Monday, September 28, 2009
Found this on Catholic New Online...
The Singaporean 5Cs 27 Sept 09 SMOTA Bulletin:
A few weeks ago, I spoke about the quintessentially Singaporean '5Cs' in one of my Sunday homilies. Sometimes, I suspect that the real '5Cs' may really be:
Compare, Compete, Complain, Criticise, Condemn.
Here in Singapore, we love to compare ourselves with others and like to think that we could be better. We compete with them to prove to ourselves and to the world that we have 'made it'. We don't like to blame ourselves for anything, and so instead, we occupy ourselves with complaining about, criticising and condemning others.
What happens as a result of all this is broken relationships, fragmented lives, divided within ourselves, separated from each other, apart from God. That is the very definition of sin itself.
In 1526 when William Tyndale translated the New Testament into English, he struggled with a concise way to express how Jesus’s death overcomes sin. To express “being at one again” with God, Tyndale combined the words, at-one-ment, and coined a new word, “atonement” being made whole, reconciled, restored to fullness.
Happily, atonement is not about our actions. It's about God's love freely given.
Atonement is not about our doing anything at all. It is simply about being in right relationship and being at one. We cannot earn atonement. It is already freely given. We simply have to realise this and participate in it.
We are called to give ourselves over to the life of grace that Christ has already set into motion. We are called to live in the freedom, confidence and love of persons loved by God, who have received blessing upon undeserved blessing, and who continue to enjoy much goodness in our lives.
Genuine religion is the wholeness and wholesomeness of proper relationships, living in harmony, and being at one with God, with each other and within ourselves. Our Christian faith should lead us to words and actions that show appreciation, that are encouraging and that build up.
(After all, when was the last time you felt motivated to improve yourself after being torn apart or put down?)
Has someone made a mistake? Help them to know that they are appreciated and accepted for who they are and not what they have done.
Has someone done something wrong? Help them to know that they are loved, and help them to see the goodness that they really do have within.
Not so long ago, one of our 15-year old Altar Server put these thoughts into practical action after one mass. He had been leading a group of five junior servers who had not had their act completely together at the mass. However, instead of berating them, this young leader went to each one of the juniors and gave to each a personal word of encouragement, within earshot of all.
To the first, he said, “It was your first time holding the bowl. You dropped the cloth, but you knew how to pick it up again. So congratulations, that was good.”
To another, he said, “You knew what to do throughout mass. You lost your concentration at one stage, but you recovered quickly and did all the things you were supposed to do. So that was good.”
To a third, he said, “You served well at the altar. At first it looked like you forgot the book, but you brought it to the altar in time before the priest arrived. So that was good.”
To each of the five juniors in turn, the 15-year old leader said a word of appreciation, focused specially on what they had done right, and concluded by giving another word of encouragement.
The junior servers looked visibly more confident; and I had no doubt that they had learned from each others' experience, felt good about serving, and would do much better in future.
“I am privileged to witness this,” I thought to myself, “because right here is restoration that we try to preach, this is the atonement that we celebrate at mass, this is grace at work, and right here and now is the future of our Church.”
Fr John Wong, OFM FROM THE FRIAR’S DESK
Labels: Religion
Y6:15 PM
