“Taliban denies two leaders are dead after going missing from public view” was the headline in New York Post, a few days ago, on 15 September.  It was all about the fight for superiority and leadership.  It is important to be strong and victorious to be accepted as leader. Nobody likes to be vulnerable.  In a world so crazy for power and prestige imagine someone asking you to go easy or be vulnerable.  Can you handle that?

illy said she is passionate about her Catholic faith.  I just wanted to quiz her and asked what Jesus said about following him.  She started to list love, justice fairness, kindness, and so on as identifying marks of discipleship to Jesus.  But there was still something missing which is fundamental to Christian discipleship.  Jesus said, “If anyone wants to become my follower, let him deny himself”.  To be a follower of Jesus requires sacrifices.

Fathers remember the first time their child uttered “daddy” or the equivalent. The proud father, full of joy, made the babe repeat it many times until the child says it clearly. The exercise is pressed on until the infant get a sense of how much it means to the dad. The ability to communicate is very important. The child takes delight in the attention drawn by calling ‘dad’. The sweet call of the child transforms the dad. The responsibility of opening the world of affection and information becomes apparent to the dad.

The relaxation of the COVID restrictions to allow small groups of five to have a picnic is good. As the Premier said, “it is important for mental health”. It is not enough to be concerned about what you eat, but equally important how we eat our food.

I have seen many people stopping in front of the closed doors of the Church and praying. The online Mass is very popular. Are they satisfactory? Surely not. The faithful are missing the Holy Communion and many approach me for the Sacrament. If it were not for the Eucharist, nobody would have missed the Church in this lockdown. If it was inspiring preaching that made them the church, it is very well replaced by presentations on social media, thanks to the advancement of technology.

Mary is taken up to heaven; she is in glory, like a queen arrayed in gold. The feast of the Assumption celebrates God’s reward to Mary for being the mother of her Son Jesus. The Book of Revelation (Rev 11:19; 12:1-6, 10) provides an insight into this mystery of Mary as Mother of God.

Life is full of UFOs – Un-Finished Objectives.  There is always a long shopping list. ‘I want a new car, I want to buy a bigger, better house, I want this, I want that’.  The list is unending.  It seems to say that ‘what you buy is what you are’.  People are so crazy after luxury goods and it is making people anxious, worried, and fatigued.  In this race to satisfy self-appetite you forget to appreciate the real joy in life.  If you can walk on to the street and greet someone with a smile and a kind word, it would give a lot more joy than a racing car.  More people would be saying what a beautiful person you are because of your kindness to them than any high-end fashion pieces you wear.  A good examination of conscience and a prayer will give you much better sleep than any sleeping pill would.

Just any food on the table is not good enough. We need to eat healthy food. Sometimes it is a challenge.  Now in this lockdown, people are choosing to cook more healthy meals, thanks to health awareness; with some it even could be fitness fanaticism.

Last weekend’s live streaming of the Vigil Mass had flaws. A number of people inquired about what happened. The total hits on the site doubled, because most people were trying more than once to get in. It’s another vindication that there is a great hunger for spiritual nourishment. In the current situation there are a lot of limitations. More than technical glitches, stay at home orders and closed churches mean we can’t have the Eucharist and Holy Communion for spiritual nourishment. We are very well aware of our limitations. At this juncture John 6:1-15 can be a special inspiration.

I had to drop my holiday plans because of the ‘stay at home orders’. Holidays improve the efficiency of the ministry. So, what do you do when you are asked to retreat to the wilderness of a lockdown? I find Mark 6:30-34 a good guide for me to navigate through the current reality that is biting me and many others in Sydney.