9. What are appropriate signs of reverence with respect to the Body and Blood of Christ?

The Body and Blood of Christ present under the appearances of bread and wine are treated with the greatest reverence both during and after the celebration of the Eucharist (cf. Mysterium Fidei, nos. 56-61). For example, the tabernacle in which the consecrated bread is reserved is placed "in some part of the church or oratory which is distinguished, conspicuous, beautifully decorated, and suitable for prayer" (Code of Canon Law, Can. 938, §2). According to the tradition of the Latin Church, one should genuflect in the presence of the tabernacle containing the reserved sacrament. In the Eastern Catholic Churches, the traditional practice is to make the sign of the cross and to bow profoundly. The liturgical gestures from both traditions reflect reverence, respect, and adoration. It is appropriate for the members of the assembly to greet each other in the gathering space of the church (that is, the vestibule or narthex), but it is not appropriate to speak in loud or boisterous tones in the body of the church (that is, the nave) because of the presence of Christ in the tabernacle. Also, the Church requires everyone to fast before receiving the Body and Blood of Christ as a sign of reverence and recollection (unless illness prevents one from doing so). In the Latin Church, one must generally fast for at least one hour; members of Eastern Catholic Churches must follow the practice established by their own Church.

10. If someone without faith eats and drinks the consecrated bread and wine, does he or she still receive the Body and Blood of Christ?

If "to receive" means "to consume," the answer is yes, for what the person consumes is the Body and Blood of Christ. If "to receive" means "to accept the Body and Blood of Christ knowingly and willingly as what they are, so as to obtain the spiritual benefit," then the answer is no. A lack of faith on the part of the person eating and drinking the Body and Blood of Christ cannot change what these are, but it does prevent the person from obtaining the spiritual benefit, which is communion with Christ. Such reception of Christ's Body and Blood would be in vain and, if done knowingly, would be sacrilegious (1 Cor 11:29). Reception of the Blessed Sacrament is not an automatic remedy. If we do not desire communion with Christ, God does not force this upon us. Rather, we must by faith accept God's offer of communion in Christ and in the Holy Spirit, and cooperate with God's grace in order to have our hearts and minds transformed and our faith and love of God increased.

11. If a believer who is conscious of having committed a mortal sin eats and drinks the consecrated bread and wine, does he or she still receive the Body and Blood of Christ?

Yes. The attitude or disposition of the recipient cannot change what the consecrated bread and wine are. The question here is thus not primarily about the nature of the Real Presence, but about how sin affects the relationship between an individual and the Lord. Before one steps forward to receive the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion, one needs to be in a right relationship with the Lord and his Mystical Body, the Church - that is, in a state of grace, free of all mortal sin. While sin damages, and can even destroy, that relationship, the sacrament of Penance can restore it. St. Paul tells us that "whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup" (1 Cor 11:27-28). Anyone who is conscious of having committed a mortal sin should be reconciled through the sacrament of Penance before receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, unless a grave reason exists for doing so and there is no opportunity for confession. In this case, the person is to be mindful of the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, that is, an act of sorrow for sins that "arises from a love by which God is loved above all else" (Catechism, no. 1452). The act of perfect contrition must be accompanied by the firm intention of making a sacramental confession as soon as possible.

12. Does one receive the whole Christ if one receives Holy Communion under a single form?

Yes. Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, is wholly present under the appearance either of bread or of wine in the Eucharist. Furthermore, Christ is wholly present in any fragment of the consecrated Host or in any drop of the Precious Blood. Nevertheless, it is especially fitting to receive Christ in both forms during the celebration of the Eucharist. This allows the Eucharist to appear more perfectly as a banquet, a banquet that is a foretaste of the banquet that will be celebrated with Christ at the end of time when the Kingdom of God is established in its fullness (cf. Eucharisticum Mysterium, no. 32).

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm. 

Please remember in your prayers the repose of the soul of Rev. Elmer P. Wurth, M.M. who passed away on October 4, 2021, in Kalida, Ohio. 

