Whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
(Mt 5:19)

Lent is upon us once again, with Ash Wednesday on March 5th marking the beginning of the forty-day season of penance, fasting, and almsgiving—a sacred time for reflection and renewal as we seek to restore our relationship with God. This month also brings the March term break, a welcome pause for some and a busy period for others. While many will intensify their preparations for the Singapore Youth Festival competition, school performances, or the National School Games, others may use this time to step back, take stock of the first term, and prepare for what lies ahead.

In my own training as an educator during my time in NIE, the importance of reflection was always emphasised. A good teacher, it was said, is a reflective practitioner. As Catholic educators, this call to reflection extends further: we are invited to examine not only our teaching practices but also how we live out our faith and reflect Christ to our students. Have we brought life to our students by living out the commandments and teaching them to do the same? Jesus himself assures us, “the one who keeps them (the commandments) and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:19b). If we aspire to be great educators in the eyes of the Lord, this question is one we must frequently ask ourselves.

Living the commandments, however, is not merely about obeying the law. Christ calls us to something far deeper: to nurture right relationships with God and with others. As Jesus teaches, “if your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:20). The scribes and Pharisees adhered strictly to the letter of the law, but they failed to embrace its spirit, which is love. Love is at the heart of the law and the life of Christ, and it requires tangible expression. Love is an action, a choice, and a will to serve others.

As the letter of James reminds us, “You say you have faith and I have good deeds; I will prove to you that I have faith by showing you my good deeds—now you prove to me that you have faith without any good deeds to show” (Jas 2:19). Each day presents us with an opportunity to demonstrate our faith through our actions. As educators, we are called to go beyond imparting academic knowledge; we are called to embody and teach love.

This love is revealed not just in grand gestures but in the small, daily interactions that make up our lives: a kind tone, a warm smile, a nod of encouragement. Our students are keen observers, quick to pick up on the subtleties of our words and actions. A simple word of affirmation or a gesture of approval can profoundly impact their sense of self-worth, helping them feel valued and loved. The values we model in the classroom—both explicitly and implicitly—shape their understanding of what it means to love and be loved.

As we accompany our students, particularly during competitive seasons, we often face the challenge of balancing a drive for excellence with the cultivation of compassion. How can we nurture in them both a competitive spirit and a compassionate heart? This tension is not easy to navigate, but it offers a profound opportunity to teach our students what it truly means to love: to strive for greatness, not at the expense of others, but in a way that lifts others up.

Every day is a new chance to model and teach love—a love that reflects the boundless and transformative love of Christ. May we as educators be models of love to our students so that they too may one day model the love of Christ to others.

“The Lord will fight for you. You have only to be still.” (Exodus 14:14)

A dead end and a death end – pinned between the armies of Pharoah behind them, and the waters of the Red Sea before them – the Israelites, who had been liberated from slavery in Egypt by the hand of God, “were in great fear.”

And they said to Moses “What have you done to us, in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, ‘Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of

the LORD, which he will work for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you have only to be still.’” (Exodus 14:11-14)

What fears and anxieties, or complaints and questions, might we bringing to the Lord as we enter the season of Lent?

Do we see dead ends looming on the horizon, even so early in the school year, juggling our daily grind as educators with the toil of fulfilling obligations towards family and Church? Do we find ourselves trapped between obeying the commandments of God, and caving in to conform to the views the secular world which we know are against the teachings of Christ and his Church? Why didn’t God just “let us alone and let us serve the world?” Perhaps it would have been better for us to gain the whole world and forfeit our lives….

When we are overwhelmed, it is often easy for us to forget, like the Israelites, that God is always with his people. “The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night; the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.” (Exodus 13:21-22)

We need only be still to recognise his presence, and let him fight all our battles for us. But how?

The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd’s Vice-Rector Fr Samuel Lim gave some insights when he unpacked the Gospel account of the wedding at Cana in John 2:1-11 from the perspective of prayer. It reads:

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

I have summarised the gist of Fr Samuel’s homily in an acronym: SSSSSSHH!

