Gospel Introduction John 12:20-33 28 March 2009

Gospel Introduction John 12:20-33 28 March 2009

In tonight Gospel reading, our Lord revealed to the Gentiles the purpose of his coming, to lay down His life for His sheep.

The time was less than a week before Crucifixion. He had already shown himself as the Resurrection by raising Lazarus from the Dead; He had fulfilled for His own people an ancient prophecy concerning His humble but triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. Now it was time for the Gentiles to be given a lesson concerning the reason for his coming. The Gentiles were here reprensented by the Greeks.

The enemies were plotting to kill Him, the Greeks wished to see Him....

The hour has come for the son of man to be glorified....

He reminded us the importance to die to ourselves.... not to clinch to the things of this world... He reminded all of us that resurrection requires death.

“It is good that Lazarus died. For then, he will rise again.”...

What shall I say: Father, save me from this hour? This is a crucial observation that speaks deeply about our love for this world. We are often not ready or prepared to die. We secretly hope for resurrection but we do not want to die..... So we hang on to our lives.... We hung on to our trophies, our dreams, our dark areas, our worldly desires, our material kingdom here on earth..... We want to preserve them, or we are simply afraid to let them die..... It is such a paradox.... without letting them die, how can there be resurrection?

As we approach the final week of the Lenten season, let us practice resurrection, let us practice dying.... dying well....

“It is good that Lazarus died. For then, he will rise again.”

Tonight, Jesus uses the wheat grain as an analogy for us,.... if it dies, it yields a rich harvest. If you clinch on to your life you will lose it, if you hates this world, you will have eternal life....

Let us all rise and receive the Good news.

ARM & HAND 26 Mar 2009

Theme: Arm & Hand 26 March 2009

Gospel Introduction: John 10:22-30

When our Lord declared Himself to be the son of God and One with His Heavenly Father, His enemies made attempts on His Life. Several attempts were made on His life; most of them during one of the great feasts but always after He had proclaimed His Divinity.

The first attempt was in Nazareth, his own country....where he proclaimed “The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me....... This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.”..... The respond from his own countryman was “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?”

Another assault on his life came after the curing of the disabled man at Bethsaida on the Sabbath day where he spoke of God as his own father, and so made himself God’s equal. “My father goes on working, and so do I”

Another attempt was on the Feast of the tabernacles where he said ”My teaching is not from myself; it comes from the one who sent me” He was claiming to be God in the form of man.

In tonight Gospel, He visited the last remnant of the old temple, which was known as Solomon’s porch during the Feast of Dedication(8 days), the last great feast before to the Passover, in Jerusalem. His enemies, the Jews gathered round him and asked him “ If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”..... Noticed the line of questioning is very similar to the Temptation in the wilderness “ If you are the son of God......”

Jesus responded “I have told you, but you do not believe.” “The Father and I are one.” ..... so, there go another stoning again....

Why the Jews... have eyes but yet cannot see?

1) Their ideas of a Messiah did not correspond with God’s idea of a Messiah.They could not conceive of the humiliation of God in the form of man. Could God go so low?

2) “You are only a man and you claim to be god.” His answer was that though a mere man could not be God, God could become man, while still remaining God.

May I suggest that this is the biggest “stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to Gentiles?” The “intelligent” being cannot accept such proposition – This in fact is the stumbling block for the Synagogue and Islam. Neither can accept a God who is so human. He must remain Almighty... Majesty...... but not to the point of paying for the faults of His own creatures, for their sins.”........

We must all remove this obstacles & stumbling blocks before we can be healed & delivered..... The whole world need healing & deliverance.

God Loves Us 21 March 2009

GOD LOVES US John 3:14-21 21 March 2009


Our Almighty God, Our father in Heaven loves us, His creation. He has plans for us all. We just have to “depend on him”... His plans are good for us. We just need to put our complete trust in him.


But throughout history, human has time & time again refused His plans, we did not put our complete trust in him. We want our own plan, we want to depend on ourselves, we want to be in total control.... self sufficient so to speak.... as a result of this lack of trust, we sin........
God, nevertheless.... never give out on us.... each time God extended the scope of His covenant with us.


Starting from Eve & Adam, our fore parent broke the covenant with God.... God continued to extend his covenant, first a household covenant with Noah, then a tribal covenant with Abraham, then a covenant with Moses for the 12 tribes of Israel, then a national kingdom covenant with David and finally through his own beloved son, Jesus Christ, a new Covenant ... a worldwide covenant, a universal covenant, a Catholic Covenant. God loves us. It is demonstrated in all of the above salvation history for human..... God loves us, his creation so much that, he finally gave his only son to us... not to condemn us, but to redeem us. “We are God’s work of art, created in Chirst Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it.” He wants to call us back into His plan. He wants to restore us into his plan.