Father Wurth was 92 years old and a Maryknoll priest for 65 years. 

Memorial Mass: Wednesday, November 3, 2021 at 11:00 A.M. (11:00PM Hong Kong Time), Queen of Apostles Chapel, Maryknoll, New York

Replay available through the YouTube link below.

• A second collection will be taken up during Mass. The total amount collected will be reserved for the Pontifical Work for the Propagation of the Faith and sent directly to the Holy See as a contribution of our Local Church to the missionary activities of the Universal Church
• Mass for the All Souls will be held on Tue, 2 Nov at 9:15 AM and at 7:00 PM (in English) and on Thu, 18 Nov at 8:00 PM (in Chinese).         
• Parish Council Election will be held on Tue, 2 Nov at 7:45 PM, during the parish council meeting.  All parishioners are invited to participate.
  
• Tagalog Mass will be held on 31 Oct (Sun) at 07:15 AM. At this mass, we will celebrate 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines.
  
• Youth Meeting will be held on 12 Nov (Fri) from 8:00 - 9:00 PM, at the parish hall upstairs. All youth are welcome.
  

Dear brothers and sisters, today Jesus makes a surprising link in the conversation in the Gospel Reading of 31^st Sunday of Ordinary Times.

He links forever the commandment to love God with the commandment to love one's neighbor as oneself. When asked for the greatest single commandment, he answers by naming two commandments – loving God and loving neighbor; they necessarily, intrinsically go together.

In Jesus' time, this answer was surprising because it put love for neighbor on par with love for God. No one had ever done that before; everyone simply agreed that loving God came first.

Loving one's neighbor was good, they thought, but it was secondary – the primary thing was loving God. Jesus challenges those assumptions: true love for God, he teaches, cannot exist apart from true love for neighbor. If someone claims to love God, that invisible love can be verified in the visible way they treat their neighbor.

In our day, on the other hand, perhaps the more surprising aspect is the priority Jesus gives to loving God. Our post-modern world has, in many ways, given up on the idea of God.

The sheer quantity of religions and denominations and their inability to agree on doctrines has created a cynical indifference to God. Government and popular culture have almost succeeded in keeping God in the closet – at best.

What the seculars do agree about, however, is the importance of loving one's neighbor – toleration, diversity, random acts of kindness, paying it forward… These are things we can sink our teeth into, so they say.

And yet, is it possible to make the sustained effort necessary for truly Christian love of neighbor, without staying connected to the reason why our neighbor ought to be loved?

In other words, if I don't love the God in whose image my neighbor is created, how long and how deeply can I really, truly love my neighbor?

A Dependable Measuring Stick

How can we measure how much we love God? How can we know? We all love God to some extent - otherwise we wouldn't be here right now. But how much? How mature is our love for God?

St. Teresa of Avila, the amazing Doctor of the Church from sixteenth-century Spain, took her measuring stick from this Gospel passage about the greatest Commandment. She wrote: "We cannot know whether or not we love God, although there are strong indications for recognizing that we do love Him; but we can know whether we love our neighbor. And be certain that the more advanced you see you are in love for your neighbor, the more advanced you will be in the love of God; [and] to repay us for our love of neighbor, he will in a thousand ways increase the love we have for him."

St. Teresa of Calcutta shows the same kind of common sense: "We are commanded to love God and our neighbor equally, on the same level. There is no difference. Love for our neighbor must be equal to our love for God. We don't have to search for opportunities; we have them twenty-four hours a day with those around us. How is it that we do not see, and we miss these opportunities?"

When we obey God's command to love our neighbors, in little things or in big things, we increase the intensity of God's presence in the world - because we reveal his love to others.

Growing in Our Love for God by Growing in Our Knowledge of God

There is an old philosophical dictum that says you cannot love what you do not know. And that's true. To love something, we have to know it. And so, if we want to grow in our love for God, which is the surest way to grow in our love for neighbor, the best thing to do is to get to know God better. This week let's do that.

Here are three things we can do to know God better. First, spend fifteen minutes a day this week reading the Bible. The Bible is God's Word - he reveals himself there.

