate Word: so it was with the bronze serpent, the ark of the covenant, and the cherubim" (CCC 2130).

With this in mind "the seventh ecumenical council at Nicaea (787) justified … the veneration of icons — of Christ, but also of the Mother of God, the angels, and all the saints. By becoming incarnate, the Son of God introduced a new 'economy' of images" (CCC 2131). The Church has since taught that the, "Christian veneration of images is not contrary to the first commandment which proscribes idols. Indeed, 'the honor rendered to an image passes to its prototype,' and 'whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it.' The honor paid to sacred images is a 'respectful veneration,' not the adoration due to God alone" (CCC 2132).

The main difference between pagans who worship idols and Christians who venerate statues lies in the intention of the person. Christians who pray before statues do so to honor God or the saints, praying to the person "behind" the image rather than the image itself. A Christian is not bound to the statue. If the statue is destroyed, a Christian's faith does not waver or cease.It is simply a representation of God (or a saint) and is a material object.

As the Catechism pointed out, Christians do not "adore" the statue, but "venerate" it; adoration is reserved to God alone. If someone were to pray to the statue itself or adore the statue, they would be committing idolatry, but this is not what the Catholic Church instructs her members to do. The Church teaches Christians to venerate statues, recognizing that they point to a hidden, spiritual reality that is not bound to the representation.

Another way to put it is that statues are holy reminders of various saints and of God. They remind us of heavenly things and point our souls to the Trinity. Statues are instruments, tools to be used in the spiritual life and not ends in themselves.

Catholics use statues, paintings, and other artistic devices to recall the person or thing depicted. Just as it helps to remember one's mother by looking at her photograph, so it helps to recall the example of the saints by looking at pictures of them. Catholics also use statues as teaching tools. In the early Church they were especially useful for the instruction of the illiterate.

So, while it may seem that Catholics are worshiping statues, they are not. They are using statues, as God permits, as images that point "symbolically toward salvation by the incarnate Word."

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm.

St Matthew tells us, "When Jesus heard of it, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself." What is the "it" St. Matthew is referring to? It refers to the death of St. John the Baptist. This death moves Jesus deeply for three reasons.

First, they had been cousins - there was the bond of family between them.

Second, they had both received a special mission in the history of salvation - so there was the deep common bond of dedication to God's Kingdom.

And thirdly, John's death marked the beginning of a new stage in Christ's mission - the Messenger's job was done, the King's job was starting.

And so, with a sorrowful heart and a lot on his mind, Jesus goes away to be alone, to have time to reflect and pray at this crucial, painful moment. How beautifully Christ's human heart shines through in this detail!

This is our God, a man who knows what it is to be human, to suffer, to feel the weight of things! This is why we can always pour out our hearts to him, knowing that he will understand!

But the crowds refuse to let Jesus have his time alone - they flock around him, begging for words of wisdom and miracles of healing.

And how does Jesus react? He cannot resist their pleas. He puts his own loneliness and preoccupations aside, sits down, and gives audience to the throngs - comforting, healing, teaching, listening...

And when it seems he can do no more, when his disciples are totally worn out, he miraculously multiplies the loaves and fish. All day long attending the needy crowds, when his heart yearned to be alone with his Father!

This too is our Lord - a man who lives entirely for the good of those he loves, for us! 

A Vision for Visions...

Let us take a closer look at the sacred vessel, the Monstrance, that houses the Body, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord. The Monstrance draws all eyes to the Sacred Host that is seemingly surrounded by rays, like the sun.

Similarly, we each are called to be a "Living Monstrance", radiating the presence of the Lord Who dwells in us.

The Monstrance is surmounted by a Cross ... what does this tell us?

Let us look at Jesus in the Monstrance, who humbles Himself to come before us as a piece of bread. Let us reflect on our own life's situations that call us to humility. Are we humble, as God wants us to be, to bear our Crosses daily? Other virtues such as patience, temperance, self-control and piety will soon follow.

A Taste of Heaven awaits us in Eucharistic Adoration!

Indeed, Earth is joined to Heaven each time we are united with the Saints and Angels in extolling God, Who, in worship we see, if not with the sight of eyes, then with the eyes of faith.

We are called to abide in the Eucharistic Presence of our Lord, like the Saints and Angels do in Heaven, as they behold the glory of God and sing His praise! The Saints and Angels wait upon the Lord and do His Will in all things. Their presence magnifies the Lord. They also intercede (for us) before the Lord.

When we look upon the Sacred Host, we look at Jesus, the Son of God. Do we see Him in all His glory and majesty? Do our lips proclaim His praise? Do our souls magnify the Lord - making Him clearer, more in focus, and larger to others around us? Do we place the needs of others before Him? Are we open to the Will of God and strive for perfection in our spiritual lives so that we, too, may one day join the company of Saints in Heaven?