• S: Set aside a dedicated time and place to meet the Lord in your schedule: mark this appointment with Him in your calendar as you would a VIP visit, or an invitation to an important meeting or occasion, such as a wedding;

• S: Sit and be with Him – as Our Lady was at the side of Jesus at Cana – in a comfortable position before g. the Blessed Sacrament, a crucifix, candle, icon, or other holy image, and preferably in a sacred place e.g. in your school chapel, grotto or home altar;

• S: Still yourself as best you can – you could listen to a song such as the one linked to the QR code at right, or some other appropriate hymn or worship song, to quieten your soul;

• S: Speak to the Lord, bringing your need to him in communion and conversation, but simply and succinctly, like Mother Mary told Jesus: “They have no wine”. E.g. “Lord, I am running on empty; I have run out of wine. Help me, Jesus.After all, he knows our needs already: “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to his eyes … Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:12-13, 16). But he still wants us to come to him;At the end of your quiet time, whether or not you felt you have received anything from him;

   

• S: Surrender your need to the Lord, trusting in his promise: “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with When you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)I find praying The Surrender Novena very useful at this stage, especially with a rosary. Sometimes, in particular desperate situations, I pray all 9 prayers in a row at one sitting, but otherwise, I pray one prayer a day for 9 days, which helps me set a routine.The words of the Novena are very wise e.g. they remind me not to tell God how to answer my prayers (as if God didn’t know better): “You are not sick people who ask the doctor to cure you, but rather sick people who tell the doctor how to!” 

  And “It is like the confusion that children feel when they ask their mother to see to their needs, and then try to take care of those needs for themselves so that their childlike efforts get in their mother’s way…”

  The Novena explains: “Surrender means to placidly close the eyes of the soul, to turn away from thoughts of tribulation, and to put yourself in God’s care, saying, “Lord, you take care of it.”

• H: Hear and resolve to obey what He is inviting you to do next, even though it may not make Our Lady told the servants at Cana: “Do whatever he tells you”, and they did so unquestioningly, even though they might have wondered how filling up the purification jars with water might solve the wine shortage issue, and how the steward would have reacted if they brought plain water for him to taste! Nevertheless, they obeyed Jesus wholeheartedly, not just merely filling the jars partially, but “to the brim”.As Scripture tells us: “Trust in the Lord with all your hearts, lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways submit to him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6);

• H: Honour and praise the Lord for spending this time with you, no matter how short or unproductive you might have thought it The Capuchin friar Blessed Solanus Casey, OFM Cap loved to say: “Thank God ahead of time!” Give God the time and space to fight your battles for you; then

• ! Wait in expectant faith for the miracles to happen! Meanwhile, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you The LORD will fight for you; you have only to be still.” (Exodus 14:13-14)And as at the wedding at Cana, Mary, the Mother of God, intercedes for us: let us turn to her too. She is the model of being still and SSSSSSHH!16th C French Bishop Jean-Pierre Camus wrote: “What shall give you patience and endurance when you are wearied out with the length of conffict with evil, with the unceasing necessity of precautions, with the irksomeness of observing them, with the tediousness of repetition, with the strain upon your mind, and with your forlorn and cheerless condition, but a loving communion with Our Lady! What will bring you to yourselves, to peace and to health, but the cool breath of the Immaculate! 

   

  May the sign of the cross on our foreheads this Ash Wednesday remind us of the 5 Essential Marks of our Catholic schools, the banner of trust and faith in God we are called to carry to as Pilgrims of Hope in this great Jubilee Year, and the lens of faith we should see through to give us that supernatural vision to see the Way ahead.

  This season of Lent, may we turn our hearts and minds over to God in prayer and intercession, fasting from the world, and giving the alms of quality time to the Lord and his creation, especially our loved ones and those whom the Holy Spirit prompts us to reconnect or reconcile with.

  And every time we tell our children to SSSSSSHH! may we be prompted to do so ourselves!

  “Pray, hope, and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.” (St Padre Pio)

In Singapore, we are very blessed to have Penitential Services organised in all parishes and Catholic schools. Rev Fr Joseph Stephen, CSsR, parish priest of the Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Ipoh, Malaysia laments on the dwindling numbers of children and youth who present themselves for confessions during Lent.