Second, come and do a holy hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. When we spend time with him, there near the Tabernacle, in silence, in prayerful reflection or even in prayerful reading, he speaks to our hearts. He reveals himself to us.

Third, go for a prayerful walk in a beautiful park. God created the world. The beauties of nature are his work of art. Just as any artist reveals himself in his works, so God does too.

We all want to obey the two great commandments - that's why we are here. God wants to help us. This week, let's let him - let's make a decision today, during this Mass, as we renew our faith, that we will do something, anything, to get to know God better this week, so that we can love him better.

6. Are the consecrated bread and wine "merely symbols"?

In everyday language, we call a "symbol" something that points beyond itself to something else, often to several other realities at once. The transformed bread and wine that are the Body and Blood of Christ are not merely symbols because they truly are the Body and Blood of Christ. As St. John Damascene wrote: "The bread and wine are not a foreshadowing of the body and blood of Christ —By no means! —but the actual deified body of the Lord, because the Lord Himself said: 'This is my body'; not 'a foreshadowing of my body' but 'my body,' and not 'a foreshadowing of my blood' but 'my blood'" (The Orthodox Faith, IV [PG 94, 1148-49]). At the same time, however, it is important to recognize that the Body and Blood of Christ come to us in the Eucharist in a sacramental form. In other words, Christ is present under the appearances of bread and wine, not in his own proper form. We cannot presume to know all the reasons behind God's actions. God uses, however, the symbolism inherent in the eating of bread and the drinking of wine at the natural level to illuminate the meaning of what is being accomplished in the Eucharist through Jesus Christ. There are various ways in which the symbolism of eating bread and drinking wine discloses the meaning of the Eucharist. For example, just as natural food gives nourishment to the body, so the eucharistic food gives spiritual nourishment. Furthermore, the sharing of an ordinary meal establishes a certain communion among the people who share it; in the Eucharist, the People of God share a meal that brings them into communion not only with each other but with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Similarly, as St. Paul tells us, the single loaf that is shared among many during the eucharistic meal is an indication of the unity of those who have been called together by the Holy Spirit as one body, the Body of Christ (1 Cor 10:17). To take another example, the individual grains of wheat and individual grapes have to be harvested and to undergo a process of grinding or crushing before they are unified as bread and as wine. Because of this, bread and wine point to both the union of the many that takes place in the Body of Christ and the suffering undergone by Christ, a suffering that must also be embraced by his disciples. Much more could be said about the many ways in which the eating of bread and drinking of wine symbolize what God does for us through Christ, since symbols carry multiple meanings and connotations.

7. Do the consecrated bread and wine cease to be the Body and Blood of Christ when the Mass is over?

No. During the celebration of the Eucharist, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ, and this they remain. They cannot turn back into bread and wine, for they are no longer bread and wine at all. There is thus no reason for them to change back to their "normal" state after the special circumstances of the Mass are past. Once the substance has really changed, the presence of the Body and Blood of Christ "endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist" (Catechism, no. 1377). Against those who maintained that the bread that is consecrated during the Eucharist has no sanctifying power if it is left over until the next day, St. Cyril of Alexandria replied, "Christ is not altered, nor is his holy body changed, but the power of the consecration and his life-giving grace is perpetual in it" (Letter 83, to Calosyrius, Bishop of Arsinoe [ PG 76, 1076]). The Church teaches that Christ remains present under the appearances of bread and wine as long as the appearances of bread and wine remain (cf. Catechism, no. 1377).

8. Why are some of the consecrated hosts reserved after the Mass?

While it would be possible to eat all of the bread that is consecrated during the Mass, some is usually kept in the tabernacle. The Body of Christ under the appearance of bread that is kept or "reserved" after the Mass is commonly referred to as the "Blessed Sacrament." There are several pastoral reasons for reserving the Blessed Sacrament. First of all, it is used for distribution to the dying (Viaticum), the sick, and those who legitimately cannot be present for the celebration of the Eucharist. Secondly, the Body of Christ in the form of bread is to be adored when it is exposed, as in the Rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction, when it is carried in eucharistic processions, or when it is simply placed in the tabernacle, before which people pray privately. These devotions are based on the fact that Christ himself is present under the appearance of bread. Many holy people well known to American Catholics, such as St. John Neumann, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Katharine Drexel, and Blessed Damien of Molokai, practiced great personal devotion to Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament. In the Eastern Catholic Churches, devotion to the reserved Blessed Sacrament is practiced most directly at the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, offered on weekdays of Lent.