It is at this moment when we are most intimately in communion with God that we experience a taste of Heaven, a foreshadowing of what it will be like, when, by God's grace, we enter into everlasting life. "Indeed, this is the will of My Father, that everyone who looks upon the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life. Him I will raise up on the last day." (Jn 6:40)

We Grow in Love for Jesus with Every Encounter.

In John 21:16, Jesus asks Peter the question that will determine his whole life: "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Jesus is asking each of us the same question: do you love me? Those of us who have an experience of love, know, that true love sets no conditions; it simply loves and yet it must be nurtured and nourished by intimacy, closeness or regular contact.

It is the same with time spent in divine intimacy with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. How can our encounters with the Lord not cause us to fall more and more in love with Him? As we yield to such love, it will prompt hunger for Scripture and the Sacraments as we seek to know and experience Him on a deeper level. It will make us remember Him throughout the day, inspire us to do little things "just for Him" and try and make ourselves more attractive to Him by lives of purity and holiness. And yet, we should not feel discouraged if we cannot love Him fully because Jesus assures us that He will always love us with a love that surpasses all.

"O God, You are my God -- for You I long!"

In Psalm 63, the Psalmist longs for divine life, which is based on a close relationship with God. The Psalm most beautifully expresses the intimate relationship between God and the one who worships Him in His holy Temple.

Such must be OUR love and total self-giving to Jesus, exposed on the Altar, for our sake!

"O God, You are my God -- for You I long! For You my body yearns; for You my soul thirsts, like a land parched, lifeless, and without water. So I look to You in the Sanctuary to see Your power and glory. For Your love is better than life; my lips offer You worship! I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands, calling on Your name. My soul shall savor the rich banquet of praise, with joyous lips my mouth shall honor You!"

Jesus asks for so little.... Yet, He gives so much!

"This - The Eucharist - the whole Christ" is His gift to all. Whether we are young or old, sick or healthy, poor or rich, only by regularly partaking in the sacrifice of the Holy Mass and Eucharistic Adoration, can we reap immense spiritual and temporal blessings in our lives!

The Blessed Sacrament is the LIVING FOUNTAIN OF LIFE where we drink in the love of Christ Who alone quenches our thirst.

Thus, our time spent with our Beloved Saviour in Adoration, can become the most profound, meaningful, joyful, peaceful and healing experience we could ever encounter!

May our adoration never cease!

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm. 

Today Jesus is showing us not only what his Kingdom is like in itself, but what it means for us personally. He gives us a snapshot of two men whose lives are suddenly lifted to an entirely different level.

A farmer is plowing a field that is not his own. He is a hired laborer, a farmhand, someone who has to spend his days worrying about making ends meet. As he plows, he uncovers a buried treasure.

Suddenly, he is set free from the chains of poverty and uncertainty; now he can live life to the full.

A businessman spends his career working long hours, travelling, suffering, looking all the while for the deal that will liberate him from 80-hour work weeks and give him security. Finally, he finds the pearl of great price.

He too can now enjoy the peace of stable prosperity, free from the rat race and the worry of living hand-to-mouth.

This is what happens to us when we enter fully into Christ's Kingdom.

When we decide to follow Jesus, to obey his teachings and make his friendship our highest priority, we put ourselves under his protection and his guidance, becoming full citizens of his Kingdom.

And as soon as we do that, suddenly our lives take on a whole new purpose. Suddenly our relationships, actions, and decisions take on transcendent meaning; they are connected to eternal life.

Suddenly, we are free from the frustration and meaninglessness that comes from living only for the passing, superficial pleasures and successes of this life, because we have found something infinitely more valuable: a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, King and Lord of heaven and earth.

That relationship is our treasure and pearl; it alone can give us the joy and satisfaction we yearn for in the depths of our hearts. 

"The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made." (Ps 145:13)

Day and night Jesus dwells in the Blessed Sacrament because of His Infinite love for us!

Jesus gives us His body (to eat) so that He can nourish us, strengthen us and give us His own life ..... and lest we be blinded by His glory, He humbles Himself to come to us in the humble species of bread... "Behold I will be with you always even to the end of the world," because "I have loved you with an everlasting love, and constant is My affection for you." (Mt 28:20; Jer 31:3)

How must we respond? Through our worship and recognition of Him in the Eucharist! He is calling us to faith, that we many come to Him in humility.

"Come to Me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Are you tired because of the burden of your duties, because of frustration due to unsuccessful projects, because many misunderstand you? Are you heavy laden with guilt from past sins? Are you trying to find hope and meaning in life? Do not lose heart! Abandon yourself to Jesus in this "Sacrament of Love": He will refresh you!

The more time you spend with Jesus, the more you will come away feeling renewed and healed. Miracles of conversion, peace, discovery of vocations, answers to prayers, physical healings, and many other wonderful things happen where and when the Lord Jesus is adored in the Blessed Sacrament. They are the "gifts" that point to the Almighty Giver and testify to His Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament...