Through Jesus, the objective redemption was completed. He had already done all that was needed to redeem our sin. He died for us on the cross. We just need to believe and say “Yes” to him. Then we complete the subjective redemption on our part through his grace.


Let us pour ourselves to Jesus. Let us put our complete trust in Jesus. Let us lives by the truth, Let us comes out into the light, Let us walk the path of Christ Jesus. Let us all stand & listen to the Gospel.

Session 7. Defending the Faith in a Pluralistic Society

Session 7. Defending the Faith in a Pluralistic Society

1. Give away Catholic books, DVDS, CDs to people
2. Thru technology – Website, Blog e.g. EWTN, open line, blogger.com, Utube e.g. St Francis de Sales – use of printing press, composed Apologetic tracks, 60,000 Calvinists were converted to Catholic through Printing Press

Session 6 : Why be Catholic? Why am I a Catholic?

Session 6 : Why be Catholic? Why am I a Catholic?

1P2:15 – ready to defend
1P2:16 – reason to do it with gentleness & respect.

1. Convince that Catholic Church is the church established by Jesus Christ.

a. Historical Argument – John Henry Newman
b. Visibilities – you can see it Matt Chapter 5
c. Matt 16:15 – on this rock, I will built my church
d. Matt 28:18 – all authority has been given to me... go therefore, make disciples of all nations
e. Luke 10:16 – Authority of Christ
f. Teaching Church – teach them all that I have commanded you.
g. Perpetual Church – existence until the end of time.
h. Before 1809 – no Mormon, 7th Adventist, Jehovah Witness
i. Before 1509 - No protestant, no church of England, Baptist, Uniting Church, Methodist
j. Church started by Human Beings, not by Jesus Christ

2. Everything that Catholic teaches is true, not everything is easy

3. Papacy – built upon the Rock

4. Communion with Mary & Saints

5. Holy Eucharist

6. Moral Teaching

7. The Devil knows that the Bread & Wine is Jesus Christ.

Mission: My Goal is Heaven, My cause is for the Christ.

Session 5: Living marriage to the fullest & Raising Holy Family for Christ

Session 5: Living marriage to the fullest & Raising Holy Family for Christ

1. Learn to unlearn things of the youth – Self-centredness
2. Learn to give & take
3. Learn to do without for the good of the family – self sacrifice, putting oneself last
4. Be visibly Catholic – Don’t be afraid, do the little things ...
5. Listen to the Church

“To have Holy Marriage, listen to the Church, frequent the Sacrament, don’t be selfish”

“Because of your Holy Marriage, you are going to be saved!”

Session 4: Becoming Men after God’s own Heart

Session 4: Becoming Men after God’s own Heart

Act13:20 & 1Samuel 13

Seeking after God’s will

How do we become men after God’s own Heart

a) Faith, Hope Charity – foundation
b) Rely upon God – not your own strength
c) Faithful to his teaching Luke 10:16 & Matt 28
d) Man of Prayers
e) Man of Good Example – acting in conformity of what we believe.
f) Man of Hard Work
g) Realistic & practical
h) Rely on Divine Providence to supply the need of our family
i) To be Servant Leader – Best Model is Jesus Christ – servant, leader & God
a. Not by commanding, but showing
b. Show by example, humility, obedience, submissive
c. Servant subordinate to higher authority
d. Servant serves others
e. Service based on Love
f. Servant hood based on Sacrifice..... CROSS
g. Death to Self
h. Love, Charity, Compassion, Integrity & Honesty

Leadership is mirror of servant-hood.

1) Leader is not necessarily smarter, better, holier than people he serves.
2) Leader is given responsibility to lead. Sacred Duty – Do the best thing for the people they serve.
3) Leader knows where they are going – Heaven, Church, Sacrament, Family
4) Leader knows how to get there – involves knowledge & methodology to get there
5) Leader helps others how to get there
6) Leaders have humility
7) Leader is not mandatecious (deceptive)
8) Leader has dedication – 24/7 “Conqueror”
9) Leaders motivate others to raise higher than their capabilities
10) Leader sacrifice – Martyrdom that only God know.
11) Leader knows that the mission is more important than the Leader
12) Leader leads by example – by serving the people that they lead.