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm.

• Taizé prayer will be held on 29 Oct (Fri) at 8 PM at St. Anne's Church and will have synchronized playback on Facebook. We welcome all to participate. 
• Tagalog Mass will be held on 31 Oct (Sun) at 07:15 AM. At this mass we will celebrate 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines.
• Youth Meeting will be held on 12 Nov (Fri) from 8:00 - 9:00 PM, at the parish hall upstairs. All youth are welcome.             
  

The parish needs VOLUNTEERS to help in the following essential ministries:

3. When the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ, why do they still look and taste like bread and wine?

In the celebration of the Eucharist, the glorified Christ becomes present under the appearances of bread and wine in a way that is unique, a way that is uniquely suited to the Eucharist. In the Church's traditional theological language, in the act of consecration during the Eucharist the "substance" of the bread and wine is changed by the power of the Holy Spirit into the "substance" of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. At the same time, the "accidents" or appearances of bread and wine remain. "Substance" and "accident" are here used as philosophical terms that have been adapted by great medieval theologians such as St. Thomas Aquinas in their efforts to understand and explain the faith. Such terms are used to convey the fact that what appears to be bread and wine in every way (at the level of "accidents" or physical attributes - that is, what can be seen, touched, tasted, or measured) in fact is now the Body and Blood of Christ (at the level of "substance" or deepest reality). This change at the level of substance from bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is called "transubstantiation." According to Catholic faith, we can speak of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist because this transubstantiation has occurred (cf. Catechism, no. 1376). This is a great mystery of our faith—we can only know it from Christ's teaching given us in the Scriptures and in the Tradition of the Church. Every other change that occurs in the world involves a change in accidents or characteristics. Sometimes the accidents change while the substance remains the same. For example, when a child reaches adulthood, the characteristics of the human person change in many ways, but the adult remains the same person—the same substance. At other times, the substance and the accidents both change. For example, when a person eats an apple, the apple is incorporated into the body of that person—is changed into the body of that person. When this change of substance occurs, however, the accidents or characteristics of the apple do not remain. As the apple is changed into the body of the person, it takes on the accidents or characteristics of the body of that person. Christ's presence in the Eucharist is unique in that, even though the consecrated bread and wine truly are in substance the Body and Blood of Christ, they have none of the accidents or characteristics of a human body, but only those of bread and wine.

4. Does the bread cease to be bread and the wine cease to be wine?

Yes. In order for the whole Christ to be present—body, blood, soul, and divinity—the bread and wine cannot remain, but must give way so that his glorified Body and Blood may be present. Thus, in the Eucharist the bread ceases to be bread in substance, and becomes the Body of Christ, while the wine ceases to be wine in substance, and becomes the Blood of Christ. As St. Thomas Aquinas observed, Christ is not quoted as saying, " This bread is my body," but " This is my body" (Summa Theologiae, III q. 78, a. 5).

5. Is it fitting that Christ's Body and Blood become present in the Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine?

Yes, for this way of being present corresponds perfectly to the sacramental celebration of the Eucharist. Jesus Christ gives himself to us in a form that employs the symbolism inherent in eating bread and drinking wine. Furthermore, being present under the appearances of bread and wine, Christ gives himself to us in a form that is appropriate for human eating and drinking. Also, this kind of presence corresponds to the virtue of faith, for the presence of the Body and Blood of Christ cannot be detected or discerned by any way other than faith. That is why St. Bonaventure affirmed: "There is no difficulty over Christ's being present in the sacrament as in a sign; the great difficulty is in the fact that He is really in the sacrament, as He is in heaven. And so believing this is especially meritorious." (In IV Sent., dist. X, P. I, art. un., qu. I). On the authority of God who reveals himself to us, by faith we believe that which cannot be grasped by our human faculties (cf. Catechism, no. 1381).