…

Lent is here again and among the Lenten practices like fasting, alms giving, works of mercy, Stations of the Cross and daily Mass, Catholics are encouraged to go for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The priests have come together to plan for penitential services in different parishes. This ministry will take up many nights. We run from one parish to another inviting people for the Sacrament. Some come, some don’t. It raises a question — why aren’t people coming for this Sacrament? Is there something wrong with the way it is taught or presented? Is there a Protestant influence whereby people say they can confess directly to God? Why go through a priest?

As I look back, I notice a certain trend among people. Firstly, we can hardly see youth coming for confession. This is my personal experience. There will just be a sprinkling of them. Do they have a special time in their parish for confession? I am not sure, although in our parish, we are trying to do that. Secondly, we can hardly see children who have received Holy Communion coming for confession. In many parishes, children who went for confession before holy communion, will only come again just before Confirmation.

The sad reality is that there are many people who do not go for confession. In many churches, it is difficult to find priests in the confession box before Mass because they are busy, with many Masses to cover or there is only one priest in the parish — tough going these days.

Is the Church doing enough to teach people about the need for reconciliation? Do we preach about it often enough? Do we give talks? Do we create special time for children and youth to come for confession? Maybe they are waiting for different priests to come to the parish so that they can go and celebrate this Sacrament of Reconciliation. And there is a problem. Sometimes there is a struggle with the question of venial sin and mortal sin (mortal is deadly sin). People feel they have committed venial sin (often understood as small sin). So, there is mortal sin, deadly, that breaks our relationship with God, community and self. Then we have venial sin (venia), which denotes an act of a less serious matter, which wounds our relationship with God.

I am not going to list down all the mortal sins. It is sufficient to know there is mortal sin and venial sin.

The Church teaches that all sins are wrong. Some action of ours have affected our relationship with God, with our community. There are sins that are not mortal (1 Jn 5:16-17) and there are sins that are mortal that lead to spiritual death. There are sins that do not lead us to spiritual death and there are sins that leads us to spiritual death. For these reasons, theologians, the spiritual masters, have divided them into mortal and venial sins.

There is a thinking among many of us that I have committed venial sin, a sin that does not break my communion with God or community so I do not need to go for confession.

The new rite of Sacrament of Penance promulgated by Pope Paul VI on December 2, 1973 among other things says this – “frequent and careful celebration of this sacrament is also useful as a remedy for venial sins.”

We know from experience that small mistakes cool down friendship. How many times have we not spoken to a fellow priest because of a small misunderstanding or due to some hurting remark made? How many times have couples given the cold treatment to their spouse over some misunderstanding? In some religious communities, though we stay in the same house, we do not greet each other or talk to each other because of some difference in opinions or some small mistakes.

Theologians will also tell or teach us that any number of venial sins do not make one mortal sin. However venial sin can dispose us to mortal sin in the following ways:

— By weakening our disposition of the will to obey God. One who is not faithful in small things will not be faithful in big things.

— When we live in venial sin, we forfeit the deep relationship with God by making our will more inclined towards evil. l We need to pay attention that venial sin will hamper our growth to holiness.

— Finally, sins are great obstacles to virtue. Sin inflicts the following wounds ? ignorance which hampers use of reason, malice which makes the will less disposed to good, weakness which makes it more difficult to do good. Venial sin can make holiness and growth to holiness very difficult.

Lent is a great time for us to reflect and ponder about our relationship with God and neighbours. Through our time dedicated to prayer and silence, we have the time to think about our life’s journey, our wrong-doing, big and small, and we can prepare ourselves for this sacrament of mercy.

Parents can bring their children along for the sacrament of reconciliation although they may not have committed any mortal sin or deadly sin, they may have committed some wrong that will hamper their growth in virtues.

The Church celebrates the mercy of God. It is not about judging each other but welcoming the Sacrament – Go in peace and sin no more. Our guest columnist this week is Fr Joseph Stephen, CSsR, parish priest of the Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Ipoh.

Sources from Herald Malaysia Online.