Novena of Grace of St. Francis Xavier (Day 7) Thursday after Ash Wednesday 10th March 2011

The Lord is kind. In a sense, this statement is tautological because it is stating the obvious. Examples of tautology are colloquial expressions “repeat again” or “cuba try” [Malay, cuba = try] are tautological. He is kind because we are eating tonight. Yesterday was Ash Wednesday. It was not appropriate to “mark” the Novena. Tomorrow is Friday and we keep the “no meat” on Friday for the sake of universality. There is something to be said about “No Meat on Friday". A world that meanders aimlessly through the wastelands of vulgar democracy, "No Meat on Friday" is badge we wear with a certain humility. Let me be clear that I am not against democracy. Vulgar democracy tends to “democratise” diversity—to the point that nothing is important. What does it mean? Relativist ideology tells us that there are as many truths as there are the number of people here. “What is true for you is true for you and what is true for me is true for me”… I know I sound repetitious and annoying. But think further, this so-called pluralist [many] ideology not only relativises but also reduces your voice to a no voice. The crass democracy of ideas when relativised make the world a lonelier world. Nobody can really share your believe—because everything is true—like the idiocy that all religions are the same. Well, I hold on to something as sacred even if it does not really speak to me because of the universal Church. That was why I wore the ashes yesterday… not because I am holy but because I am proud to see other Catholics, sinners like I am, walking around, proclaiming not their holiness but our common need of repentance and forgiveness. Today we are thankful for the Gospel because it ties in with the so-called evening gathering after Mass—it is simple because it reflects Lent. So let me dive in. How does it tie in? The first reading is a kind of repetition of last Sunday’s first. Moses set before the people choices. Choose life and blessing. The Gospel echoes this imperative that we choose and it ties in with our Novena of Grace OF St Francis Xavier. Accordingly, Francis was an ambitious young noble destined for worldly success until he met a man from a world totally unfamiliar to him. As in when two worlds collide, one was aggressive whereas the other was gentle. Francis resisted valiantly with contempt and ridicule even as Ignatius reached out humbly with kindness until one, when the aggression was sufficiently tamed, Ignatius proposed what we have in the Gospel today: “What gain, then, is it for a man to win the world and to have lost or ruined his very self?” In Francis, Ignatius discerned a soul not unfamiliar with nobility and open before his very eyes a vision of honour not determined by this world. Francis was challenged to draw his line of honour beyond the world that he can see. If glory was what he sought, then he should seek a glory which does not vanish like a dream. It was then that Francis gave himself over to Ignatius and through Ignatius, he began on the road to holy enlightenment. The very drive he had for the world was converted into a passion for the things of God. The passion for things of God can only be achieved through an interior battle to mortify his “flesh” and to bring all his sense under control. How is Francis’ conversion relevant to us? First, Francis himself is an embodiment of a vision not unlike ours. In itself, there is nothing wrong with this vision except that it leads ultimately to emptiness. The riches of the world is a promise which at the beginning will come across as fulfilling. It is when one has reached the pinnacle that further questions need to be asked. How did I come here? What have I given up or what have I taken in order to arrive here? What else after this? The sense of fulfilment that Francis sought was not to be found in this world. Thus, those who think that the ultimate in this world would be satisfactory would be driven to search for the rainbow’s end. Second, Ignatius brought the shadows of Francis’ passion into light. He gave him a vision which puts to pale everything that could be passionately achieved. In the end, Francis saw the world through Ignatian lens where the Blessed Trinity, seeing the world in need of salvation, decides that the 2nd person should become man to save the human race. It was this vision that sustained Francis’ endeavours in this part of the world. This is the second day of Lent. Yesterday we put on ashes, and for some it begins a forty days of “whatever”… no liquid diet (meaning nothing more than 5% alcohol), no misdemeanour, no gambling, no smoking, no chocolates, no face-booking any number of “noes”. For some of us, a “no” can be cosmetic. Before you think I am ridiculing your Lenten practices, let me assure you that I am not. Instead I would like to make sense of what you do during Lent in the light of Francis’ leaving Europe for Asia. Unlike modern migration, Francis was not looking for a better life in Asia. He came to share the vision of another life. St Peter in his first epistle, one of the so-called Catholic epistles, Catholic not in the sense of the “Catholic” Church, but Catholic in the sense that it was addressed not to a particular community. It was addressed to the “whole” Church. St Peter’s letter was descriptive of the early Church—a sense of alienation. He speaks of their existence by using two Greek words: Parapaedemoi and paraokoi. They sound alien until you realise that the word economy has its roots in one of them. He used them interchangeably and can be translated as wandering sojourners and alien residents. A good contemporary word is “refugee”—Christians are the original “Pendatangs”. In a sense we are refugees/pendatangs because Christians live for another world. Our vision is of that world. But, what have we? We have acclimatised, naturalised and we have grown roots too deep. There are two groups of people here. First, there are those who defend their rights to be here of the good old days. Second, there are those who look for the greener pastures—herons flying south. Both actually live for the now thinking that the promised land is here and now and can be attainable in this life. Penances make no sense at all. God does not need appeasement. What He desires is that we go home. All acts of “penances” only make sense because we are supposed to be agile enough for the next world. They are undertaken not for themselves… if they were, then they are cosmetics. Holiness is a journey to that world. England, Australia, Malaysia, United States or anywhere that takes your fancy, no matter how comfortable, how durable, how conducive and most of all, how desirable this world is nothing but a glorified bus-stop.