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm.

Few times does Jesus contrast the world's standard with his own standard as clearly as in today's Gospel.

Jesus is the Lord, the Eternal King of Kings, and yet he puts all his power, all his wisdom, all his energy, all his talents at the service of those he rules.

He seeks nothing for himself. Most of us who live in this fallen world do just the opposite. We tend to put all our gifts and talents at the service of ourselves, even to the point of treating others unjustly.

Thinking that we deserve comfort and honor, we demand it whenever we can: from the waiter at the restaurant, from the telephone operator, from our siblings, from those who work under our supervision.

The world's motto is "My will be done!" But "God's will be done!" was Christ's motto. And because he was faithful to it, he put our salvation before his comfort and honor.

This fundamental attitude is most eloquently displayed in Christ's repeated prediction of his Passion.

In today's passage, which echoes the prophecy of Isaiah from the First Reading, Jesus goes into more detail about his coming fate. He gives a play-by-play account of what will happen to him – the unjust condemnation, the physical torture, the mockery, the crucifixion…

He knows what awaits him in Jerusalem, and yet he doesn't turn aside. This shows that everything he will suffer will be suffered willingly, not for any benefit that will accrue to him, but for our salvation.

Jesus became incarnate, lived, and died for our sake. He had no self-centered item on his agenda; he came to serve and to give his life for others.

That's the law that ruled this King's conquest, and the same law ought to rule the lives of all his followers.

Using the Rosary to Fight Our Own Battle

Christ came to serve, not to be served, and he calls us to do the same. But we can't follow his example if we don't contemplate his example – not just on Sundays, but every day.

Other standards of behavior and happiness – false, self-centered standards – are constantly vying for our attention.

How can we keep Christ's standard in focus? The Church gives us many helpful instruments, and one of the simplest, most ancient, and most powerful, is the Rosary.

October is, traditionally, the month of the Rosary. This tradition goes all the way back to the sixteenth century, when Pope St Pius V called on all the Catholics of Europe to unite in prayer through the Rosary, as a way to support the Christian soldiers and sailors who were defending against a Turkish, Muslim invasion at the Battle of Lepanto. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Christian forces were somehow able to win the victory on October 7th, 1571.

As individuals, each one of us has to battle, every day, against the forces of self-centeredness, self-absorption, and self-righteousness. We too can find strength, encouragement, and victory through this ancient prayer.

The Rosary, when prayed properly, is much more than just the empty recitation of Our Fathers and Hail Marys. It consists in the serene contemplation of all the most poignant moments from the life of our Lord.

In the company of Mary, his mother, we turn our hearts and minds to him through this prayer, and his grace has a chance to touch our souls, making us more like him, better citizens of his Kingdom, better soldiers of the Church.

Now let's thank our Lord for loving us enough to put us first, and let's ask him to teach us to follow his example. 

1. Why does Jesus give himself to us as food and drink?

Jesus gives himself to us in the Eucharist as spiritual nourishment because he loves us. God's whole plan for our salvation is directed to our participation in the life of the Trinity, the communion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our sharing in this life begins with our Baptism, when by the power of the Holy Spirit we are joined to Christ, thus becoming adopted sons and daughters of the Father. It is strengthened and increased in Confirmation. It is nourished and deepened through our participation in the Eucharist. By eating the Body and drinking the Blood of Christ in the Eucharist we become united to the person of Christ through his humanity. "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him" (Jn 6:56). In being united to the humanity of Christ we are at the same time united to his divinity. Our mortal and corruptible natures are transformed by being joined to the source of life. "Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me" (Jn 6:57). By being united to Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we are drawn up into the eternal relationship of love among the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As Jesus is the eternal Son of God by nature, so we become sons and daughters of God by adoption through the sacrament of Baptism. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation (Chrismation), we are temples of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, and by his indwelling we are made holy by the gift of sanctifying grace. The ultimate promise of the Gospel is that we will share in the life of the Holy Trinity. The Fathers of the Church called this participation in the divine life "divinization" (theosis). In this we see that God does not merely send us good things from on high; instead, we are brought up into the inner life of God, the communion among the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the celebration of the Eucharist (which means "thanksgiving") we give praise and glory to God for this sublime gift.

