the last and final entry for blogfest

This was an interesting sentence I found off Vincent's blog. It reads "I know that God won't let bad things happen to me". I believe that what Vincent says rings true, though sometimes, when things don't go the way we want them to, we tend to let our minds believe that God is the one who doesn't want us to have or achieve something.

For me, it was when I wasn't able to get into the university I wanted, dislocated my toe so close to my dance exam, had friends who were busy dancing their lives away and performing, while I had to watch from the sidelines and enter a second rated university which I'd never thought of entering. I had thought that God was unfair, because others who had the same grades that I had, managed to get into the universities. I was distraught when the rejection letter came, and I believed that God didn't want me to be happy and let me get in to be with my friends. The same thought occurred to me when I kept going to watch my friends perform at the UCC (NUS's University Cultural Centre). I would arrive home close to tears and questioning WHY God had dumped me in a second rated university that I hadn't chose.

But it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe I wouldn't have been able to get the same grades that I am getting now. If I had gone to the university of my choice, I may have had a major breakdown because of the stress and unending competition to be the best. I had managed to beat my friends during the exams, and was rather happy about that.

So I guess, it really is true that God won't let anything bad or unfortunate happen to us. I guess we have to see His plan for us, the bigger picture that we fail to see as we focus on our day-to-day wants, in order to know that the choices He makes for us are not detrimental to us, but to help us along.

final entry

Sorry to Sarah for not being able to post any earlier!!! Was having a tebulent time in school this past week. It's crazy to the bone. I hope these entries will come in time for the judging!!!!



I would say my relationship with God has been one with much ups and downs, somewhat like a rollercoaster ride.

Let me share with you, readers, my experience during on of the down sides. I know that there was a point in my life where I felt that going to church on Saturdays and singing for mass wasn't what I had envisioned being in a church was. At that time, I had started making friends with people from other Christian denominations, mainly Methodists. After hanging out with them for awhile, I began to realise that I wanted the same kind of bond which the youth had in their church. I felt that the youth over at Risen Christ weren't as close as we possibly could, as we were divided into our catechism classes and church ministries. But for the Methodists, or so I was told last time, they had cell groups, bible study and other activities to bond the youth together constantly, so that they would become one body, instead of separate cliques.

After I had heard about all these, I was greatly unsatisfied, and started comparing the youth in Risen Christ to that of my friends' church. I was extremely tempted to stop going to a Catholic church and start going to a Methodist one, to, well, enjoy wouldn't be the word, but to feel closer to God. However, I didn't manage to do so, because I prayed very hard to God, and asked Him to help me, and guide me through the dilemma. His sign was shown to me the following week, where I was asked to play the organ during mass for the choir. I looked at that request as the saving grace, because if not, I don't think I would have still be in Risen Christ after confirmation.

This, my dear readers, was the turning point where my relationship with God started to become stronger. I can tell you all straight away, that my relationship with God is now very firm and deeply rooted in my heart. Two years from now, I can see myself still serving in one of the church's ministries, and being a faithful follower of God.

As Saint Augustine said, "He who sings prays twice", and I shall continue to sing for God for a long time to come =))

*image taken from google images

response =))

"Are you guilty of indulging in earthly possessions or splurging yourself with materialism? Are you holding any grudges? Do you have worries you cannot surrender?"
- Stella



If someone were to ask me if I'm guilty of indulging in earthly possessions and what not, then my answer would be YES. I mean, I know it's wrong and stuff, but it's during the Great Singapore Sale, where practically everything's a steal, and besides, the GST hike starts today, so....I know it's still wrong to keep wanting more stuff, but I guess spending money shopping retail therapy is another outlet for me to relieve stress.



If you were to ask me if I'm holding grudges, then the answer would be YES. I am one person who has a tendency to bear grudges against people who have pissed me off, stepped all over me and annoyed me to no end. Not only do I bear a grudge against that person, I sometimes go out of my way to make sure that he or she sufferes the same shit things which he or she has done to me. In other words, I'm rather vindictive.



If anyone were to ask me if I have worries that I can't surrender, the answer would also be a resounding YES. I believe many people have some worries which, no matter how hard they try, can't seem to give up. It's as if they get some sadistic pleasure in torturing themselves with worrying. For me, worrying is like second nature. I tend to worry about a lot of things, and sometimes, these worries extend to the future.

"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to"

Isn't it worrying? After you read a passage, analyse it, and then see how it plays a part in your own life? Like Stella said, I highly doubt I'd be able to go in through the narrow door, because of all the baggage I'm carrying.

I think this is my wake up call to start living a better Christian life, by changing the way I behave and react to certain problems, to stop being taken in by worldly wants, and to start living according to the way God wants us to live our lives, so that we can, and are able to get through the narrow door without any problems.

*images are taken from google images =))

favourite bible verse =))

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
- Psalm 121: 1-8

It speaks to me, and makes me understand that I can always seek comfort, or solace in the Lord. He won't turn me away, like how He protects Israel 24/7 of the time, as seen from the passage above =)) Also, the Lord will never give up on me, even when I have sinned against Him, and He will "preserve my soul" when I pass from this world.

His undying love for everyone in this world is definitely unrivalled, as He is the only one who is able to forgive as many times as possible. This, my dear readers, is what makes Him so special and above humankind.

I find that this verse is going to be one of my favourties for the years to come, because it shows us the immense love that the Lord has for us, and that He will graciously welcome back sinners who are repentent, and will keep a watchful eye on those who believe in Him.

*image is taken from google images =))

response

A sight that maybe, we would be able to see in future.

