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John 20: 11-18

"But Mary was standing outside near the tomb, weeping. Then, as she wept, she stooped to look inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet. They said, 'Woman, why are you weeping?' 'They have taken my Lord away,' she replied, 'and I don't know where they have put him.' As she said this she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not realise that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?' Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, 'Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.' Jesus said, 'Mary!' She turned round then and said to him in Hebrew, 'Rabbuni!' -- which means Master. Jesus said to her, 'Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to the brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' So Mary of Magdala told the disciples, 'I have seen the Lord,' and that he had said these things to her."

Fighting the enemy: satan

8/11/2019

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Sunday | 30 | OT | C
Vancouver, October 27, 2019

An incident was reported only a few days ago in Bangladesh of a 19-year old female student. Apparently, this young woman, reported to the police the headmaster was sexually harassing her. After reporting to the police seventeen people led her to a roof top of a building attempting to coerce her into withdrawing the complaint of sexual assault. The school girl refused to withdraw the sexual harassment complaint from the police. As a result, her attackers threw kerosene on her and burned her alive.

How can people do such a horrible thing to an innocent girl who approached the police with a sexual assault complaint? Why protect the headmaster to the point of burning someone alive? It’s hard to believe that people would do such a thing to an innocent girl who is making a complaint concerning a guilty person.

Her own classmates bound her hands and feet so she could not escape as they poured kerosene on her and burned her. The fire burned the cord tying her hands and legs free, so she was able to make her way down the stairs and report what had happened to her. Since she was not sure if she would survive while in the ambulance, she recorded what happened on her brother’s mobile phone.

We could ask, what kind of justice is this? But, This not justice. If the complaint had already been made, a greater effort on the part of the police should have been made to protect her, especially knowing that in Bengali society how women are treated, these are ongoing social problems, where women who are vulnerable victims and brutally victimised. Who was this mob who burned her to death because she refused to withdraw the complaint? Is this the human justice?

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faith and pride

8/11/2019

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Sunday | 27 | OT | C
Vancouver, October 6, 2019

What is a prophet? Prophets are sent by God and have the duty to look at first what is happening in the lives of the people, if they are faithful to God, and then, to discern God’s voice. The prophet warns of punishment, but he also gives hope. Warning is related to the need to make changes in sinful habits of the people. And God’s people need to be reminded because they are forgetful. Interior conversion is for all the faithful throughout one’s entire life. We are forgetful because we can easily be side-tracked, fall into sin and sinful habits.

What is happening in our first reading? The prophet Habakkuk is writing sometime between the early-7th century and early 6th century BC the time of the Assyrian conquest in the north, and the rise of the Babylonians in the south who are referred to in Habakkuk as the Chaldeans. Israel and the people of God seem to be falling a part. The prophet Habakkuk speaks out!

Adults are no different than children in needing to be reminded. I had to remind a student -- the other day to be on time for class. I asked him why he was late: was it work? No. Was it a long walk across campus? No. Was it his bus connection? No. He simply did not see the importance of being on time -- he did not understand the value of punctuality. And asked me, with honest and sincerity, “Is it important to be at class on time?” Of course, I said.

Now I mention this because it demonstrates that even adults need to be reminded -- not just children -- of virtue. Things that we were taught, we forget, and so they are repeated by teachers, or parents or priests.

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Fighting the enemy: satan

faith and pride

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