2. Why is the Eucharist not only a meal but also a sacrifice?

While our sins would have made it impossible for us to share in the life of God, Jesus Christ was sent to remove this obstacle. His death was a sacrifice for our sins. Christ is "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (Jn 1:29). Through his death and resurrection, he conquered sin and death and reconciled us to God. The Eucharist is the memorial of this sacrifice. The Church gathers to remember and to re-present the sacrifice of Christ in which we share through the action of the priest and the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the celebration of the Eucharist, we are joined to Christ's sacrifice and receive its inexhaustible benefits. As the Letter to the Hebrews explains, Jesus is the one eternal high priest who always lives to make intercession for the people before the Father. In this way, he surpasses the many high priests who over centuries used to offer sacrifices for sin in the Jerusalem temple. The eternal high priest Jesus offers the perfect sacrifice which is his very self, not something else. "He entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption" (Heb 9:12). Jesus' act belongs to human history, for he is truly human and has entered into history. At the same time, however, Jesus Christ is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity; he is the eternal Son, who is not confined within time or history. His actions transcend time, which is part of creation. "Passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation" (Heb 9:11), Jesus the eternal Son of God made his act of sacrifice in the presence of his Father, who lives in eternity. Jesus' one perfect sacrifice is thus eternally present before the Father, who eternally accepts it. This means that in the Eucharist, Jesus does not sacrifice himself again and again. Rather, by the power of the Holy Spirit his one eternal sacrifice is made present once again, re-presented, so that we may share in it. Christ does not have to leave where he is in heaven to be with us. Rather, we partake of the heavenly liturgy where Christ eternally intercedes for us and presents his sacrifice to the Father and where the angels and saints constantly glorify God and give thanks for all his gifts: "To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor, glory and might, forever and ever" (Rev 5:13). As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "By the Eucharistic celebration we already unite ourselves with the heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all" (no. 1326). The Sanctus proclamation, "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord…" is the song of the angels who are in the presence of God (Is 6:3). When in the Eucharist we proclaim the Sanctus we echo on earth the song of angels as they worship God in heaven. In the eucharistic celebration we do not simply remember an event in history. Rather, through the mysterious action of the Holy Spirit in the eucharistic celebration the Lord's Paschal Mystery is made present and contemporaneous to his Spouse the Church. Furthermore, in the eucharistic re-presentation of Christ's eternal sacrifice before the Father, we are not simply spectators. The priest and the worshiping community are in different ways active in the eucharistic sacrifice. The ordained priest standing at the altar represents Christ as head of the Church. All the baptized, as members of Christ's Body, share in his priesthood, as both priest and victim. The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the Church. The Church, which is the Body and Bride of Christ, participates in the sacrificial offering of her Head and Spouse. In the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christ becomes the sacrifice of the members of his Body who united to Christ form one sacrificial offering (cf. Catechism, no. 1368). As Christ's sacrifice is made sacramentally present, united with Christ, we offer ourselves as a sacrifice to the Father. "The whole Church exercises the role of priest and victim along with Christ, offering the Sacrifice of the Mass and itself completely offered in it" (Mysterium Fidei, no. 31; cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 11).

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm. 

The first Hong Kong Hymnos Festival will be held from 10-15 Nov 2021. 

Hymn singing is calm and soothing. The Festival will present some of Hong Kong's best choral groups, ensembles and pianists. They will share the message of love and faith through playing and singing hymn music to the highest standards. 

The Festival is organized by the Hong Kong Hymnos Festival Society, which is a Registered Society and non-profit organization established by lay Catholics in 2020. 