Alright, so maybe I went a bit too far into the gender inequality thingy. Didn't have much to say about this topic though. That's the truth people, cause it doesn't really matter to me. Heh, but I had to take a stand. So, yeah =))

Anyways, I agree with Stella that "tradition is priority", because this tradition is part of our religion. I guess we shouldn't change it because changing something like this would almost be the same as changing the way we spend Chinese New Year, or Christmas or something. Yeah, so that's how I feel towards this topic.

But on the other hand, I'm quite indifferent about whether females are able to serve at the altar, because I believe that there are females who are interested in joining that particular ministry. I've got a friend who's studying in Australia at the moment, and she's part of the altar servers. When she came back in December, she showed me all the photos that she took, and I was quite happy for her, because she seemed really happy in that ministry.

On a personal note, I actually did ask our former parish priest, Father John Lee why there aren't any females serving in Singapore churches, and the answer he gave me was something along the lines of "because we are not ready to make such a change yet" (or something along those lines, because I asked him this question like, 4 years ago!!!).

I guess if one day the archbishop and all the priests in Singapore agree to this, then yes, there will be females joining the altar servers, because they've already made the step to let females become communion ministers in Risen Christ. I don't know if other churches have the same thing, but if they don't, then Risen Christ will be the first one to make that change =))

tradition versus modernisation

Oh wow. A controversial topic that would present many different views and arguments. Wise choice guys =))

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When I was 16, my entire family went to the States for a month long holiday, and I managed to experience mass in a church outside Singapore for the very first time. The major differences between the church I went to and churches in Singapore is that for one, females are allowed to become altar servers (from lighting candles to holding the bible, and even to swaying the incense holder) and that they didn't sing much during the mass. I was intrigued, as I had never seen female altar servers in my life as there are NO churches in Singapore which allow it. The sight of a girl helping the priest seemed soo foreign, it seemed as if I had stepped into another dimension.



Will we ever get to see a sight like this? Or will it still be the traditional "boys only" mentality that we have been brought up with?

To me, upholding the tradition of only allowing boys to be altar servers is important, because I believe that the altar servers represent the apostles, who stood by Christ until his death and even after his resurrection. As all the apostles were male, it is essential that we follow it through. Even though we see the rise of female altar servers in countries such as Australia and America, I feel that we should uphold the Church's tradition of altar boys.

"The directive covering the liturgical ministry of women is given in the official liturgical instruction Inaestimabile Donum (no. 18), which says, "There are various roles that women can perform in the liturgical assembly: These include reading the word of God and proclaiming the intentions of the prayer of the faithful. Women are not, however, permitted to act as altar servers."
- Catholic Answers

This statement is, shall, and forever will be "binding, and in full force." I agree with the law, as I feel that the church wants to preserve this tradition because they want to somewhat re-enact what happened thousands of years ago, where Christ was surrounded and aided by His twelve apostles (apostles, NOT disciples).

Although this debate may come across somewhat as discriminating against women, we cannot argue that as in the past, women were treated like slaves and were considered unimportant. They had to be submissive and the care giver of the family. Care giver, not bread winner, or equal. Women were considered lower than men and had to learn where they stood in society. This, dear readers, was the culture in the past, and thus, Jesus had males as His apostles, and NOT females.

I think this issue has been debated upon many times, and plenty of views have been casted, but we should all realise that we can never modernise anything that has to do with religion, UNLESS an absolute need for change is inevitable - if there are NO more boys that want to participate in this particular ministry, there is a shortage of boys, or the females who want to be altar servers start rioting and revolutionising. Now that would be interesting.

*image is taken from google images =))*

response! =))

As blogger is screwing up on me, I shall have to re-publish my post. Grr.



I agree with Andre, that a recent day hero in the eyes of the Catholic church would be Pope John Paul II (whose name was actually Karol Wojtyla).

"He worked extremely hard as a pope, yet was so human and holy at the same time, something almost incomprehensible."
- Andre

To me, this sentence shows that the Pope was someone who resembled Jesus' character - a person who was both holy and human. In today's homily at Risen Christ's 11am mass, Father Larry (a Filipino priest) was telling us about how Jesus was able to forgive Mary Magdalene's sins. As Jesus was both holy and human at the same time (just like Pope John Paul II), He was moved by the sincerity of her actions, which made Him feel compassion toward her, and so, he forgave her.

This can be compared to the Pope, when he was almost assassinated by Ağca in 1981. Through a miracle, the Pope was critically wounded, but managed to survive the shooting. He then visited Ağca at the prison a few years later, and pardoned and forgave the man for his actions. This is somewhat a parallel to Jesus having forgiven the people who had prosecuted Him. In this way, the Pope was somewhat like Jesus, by being gracious and forgiving.

The Pope's extent of forgiveness is out of this world, because who else in the world would forgive the other person for shooting him? I definitely would not, because I would probably be blinded by hate toward that person for making me suffer for doing nothing wrong. This, my readers, is what makes the Pope a great hero today. His ability to forgive and extend his hand to the person who did him wrong is unrivalled.

By learning from him, I have been able to understand how important it is to be able to forgive a person, because harbouring ill thoughts toward other people will slowly kill you inside. You will then become just a shell, and hate as your driving force to live (think about "Meet the Robinsons" if you have watched it. The part about the flashback on how the evil guy turned evil...). The hate will eventually eat you up inside, which would make you walk further away from God.

The ability to forgive, and as many times as possible would make us learn to be more like Christ, which would strengthen our bond with Him, and enable us to walk closer with Him. This, dear readers, would then make us better Christians and people.