Let us love being with the Lord! There we can speak with Him about everything. We can offer Him our petitions, our concerns, our troubles, our joys, our gratitude, our disappointments, our needs and our aspirations. Above all we can remember to pray: 'Lord send laborers into Your harvest! Help me to be a good worker in Your vineyard!'

When asked, "What would save the world?" ... Mother Teresa replied: "My answer is prayer. What we need is for every parish to come before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in holy hours of prayer."

"Remain in Me, as I remain in you."

We grow spiritually with each moment we spend with Jesus! Through our Adoration, Jesus calls us to a personal relationship (to become His friends and disciples), to "remain in Him" (Divine Intimacy), to "remain in His love" (Keep His commandments). He promises that all those who remain tightly bonded to Him, will bear much fruit and "their joy will be complete". For without Him, we can do nothing.

Through this "friendship", we are inspired and strengthened to take on life's challenges, to carry our daily cross with a new attitude, to become a "new creation" (more and more like Jesus).

Through Eucharistic Adoration - we proclaim Jesus to the World.

Eucharistic Adoration is an affirmation of our faith. Through the vigil of prayer, we give witness to our belief that God is truly dwelling with His people.

"Love one another as I have loved you."

Eucharistic Adoration helps build a community of love.

The Eucharist is the Sacrament of unity, Jesus unifying His people. Through the personal love, that one shares with the Saviour, one is more able to grasp the reality that we are the whole Body of Christ.

Prayers as a community, especially intercessory prayers for the needs of the community and the World - help to build a "civilization of love" - to "transform the World". The prayers that we say can draw the World and everybody in the World closer to Christ and to God the Father for His blessing.

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm. 

• Please refer to our website (stannes.hk) for the latest Chancery Notice with regard to the further suspension of public masses, etc.
• Catholic Youth Group meetings will resume on 14 Aug 2020 at 7:30 PM at the Parish Hall. (Meetings are held every second Fri of each month at 7:30 PM at the Parish Hall.)

In today's Gospel Our Lord teaches us that evil will be present in the world until the last days of Judgement when the fruits of all are measured. Evil festers in hearts; it is not always seen on the surface. Holiness is characterized by meekness and humility, so it is not always seen on the surface either.

Like wheat, holiness is in the world trying to grow into something good. Like weeds, evil is at work doing the opposite, preying on the good in parasitic way to serve nothing other than itself. It can be hard to tell the difference and, therefore, we need to be on guard against a holiness that is only skin deep.

Today's First Reading reminds us that we can try to be masters of moral disguise, but the Lord sees beyond the surface and measures us by our deeds, not just appearances.

The Lord never misjudges anyone, yet people still try to deceive him, if they believe in him at all. The Lord gives the unjust time to change their ways, to seek his forgiveness, usually for far longer than we would, because he truly cares about them. The Lord is willing to put up with a lot of things, but in justice, he cannot ignore insincerity.

In today's Second Reading Paul reminds us that holiness is something that comes from the depths of our soul because it consists of making the Spirit of God our spirit.

The special ingredient in a Christian life is that even when we're weak, the Holy Spirit helps us to be holy. The Spirit is the protagonist in our sanctification, from the sacraments we receive to the prayers we say.

The three parables in today's Gospel teach us that holiness is often hidden, even small in the eyes of the world, but makes good things spread and grow, unlike parasitical weeds.

Wheat is not very glamourous, but if we want bread, a symbol of life, it is essential. When we eat a sandwich, we don't think much of the wheat that went into it, but we certainly enjoy the sandwich.

Leaven is useful not only for baking bread but for baking delicious bread. When we receive the Eucharist, made from unleavened bread due to Passover traditions, we note the difference from the bread we eat every day. Leaven does its job by quietly being sifted throughout the flour used to make the bread, but it makes a big impact on the recipe.

Mustard seeds average between 1-2 millimeters in size and may seem small and inconsequential, but on a hot day, the shade and shelter of a tree that grows up to twenty feet tall and wide is not to be ignored. The mustard seed in today's parable also shows that the Church may start small and seemingly insignificant, but is meant to spread far and wide.

Avoid Rash Judgments

The sower in today's Gospel had to wait because the wheat and weeds looked so similar as they were growing that he didn't want to uproot wheat while he was pulling up weeds.

A rash judgment is when we jump to conclusions about something or someone, and many times those rash judgments are wrong. Unfortunately, there are as many rash judgments in society today as there are weeds, even from Christian quarters.

Imagine if it had never occurred to someone that a mustard seed might grow into something even more useful, or that yeast would take baking to a whole new level.

Even worse would be to admit a "weed" into our life thinking it was wheat, or excluding wheat thinking it was a weed. Our Lord is the just judge. Let's leave the judging to him.