Please support the Festival by purchasing concert tickets, which will be on sale at Urbtix from 8 Oct. 

The Lord Jesus, on the night before he suffered on the cross, shared one last meal with his disciples. During this meal our Savior instituted the sacrament of his Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages and to entrust to the Church his Spouse a memorial of his death and resurrection. As the Gospel of Matthew tells us:

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins." (Mt 26:26-28; cf. Mk 14:22-24, Lk 22:17-20, 1 Cor 11:23-25)

Recalling these words of Jesus, the Catholic Church professes that, in the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of the priest. Jesus said: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world… For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink" (Jn 6:51-55). The whole Christ is truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity, under the appearances of bread and wine—the glorified Christ who rose from the dead after dying for our sins. This is what the Church means when she speaks of the "Real Presence" of Christ in the Eucharist. This presence of Christ in the Eucharist is called "real" not to exclude other types of his presence as if they could not be understood as real (cf. Catechism, no. 1374). The risen Christ is present to his Church in many ways, but most especially through the sacrament of his Body and Blood.

What does it mean that Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine? How does this happen? The presence of the risen Christ in the Eucharist is an inexhaustible mystery that the Church can never fully explain in words. We must remember that the triune God is the creator of all that exists and has the power to do more than we can possibly imagine. As St. Ambrose said: "If the word of the Lord Jesus is so powerful as to bring into existence things which were not, then a fortiori those things which already exist can be changed into something else" (De Sacramentis, IV, 5-16). God created the world in order to share his life with persons who are not God.This great plan of salvation reveals a wisdom that surpasses our understanding. But we are not left in ignorance: for out of his love for us, God reveals his truth to us in ways that we can understand through the gift of faith and the grace of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. We are thus enabled to understand at least in some measure what would otherwise remain unknown to us, though we can never completely comprehend the mystery of God.

As successors of the Apostles and teachers of the Church, the bishops have the duty to hand on what God has revealed to us and to encourage all members of the Church to deepen their understanding of the mystery and gift of the Eucharist. In order to foster such a deepening of faith, we have prepared this text to respond to fifteen questions that commonly arise with regard to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. We offer this text to pastors and religious educators to assist them in their teaching responsibilities. We recognize that some of these questions involve rather complex theological ideas. It is our hope, however, that study and discussion of the text will aid many of the Catholic faithful to enrich their understanding of this mystery of the faith.

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Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm. 

Religious education classes will start on 03 Oct 2021. The classes will be from 10:00-11:00 AM at the Parish Hall.

This year, we plan to offer a limited number of Sacramental Classes for students preparing for First Holy Communion, Pre-Confirmation, and Confirmation.

Nowadays, people are beginning to believe that to live together in life-long marriage is the exception. Parish records show that the number of weddings in Catholic churches has dramatically dropped in most parts of the world. Golden and silver wedding jubilees have indeed become very rare. We hardly know of couples living together in marriage until old age.

During the time of Moses, God gave His commandments to His people through Moses. But the people had real difficulty following most of the commandments, especially on marriage. Divorce and polygamy were so common that they thought these were the right way. So, in order to maintain some kind of order in the community, and to regulate matters involving divorce, Moses had to promulgate a decree of divorce. It is not right and it is definitely a violation of God's command. But since they persisted in their ways – "because of the hardness of your hearts" – Moses had to do something to maintain peace and order among the people. That was the reason why divorce was allowed among the Israelites at that time.

Why is marriage such a necessary human institution? The answer is simple: it is necessary for the survival of the human race. In the Gospel, quoting the Book of Genesis, Jesus said, "From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female." (Mk 10:6). The man and the woman were intended by God to be complementary with each other. The man alone is not complete: "The Lord God said: 'It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suited to him.'" (Gen 2:18).He becomes complete only when he is joined with the woman. And the bond that joins them is love. Love is not just a feeling or emotion. It is a lifelong decision to stick it out together through thick and thin, "for better or worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health," until death. This union of man and woman is best expressed in the sexual act. This act naturally brings forth children that ensure the posterity of mankind. Hence, the idea of same-sex "marriage" is totally unacceptable. It is impossible for persons of the same sex to produce offspring. That is why, "from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female."

And in order that the procreation and upbringing of children will be assured so that the future of mankind is safeguarded, couples have to be in a stable relationship. Marriage is what makes their relationship stable. Married couples are able to establish a stable family where children are well cared for and raised up as good and responsible citizens of society. So important is marriage that Jesus raised this human institution to the level of a sacrament, so that the union of man and woman enjoys the blessing and protection of God.

One thing people need to do today is to say yes. Married couples must be able to say yes to each other. That is what it means by love as total self-giving. Marriage is not a fifty-fifty relationship; it is a one hundred percent relationship – total giving of self to each other. And most importantly, husbands and wives, and their children must be able to say yes to God all the time. Saying no to God is what sin consists of. And when sin comes in, the devil is not far behind to inflict chaos and ruin to our families and our homes.

God wants us to live in peace and happiness. This will happen only if we go back to His original teachings and follow them faithfully. Trouble comes in when we turn away from God, when we let our selfishness and pride rule our lives, and when we deviate from the original plan of God. Let us bring back God into the center of our homes and families. "The family that prays together, stays together." Then peace, happiness and salvation will be ours now and for always.

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm. 

Man is a social being. We all have the natural human need to belong – a family, community, friends, and various associations. The disciples were, indeed, happy to be part of the group of Jesus. That must have made them feel important and special. But at the same time, that also led them to feel exclusive – and proud. In last Sunday's Gospel, they were, in fact, arguing about who was the greatest among them. And in the Gospel today, they learned about some people outside the group who were casting out demons in the name of Jesus. They tried to stop them. They sincerely believed that the gift of exorcising demons was exclusive to them. This is similar with the case in the first reading. Joshua tried to stop Eldad and Medad from prophesying because they were not present in the camp when the Spirit of God through Moses descended upon the group of elders. But Moses knew better. He told them: "Are you jealous for my sake? If only all the people of the Lord were prophets! If only the Lord would bestow his spirit on them!" (Numbers 11:29).

It is such a wonderful thing to be part of the group of Jesus, to be the insiders. But this does not mean that we exclude others from joining us, that we treat others as outsiders. That is not what God wants. And we cannot limit God's actions, nor can we stop Him from imparting His gifts and blessings to others who do not belong to our group. Nobody has the monopoly of God's gifts and favors. Rather than excluding others, we should look at ourselves and learn to appreciate the great privilege of being part of the group of Jesus, members of his Mystical Body.

What does it really mean to be considered "insiders"? The Gospel this Sunday outlines several important points.

First, to be a genuine insider, there should be an attitude of openness. Jesus said: "There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us" (9:39-40). This simply means there are many people outside who are also being used by God as His instruments. We may not know who they are, but God knows them, and He rewards them for sure: "Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will not lose his reward" (9:41). We should be open to accept others as our co-workers in the Lord's vineyard. That is what it means by the word "catholic" – universal.

Second, a true member of Christ must always maintain the attitude of a child. The many painful divisions and misunderstandings among us are usually caused by pride, ambition and jealousy. St. James pointed that out in last Sunday's lesson: "Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice" (James 3:16). We are constantly seeking things that divide us. But if we can accept the poverty, loneliness and insecurity within each of us, we will find enough ground for unity."

Third, the genuine member of the Church knows perfectly well the infinite value of the heavenly treasures and is, therefore, all too ready to sacrifice everything in order to please God and win heaven. That is the meaning of the teaching in the Gospel about cutting one's limbs and gouging out an eye, which is to be interpreted figuratively.

We come together once again as members of the family of God. Let us not just look at one another, contented that we belong to God's chosen family. Rather, let us look beyond ourselves, and begin to realize that we have our mission to bring people in. Let us not just enjoy the unity among ourselves, but should also strive to expand this unity towards others outside. After all, this is the prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane: "I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you" (Jn 17:20-21).

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm.